EasyEnglish Bible 2018
2 Kings 23:3
3Then the king stood in his place beside the pillar in the temple. He promised the Lord that he would obey the covenant. He agreed to serve the Lord faithfully and to obey his commands, laws and rules. Josiah agreed to obey what was written in the Book of God's Covenant. All the people also promised to obey the covenant.
2 Kings 23:3 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)And the king stood by a pillar, and made a covenant before the Lord, to walk after the Lord, and to keep his commandments and his testimonies and his statutes with all their heart and all their soul, to perform the words of this covenant that were written in this book. And all the people stood to the covenant.
- New International Version (NIV)The king stood by the pillar and renewed the covenant in the presence of the Lord—to follow the Lord and keep his commands, statutes and decrees with all his heart and all his soul, thus confirming the words of the covenant written in this book. Then all the people pledged themselves to the covenant.
- English Standard Version (ESV)And the king stood by the pillar and made a covenant before the Lord, to walk after 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 joined in the covenant.
- New King James Version (NKJV)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.
Context of 2 Kings 23:3
1King Josiah told all the leaders of Judah and Jerusalem to come and meet with him. 2He went up to the Lord's temple. All the people who lived in Jerusalem and in the rest of Judah went with him. They included the priests, the prophets, young people and old people. Everyone went to the temple. They all listened while the king read to them all the words in the Book of God's Covenant. That was the book that Hilkiah had found in the Lord's temple. Then the king stood in his place beside the pillar in the temple. He promised the Lord that he would obey the covenant. He agreed to serve the Lord faithfully and to obey his commands, laws and rules. Josiah agreed to obey what was written in the Book of God's Covenant. All the people also promised to obey the covenant. 4Then the king gave a command to Hilkiah, the leader of the priests, and to the other priests and the temple guards. He told them to bring out from the Lord's temple everything that people used there to worship false gods. People used those things to worship Baal, Asherah and all the stars in the sky. King Josiah burned those things outside Jerusalem, in the fields of the Kidron Valley. Then he took all the ashes to Bethel. 5He removed the priests who served false gods. The kings of Judah had chosen those priests to make offerings at the altars on the hills. They were on the hills in Judah's cities and all around Jerusalem. These priests offered sacrifices to Baal, to the sun, to the moon and to all the stars in the sky.
Read all of 2 Kings 232 Kings 23:3 word by word
וַיַּעֲמֹ֣ד הַ֠מֶּלֶךְ עַֽל־הָ֨עַמּ֜וּד וַיִּכְרֹ֥ת אֶֽת־הַבְּרִ֣ית׀ לִפְנֵ֣י יְהוָ֗ה לָלֶ֜כֶת אַחַ֤ר יְהוָה֙ וְלִשְׁמֹ֨ר מִצְוֹתָ֜יו וְאֶת־עֵדְוֹתָ֤יו וְאֶת־חֻקֹּתָיו֙ בְּכָל־לֵ֣ב וּבְכָל־נֶ֔פֶשׁ לְהָקִ֗ים אֶת־דִּבְרֵי֙ הַבְּרִ֣ית הַזֹּ֔את הַכְּתֻבִ֖ים עַל־הַסֵּ֣פֶר הַזֶּ֑ה וַיַּעֲמֹ֥ד כָּל־הָעָ֖ם בַּבְּרִֽית׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- And the kingמֶ֫לֶךְmelek · kingH4428
- stoodעָמַד‛âmad · to stand: standH5975
- by a pillarעַמּוּד‛ammûd ‛ammûd · pillarH5982
- and madeכָּרַתkârath · to cut: make(covenant)H3772
- a covenantבְּרִיתberîyth · covenantH1285
- beforeפָּנֶהpânîym · face: beforeH6440
- the Lordיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068
- to walkיָלַךְyâlak · to walkH3212
- afterאַחַר'achar · afterH310
- and to keepשָׁמַרshâmar · to keep: obeyH8104
- his commandmentsמִצְוָהmitsvâh · commandmentH4687
- and his testimoniesעֵדוּת‛êdûth · testimonyH5715
- and his statutesחֻקָּהchûqqâh · statuteH2708
- heartלֵבlêb · heartH3820
- soulנֶ֫פֶשׁnephesh · soulH5315
- to performקוּםqûm · to arise: establishH6965
- the wordsדָּבָרdâbâr · wordH1697
- that were writtenכָּתַבkâthab · to writeH3789
- in this bookסֵ֫פֶרsêpher siphrâh · scroll: bookH5612
- And all the peopleעַם‛am · peopleH5971
Cross-references for 2 Kings 23:3
- 2 Kings 11:14Then she saw the king! He was standing in the king's place beside the pillar in the temple. The army officers and the men with trumpets were standing beside the king. All the people of Judah were shouting with joy. Many of them made music with trumpets. When Athaliah saw this, she was very upset. She tore her clothes. She shouted, ‘Treason! Treason!’
- 2 Chronicles 23:13Then she saw the king! He was standing in the king's place beside the pillar at the entrance of the temple. The army officers and the men with trumpets were standing beside the king. All the people of Judah were shouting with joy. There were musicians making music with trumpets and other musical instruments. They helped the people to sing and to praise God. When Athaliah saw this, she was very upset. She tore her clothes. She shouted, ‘Treason! Treason!’
- 2 Chronicles 34:31Then the king stood in his place beside the pillar in the temple. He promised the Lord that he would obey the covenant. He agreed to serve the Lord faithfully and to obey his commands, laws and rules. Josiah agreed to obey what was written in the book of God's covenant.
- Exodus 24:7Then he took the Book of God's Covenant and he read it to the people. They replied, ‘We will do everything that the Lord has told us. We will obey his commands.’
- Deuteronomy 5:1Moses called all the Israelites to come together. He said to them: Listen, Israelites, to the rules and commands that I am teaching to you today. Learn them. Be careful to obey them.
- Deuteronomy 29:1The Lord commanded Moses to tell the Israelites the words of his covenant with them. He made this covenant with them in Moab's country, as well as the covenant that he had made with them at Sinai.
- Joshua 24:25That same day, Joshua made an agreement for the people to accept. There at Shechem, he made a list of rules and laws for them to obey.
- 2 Chronicles 15:12They made a serious promise that they would faithfully serve the Lord, the God of their ancestors.
- 2 Chronicles 23:16Jehoiada prepared a covenant with the Lord. He, all the people and the king agreed to serve the Lord as his people.
- 2 Chronicles 29:10Now I want to make a covenant with the Lord, Israel's God. Then he will stop being angry with us.
- Ezra 10:3We will make an agreement with our God. We will agree to send away these foreign women and their children. As our leader, you have told us we must do this. The people who respect our God's commands say the same thing. Now we want to do what God's law says is right.
- Nehemiah 9:38‘Because of this we Israelite people are all making a promise. We are writing down our agreement to serve the Lord. Our leaders, our Levites and our priests will write their names on it to give it their authority.’
- Nehemiah 10:28The other people joined their leaders to make the same promise. They were priests, Levites, guards, singers and temple servants. There were also people who had kept themselves separate from their foreign neighbours so that they could obey God's Law. Their wives, sons and daughters also joined with them, as well as children who were old enough to understand.
- Jeremiah 50:5They will ask people to show them the way to Zion. They will travel in that direction. They will promise to serve the Lord. They will make a covenant with him that will continue for ever. Nobody will ever forget that covenant.
- Hebrews 8:8But God did find something wrong with it. As a result, he said this to his people: ‘Listen to this! The Lord says: A time will come when I make a new agreement with my people. That is, with Israel's people and with Judah's people.
- Hebrews 12:24You have come to Jesus, who brought the new agreement from God to his people. In that agreement, the blood of Jesus' death makes us clean from our sins. It tells us that God has forgiven us. When Cain killed his brother Abel, Abel's blood brought God's punishment. So we see that Jesus' blood brought us something much better than that.
Commentaries on 2 Kings 23:3
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 3Stood by a pillar - He stood, העמוד על al haammud, "upon the stairs or pulpit." This is what is called the brazen scaffold or pulpit which Solomon made, and on which the kings were accustomed to stand when they addressed the people. See 2 Chronicles 6:13, and the parallel places. Made a covenant - This was expressed, In general. To walk after Jehovah; to have no gods besides him. To take his law for the regulation of their conduct. In particular. To bend…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 3By a pillar - Rather, “upon the pillar” (see 2 Kings 11:14, note). Made a covenant - “The covenant.” Josiah renewed the old covenant made between God and His people in Horeb Deuteronomy 5:2, so far at least as such renewal was possible by the mere act of an individual. He bound himself by a solemn promise to the faithful performance of the entire Law. With all their heart - “Their” rather than “his,” because the king was considered as pledging the whole…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 3the king … made a covenant: The king … renewed the covenant: God’s people renewed their covenant (their promises with God) at several important times in history (see 2 Kings 11:12, 17; Joshua 24:1–27; 1 Kings 8:1–53).Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1-32Ki 23:1-3. Josiah Causes the Law to Be Read. 1-3. the king sent, and they gathered unto him all the elders--This pious and patriotic king, not content with the promise of his own security, felt, after Huldah's response, an increased desire to avert the threatened calamities from his kingdom and people. Knowing the richness of the divine clemency and grace to the penitent, he convened the elders of the people, and placing himself at their head…Read the comment
Topics related to 2 Kings 23:3
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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