2 Kings 23:14

2 Kings 23:14 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And he brake in pieces the images, and cut down the groves, and filled their places with the bones of men.
• New International Version (NIV)Josiah smashed the sacred stones and cut down the Asherah poles and covered the sites with human bones.
• English Standard Version (ESV)And he broke in pieces the pillars and cut down the Asherim and filled their places with the bones of men.
• New King James Version (NKJV)And he broke in pieces the sacred pillars and cut down the wooden images, and filled their places with the bones of men.

Context of 2 Kings 23:14

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. 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. Josiah 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. 15Josiah also destroyed the altar at Bethel. It was an altar for false gods that Nebat's son, King Jeroboam had made. King Jeroboam had caused the people of Israel to do bad things. Josiah completely destroyed that altar. He broke its stones into small pieces so that only dust remained. He also burned the Asherah pole. 16Then Josiah looked around and he saw graves on the hill. He sent someone to bring the bones from them. He burned them on the altar, so that people could not use it again. The Lord had said that this would happen when King Jeroboam was standing beside the altar. A man of God had spoken God's message to Jeroboam during a festival. Josiah looked up and he saw the grave of the man of God who had spoken God's message.

2 Kings 23:14 word by word

וְשִׁבַּר֙ אֶת־הַמַּצֵּב֔וֹת וַיִּכְרֹ֖ת אֶת־הָאֲשֵׁרִ֑ים וַיְמַלֵּ֥א אֶת־מְקוֹמָ֖ם עַצְמ֥וֹת אָדָֽם׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• And he brake in piecesשָׁבַרshâbar · to breakH7665
• the imagesמַצֵּבָהmatstsêbâh · pillarH4676
• and cut downכָּרַתkârath · to cut: cutH3772
• the grovesאֲשֵׁרָה'ăshêrâh 'ăshêyrâh · AsherahH842
• and filledמָלֵאmâlê' mâlâ' · to fillH4390
• their placesמָקוֹםmâqôm mâqôm meqômâh meqômâh · placeH4725
• with the bonesעֶ֫צֶם‛etsem · boneH6106
• of menאָדָם'âdâm · manH120

Cross-references for 2 Kings 23:14

• Exodus 23:24Do not worship their gods. Do not serve them. Do not copy the evil things that these people do. Destroy their idols and break their special stones into pieces.
• Numbers 33:52Then you must chase out all the people who live in that land. You must destroy all their idols that are made from wood or stone. Also destroy the altars where they worship their false gods.
• Deuteronomy 7:5This is what you must do to the people of those nations: Break their altars and their stone pillars into pieces. Cut down their Asherah poles. Burn their idols with fire.
• 2 Chronicles 34:3When Josiah had been king for eight years, he was still a young man. At that time he began to worship God, as his ancestor David had done. When he had been king for 12 years, he started to remove the places in Jerusalem and in all Judah where people worshipped false gods. He removed the altars on the hills, the Asherah poles, the idols and the images of false gods.
• Micah 1:7I will break all the false gods into pieces and I will destroy them. I will burn all the gifts that the people brought for those false gods. The people have paid so that they could have sex with bad women in those places. Your enemies will come and they will take away this money. They will give it to their gods in the same way.’
• 2 Kings 23:16Then Josiah looked around and he saw graves on the hill. He sent someone to bring the bones from them. He burned them on the altar, so that people could not use it again. The Lord had said that this would happen when King Jeroboam was standing beside the altar. A man of God had spoken God's message to Jeroboam during a festival. Josiah looked up and he saw the grave of the man of God who had spoken God's message.
• Numbers 19:16Also, a person might have killed someone with a sword out in the country. Or someone may have died because he was old or ill. Anyone who touches a dead body in the country will become unclean for seven days. Also if they touch a human bone, or a grave, that person will be unclean for seven days.
• Jeremiah 8:1The Lord says, ‘At that time, your enemies will open the graves of your leaders and they will remove their bones. They will remove the bones of Judah's kings and their officers, as well as the priests and prophets. They will also remove the bones of the ordinary people of Jerusalem.
• Ezekiel 39:12Israel's people will need seven months to bury all the dead bodies. Then the land will be clean.
• Matthew 23:27It will be very bad for you, teachers of God's law and Pharisees. You are hypocrites! You are like a grave that has nice white paint on the outside and it looks beautiful. But on the inside it is full of bones and disgusting things.

Commentaries on 2 Kings 23:14

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 14Filled their places with the bones of men - This was allowed to be the utmost defilement to which any thing could be exposed.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
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 13-1413-14. the high places ... which Solomon ... had builded--(See on 1Ki 11:5). the right hand of the mount of corruption--The Mount of Olives is a hilly range on the east of Jerusalem. This range has three summits, of which the central one is the Mount of Corruption, so called from the idol temples built there, and of course the hill on the right hand denotes the southernmost peak. Josiah is said not to have destroyed, but only defiled, "the high places on…Read the comment

Topics related to 2 Kings 23:14

• Groves
• Iconoclasm
• Israel, Prophecies Concerning
• Josiah
• Prophecy

In the dictionaries

• Jeremiah
• Josiah
• Kings, The Books of
• Pentateuch
• Chemosh
• God
• High Place
• Images
• Jeremiah (2)
• Jerusalem

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