New American Standard Bible 1995
2 Kings 23:11
11He did away with the horses which the kings of Judah had given to the 1sun, at the entrance of the house of the Lord, by the chamber of Nathan-melech the official, which was in the precincts; and he burned the chariots of the sun with fire.
2 Kings 23:11 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)And he took away the horses that the kings of Judah had given to the sun, at the entering in of the house of the Lord, by the chamber of Nathan–melech the chamberlain, which was in the suburbs, and burned the chariots of the sun with fire.
- New International Version (NIV)He removed from the entrance to the temple of the Lord the horses that the kings of Judah had dedicated to the sun. They were in the court near the room of an official named Nathan-Melek. Josiah then burned the chariots dedicated to the sun.
- English Standard Version (ESV)And he removed the horses that the kings of Judah had dedicated to the sun, at the entrance to the house of the Lord, by the chamber of Nathan-melech the chamberlain, which was in the precincts. And he burned the chariots of the sun with fire.
- New King James Version (NKJV)Then he removed the horses that the kings of Judah had dedicated to the sun, at the entrance to the house of the Lord, by the chamber of Nathan-Melech, the officer who was in the court; and he burned the chariots of the sun with fire.
Context of 2 Kings 23:11
9Nevertheless the priests of the high places did not go up to the altar of the Lord in Jerusalem, but they ate unleavened bread among their brothers. 10He also defiled Topheth, which is in the valley of the son of Hinnom, that no man might make his son or his daughter pass through the fire for Molech. He did away with the horses which the kings of Judah had given to the sun, at the entrance of the house of the Lord, by the chamber of Nathan-melech the official, which was in the precincts; and he burned the chariots of the sun with fire. 12The altars which 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 he smashed them there and threw their dust into the brook Kidron. 13The high places which were before Jerusalem, which were on the right of the mount of destruction which Solomon the king of Israel had built for Ashtoreth the abomination of the Sidonians, and for Chemosh the abomination of Moab, and for Milcom the abomination of the sons of Ammon, the king defiled.
Read all of 2 Kings 232 Kings 23:11 word by word
וַיַּשְׁבֵּ֣ת אֶת־הַסּוּסִ֗ים אֲשֶׁ֣ר נָתְנוּ֩ מַלְכֵ֨י יְהוּדָ֤ה לַשֶּׁ֙מֶשׁ֙ מִבֹּ֣א בֵית־יְהוָ֔ה אֶל־לִשְׁכַּת֙ נְתַן־מֶ֣לֶךְ הַסָּרִ֔יס אֲשֶׁ֖ר בַּפַּרְוָרִ֑ים וְאֶת־מַרְכְּב֥וֹת הַשֶּׁ֖מֶשׁ שָׂרַ֥ף בָּאֵֽשׁ׃Read the interlinear
- He didשָׁבַתshâbath · to ceaseH7673
- with the horsesסוּסsûs sûs · horseH5483
- whichאֲשֶׁר'ăsher · whichH834
- the kingsמֶ֫לֶךְmelek · kingH4428
- of Judahיְהוּדָהyehûdâh · JudahH3063
- had givenנָתַןnâthan · to give: giveH5414
- sunשֶׁ֫מֶשׁshemesh · sunH8121
- at the entranceבּוֹאbô' · to come (in): towardsH935
- of the houseבַּ֫יִתbayith · house: templeH1004
- of the Lordיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068
- by the chamberלִשְׁכָּהlishkâh · chamberH3957
- of Nathan-melechנְתַן־מֶ֫לֶךְnethan-melek · Nathan-melechH5419
- the officialסָרִיסsârîys sâris · eunuchH5631
- in the precinctsפַּרְוָרparbâr parvâr · colonnadeH6503
- and he burnedשָׂרַףώâraph · to burnH8313
- the chariotsמֶרְכָּבָהmerkâbâh · chariotH4818
- with fireאֵשׁ'êsh · fireH784
Cross-references for 2 Kings 23:11
- 2 Kings 23:5He did away with the idolatrous priests whom the kings of Judah had appointed to burn incense in the high places in the cities of Judah and in the surrounding area of Jerusalem, also those who burned incense to Baal, to the sun and to the moon and to the constellations and to all the host of heaven.
- 2 Chronicles 14:5He also removed the high places and the incense altars from all the cities of Judah. And the kingdom was undisturbed under him.
- 2 Chronicles 34:4They tore down the altars of the Baals in his presence, and the incense altars that were high above them he chopped down; also the Asherim, the carved images and the molten images he broke in pieces and ground to powder and scattered it on the graves of those who had sacrificed to them.
- Ezekiel 8:16Then He brought me into the inner court of the Lord’s house. And behold, at the entrance to the temple of the Lord, between the porch and the altar, were about twenty-five men with their backs to the temple of the Lord and their faces toward the east; and they were prostrating themselves eastward toward the sun.
Commentaries on 2 Kings 23:11
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 11The horses that the kings of Judah had given to the sun - Jarchi says that those who adored the sun had horses which they mounted every morning to go out to meet the sun at his rising. Throughout the East the horse, because of his swiftness and utility, was dedicated to the sun; and the Greeks and Romans feigned that the chariot of the sun was drawn by four horses - Pyroeis, Eous, Aethon, and Phlegon. See the note on 2 Kings 2:11. Whether these were…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. 11In the ancient Near East, people often used the horse in ceremonies that honored the sun. The Assyrian sun-god Shamash and other gods were shown riding in horse-drawn chariots across the sky. Archaeological findings suggest that a solar cult (worship of the sun) existed in Israel as early as the 800s BC. This practice grew more popular during the reigns of Manasseh and Amon, when the royal court supported it (2 Kings 21:3–5, 21–22). King Josiah tried to…Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1111. took away the horses that the kings of Judah had given to the sun--Among the people who anciently worshipped the sun, horses were usually dedicated to that divinity, from the supposed idea that the sun himself was drawn in a chariot by horses. In some cases these horses were sacrificed; but more commonly they were employed either in the sacred processions to carry the images of the sun, or for the worshippers to ride in every morning to welcome his…Read the comment
Topics related to 2 Kings 23:11
In the dictionaries
Notes
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
New American Standard Bible 1995 — © 1960–1995 The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.
Commentaries