Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of 2 Kings 23:15
Moreover the altar that [was] at Bethel, [and] the high place which Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin, had made, both that altar and the high place he broke down, and burned the high place, [and] stamped [it] small to powder, and burned the grove.
15 20. Josiah destroys the high place at Beth-el, and defiles the altar. He finds the tomb of the man of God who had foretold all these things. He also slays the priests at Beth-el (Not in Chronicles)
the altar that was at Beth-el ] i.e. which Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, had erected when the ten tribes revolted from Rehoboam (1Ki 12:28-29). Having purged his own kingdom from idolatry he now turns his thoughts to those Israelites who were left in the northern kingdom. The Chronicler, who omits the history of Israel almost entirely, probably omits the striking incident noticed in these verses because it was not connected directly with Judah. He does tell of the collection of money from Manasseh, Ephraim and the remnant of Israel (2Ch 34:8) at this time, but this was for the restoration of the temple in Jerusalem and so came properly within his subject.
both [R.V. even ] that altar and the high place ] The ‘high place’ means here, and often in other passages, ‘the house of the high place’, which was some sort of chapel near to the spot where the altar stood.
and [R.V. adds he ] burnt the high place and burnt the grove ] R.V. Asherah. As from the cutting down (verse 14), so here from the burning we learn that the Asherim were wooden even if they were overlaid with metal.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
The altar that was at Beth-el.
Question. How could he rightly do this, seeing Beth-el was a part of the kingdom of Israel, not of Judah?
Answer. Either, first, This city was now under the kingdom of Judah, to which it was added by Abijah long since, 2Ch 13:19. Or, secondly, He did this by virtue of that ancient right which David and his posterity had to the kingdom of Israel, which though suspended for a time by Gods grant of the ten tribes to Jeroboam, and the succeeding kings of Israel; yet these being all extinct, it might seem to return to him, at least so far as to pluck up idolatry out of the land of Israel, as he had opportunity, and especially out of those parts of it which bordered upon Judah. Or, thirdly, The king of Babylon having engaged in a war with the Assyrian, Hezekiahs great enemy, and having thereupon occasion for Hezekiahs friendship, did (as some suppose) enlarge his dominion, and give him some power over the kingdom of Israel, at least as to matters of religion; which may seem not improbable from 2Ch 30:1-6. And the same power seems to have been continued, and some kind of league made, between the king of Babylon and Manasseh, (who thereupon was restored to his kingdom, 2Ch 33:13) and after him Josiah, who therefore was so zealous in his quarrel against the king of Egypt, 2Ch 35:20, &c. Or, fourthly, He did it in pursuance of Gods prediction concerning this action, 1Ki 13:2, which (in a matter so good, and so agreeable to Gods will and word, as the extirpation of idolatry unquestionably was) had the force of a warrant or command upon him to do it, as Gods prediction of the conversion of the Gentiles by the Messias was a command to his apostles to preach to them, Act 13:47.
The high place; which seems to have been some little temple or house erected for that worship, or for the priests attending upon it.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
15-20. Moreover the altar that wasat Beth-el, &c.Not satisfied with the removal of everyvestige of idolatry from his own dominion, this zealous iconoclastmade a tour of inspection through the cities of Samaria and all theterritory formerly occupied by the ten tribes, destroying the altarsand temples of the high places, consigning the Asherim to the flames,putting to death the priests of the high places, and showing hishorror at idolatry by ransacking the sepulchers of idolatrouspriests, and strewing the burnt ashes of their bones upon the altarsbefore he demolished them.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
Moreover, the altar that was at Bethel, and the high place which Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin, had made. For the worship of the calf there:
both that altar, and the high place, he brake down; according to an ancient prophecy of the man of God, 1Ki 13:3 and of Amos in later times, Am 9:1
and burnt the high place, and stamped it small to powder; that there might be no remains of it:
and burnt the grove; either the grove of trees on it, or the idol that was in it.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
Prophecy Fulfilled – 23:15-23
These verses are the detailed relation of Josiah’s venture into the tribes of the former northern kingdom, summarily mentioned in the former Chronicles passage. He came to Bethel, where centuries earlier Jeroboam, the first king of the divided kingdom of Israel, had erected the calf altar to keep his people from returning to Jerusalem to worship (1Kings chapter 13). Note again the sad epithet ascribed to that wicked man, “who made Israel to sin.” At long last the altar was destroyed. Josiah stamped it to powder and burned its grove.
Around the altar were numerous sepulchres of those who had served the calf temple, or were otherwise considered religiously connected. Josiah glancing around him noted these and commanded his men to empty them of their bones and to burn them on their false altar, thus polluting it so that even a pagan would no longer be willing to offer sacrifices on it. All of this was in fulfillment of the prophecy of the man of God from Judah who came to Jeroboam in those earlier times and told him what would happen to his altar. The name of the king who would do it, Josiah, was even revealed (1Ki 13:2). This prophecy was delivered nearly three hundred years before it was fulfilled. Unbelieving skeptics and modernists do not believe such a forecast is possible, but he would be less than a God who did not foreknow the future and be able to reveal it if within His plan and purpose.
The king’s attention was drawn to one particular sepulchre and its epitaph. When he inquired about it he was told by the local men that it was the tomb of the unnamed prophet who came from Judah and foretold the very things Josiah was now doing to the altar. For this reason Josiah would not disturb his bones, but left them, along with the old prophet who deceived the prophet of Judah into returning to Bethel contrary to the Lord’s command. He had made specific command that his sons bury him in the same tomb with the young prophet, for the things he foretold would surely come to pass (1Ki 13:11 ff). God’s words may be long in coming to pass, but they will certainly be fulfilled (Hab 2:3).
Josiah went throughout the Samaritan country tearing down altars, burning idols, destroying high places everywhere the wicked kings of the northern kingdom of Israel had erected them. He put the heathen priests to death and burned human bones on their altars. This is especially interesting inasmuch as the people then living there were of mixed blood, being descendants of those the Assyrian kings had brought in to resettle the land after the people of the northern kingdom were deported to far away lands. The reaction of these heathen people to Josiah’s boldness is not revealed.
When this was accomplished Josiah gave command to observe the Passover again. The inspired chronicler of this passage was so impressed by the magnitude of this Passover observance that he supposed there had not been so great a one since the days of the judges, nor even in the times of the kings. The reference to the observance of the Passover in Josiah’ eighteenth year further implies that these are the detailed events summarized in 2Ch 34:17.
Let the student consider these lessons: 1) He is a wise and honorable ruler who leads his people in serving God; 2) reformation should be complete and unequivocal to obtain the most good in God’s sight; 3) every promise of God will be fulfilled exactly at His intended time;4. God’s people should exercise their influence for good in every place possible.
2Ch 35:1
Second Kings – Chapter 23 (cont’d.) AND Second Chronicles – Chapters 35,36
Josiah Sponsors Passover , 2Ch 35:1-19
Josiah’s revival and attempted reformation went all the way. He prepared to keep the Passover as it had never been kept before, since the times of the judges. He was a stickler for doing all according to the law which had been forgotten so long. He planned the celebration of the Passover at the proper time in the fourteenth day of the first month. He began with the command to the priests to re-arrange the furniture of the temple as Moses had designated by command of the Lord. So the ark, which seems to have been removed from the holy of holies and possibly conveyed around the country, was taken back to its rightful place, and was not to be carried about anymore. They were to regroup themselves according to their Levitical orders and duties appointed them in the time of David and Solomon.
When these had prepared themselves they were to proceed with the observance of the Passover. They were to prepare themselves and their own houses and then to officiate for the people. For the Passover Josiah himself contributed thirty thousand lambs and kids and three thousand young bulls. A Iamb or a kid was to be offered for the Passover feast, while the bullock served as a sin offering for the priests and others of Israel’s leaders. The princes of Judah also made contribution of twenty-six hundred lambs and kids and three hundred oxen. The Levites contributed through their chieftains five thousand small cattle (sheep and goats) and five hundred oxen. So when the Passover date arrived these all stood in their places prepared to begin killing and preparing the Passover.
The priests took the blood and sprinkled it at the altar as the law required. The Levites took the carcasses and flayed (or skinned) them. It seems that the Passover lamb was roasted at the temple, taking precedence over the burnt offering. The other offerings were sod (or boiled) in pots, caldrons, and pans, and divided to the people. When the people had all been attended they turned to their own houses. The priests were occupied with the offerings of the people until late that night, burning the fat of their offerings on the altar in accord with the law’s requirement. Therefore the Levites prepared the lamb for themselves and for their brethren, the priests. Thus they did also for the singers and the porters who could not leave their positions in the choir and at the gates where they served in the office for which the Lord intended they should.
Thus the Passover was kept on its official day in strict aocord with the law they had neglected so long. All this was according to the commandment of the king. Once again it is notable that there is not the spontaneous enthusiasm among the people as had appeared in the time of Hezekiah. It seems obvious that people conformed because it was the command of the king. They did keep the Passover and feast of unleavened bread, which followed for seven days, in unprecedented manner since the times of Samuel the prophet, more than four hundred years before. Josiah’s observance outstripped those of David and Solomon, and that of Hezekiah, in magnitude, but evidently not in genuine spirituality.
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
(15) The altar . . . and the high place.The and is wanting in the Hebrew, LXX., and Targum.It is supplied in the Syriac, Vulgate, and Arabic, correctly as regards the sense; see below. Grammatically, the high place may be in apposition to the altar, and may include it, as being a more general term.
Which Jeroboam the son of Nebat . . .See 1Ki. 12:28 seq.
Burned the high place.Was it, then, a wooden structure, as Thenius supposes? Perhaps it resembled a dolmen (many hundred such have been found in Palestine); and fire may have been kindled under it, by way of cracking the huge slabs of stone of which it was built. The fragments might then be more easily crushed.
Burned the grove.The present text is, burned an ashrah. Perhaps the article has fallen out; especially as this is not the only indication that the text has suffered in this place. Thenius understands the word in the general sense of an idol-image, comparing 2Ki. 17:29 seq. But it is doubtful whether the word Ashrah is so used. It is noteworthy that the present passage indirectly agrees with Hos. 10:6, for no mention is made of what used to be the chief object of worship at Beth-el; viz., the golden bullock. It had been carried away to Assyria, as the prophet foretold.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
15. The altar at Beth-el See 1Ki 13:1-2. Having destroyed idolatry in Judah, the king proceeds northward to the chief seat of the calf-worship, where Jeroboam made Israel to sin. Josiah seems to have assumed that after the kingdom of Samaria ceased he was the rightful ruler of the whole land of Israel.
Burned the high place Every thing that pertained to the false worship there buildings, altars, images. The calf which had been set up at Beth-el had been carried into Assyria, (Hos 10:6,) and the remaining inhabitants seem to have devoted the house and altars to the worship of Baal and Ashtoreth. Hence the grove, or Asherah image (1Ki 14:15, note) mentioned here.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
2Ki 23:15. High place Houbigant thinks it may be collected from hence, that the high places were made of wood raised up in the manner of a theatre. See 2Ki 23:13.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
2Ki 23:15 Moreover the altar that [was] at Bethel, [and] the high place which Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin, had made, both that altar and the high place he brake down, and burned the high place, [and] stamped [it] small to powder, and burned the grove.
Ver. 15. Moreover the altar that was at Bethel. ] It is probable that the king of Babylon, when he sent home Manasseh, gave him also dominion of the greatest part of the country of Samaria, indenting with him to defend the same against the Egyptian. Howsoever, good Josiah faileth not to root out idolatry in all those parts also, 2Ki 23:19 it being an abandoned country, which, in a manner, had no lord at all.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
the altar. Compare 1Ki 12:32, 1Ki 12:33.
made Israel to sin. See note on 1Ki 14:16.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Proving His Whole-Heartedness
2Ki 23:15-25
Josiah carried his drastic reforms even to Samaria, thus fulfilling a prophecy uttered 350 years before. See 1Ki 13:2-3. The old leaven having now been cleared out, the Passover could be celebrated. We cannot keep the feast of joy and worship till the work of self-purgation has been undertaken. See 1Co 5:7. In that great feast some of the ten tribes also joined. There was therefore an affirmation of the spiritual unity of the entire nation, though, like the professing Church of today, it was outwardly in fragments. We must never let go of our belief in the Holy Universal Church, however distracted and divided to outward seeming it may be.
Though these reforms were carried through by the kings strong hand, the generality of the nation remained idolatrous and corrupt, and yielded a feigned rather than a felt repentance. See Jer 3:10; Jer 4:3-4; Jer 4:14; Jer 5:1-3, etc. Therefore judgment could not be averted. External reformation is not enough to secure the permanence of national life. We must rend our hearts rather than our garments, Joe 2:13. There is a sorrow that needs not to be repented of, and a sorrow which worketh death, 2Co 7:10.
Fuente: F.B. Meyer’s Through the Bible Commentary
the altar: 2Ki 10:31, 1Ki 12:28-33, 1Ki 14:16, 1Ki 15:30, 1Ki 21:22
stamped: 2Ki 23:6
Reciprocal: Exo 32:20 – took the calf 1Ki 13:2 – Josiah by name 1Ki 15:26 – in his sin 2Ch 15:16 – cut down 2Ch 31:1 – in Ephraim 2Ch 34:6 – in Jer 32:31 – this city Jer 32:35 – to cause Hos 8:6 – shall Hos 10:8 – their altars Amo 3:14 – I will Mic 1:7 – all the graven
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
2Ki 23:15. The altar that was at Beth-el he brake down Probably this city was now under the kingdom of Judah, to which it was added by Abijah long before this time. And it is probable, since the ten tribes were carried away, many cities had put themselves under the protection of Judah. The golden calf, it seems, was gone; but Josiah would leave no remains of that idolatry.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
23:15 Moreover {n} the altar that [was] at Bethel, [and] the high place which Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin, had made, both that altar and the high place he brake down, and burned the high place, [and] stamped [it] small to powder, and burned the grove.
(n) Which Jeroboam had built in Israel, 1Ki 12:28-29.