Chapter Thirty-Four

Josiah, the 16th king of Judah, and his religious reform

(See 2 Kgs 22:1-23:20)

1–7. The time of Josiah’s accession, the duration of his reign, and his pious character. 8–13. The renewal of the Temple in the 18th year of his reign. 14–28. The discovery in the Temple of the ancient book of the law, its reading before the king, an embassy to the prophetess Huldah regarding the threats in the book, and the prophetess’s response. 29–33. Public reading of the book of the law and the establishment of a covenant to keep strictly the commandments of Jehovah.

2 Chronicles 34:1. Josiah was eight years old when he became king, and he reigned thirty-one years in Jerusalem, 2 Chronicles 34:2. and he did what was right in the sight of the Lord and walked in the ways of David his father, and did not turn aside to the right or to the left. 2 Chronicles 34:3. In the eighth year of his reign, while he was still young, he began to seek the God of David his father, and in the twelfth year he began to purge Judah and Jerusalem of the high places and the Asherah poles and the carved and cast images. 2 Chronicles 34:4. And they broke down before him the altars of the Baals and tore down the incense altars that were above them; and he cut down the Asherah poles and shattered the carved and cast images, beating them to dust, and scattered the dust on the graves of those who had sacrificed to them, 2 Chronicles 34:5. and he burned the bones of the priests on their altars, and cleansed Judah and Jerusalem, 2 Chronicles 34:6. and in the cities of Manasseh, Ephraim, and Simeon, even as far as Naphtali, and in their ruined surroundings 2 Chronicles 34:7. he tore down the altars and the Asherah poles, and shattered the images to dust, and demolished all the incense altars throughout the land of Israel, and returned to Jerusalem. In contrast to 2 Kings, 2 Chronicles begins the account of Josiah’s reign by describing, though not in as much detail as in (2 Kgs 23:4-20), the purification of worship undertaken by Josiah through the removal of all apparatus and remnants of idolatry. Concerning the unequal sequence of the account of Josiah in 2 Kings and 2 Chronicles, see the commentary to (2 Kgs 22:1-2), “The Interpretive Bible,” vol. II, pp. 563–564.

2 Chronicles 34:8. In the eighteenth year of his reign, after purifying the land and the house of God, he sent Shaphan son of Azaliah, Maaseiah the mayor, and Joah son of Joahaz the recorder to restore the house of the Lord his God. 2 Chronicles 34:9. And they came to Hilkiah the high priest and delivered the silver that had been brought into the house of God, which the Levites who guarded the threshold had gathered from the hands of Manasseh and Ephraim and all the remaining Israelites, and from all Judah and Benjamin, and from the inhabitants of Jerusalem, 2 Chronicles 34:10. and gave it into the hands of the workers who were appointed to the house of the Lord, so that they might give it to the workmen who worked in the house of the Lord in repairing and restoring the house. 2 Chronicles 34:11. And they gave it to the carpenters and builders to buy hewn stone and timber for binding and for the roof of the buildings, which the kings of Judah had destroyed. 2 Chronicles 34:12. The men worked faithfully at the work, and over them were set Jahath and Obadiah, Levites of the sons of Merari, and Zechariah and Meshullam of the sons of Kohath, and all the Levites who were skilled in instruments of music. 2 Chronicles 34:13. They were overseers of the bearers of burdens and supervised all the workers in every task; some of the Levites were also scribes and officers and gatekeepers. 2 Chronicles 34:14. When they brought out the silver that had been brought into the house of the Lord, Hilkiah the priest found the book of the law of the Lord given by the hand of Moses. What is said here about the circumstances of the discovery of the “book of the law of the Lord given by the hand of Moses” (verse 14), about the impression made by reading it on the king, has almost word-for-word agreement with (2 Kgs 22:3-13). Concerning the significance of the event itself, see the commentary to the latter passage in “The Interpretive Bible,” vol. II, pp. 564–567. The particular differences in the account of 2 Chronicles from the narrative in 2 Kings in this section are characteristic of the greater documentary character of the former. Thus, in (2 Chr 34:8) the king sends to the Temple with the silver not just one scribe, Shaphan (2 Kgs 22:3), but also the mayor (Heb. sar-hagir) Maaseiah and the recorder (reporter, Heb. mazkir) Joah, which apparently was required by the importance of the task. In verse 12, the overseers of the work being done in the Temple are named individually. In verse 14, with full concrete precision, it is stated that the book of the law was found “when they brought out the silver that had been brought into the house of the Lord” (in (2 Kgs 22:8) it is stated generally: “I found the book of the law in the house of the Lord” (Hilkiah)).

2 Chronicles 34:15. And Hilkiah began and said to Shaphan the scribe: I have found the book of the law in the house of the Lord. And Hilkiah gave the book to Shaphan. 2 Chronicles 34:16. And Shaphan brought the book to the king and also reported to the king: All that you have entrusted to your servants, they are doing; 2 Chronicles 34:17. and they have poured out the silver that was found in the house of the Lord and have delivered it into the hands of the overseers and into the hands of the workmen. Verses 15–17 are almost word-for-word identical with (2 Kgs 22:8-9); only in verse 16 is added: “All that was entrusted to your servants, they are doing.” (LXX awkwardly: πᾶν τὸ δοθὲν ἀργύριον χειπὶ τῶν παίδων σου τῶν ποιούντων; Slavonic: “all the silver given is in the hands of your servants, who are doing the work”).

2 Chronicles 34:18. And Shaphan the scribe also informed the king, saying: Hilkiah the priest has given me a book. And Shaphan read it before the king. 2 Chronicles 34:19. When the king heard the words of the law, he tore his clothes. 2 Chronicles 34:20. And the king commanded Hilkiah, Ahikam son of Shaphan, Abdon son of Micah, Shaphan the scribe, and Asaiah the king’s servant, saying: 2 Chronicles 34:21. “Go, inquire of the Lord for me and for all those remaining in Israel and Judah concerning the words of this book that has been found, for great is the wrath of the Lord that has been kindled against us, because our fathers have not kept the word of the Lord, to do according to all that is written in this book. Verses 18–21 are also almost word-for-word identical with (2 Kgs 22:10-13); only in verse 20, among those sent to consult Huldah, is named “Abdon,” whereas in (2 Kgs 22:12) it is “Achbor” (in both recensions: “son of Micah”); evidently they are the same person. In verse 21: “they did not keep” (lo-shameru) instead of what stands in (2 Kgs 22:13): “they did not hear” (lo-shameu).

2 Chronicles 34:22. And Hilkiah and those sent by the king went to Huldah the prophetess, the wife of Shallum son of Tikvah, son of Harhas, keeper of the wardrobe—and she dwelt in the second quarter of Jerusalem—and they spoke with her about this matter. 2 Chronicles 34:23. And she said to them: Thus says the Lord God of Israel: Tell the man who sent you to me: 2 Chronicles 34:24. Thus says the Lord: Behold, I will bring disaster upon this place and upon its inhabitants, all the curses that are written in the book that was read before the king of Judah, 2 Chronicles 34:25. because they have forsaken Me and have made offerings to other gods, to provoke Me to anger with all the works of their hands. My wrath shall be kindled against this place and shall not be quenched. Verses 22–25 correspond exactly to (2 Kgs 22:14-17); there are only stylistic differences, for example, in verse 25 (as also in 21): “My wrath was poured out” (Heb. tittak) instead of what stands in (2 Kgs 22:17): “My wrath was kindled” (nitzeta). The approach of this respected embassy headed by the high priest to Huldah, apart from the prophets among whom by that time the prophets Jeremiah (Jer 1:1-2) and Zephaniah (Zeph 1:1) were already active, speaks of the high authority of this woman prophetess, who indeed spoke a remarkable prophecy about the fate of the people of God (verses 23–28). Enjoying great respect during her lifetime, Huldah was honored after her death as well: according to rabbinical tradition, she was buried within the walls of Jerusalem itself (see Archimandrite Nikifor in “Biblical Encyclopedia,” Issue III, Moscow, 1892, p. 88).

2 Chronicles 34:26. But to the king of Judah, who sent you to inquire of the Lord, say thus: Thus says the Lord God of Israel concerning the words which you have heard: 2 Chronicles 34:27. Because your heart was tender and you humbled yourself before God when you heard His words concerning this place and its inhabitants, and you humbled yourself before Me and tore your clothes and wept before Me, I also have heard you, says the Lord. 2 Chronicles 34:28. Behold, I will gather you to your ancestors and you shall be laid in your grave in peace, and your eyes shall not see all the evil that I will bring upon this place and upon its inhabitants. And they brought the king the answer. See (2 Kgs 22:18-20). The promise to Josiah by the prophetess: “you shall be laid in your grave in peace” (verse 28; (2 Kgs 22:20)) should not be considered unfulfilled because of Josiah’s violent death in conflict with the Pharaoh Necho (2 Chr 35:23-24; 2 Kgs 23:29), because in Huldah’s words is meant not the personal peace of the king, but the peace and (at least relative) prosperity of the entire kingdom of Judah under Josiah until the last days of his life: the political complications that led the kingdom of Judah to its doom began only after Josiah’s death.

2 Chronicles 34:29. And the king sent and gathered all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem, 2 Chronicles 34:30. and the king went to the house of the Lord, and with him all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and the priests and the Levites, and all the people, from the greatest to the least; and he read in their hearing all the words of the book of the covenant that was found in the house of the Lord. 2 Chronicles 34:31. And the king stood in his place and made a covenant before the Lord to follow the Lord and to keep His commandments and His decrees and His statutes with all his heart and with all his soul, to perform the words of the covenant that are written in this book. 2 Chronicles 34:32. And the king commanded all who were found in Jerusalem and Benjamin to stand by it; and the inhabitants of Jerusalem kept the covenant of the God, the God of their fathers. See (2 Kgs 23:1-3).

2 Chronicles 34:33. And Josiah removed all the abominations from all the lands belonging to the people of Israel, and commanded all who were found in the land of Israel to serve the Lord their God. Throughout his lifetime they did not turn away from the Lord God of their fathers. Verse 33 briefly repeats once more (see above verses 3–7) the account of the reform of worship undertaken by Josiah through the complete removal of all apparatus of idolatry (2 Kgs 23:4-20).