EasyEnglish Bible 2018
2 Kings 23:12
12King Josiah knocked down the altars that were on the roof of the palace. The kings of Judah had built the altars there, above the high room of King Ahaz. He also knocked down the altars that King Manasseh had built in the two yards of the Lord's temple. Josiah broke the altars into small pieces. He threw the bits into the Kidron Valley.
2 Kings 23:12 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)And the altars that were on the top of 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, did the king beat down, and brake them down from thence, and cast the dust of them into the brook Kidron.
- New International Version (NIV)He pulled down the altars the kings of Judah had erected on the roof near the upper room of Ahaz, and the altars Manasseh had built in the two courts of the temple of the Lord. He removed them from there, smashed them to pieces and threw the rubble into the Kidron Valley.
- English Standard Version (ESV)And the altars on the roof of the upper chamber of Ahaz, which the kings of Judah had made, and the altars that Manasseh had made in the two courts of the house of the Lord, he pulled down and broke in pieces and cast the dust of them into the brook Kidron.
- New King James Version (NKJV)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.
Context of 2 Kings 23:12
10King Josiah destroyed the place called Topheth, which was in the Valley of Ben Hinnom. After that, nobody could burn his son or his daughter there in the fire as a sacrifice to Molech. 11He removed the images of horses that the kings of Judah had put beside the entrance to the Lord's temple. He also burned the chariots that were there. The kings had put the horses and chariots there to give honour to the sun god. They were in the temple yard near the room of Nathan Melech, a palace officer. King Josiah knocked down the altars that were on the roof of the palace. The kings of Judah had built the altars there, above the high room of King Ahaz. He also knocked down the altars that King Manasseh had built in the two yards of the Lord's temple. Josiah broke the altars into small pieces. He threw the bits into the Kidron Valley. 13King Josiah also destroyed the altars that were on the hills east of Jerusalem. Those altars were on the south side of Mount Trouble. King Solomon had built them to worship these false gods: Ashtoreth, a wicked female god that the people in Sidon worshipped. Chemosh, a wicked god that the people in Moab worshipped. Molech, the evil god that the people in Ammon worshipped. 14Josiah broke the stone pillars that people worshipped into small pieces. He cut down the Asherah poles. He covered the ground where they had been with human bones.
Read all of 2 Kings 232 Kings 23:12 word by word
וְאֶֽת־הַֽמִּזְבְּח֡וֹת אֲשֶׁ֣ר עַל־הַגָּג֩ עֲלִיַּ֨ת אָחָ֜ז אֲשֶׁר־עָשׂ֣וּ׀ מַלְכֵ֣י יְהוּדָ֗ה וְאֶת־הַֽמִּזְבְּחוֹת֙ אֲשֶׁר־עָשָׂ֣ה מְנַשֶּׁ֔ה בִּשְׁתֵּ֛י חַצְר֥וֹת בֵּית־יְהוָ֖ה נָתַ֣ץ הַמֶּ֑לֶךְ וַיָּ֣רָץ מִשָּׁ֔ם וְהִשְׁלִ֥יךְ אֶת־עֲפָרָ֖ם אֶל־נַ֥חַל קִדְרֽוֹן׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- And the altarsמִזְבֵּחַmizbêach · altarH4196
- on the topגָּגgâg · roofH1406
- of the upper chamberעֲלִיָּה‛ălîyâh · upper roomH5944
- of Ahazאָחָז'âchâz · AhazH271
- which the kingsמֶ֫לֶךְmelek · kingH4428
- of Judahיְהוּדָהyehûdâh · JudahH3063
- had madeעָשָׂה‛âώâh · to makeH6213
- which Manassehמְנַשֶּׁהmenashsheh · ManassehH4519
- in the twoשְׁנַ֫יִםshenayim shettayim · twoH8147
- courtsחָצֵרchâtsêr · courtH2691
- of the houseבַּ֫יִתbayith · house: templeH1004
- of the Lordיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068
- beat downנָתַץnâthats · to tearH5422
- downרוּץrûts · to run: piecesH7323
- from thence, and castשָׁלַךְshâlak · to throwH7993
- the dustעָפָר‛âphâr · dustH6083
- of them into the brookנַ֫חַלnachal nachlâh nachălâh · torrent: riverH5158
- Kidronקִדְרוֹןqidrôn · KidronH6939
Cross-references for 2 Kings 23:12
- Deuteronomy 22:8If you build a new house, you must make a wall around the edge of the flat roof. Then if someone falls off the roof and dies, you will not be guilty for his death.
- Jeremiah 19:13The houses in Jerusalem will be full of dead bodies like Topheth. The palaces of the kings of Judah will be the same. I will do that because people went up on the roofs of their houses to offer sacrifices to the stars. They poured out drink offerings to other gods.” ’
- Zephaniah 1:5Some people stand on the roof tops to worship the sun, the moon and the stars. I will remove those people. Some people say that they love me. But they say also that they love Malcam (a false god). So I will remove them, too.’
- 2 Kings 21:5Manasseh built altars to give honour to the stars, in both yards of the Lord's temple.
- 2 Chronicles 33:5Manasseh built altars to give honour to the stars in both yards of the Lord's temple.
- 2 Kings 23:6He also removed the Asherah pole from the Lord's temple. He took it outside Jerusalem, to the Kidron Valley. He burned it there. He made its ashes into dust. He threw the dust over the graves of ordinary people.
Commentaries on 2 Kings 23:12
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 12On the top of the upper chamber - Altars built on the flat roof of the house. Such altars were erected to the sun, moon, stars, etc.Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 4-20Verses 4-20 A parenthesis giving the earlier reforms of Josiah. 2 Kings 23:4 The priests of the second order - This is a new expression; and probably refers to the ordinary priests, called here “priests of the second order,” in contrast with the high priest, whose dignity was reviving (2 Kings 12:2 note). The vessels - This would include the whole apparatus of worship, altars, images, dresses, utensils, etc., for Baal, etc. (2 Kings 21:3-5 notes). The…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 4-14Verses 4-14 What abundance of wickedness in Judah and Jerusalem! One would not have believed it possible, that in Judah, where God was known, in Israel, where his name was great, in Salem, in Zion, where his dwelling-place was, such abominations should be found. Josiah had reigned eighteen years, and had himself set the people a good example, and kept up religion according to the Divine law; yet, when he came to search for idolatry, the depth and extent…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 12the upper chamber of Ahaz: People used rooftop altars for star worship (Jeremiah 19:13; Zephaniah 1:5) and Baal rituals (Jeremiah 32:29).Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1212. the altars that were on the top of the upper chamber of Ahaz--Altars were reared on the flat roofs of houses, where the worshippers of "the host of heaven" burnt incense (Zep 1:5; Jr 19:13). Ahaz had reared altars for this purpose on the oleah, or upper chamber of his palace, and Manasseh on some portion of the roof of the temple. Josiah demolished both of these structures.Read the comment
Topics related to 2 Kings 23:12
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on 2 Kings 23
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Rashi on Tanakh
- Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
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