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| This is the New King James text of the passages. |
II Kings 22-23; II Chronicles 34-35 Listen 
Josiah becomes king of Judah, and he was good (II Kings 22; II Chronicles 34:1-28)
II Kings 22 |
II Chronicles 34 |
| 1 Josiah was eight years old when he became king, and he reigned thirty-one years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Jedidah the daughter of Adaiah of Bozkath. 2 And he did what was right in the sight of the LORD, and walked in all the ways of his father David; he did not turn aside to the right hand or to the left. 3 ¶ Now it came to pass, in the eighteenth year of King Josiah, that the king sent Shaphan the scribe, the son of Azaliah, the son of Meshullam, to the house of the LORD, saying: 4 “Go up to Hilkiah the high priest, that he may count the money which has been brought into the house of the LORD, which the doorkeepers have gathered from the people. 5 And let them deliver it into the hand of those doing the work, who are the overseers in the house of the LORD; let them give it to those who are in the house of the LORD doing the work, to repair the damages of the house— 6 to carpenters and builders and masons—and to buy timber and hewn stone to repair the house. 7 However there need be no accounting made with them of the money delivered into their hand, because they deal faithfully.” 8 ¶ Then Hilkiah the high priest said to Shaphan the scribe, “I have found the Book of the Law in the house of the LORD.” And Hilkiah gave the book to Shaphan, and he read it. 9 So Shaphan the scribe went to the king, bringing the king word, saying, “Your servants have gathered the money that was found in the house, and have delivered it into the hand of those who do the work, who oversee the house of the LORD.” 10 Then Shaphan the scribe showed the king, saying, “Hilkiah the priest has given me a book.” And Shaphan read it before the king. 11 ¶ Now it happened, when the king heard the words of the Book of the Law, that he tore his clothes. 12 Then the king commanded Hilkiah the priest, Ahikam the son of Shaphan, Achbor the son of Michaiah, Shaphan the scribe, and Asaiah a servant of the king, saying, 13 “Go, inquire of the LORD for me, for the people and for all Judah, concerning the words of this book that has been found; for great is the wrath of the LORD that is aroused against us, because our fathers have not obeyed the words of this book, to do according to all that is written concerning us.” 14 ¶ So Hilkiah the priest, Ahikam, Achbor, Shaphan, and Asaiah went to Huldah the prophetess, the wife of Shallum the son of Tikvah, the son of Harhas, keeper of the wardrobe. (She dwelt in Jerusalem in the Second Quarter.) And they spoke with her. 15 Then she said to them, “Thus says the LORD God of Israel, ‘Tell the man who sent you to Me, 16 “Thus says the LORD: ‘Behold, I will bring calamity on this place and on its inhabitants—all the words of the book which the king of Judah has read— 17 because they have forsaken Me and burned incense to other gods, that they might provoke Me to anger with all the works of their hands. Therefore My wrath shall be aroused against this place and shall not be quenched.’ ” ’ 18 But as for the king of Judah, who sent you to inquire of the LORD, in this manner you shall speak to him, “Thus says the LORD God of Israel: ‘Concerning the words which you have heard— 19 because your heart was tender, and you humbled yourself before the LORD when you heard what I spoke against this place and against its inhabitants, that they would become a desolation and a curse, and you tore your clothes and wept before Me, I also have heard you,” says the LORD. 20 Surely, therefore, I will gather you to your fathers, and you shall be gathered to your grave in peace; and your eyes shall not see all the calamity which I will bring on this place.” ’ ” So they brought back word to the king. |
1 Josiah was eight years old when he became king, and he reigned thirty-one years in Jerusalem. 2 And he did what was right in the sight of the LORD, and walked in the ways of his father David; he did not turn aside to the right hand or to the left. 3 ¶ For in the eighth year of his reign, while he was still young, he began to seek the God of his father David; and in the twelfth year he began to purge Judah and Jerusalem of the high places, the wooden images, the carved images, and the molded images. 4 They broke down the altars of the Baals in his presence, and the incense altars which were above them he cut down; and the wooden images, the carved images, and the molded images he broke in pieces, and made dust of them and scattered it on the graves of those who had sacrificed to them. 5 He also burned the bones of the priests on their altars, and cleansed Judah and Jerusalem. 6 And so he did in the cities of Manasseh, Ephraim, and Simeon, as far as Naphtali and all around, with axes. 7 When he had broken down the altars and the wooden images, had beaten the carved images into powder, and cut down all the incense altars throughout all the land of Israel, he returned to Jerusalem. 8 ¶ In the eighteenth year of his reign, when he had purged the land and the temple, he sent Shaphan the son of Azaliah, Maaseiah the governor of the city, and Joah the son of Joahaz the recorder, to repair the house of the LORD his God. 9 When they came to Hilkiah the high priest, they delivered the money that was brought into the house of God, which the Levites who kept the doors had gathered from the hand of Manasseh and Ephraim, from all the remnant of Israel, from all Judah and Benjamin, and which they had brought back to Jerusalem. 10 Then they put it in the hand of the foremen who had the oversight of the house of the LORD; and they gave it to the workmen who worked in the house of the LORD, to repair and restore the house. 11 They gave it to the craftsmen and builders to buy hewn stone and timber for beams, and to floor the houses which the kings of Judah had destroyed. 12 And the men did the work faithfully. Their overseers were Jahath and Obadiah the Levites, of the sons of Merari, and Zechariah and Meshullam, of the sons of the Kohathites, to supervise. Others of the Levites, all of whom were skillful with instruments of music, 13 were over the burden bearers and were overseers of all who did work in any kind of service. And some of the Levites were scribes, officers, and gatekeepers. 14 ¶ Now when they brought out the money that was brought into the house of the LORD, Hilkiah the priest found the Book of the Law of the LORD given by Moses. 15 Then Hilkiah answered and said to Shaphan the scribe, “I have found the Book of the Law in the house of the LORD.” And Hilkiah gave the book to Shaphan. 16 So Shaphan carried the book to the king, bringing the king word, saying, “All that was committed to your servants they are doing. 17 And they have gathered the money that was found in the house of the LORD, and have delivered it into the hand of the overseers and the workmen.” 18 Then Shaphan the scribe told the king, saying, “Hilkiah the priest has given me a book.” And Shaphan read it before the king. 19 ¶ Thus it happened, when the king heard the words of the Law, that he tore his clothes. 20 Then the king commanded Hilkiah, Ahikam the son of Shaphan, Abdon the son of Micah, Shaphan the scribe, and Asaiah a servant of the king, saying, 21 “Go, inquire of the LORD for me, and for those who are left in Israel and Judah, concerning the words of the book that is found; for great is the wrath of the LORD that is poured out on us, because our fathers have not kept the word of the LORD, to do according to all that is written in this book.” 22 ¶ So Hilkiah and those the king had appointed went to Huldah the prophetess, the wife of Shallum the son of Tokhath, the son of Hasrah, keeper of the wardrobe. (She dwelt in Jerusalem in the Second Quarter.) And they spoke to her to that effect. 23 ¶ Then she answered them, “Thus says the LORD God of Israel, ‘Tell the man who sent you to Me, 24 “Thus says the LORD: ‘Behold, I will bring calamity on this place and on its inhabitants, all the curses that are written in the book which they have read before the king of Judah, 25 because they have forsaken Me and burned incense to other gods, that they might provoke Me to anger with all the works of their hands. Therefore My wrath will be poured out on this place, and not be quenched.’ ” ’ 26 But as for the king of Judah, who sent you to inquire of the LORD, in this manner you shall speak to him, “Thus says the LORD God of Israel: ‘Concerning the words which you have heard— 27 because your heart was tender, and you humbled yourself before God when you heard His words against this place and against its inhabitants, and you humbled yourself before Me, and you tore your clothes and wept before Me, I also have heard you,” says the LORD. 28 “Surely I will gather you to your fathers, and you shall be gathered to your grave in peace; and your eyes shall not see all the calamity which I will bring on this place and its inhabitants.” ’ ” So they brought back word to the king. |
After the untimely death of the wicked Amon in II Chronicles 33:21-25 (see notes), Judah gets his son, Josiah, as their new 8-year-old king. What does an 8-year-old know about ruling? That's not a normal childhood! We aren't told in either passage who gave counsel to Josiah in his early years, but we are told that he began to seek the One True God when he was 16 and by age 20 decided it was the right time to make his move. He just didn't want any part of his father's evilness (good boy!). He immediately sets out to clean up Israel (yes, the Northern Kingdom too according to II Chronicles 34:6 and II Kings 23:15) - gets rid of the high places and pagan altars; but first, he executed and burned the bones of those idolatrous priests on their own pagan altars. I'm guessing they didn't see that coming! At about 26 years of age, he commissions the repair of the temple which had been severely abused under the reigns of his wicked father, Amon, and his equally wicked grandfather, Manasseh. Apparently, due to the weakened condition of the Assyrian Empire at this time, Josiah was able to purge all of Israel (Northern and Southern Kingdoms) of its idols and pagan altars.
In the process of this "spring cleaning" (so to speak), the high priest, Hilkiah, finds the Book of the Law. Obviously nobody had cared about it since King Hezekiah many decades earlier, so it apparently had been misplaced - perhaps deliberately. After hearing the reading of the law, Josiah realizes how corrupt they had become under his Pa and Grandpa. He sends out for a prophecy - not to the now-famous Jeremiah, but to Huldah, the unpublished prophetess. Huldah lived in Jerusalem in the second quarter of the city. She delivers a harsh prophecy though - says Jerusalem will be punished for their actions, but not in Josiah's lifetime because of his faithfulness to God. Although Josiah had been a good king, Judah had already stepped way over the line.
Let's do a little refresher concerning the statement of II Chronicles 34:24, "Thus says the LORD: 'Behold, I will bring calamity on this place and on its inhabitants, all the curses that are written in the book which they have read before the king of Judah.'" These are the curses recorded in Deuteronomy where it was prophesied that Israel would fall because of idolatry some 800 or so years earlier. As a matter of fact, after entering Canaan, they had a big blessing/cursing ceremony on Mount Gerizim and Mount Ebal (simultaneously) shouting the promised blessings and cursings. The actual event is recorded in Joshua 8:1-28 (see notes), but the program was set up under the leadership of Moses prior to his death. For a complete overview of these blessings/cursings, click here. In addition, an itemized list of these blessings and cursings are found in Leviticus 26 (see notes). After all Israel/Judah had been through, imagine how Josiah and company must have felt after seeing that all of these unfortunate events in Israel's history had been prophesied some 800 years earlier.
A Summary of King #16 from 640 to 609 B.C. over Judah: Josiah |
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| References | The Good | The Bad |
I Kings 22:1-23:30 |
Very good II Kings 22:2 And he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD, and walked in all the way of David his father, and turned not aside to the right hand or to the left. II Chronicles 34:2 And he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD, and walked in the ways of David his father, and declined neither to the right hand, nor to the left. |
Not specified - He always served God. |
The good King Josiah gives it a try anyway (II Kings 23:1-20; II Chronicles 34:29-33)
II Kings 23 |
II Chronicles 34 |
| 1 Now the king sent them to gather all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem to him. 2 The king went up to the house of the LORD with all the men of Judah, and with him all the inhabitants of Jerusalem—the priests and the prophets and all the people, both small and great. And he read in their hearing all the words of the Book of the Covenant which had been found in the house of the LORD. 3 ¶ Then the king stood by a pillar and made a covenant before the LORD, to follow the LORD and to keep His commandments and His testimonies and His statutes, with all his heart and all his soul, to perform the words of this covenant that were written in this book. And all the people took a stand for the covenant. 4 And the king commanded Hilkiah the high priest, the priests of the second order, and the doorkeepers, to bring out of the temple of the LORD all the articles that were made for Baal, for Asherah, and for all the host of heaven; and he burned them outside Jerusalem in the fields of Kidron, and carried their ashes to Bethel. 5 Then he removed the idolatrous priests whom the kings of Judah had ordained to burn incense on the high places in the cities of Judah and in the places all around Jerusalem, and those who burned incense to Baal, to the sun, to the moon, to the constellations, and to all the host of heaven. 6 And he brought out the wooden image from the house of the LORD, to the Brook Kidron outside Jerusalem, burned it at the Brook Kidron and ground it to ashes, and threw its ashes on the graves of the common people. 7 Then he tore down the ritual booths of the perverted persons that were in the house of the LORD, where the women wove hangings for the wooden image. 8 And he brought all the priests from the cities of Judah, and defiled the high places where the priests had burned incense, from Geba to Beersheba; also he broke down the high places at the gates which were at the entrance of the Gate of Joshua the governor of the city, which were to the left of the city gate. 9 Nevertheless the priests of the high places did not come up to the altar of the LORD in Jerusalem, but they ate unleavened bread among their brethren. 10 ¶ And he defiled Topheth, which is in the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, that no man might make his son or his daughter pass through the fire to Molech. 11 Then he removed the horses that the kings of Judah had dedicated to the sun, at the entrance to the house of the LORD, by the chamber of Nathan-melech, the officer who was in the court; and he burned the chariots of the sun with fire. 12 The altars that were on the roof, the upper chamber of Ahaz, which the kings of Judah had made, and the altars which Manasseh had made in the two courts of the house of the LORD, the king broke down and pulverized there, and threw their dust into the Brook Kidron. 13 Then the king defiled the high places that were east of Jerusalem, which were on the south of the Mount of Corruption, which Solomon king of Israel had built for Ashtoreth the abomination of the Sidonians, for Chemosh the abomination of the Moabites, and for Milcom the abomination of the people of Ammon. 14 And he broke in pieces the sacred pillars and cut down the wooden images, and filled their places with the bones of men. 15 ¶ Moreover the altar that was at Bethel, and the high place which Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel sin, had made, both that altar and the high place he broke down; and he burned the high place and crushed it to powder, and burned the wooden image. 16 As Josiah turned, he saw the tombs that were there on the mountain. And he sent and took the bones out of the tombs and burned them on the altar, and defiled it according to the word of the LORD which the man of God proclaimed, who proclaimed these words. 17 Then he said, “What gravestone is this that I see?” ¶ So the men of the city told him, “It is the tomb of the man of God who came from Judah and proclaimed these things which you have done against the altar of Bethel.” 18 ¶ And he said, “Let him alone; let no one move his bones.” So they let his bones alone, with the bones of the prophet who came from Samaria. 19 ¶ Now Josiah also took away all the shrines of the high places that were in the cities of Samaria, which the kings of Israel had made to provoke the LORD to anger; and he did to them according to all the deeds he had done in Bethel. 20 He executed all the priests of the high places who were there, on the altars, and burned men’s bones on them; and he returned to Jerusalem. |
29 ¶ Then the king sent and gathered all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem. 30 The king went up to the house of the LORD, with all the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem—the priests and the Levites, and all the people, great and small. And he read in their hearing all the words of the Book of the Covenant which had been found in the house of the LORD. 31 Then the king stood in his place and made a covenant before the LORD, to follow the LORD, and to keep His commandments and His testimonies and His statutes with all his heart and all his soul, to perform the words of the covenant that were written in this book. 32 And he made all who were present in Jerusalem and Benjamin take a stand. So the inhabitants of Jerusalem did according to the covenant of God, the God of their fathers. 33 Thus Josiah removed all the abominations from all the country that belonged to the children of Israel, and made all who were present in Israel diligently serve the LORD their God. All his days they did not depart from following the LORD God of their fathers. |
Despite the prophecy against Judah from the prophetess, Josiah determines to clean up Judah AND Israel - I mean really clean up! He calls the people of Judah/Israel together and has the law read to them. He pledges to follow the law himself and II Kings 23:3 says, "...And all the people took a stand for the covenant." He gets rid of all the pagan altars and tears down the cultish male prostitution house. He even tears down the altar that Jeroboam had built in Bethel (up in Ephraim's territory). Not only does he tear down the pagan altars to all the various false gods, he slaughters those phony priests on their own altars. There's a little slam against Solomon in II Kings 23:13; he's the one who started Israel's slide toward idolatry. Josiah is a very good king, but God had already determined that Judah would be destroyed because of the great sins of his fathers - especially Manasseh.
So, how wide spread was Josiah's influence in this clean-up operation? Take a look at II Chronicles 34:33, "Thus Josiah removed all the abominations from all the country that belonged to the children of Israel, and made all who were present in Israel diligently serve the LORD their God. All his days they did not depart from following the LORD God of their fathers." We see the same confirmation in II Kings 23:19 where it is said that his eradication of pagan worship extended to all of the cities of Samaria, a reference to the territory once ruled by the Northern Kingdom of Israel. Josiah! You're the man!
Let's do a little assessment of the situation in Israel/Judah at this point. The year that these reforms began can be calculated to have begun around 620 B.C., in the 20th year of Josiah's reign. Josiah reigned until his death in 609 B.C., the same year that the Assyrians' Nineveh fell to the Babylonians. Assyria was significantly weakened at this point and had obviously lost its hold on Israel. Josiah is able to clean up the pagan worship in Judah AND Israel. It would appear that all of Israel is unified under Josiah (like in the old days), but because of Huldah's prophecy, Josiah knew that this prosperity was to be short lived. Judah/Israel had a tough time after the demise of Josiah; the capper comes in 586 B.C. when Judah, once and for all, fell to the Babylonians, seen in II Kings 24-25 (see notes).
What Josiah did here was a fulfillment of a 300-year-old prophecy that had been made to Jeroboam himself back in I Kings 13:1-10 (see notes). As a matter of fact, Josiah is mentioned by name in that prophecy (I Kings 13:2). King Josiah fulfills this prophecy exactly as it had been presented to Jeroboam.
Let's restore the Passover (II Kings 23:21-28; II Chronicles 35:1-19)
II Kings 23 |
II Chronicles 35 |
| 21 ¶ Then the king commanded all the people, saying, “Keep the Passover to the LORD your God, as it is written in this Book of the Covenant.” 22 Such a Passover surely had never been held since the days of the judges who judged Israel, nor in all the days of the kings of Israel and the kings of Judah. 23 But in the eighteenth year of King Josiah this Passover was held before the LORD in Jerusalem. 24 Moreover Josiah put away those who consulted mediums and spiritists, the household gods and idols, all the abominations that were seen in the land of Judah and in Jerusalem, that he might perform the words of the law which were written in the book that Hilkiah the priest found in the house of the LORD. 25 Now before him there was no king like him, who turned to the LORD with all his heart, with all his soul, and with all his might, according to all the Law of Moses; nor after him did any arise like him. 26 ¶ Nevertheless the LORD did not turn from the fierceness of His great wrath, with which His anger was aroused against Judah, because of all the provocations with which Manasseh had provoked Him. 27 And the LORD said, “I will also remove Judah from My sight, as I have removed Israel, and will cast off this city Jerusalem which I have chosen, and the house of which I said, ‘My name shall be there.’ ” 28 ¶ Now the rest of the acts of Josiah, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah? |
1 Now Josiah kept a Passover to the LORD in Jerusalem, and they slaughtered the Passover lambs on the fourteenth day of the first month. 2 And he set the priests in their duties and encouraged them for the service of the house of the LORD. 3 Then he said to the Levites who taught all Israel, who were holy to the LORD: “Put the holy ark in the house which Solomon the son of David, king of Israel, built. It shall no longer be a burden on your shoulders. Now serve the LORD your God and His people Israel. 4 Prepare yourselves according to your fathers’ houses, according to your divisions, following the written instruction of David king of Israel and the written instruction of Solomon his son. 5 And stand in the holy place according to the divisions of the fathers’ houses of your brethren the lay people, and according to the division of the father’s house of the Levites. 6 So slaughter the Passover offerings, consecrate yourselves, and prepare them for your brethren, that they may do according to the word of the LORD by the hand of Moses.” 7 ¶ Then Josiah gave the lay people lambs and young goats from the flock, all for Passover offerings for all who were present, to the number of thirty thousand, as well as three thousand cattle; these were from the king’s possessions. 8 And his leaders gave willingly to the people, to the priests, and to the Levites. Hilkiah, Zechariah, and Jehiel, rulers of the house of God, gave to the priests for the Passover offerings two thousand six hundred from the flock, and three hundred cattle. 9 Also Conaniah, his brothers Shemaiah and Nethanel, and Hashabiah and Jeiel and Jozabad, chief of the Levites, gave to the Levites for Passover offerings five thousand from the flock and five hundred cattle. 10 ¶ So the service was prepared, and the priests stood in their places, and the Levites in their divisions, according to the king’s command. 11 And they slaughtered the Passover offerings; and the priests sprinkled the blood with their hands, while the Levites skinned the animals. 12 Then they removed the burnt offerings that they might give them to the divisions of the fathers’ houses of the lay people, to offer to the LORD, as it is written in the Book of Moses. And so they did with the cattle. 13 Also they roasted the Passover offerings with fire according to the ordinance; but the other holy offerings they boiled in pots, in caldrons, and in pans, and divided them quickly among all the lay people. 14 Then afterward they prepared portions for themselves and for the priests, because the priests, the sons of Aaron, were busy in offering burnt offerings and fat until night; therefore the Levites prepared portions for themselves and for the priests, the sons of Aaron. 15 And the singers, the sons of Asaph, were in their places, according to the command of David, Asaph, Heman, and Jeduthun the king’s seer. Also the gatekeepers were at each gate; they did not have to leave their position, because their brethren the Levites prepared portions for them. 16 ¶ So all the service of the LORD was prepared the same day, to keep the Passover and to offer burnt offerings on the altar of the LORD, according to the command of King Josiah. 17 And the children of Israel who were present kept the Passover at that time, and the Feast of Unleavened Bread for seven days. 18 There had been no Passover kept in Israel like that since the days of Samuel the prophet; and none of the kings of Israel had kept such a Passover as Josiah kept, with the priests and the Levites, all Judah and Israel who were present, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem. 19 In the eighteenth year of the reign of Josiah this Passover was kept. |
Inquiring minds may have been wondering why the law was just discovered during Josiah's reign. I mean...we all know that the law was kept inside the Ark of the Covenant; and we all know that the Ark of the Covenant was kept in the Holy of Holies. II Chronicles 35:3 gives us a little hint that the evil times under previous kings - especially Ahaz - may have caused the Levites to hide the Ark of the Covenant somewhere in the temple for safe keeping. The temple was a massive structure with underground rooms having plenty of places to hide such a treasure. Anyway, Josiah tells them to put the Ark back into the Holy of Holies where it belongs. Then Josiah restores the Passover followed by the 7 days of the Feast of Unleavened bread - just like ol' times with lots of sacrifices, singers - a glorious return to God. As a matter of fact, according to II Chronicles 35:18, it was the mother of all (so to speak) passover observances.
If you're looking for a resume enhancement on Josiah, there it is in II Kings 23:25, "Now before him there was no king like him, who turned to the LORD with all his heart, with all his soul, and with all his might, according to all the Law of Moses; nor after him did any arise like him." Times were good, but there's a little wrinkle here in II Kings 23:26, "Nevertheless the LORD did not turn from the fierceness of His great wrath, with which His anger was aroused against Judah, because of all the provocations with which Manasseh had provoked Him." In verse 27 we see that the Lord has already ordained that Judah and Jerusalem will fall, despite the good efforts of Josiah. Isaiah had prophesied that times would turn bad again.
Josiah picks a battle that was not his (II Kings 23:29-30; II Chronicles 35:20-27)
II Kings 23 |
II Chronicles 35 |
| 29 In his days Pharaoh Necho king of Egypt went to the aid of the king of Assyria, to the River Euphrates; and King Josiah went against him. And Pharaoh Necho killed him at Megiddo when he confronted him. 30 Then his servants moved his body in a chariot from Megiddo, brought him to Jerusalem, and buried him in his own tomb. And the people of the land took Jehoahaz the son of Josiah, anointed him, and made him king in his father’s place. |
20 ¶ After all this, when Josiah had prepared the temple, Necho king of Egypt came up to fight against Carchemish by the Euphrates; and Josiah went out against him. 21 But he sent messengers to him, saying, “What have I to do with you, king of Judah? I have not come against you this day, but against the house with which I have war; for God commanded me to make haste. Refrain from meddling with God, who is with me, lest He destroy you.” 22 Nevertheless Josiah would not turn his face from him, but disguised himself so that he might fight with him, and did not heed the words of Necho from the mouth of God. So he came to fight in the Valley of Megiddo. 23 ¶ And the archers shot King Josiah; and the king said to his servants, “Take me away, for I am severely wounded.” 24 His servants therefore took him out of that chariot and put him in the second chariot that he had, and they brought him to Jerusalem. So he died, and was buried in one of the tombs of his fathers. And all Judah and Jerusalem mourned for Josiah. 25 ¶ Jeremiah also lamented for Josiah. And to this day all the singing men and the singing women speak of Josiah in their lamentations. They made it a custom in Israel; and indeed they are written in the Laments. 26 ¶ Now the rest of the acts of Josiah and his goodness, according to what was written in the Law of the LORD, 27 and his deeds from first to last, indeed they are written in the book of the kings of Israel and Judah. |
Things were going well in Israel/Judah under Josiah, but Josiah makes a miscalculation. It's about 609 B.C. (about 23 years before the final fall of Jerusalem). The King of Egypt is challenging the Assyrians and wants to cut across Judah on his way over to fight, but Josiah objects. The Egyptian king warns Josiah not to get involved; it's not his battle. Instead, Josiah disguises himself and goes out to fight the King of Egypt; he's shot by an arrow and subsequently dies...and he was only 39 years old. Everybody mourns his death.
Now for the evil Jehoahaz at 23 years old (II Kings 23:31-33)
Jehoahaz is also seen in II Chronicles 36:1-3 (see notes).
II Kings 23 |
II Chronicles 36 |
| 31 ¶ Jehoahaz was twenty-three years old when he became king, and he reigned three months in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Hamutal the daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah. 32 And he did evil in the sight of the LORD, according to all that his fathers had done. 33 Now Pharaoh Necho put him in prison at Riblah in the land of Hamath, that he might not reign in Jerusalem; and he imposed on the land a tribute of one hundred talents of silver and a talent of gold. |
1 Then the people of the land took Jehoahaz the son of Josiah, and made him king in his father’s place in Jerusalem. 2 Jehoahaz was twenty-three years old when he became king, and he reigned three months in Jerusalem. 3 Now the king of Egypt deposed him at Jerusalem; and he imposed on the land a tribute of one hundred talents of silver and a talent of gold. |
II Chronicles 36:1-8 (see notes) also briefly mentions the following two kings.
Jehoahaz is Josiah's son, but he's evil - right from the beginning. The Egyptian Pharaoh takes him captive and appoints his brother Jehoiakim as the new King of Judah.
A Summary of King #17 for 3 months in 609 B.C. over Judah: Jehoahaz |
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| References | The Good | The Bad |
II Kings 23:31-33 |
Not specified - He was bad | II Kings 23:32 And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, according to all that his fathers had done. |
Jehoiakim at 25 years old becomes king (II Kings 23:34-37)
Jehoiakim is also seen in II Chronicles 36:4-8 (see notes).
II Kings 23 |
II Chronicles 36 |
| 34 Then Pharaoh Necho made Eliakim the son of Josiah king in place of his father Josiah, and changed his name to Jehoiakim. And Pharaoh took Jehoahaz and went to Egypt, and he died there. 35 ¶ So Jehoiakim gave the silver and gold to Pharaoh; but he taxed the land to give money according to the command of Pharaoh; he exacted the silver and gold from the people of the land, from every one according to his assessment, to give it to Pharaoh Necho. 36 Jehoiakim was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Zebudah the daughter of Pedaiah of Rumah. 37 And he did evil in the sight of the LORD, according to all that his fathers had done. |
4 Then the king of Egypt made Jehoahaz’s brother Eliakim king over Judah and Jerusalem, and changed his name to Jehoiakim. And Necho took Jehoahaz his brother and carried him off to Egypt. 5 ¶ Jehoiakim was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. And he did evil in the sight of the LORD his God. 6 Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up against him, and bound him in bronze fetters to carry him off to Babylon. 7 Nebuchadnezzar also carried off some of the articles from the house of the LORD to Babylon, and put them in his temple at Babylon. 8 Now the rest of the acts of Jehoiakim, the abominations which he did, and what was found against him, indeed they are written in the book of the kings of Israel and Judah. Then Jehoiachin his son reigned in his place. |
Jehoiakim is just a puppet king to the Pharaoh. He replaced Jehoahaz when he was taken prisoner by the Egyptians. However, when the Babylonian army shows up, Jehoiakim becomes his puppet king. All of this was done because of the sins of Manasseh, as we saw in verse 26 (see above).
A Summary of King #18 from 609 to 598 B.C. over Judah: Jehoiakim |
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| References | The Good | The Bad |
II Kings 23:34-37 |
Not specified - He was bad | II Kings 23:37 And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, according to all that his fathers had done. II Chronicles 36:5 Jehoiakim was twenty and five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem: and he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD his God. |
