God’s Word Translation
2 Kings 23:19
19Josiah also got rid of all the temples at the illegal places of worship in the cities of Samaria. The kings of Israel had built these places to make the Lord furious. He did to them everything that he had done to the worship places at Bethel.
2 Kings 23:19 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)And all the houses also of the high places that were in the cities of Samaria, which the kings of Israel had made to provoke the Lord to anger, Josiah took away, and did to them according to all the acts that he had done in Beth–el.
- New International Version (NIV)Just as he had done at Bethel, Josiah removed all the shrines at the high places that the kings of Israel had built in the towns of Samaria and that had aroused the Lord’s anger.
- English Standard Version (ESV)And Josiah removed all the shrines also of the high places that were in the cities of Samaria, which kings of Israel had made, provoking the Lord to anger. He did to them according to all that he had done at Bethel.
- New King James Version (NKJV)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.
Context of 2 Kings 23:19
17Then he asked, “What is this monument that I see?” The people of the city answered him, “It’s the tomb of the man of God who came from Judah to announce that you would do these things to the altar of Bethel.” 18So Josiah said, “Let him rest. Don’t disturb his bones.” So they left his bones with the bones of the prophet who had come from Samaria. Josiah also got rid of all the temples at the illegal places of worship in the cities of Samaria. The kings of Israel had built these places to make the Lord furious. He did to them everything that he had done to the worship places at Bethel. 20He slaughtered all the priests of the illegal worship sites on their altars and then burned human bones on them. He went back to Jerusalem. 21The king ordered all the people to celebrate the Passover for the Lord their God as it is written in this Book of the Promise.
Read all of 2 Kings 232 Kings 23:19 word by word
וְגַם֩ אֶת־כָּל־בָּתֵּ֨י הַבָּמ֜וֹת אֲשֶׁ֣ר׀ בְּעָרֵ֣י שֹׁמְר֗וֹן אֲשֶׁ֨ר עָשׂ֜וּ מַלְכֵ֤י יִשְׂרָאֵל֙ לְהַכְעִ֔יס הֵסִ֖יר יֹֽאשִׁיָּ֑הוּ וַיַּ֣עַשׂ לָהֶ֔ם כְּכָל־הַֽמַּעֲשִׂ֔ים אֲשֶׁ֥ר עָשָׂ֖ה בְּבֵֽית־אֵֽל׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- And all the housesבַּ֫יִתbayith · house: homeH1004
- also of the high placesבָּמָהbâmâh · high placeH1116
- in the citiesעִיר‛îyr ‛âr ‛âyar · cityH5892
- of Samariaשֹׁמְרוֹןshômerôn · SamariaH8111
- which the kingsמֶ֫לֶךְmelek · kingH4428
- of Israelיִשְׂרָאֵלyiώrâ'êl · IsraelH3478
- had madeעָשָׂה‛âώâh · to makeH6213
- to angerכָּעַסka‛as · to provokeH3707
- Josiahיֹאשִׁיָּ֫הוּyô'shîyâh yô'shîyâhû · JosiahH2977
- took awayסוּרsûr ώûr · to turn aside: removeH5493
- and didעָשָׂה‛âώâh · to make: doH6213
- to them according to all the actsמַעֲשֶׂהma‛ăώeh · deedH4639
- in Beth–elבֵּֽיתְ־אֵלbêyth-'êl · BethelH1008
Cross-references for 2 Kings 23:19
- 2 Kings 17:9The Israelites secretly did things against the Lord their God that weren’t right: They built for themselves illegal places of worship in all of their cities, from the ⌞smallest⌟ watchtower to the ⌞largest⌟ fortified city.
- 1 Kings 12:31Jeroboam built worship sites on hilltops. He appointed men who were not descended from Levi to be priests.
- 1 Kings 13:32The things that he announced by a command of the Lord against the altar in Bethel and all the illegal worship sites in the cities of Samaria will happen.”
- 2 Chronicles 30:6Messengers took letters from the king and his officials throughout Israel and Judah. The king’s order said, “Israelites, return to the Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel. Then he will return to the few of you who escaped from the power of the kings of Assyria.
- 2 Chronicles 31:1When this was over, all the Israelites who were there went to the cities in Judah. They crushed the sacred stones, cut down the poles dedicated to the goddess Asherah, and tore down the illegal places of worship and the altars throughout Judah, Benjamin, Ephraim, and Manasseh. The Israelites destroyed all of these things. Then all the Israelites returned to their own cities. Each person went to his own property.
- 2 Chronicles 34:6In the cities of Manasseh, Ephraim, Simeon, and as far as Naphtali, he removed all their temples,
- 2 Kings 8:18He followed the ways of the kings of Israel, as Ahab’s family had done, because his wife was Ahab’s daughter. So he did what the Lord considered evil.
- 1 Kings 16:33Ahab made poles dedicated to the goddess Asherah. He did more to make the Lord God of Israel furious than all the kings of Israel who came before him.
- Micah 6:16You have kept Omri’s laws and all the practices of the descendants of Ahab, and you have followed their advice. That is why I will ruin you. Your people will be ridiculed. You will bear the disgrace of my people.”
- 2 Kings 17:16They abandoned all the commands of the Lord their God: They made two calves out of cast metal. They made a pole dedicated to the goddess Asherah. They prayed to the entire army of heaven. They worshiped Baal.
- 2 Kings 21:6He burned his son as a sacrifice, consulted fortunetellers, cast evil spells, and appointed ⌞royal⌟ mediums and psychics. He did many things that made the Lord furious.
- Psalms 78:58They made him angry because of their illegal worship sites. They made him furious because they worshiped idols.
- Jeremiah 7:18Children gather wood, fathers light fires, and women knead dough to make cakes for the queen of heaven. They pour out wine offerings to other gods in order to make me furious.
- Ezekiel 8:17He asked me, “Son of man, do you see this? Isn’t it bad enough that the people of Judah have done these disgusting things that you have seen here? Yet, they also fill the land with violence and continue to provoke me even more. Look how they insult me in the worst possible way.
Commentaries on 2 Kings 23:19
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 19That were in the cities of Samaria - Israel had now no king; and Josiah, of the blood royal of Judah, had certainly a direct right to the kingdom; he had, at this time, an especial commission from God, to reform every abuse through the whole land - all that ground that was given by the Lord as an inheritance to the twelve sons of Jacob. Therefore he had every right to carry his plans of reformation into the Samaritan states.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. 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. 19-20Samaria … high places: Josiah's religious reforms reached the former northern kingdom (see also 2 Chronicles 34:6–7). Josiah's ability to make these changes shows his power and Assyria's decline (see study note on 2 Kings 23:29).Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 15-2015-20. Moreover the altar that was at Beth-el, &c.--Not satisfied with the removal of every vestige of idolatry from his own dominion, this zealous iconoclast made a tour of inspection through the cities of Samaria and all the territory formerly occupied by the ten tribes, destroying the altars and temples of the high places, consigning the Asherim to the flames, putting to death the priests of the high places, and showing his horror at idolatry by…Read the comment
Topics related to 2 Kings 23:19
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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