Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of 2 Kings 23:17
Then he said, What title [is] that that I see? And the men of the city told him, [It is] the sepulcher of the man of God, which came from Judah, and proclaimed these things that thou hast done against the altar of Bethel.
17. What title [R.V. monument ] is that that [R.V. which ] I see? ] The word is used in Jer 31:21 for ‘way marks’ to guide along a road, and in Eze 39:15 for a ‘sign’ to mark a spot where lay some object needing notice. So that ‘monument’ appears the better rendering, especially as in the reply the people do not speak to Josiah of a ‘title’ but of a ‘sepulchre’.
the sepulchre of the man of God ] The prophet of Bethel who had deceived him, brought the carcase of the dead man back to Bethel and buried it (1Ki 13:29-31) in what must at that time have been a general burial-ground, and on which Jeroboam would never have built his altar.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Verse 17. What title is that] There was either a stone, an image, or an inscription here: the old prophet no doubt took care to have the place made sufficiently remarkable.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
What title is that that I see? It was the manner then, as now it is, to set up little pillars or stones by or upon the graves of the higher sort of men, upon which the name of the person, and some remarkable passages relating to him, were engraven.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
17. What title is that that Isee?The king’s attention probably, had been arrested by atombstone more conspicuous than the rest around it, bearing on aninscription the name of him that lay beneath; and this prompted hiscuriosity to make the inquiry.
the men of the citynotthe Assyrian colonistsfor they could know nothing about theancient transactions of the placebut some of the old people whohad been allowed to remain, and perhaps the tomb itself might notthen have been discoverable, through the effects of time and neglect,had not some “Old Mortality” garnished the sepulcher of therighteous.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
Then he said, what title is that that I see?…. A high and large monument over a grave, with an inscription on it, more remarkable than any of the rest, which made Josiah take notice of it; and the Jews have a tradition, as Kimchi observes, that on one side of the grave grew nettles and thistles, and on the other side odoriferous herbs; which is not to be depended on; but what he further observes may be right, that the old prophet, as he gave orders to his sons to lay his body in the same grave with the man of God, believing his words would be fulfilled, so he likewise gave orders to have a distinguished monument or pillar erected over the grave; and which people in later times took care to support, in memory of the man of God, that thereby it might be known; by which means not only the bones of the man of God were preserved from being burnt, but those of the old prophet also, buried with him:
and the men of the city told him, it is the sepulchre of the man of God, which came from Judah, and proclaimed these things that thou hast done against the altar of Bethel; see 1Ki 13:1.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
(17) What title is this?What is yonder monument, or memorial stone? Eze. 39:15, sign. Jeremiah uses the same term of a sign-post (Jer. 31:21, waymarks). (See 1Ki. 13:29 seq.)
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
17. Men of the city Inhabitants of Beth-el, among whom the tradition of the man of God from Judah lingered with all the impressiveness of a most thrilling tale. Perhaps among these men were a few faithful Israelites, true spiritual children of the seven thousand who, in Elijah’s time, had not bowed to Baal, (1Ki 19:18,) and who now greatly rejoiced in this signal fulfilment of prophecy.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
2Ki 23:17. What title is that that I see? The Jews have some ridiculous fables concerning this matter. We may suppose, agreeably to the text, that the king espied a stone or a pillar more eminent than the rest, with an inscription upon it, not legible. This caused him to ask the question of the men of the city; i.e. some of the old inhabitants who had escaped the captivity, and not any of those new comers whom the king of Assyria had sent thither; for these could have given no account of the ancient history of the Israelites; neither can we suppose that the sepulchre itself, after so many years standing, could have been distinguishable, had not some pious person or other, with an intent to perpetuate the memory of the thing, taken care to preserve and repair it. Mat 23:29. See the note on 1Ki 13:1.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
2Ki 23:17 Then he said, What title [is] that that I see? And the men of the city told him, [It is] the sepulchre of the man of God, which came from Judah, and proclaimed these things that thou hast done against the altar of Bethel.
Ver. 17. What title is that that I see? ] This was not the name Jehovah, or the sign of the cross, as some have doted; but either some pillar, orelse gravestone, with a superscription showing who lay there buried: such as was that on Scaliger’s tomb, Scaligeri quod reliquum est, &c.
And the men of the citytold him.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
title = monument.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
It is the sepulchre: 1Ki 13:1, 1Ki 13:30, 1Ki 13:31
Reciprocal: Jer 35:4 – a man 1Ti 6:11 – O man
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
2Ki 23:17. He said, What title is that that I see? It was the custom then, as it is now, to set up little pillars or stones by or upon the graves of the higher sort of men, upon which the names of the deceased persons, and some remarkable passages relating to them, were engraven. The king observing a stone or pillar of this kind more eminent than the rest, with an inscription upon it not legible, inquired whose title it was. And the men of the city told him That is, some of the old inhabitants who had escaped the captivity; and not any of those new-comers, whom the king of Assyria had sent thither. For these could have given no account of the ancient history of the Israelites; neither can we suppose that the sepulchre itself, after so many years standing, could have been distinguishable, had not some pious person or other, with an intent to perpetuate the fact, taken care to preserve and repair it. See the note on 1Ki 13:1.