2 Kings 23:21

2 Kings 23:21 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And the king commanded all the people, saying, Keep the passover unto the Lord your God, as it is written in the book of this covenant.
• New International Version (NIV)The king gave this order to all the people: “Celebrate the Passover to the Lord your God, as it is written in this Book of the Covenant.”
• English Standard Version (ESV)And the king commanded all the people, "Keep the Passover to the Lord your God, as it is written in this Book of the Covenant."
• New King James Version (NKJV)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.”

Context of 2 Kings 23:21

19King Josiah removed the altars on the hills in all the towns of Samaria. The kings of Israel had built those altars and that had made the Lord angry. Josiah destroyed all of them, in the same way that he destroyed the altar at Bethel. 20He punished with death all the priests who served false gods at those altars. He killed them on their own altars. He burned human bones on all the altars. After he had done that, he went back to Jerusalem. Then the king commanded all the people, ‘The Book of God's Covenant teaches about the Passover festival. Now you must eat that Passover meal to give honour to the Lord your God.’ 22Since the time when the judges ruled Israel, the Israelites had not had a Passover festival like that. They had never had it during the time when kings ruled Judah and Israel. 23But in the 18th year that Josiah ruled Judah as king, the people once again had a Passover festival to give honour to the Lord.

2 Kings 23:21 word by word

וַיְצַ֤ו הַמֶּ֙לֶךְ֙ אֶת־כָּל־הָעָ֣ם לֵאמֹ֔ר עֲשׂ֣וּ פֶ֔סַח לַֽיהוָ֖ה אֱלֹֽהֵיכֶ֑ם כַּכָּת֕וּב עַ֛ל סֵ֥פֶר הַבְּרִ֖ית הַזֶּֽה׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• And the kingמֶ֫לֶךְmelek · kingH4428
• commandedצָוָהtsâvâh · to commandH6680
• all the peopleעַם‛am · peopleH5971
• sayingאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
• Keepעָשָׂה‛âώâh · to make: doH6213
• the passoverפֶּ֫סַחpesach · PassoverH6453
• unto the Lordיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068
• your Godאֱלֹהִים'ĕlôhîym · GodH430
• writtenכָּתַבkâthab · to writeH3789
• in the bookסֵ֫פֶרsêpher siphrâh · scroll: bookH5612
• of this covenantבְּרִיתberîyth · covenantH1285

Cross-references for 2 Kings 23:21

• 2 Chronicles 35:1King Josiah told the people to have the Passover festival in Jerusalem, to give honour to the Lord. They killed the lambs for the Passover meal on the 14th day of the first month of the year.
• Exodus 12:3Tell all the Israelite people to do this on the tenth day of this month: Each man must choose a lamb to kill as a sacrifice for his family. That will be one lamb for each home.
• Leviticus 23:5One special day is the 14th day of the first month. When the sun goes down, the Passover to the Lord begins.
• Numbers 9:2‘The Israelites must eat the Passover meal at the proper time. They must eat it as the rules about it say.
• Numbers 28:16On the 14th day of the first month, you must eat the Lord's Passover meal.
• Deuteronomy 16:1The month Abib is a special month for you. In this month, you must eat a meal to remember the Passover. Remember what the Lord your God did for you. In that month, he brought you out of Egypt during the night.

Commentaries on 2 Kings 23:21

• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 21See 2 Kings 23:4 note. With this verse the author returns to the narrative of what was done in Josiah‘s 18th year. The need of the injunction, “as it was written in the book of this covenant,” was owing to the fact - not that Josiah had as yet held no Passover - but that the reading of the book had shown him differences between the existing practice and the letter of the Law - differences consequent upon negligence, or upon the fact that tradition had…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 15-24Verses 15-24 Josiah's zeal extended to the cities of Israel within his reach. He carefully preserved the sepulchre of that man of God, who came from Judah to foretell the throwing down of Jeroboam's altar. When they had cleared the country of the old leaven of idolatry, then they applied themselves to the keeping of the feast. There was not holden such a passover in any of the foregoing reigns. The revival of a long-neglected ordinance, filled them with…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 21-23Hezekiah celebrated the Passover with some changes (2 Chronicles 30:1–4, 13, 23–27). Josiah's Passover followed the law's strict rules (2 Chronicles 35:1–19). The eighteenth year was when they found the Book of the Law (2 Kings 22:3, 8).Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 21-2321-23. the king commanded all the people, saying, Keep the passover unto the Lord your God, &c.--It was observed with great solemnity and was attended not only by his own subjects, but by the remnant people from Israel (see on 2Ch 35:1-19). Many of the Israelites who were at Jerusalem might have heard of, if they did not hear, the law read by Josiah. It is probable that they might even have procured a copy of the law, stimulated as they were to the better…Read the comment

Topics related to 2 Kings 23:21

• Israel, Prophecies Concerning
• Josiah

In the dictionaries

• God
• god, false god, goddess, idol, idolater, idolatrous, idolatry
• Jeremiah
• Josiah
• Kings, The Books of
• Pentateuch
• High Place
• Jeremiah (2)
• Jerusalem
• Kings, Books of

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