2 Kings 23:6

2 Kings 23:6 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And he brought out the grove from the house of the Lord, without Jerusalem, unto the brook Kidron, and burned it at the brook Kidron, and stamped it small to powder, and cast the powder thereof upon the graves of the children of the people.
• New International Version (NIV)He took the Asherah pole from the temple of the Lord to the Kidron Valley outside Jerusalem and burned it there. He ground it to powder and scattered the dust over the graves of the common people.
• English Standard Version (ESV)And he brought out the Asherah from the house of the Lord, outside Jerusalem, to the brook Kidron, and burned it at the brook Kidron and beat it to dust and cast the dust of it upon the graves of the common people.
• New King James Version (NKJV)And he brought out the wooden image from the house of the Lord, to the Brook Kidron outside Jerusalem, burned it at the Brook Kidron and ground it to ashes, and threw its ashes on the graves of the common people.

Context of 2 Kings 23:6

4The king ordered Hilkiah the high priest, the high-ranking priests, and the guards to bring out of the Lord’s temple all the items that were used in the worship of Baal, Asherah, and all the stars of the sky. The king burned them outside of Jerusalem in the terraces of Kidron, and carried their ashes to Bethel. 5He eliminated the pagan priests whom the kings of Judah had appointed to offer sacrifices on the high places in the cities of Judah and in the area right around Jerusalem. (They offered sacrifices to Baal, the sun god, the moon god, the constellations, and all the stars in the sky.) He removed the Asherah pole from the Lord’s temple and took it outside Jerusalem to the Kidron Valley, where he burned it. He smashed it to dust and then threw the dust in the public graveyard. 7He tore down the quarters of the male cultic prostitutes in the Lord’s temple, where women were weaving shrines for Asherah. 8He brought all the priests from the cities of Judah and ruined the high places where the priests had offered sacrifices, from Geba to Beer Sheba. He tore down the high place of the goat idols situated at the entrance of the gate of Joshua, the city official, on the left side of the city gate.

2 Kings 23:6 word by word

וַיֹּצֵ֣א אֶת־הָאֲשֵׁרָה֩ מִבֵּ֨ית יְהוָ֜ה מִח֤וּץ לִירוּשָׁלִַ֙ם֙ אֶל־נַ֣חַל קִדְר֔וֹן וַיִּשְׂרֹ֥ף אֹתָ֛הּ בְּנַ֥חַל קִדְר֖וֹן וַיָּ֣דֶק לְעָפָ֑ר וַיַּשְׁלֵךְ֙ אֶת־עֲפָרָ֔הּ עַל־קֶ֖בֶר בְּנֵ֥י הָעָֽם׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• And he brought outיָצָאyâtsâ' · to come out: sendH3318
• the groveאֲשֵׁרָה'ăshêrâh 'ăshêyrâh · AsherahH842
• from the houseבַּ֫יִתbayith · house: templeH1004
• of the Lordיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068
• withoutחוּץchûts chûts · outsideH2351
• Jerusalemיְרוּשָׁלִַ֫ם, יְרוּשְׁלֵםyerûshâlaim yerûshâlayim · JerusalemH3389
• unto the brookנַ֫חַלnachal nachlâh nachălâh · torrent: riverH5158
• Kidronקִדְרוֹןqidrôn · KidronH6939
• and burnedשָׂרַףώâraph · to burnH8313
• smallדָּקַקdâqaq · to crushH1854
• to powderעָפָר‛âphâr · dustH6083
• and castשָׁלַךְshâlak · to throwH7993
• thereof upon the gravesקֶ֫בֶרqeber qibrâh · graveH6913
• of the childrenבֵּןbên · son: childH1121
• of the peopleעַם‛am · peopleH5971

Cross-references for 2 Kings 23:6

• 2 Kings 21:7He put an idol of Asherah he had made in the temple, about which the Lord had said to David and to his son Solomon, “This temple in Jerusalem, which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, will be my permanent home.
• Judges 3:7The Israelites did evil in the Lord’s sight. They forgot the Lord their God and worshiped the Baals and the Asherahs.
• 1 Kings 14:23They even built for themselves high places, sacred pillars, and Asherah poles on every high hill and under every green tree.
• 1 Kings 16:33Ahab also made an Asherah pole; he did more to anger the Lord God of Israel than all the kings of Israel who were before him.
• Jeremiah 17:2Their children are always thinking about their altars and their sacred poles dedicated to the goddess Asherah, set up beside the green trees on the high hills
• Exodus 32:20He took the calf they had made and burned it in the fire, ground it to powder, poured it out on the water, and made the Israelites drink it.
• Deuteronomy 7:25You must burn the images of their gods, but do not covet the silver and gold that covers them so much that you take it for yourself and thus become ensnared by it; for it is abhorrent to the Lord your God.
• Deuteronomy 9:21As for your sinful thing that you had made, the calf, I took it, melted it down, ground it up until it was as fine as dust, and tossed the dust into the stream that flows down the mountain.
• 2 Kings 10:27They demolished the sacred pillar of Baal and the temple of Baal; it is used as a latrine to this very day.
• 2 Chronicles 34:4He ordered the altars of the Baals to be torn down, and broke the incense altars that were above them. He smashed the Asherah poles, idols and images, crushed them up and sprinkled the dust over the tombs of those who had sacrificed to them.

Commentaries on 2 Kings 23:6

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 6He brought out the grove - He brought out the idol Asherah. See at the end of 2 Kings 21:26; (note). Upon the graves of the children of the people - I believe this; means the burial-place of the common people.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. 5-7Josiah removed the priests who led idol worship. He also destroyed the living places of the cult prostitutes. These practices had been allowed by Manasseh and Amon. They continued the prostitution that came from Canaanite religion (see 1 Kings 14:24; 15:12; 22:46). Shockingly, this was practiced inside the temple itself.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 66. brought out the grove--that is, Asherah, the mystic tree, placed by Manasseh in the temple [2Ki 21:5; 2Ch 33:5], removed by him after his conversion [2Ch 33:15], but replaced in the sanctuary by his wicked son Amon [2Ki 21:20, 21]. Josiah had it taken to Kidron, burnt the wood, ground the metal about it to powder, and strewed the ashes "on the graves of the children of the people." The poor were buried in a common on part of the valley of Kidron. But…Read the comment

Topics related to 2 Kings 23:6

• Cedron
• Iconoclasm
• Israel, Prophecies Concerning
• Josiah
• Kidron
• Prophecy

In the dictionaries

• Jerusalem
• Asherah
• Grave
• Jeremiah
• Josiah
• Kidron
• Kings, The Books of
• Pentateuch
• Chemosh
• God

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