2 Chronicles 34

2 Chronicles · Chapter 34

2 Chronicles 34:4

1Josiah was eight years old when he began to reign, and he reigned in Jerusalem one and thirty years.2And he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD, and walked in the ways of David his father, and declined neither to the right hand, nor to the left.3For in the eighth year of his reign, while he was yet young, he began to seek after the God of David his father: and in the twelfth year he began to purge Judah and Jerusalem from the high places, and the groves, and the carved images, and the molten images.4And they brake down the altars of Baalim in his presence; and the images, that were on high above them, he cut down; and the groves, and the carved images, and the molten images, he brake in pieces, and made dust of them, and strowed it upon the graves of them that had sacrificed unto them.5And he burnt the bones of the priests upon their altars, and cleansed Judah and Jerusalem.6And so did he in the cities of Manasseh, and Ephraim, and Simeon, even unto Naphtali, with their mattocks round about.7And when he had broken down the altars and the groves, and had beaten the graven images into powder, and cut down all the idols throughout all the land of Israel, he returned to Jerusalem.8Now in the eighteenth year of his reign, when he had purged the land, and the house, he sent Shaphan the son of Azaliah, and Maaseiah the governor of the city, and Joah the son of Joahaz the recorder, to repair the house of the LORD his God.9And when they came to Hilkiah the high priest, they delivered the money that was brought into the house of God, which the Levites that kept the doors had gathered of the hand of Manasseh and Ephraim, and of all the remnant of Israel, and of all Judah and Benjamin; and they returned to Jerusalem.10And they put it in the hand of the workmen that had the oversight of the house of the LORD, and they gave it to the workmen that wrought in the house of the LORD, to repair and amend the house:11Even to the artificers and builders gave they it, to buy hewn stone, and timber for couplings, and to floor the houses which the kings of Judah had destroyed.12And the men did the work faithfully: and the overseers of them were Jahath and Obadiah, the Levites, of the sons of Merari; and Zechariah and Meshullam, of the sons of the Kohathites, to set it forward; and other of the Levites, all that could skill of instruments of musick.13Also they were over the bearers of burdens, and were overseers of all that wrought the work in any manner of service: and of the Levites there were scribes, and officers, and porters.14And when they brought out the money that was brought into the house of the LORD, Hilkiah the priest found a book of the law of the LORD given by Moses.15And Hilkiah answered and said to Shaphan the scribe, I have found the book of the law in the house of the LORD. And Hilkiah delivered the book to Shaphan.16And Shaphan carried the book to the king, and brought the king word back again, saying, All that was committed to thy servants, they do it.17And they have gathered together the money that was found in the house of the LORD, and have delivered it into the hand of the overseers, and to the hand of the workmen.18Then Shaphan the scribe told the king, saying, Hilkiah the priest hath given me a book. And Shaphan read it before the king.19And it came to pass, when the king had heard the words of the law, that he rent his clothes.20And the king commanded Hilkiah, and Ahikam the son of Shaphan, and Abdon the son of Micah, and Shaphan the scribe, and Asaiah a servant of the king’s, saying,21Go, enquire of the LORD for me, and for them that are left in Israel and in Judah, concerning the words of the book that is found: for great is the wrath of the LORD that is poured out upon us, because our fathers have not kept the word of the LORD, to do after all that is written in this book.22And Hilkiah, and they that the king had appointed, went to Huldah the prophetess, the wife of Shallum the son of Tikvath, the son of Hasrah, keeper of the wardrobe; (now she dwelt in Jerusalem in the college:) and they spake to her to that effect.23And she answered them, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Tell ye the man that sent you to me,24Thus saith the LORD, Behold, I will bring evil upon this place, and upon the inhabitants thereof, even all the curses that are written in the book which they have read before the king of Judah:25Because they have forsaken me, and have burned incense unto other gods, that they might provoke me to anger with all the works of their hands; therefore my wrath shall be poured out upon this place, and shall not be quenched.26And as for the king of Judah, who sent you to enquire of the LORD, so shall ye say unto him, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel concerning the words which thou hast heard;27Because thine heart was tender, and thou didst humble thyself before God, when thou heardest his words against this place, and against the inhabitants thereof, and humbledst thyself before me, and didst rend thy clothes, and weep before me; I have even heard thee also, saith the LORD.28Behold, I will gather thee to thy fathers, and thou shalt be gathered to thy grave in peace, neither shall thine eyes see all the evil that I will bring upon this place, and upon the inhabitants of the same. So they brought the king word again.29Then the king sent and gathered together all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem.30And the king went up into the house of the LORD, and all the men of Judah, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and the priests, and the Levites, and all the people, great and small: and he read in their ears all the words of the book of the covenant that was found in the house of the LORD.31And the king stood in his place, and made a covenant before the LORD, to walk after the LORD, and to keep his commandments, and his testimonies, and his statutes, with all his heart, and with all his soul, to perform the words of the covenant which are written in this book.32And he caused all that were present in Jerusalem and Benjamin to stand to it. And the inhabitants of Jerusalem did according to the covenant of God, the God of their fathers.33And Josiah took away all the abominations out of all the countries that pertained to the children of Israel, and made all that were present in Israel to serve, even to serve the LORD their God. And all his days they departed not from following the LORD, the God of their fathers.

King James Version (1769)

Other translations

VerseKJVBSBASV
4And they brake down the altars of Baalim in his presence; and the images, that were on high above them, he cut down; and the groves, and the carved images, and the molten images, he brake in pieces, and made dust of them, and strowed it upon the graves of them that had sacrificed unto them.Then in his presence the altars of the Baals were torn down, and he cut to pieces the incense altars that were above them. He shattered the Asherah poles, the carved idols, and the cast images, crushed them to dust, and scattered them over the graves of those who had sacrificed to them.And they brake down the altars of the Baalim in his presence; and the sun-images that were on high above them he hewed down; and the Asherim, and the graven images, and the molten images, he brake in pieces, and made dust of them, and strewed it upon the graves of them that had sacrificed unto them.

In context

Who is speaking and to whom, what is happening, when and where, and why it matters, each with its sources. Coming with the context cards.

Original Hebrew words

EnglishHebrewSay itStrong'sMeaning
and people pulled downוַיְנַתְּצ֣וּvay-na-te-TZUH5422
to tear

נָתַץ (na.tats) 1) to pull down, break down, cast down, throw down, beat down, destroy, overthrow, break out (teeth) 1a) (Qal) 1a1) to pull down 1a2) to break down, break off 1b) (Niphal) to be pulled or broken down 1c) (Piel) to tear down 1d) (Pual) to be torn down 1e) (Hophal) to be broken, be broken down

to before himלְפָנָ֗יוle-fa-NAVH6440H
face: before

פָּנֶה (pa.neh) : before/to/front 1) face 1a) face, faces 1b) presence, person 1c) face (of seraphim or cherubim) 1d) face (of animals) 1e) face, surface (of ground) 1f) as adv of loc/temp 1f1) before and behind, toward, in front of, forward, formerly, from beforetime, before 1g) with prep 1g1) in front of, before, to the front of, in the presence of, in the face of, at the face or front of, from the presence of, from before, from before the face of

[the] altars ofמִזְבְּח֣וֹתmiz-be-CHOTH4196
sacrifice

דְּבַח (de.vach) sacrifice Aramaic of miz.be.ach (מִזְבֵּחַ "altar" H4196)

the Baalsהַבְּעָלִ֔יםha-be-'a-LIMH1168A
Baal

בַּעַל (ba.al) § Baal = "lord" esp. lord, specif. as divine name, Baal supreme male divinity of the Phoenicians or Canaanites

and the incense altarsוְהַֽחַמָּנִ֛יםve-ha-cha-ma-NIMH2553
pillar

חַמָּן (cham.man) 1) incense altar, sun-pillar, idol, image 1a) used in idolatrous worship

whichאֲשֶׁר־'a-SHER-H0834A
which

אֲשֶׁר (a.sher) A: 1) (relative part.) 1a) which, who 1b) that which 2) (conj) 2a) that (in obj clause) 2b) when 2c) since 2d) as 2e) conditional if B: Beth+ 1) in (that) which 2) (adv) 2a) where 3) (conj) 3a) in that, inasmuch as 3b) on account of C: Mem+ 1) from (or than) that which 2) from (the place) where 3) from (the fact) that, since D: Kaph+ 1) (conj.), according as, as, when 1a) according to that which, according as, as 1b) with a causal force: in so far as, since 1c) with a temporal force: when

[were] to upwards towardsלְמַ֥עְלָהle-MA'-lahH4605
above

מַ֫עַל (ma.al) subst 1) higher part, upper part adv 1a) above prep 1b) on the top of, above, on higher ground than with locative 1c) upwards, higher, above

from above the themמֵעֲלֵיהֶ֖םme-'a-lei-HEMH5921A
upon

עַל (al) prep 1) upon, on the ground of, according to, on account of, on behalf of, concerning, beside, in addition to, together with, beyond, above, over, by, on to, towards, to, against 1a) upon, on the ground of, on the basis of, on account of, because of, therefore, on behalf of, for the sake of, for, with, in spite of, notwithstanding, concerning, in the matter of, as regards 1b) above, beyond, over (of excess) 1c) above, over (of elevation or pre-eminence) 1d) upon, to, over to, unto, in addition to, together with, with (of addition) 1e) over (of suspension or extension) …

he cut downגִּדֵּ֑עַgi-DE-a'H1438
to cut down/off

גָּדַע (ga.da) 1) to cut, hew, chop, cut down, hew down, hew off, cut off, cut in two, shave off 1a) (Qal) to hew, chop in two 1b) (Niphal) to be chopped off, be hewn off 1c) (Piel) to cut off or down in two, hew off or down in two 1d) (Pual) to chop down, hew down

and the Asherah polesוְ֠הָאֲשֵׁרִיםVE-ha-'a-she-rimH0842
Asherah

אֲשֵׁרָה (a.she.rah) § Ashera(h) = "groves (for idol worship)" a Babylonian (Astarte)-Canaanite goddess (of fortune and happiness), the supposed consort of Baal, her images her images sacred trees or poles set up near an altar

and the idolsוְהַפְּסִלִ֤יםve-ha-pe-si-LIMH6456
idol

פָּסִיל (pe.sil) image, idol, graven image Another spelling of pe.sel (פֶּ֫סֶל "idol" H6459)

and the molten imagesוְהַמַּסֵּכוֹת֙ve-ham-ma-se-khOtH4541A
liquid

מַסֵּכָה (mas.se.khah) 1) a pouring, libation, molten metal, cast image, drink offering 1a) libation (with covenant sacrifice) 1b) molten metal, molten image, molten gods

he broke in piecesשִׁבַּ֣רshi-BARH7665
to break

שָׁבַר (sha.var) 1) to break, break in pieces 1a) (Qal) 1a1) break, break in or down, rend violently, wreck, crush, quench 1a2) to break, rupture (fig) 1b) (Niphal) 1b1) to be broken, be maimed, be crippled, be wrecked 1b2) to be broken, be crushed (fig) 1c) (Piel) to shatter, break 1d) (Hiphil) to cause to break out, bring to the birth 1e) (Hophal) to be broken, be shattered Aramaic equivalent: te.var (תְּבַר "to break" H8406)

and he pulverized [them]וְהֵדַ֔קve-he-DAKH1854
to shatter

דּוּק (duq) 1) to be shattered, fall to pieces 1a) (P'al) to break in pieces

and he sprinkled [them]וַיִּזְרֹק֙vai-yiz-ROKH2236
to scatter

זָרַק (za.raq) 1) to scatter, sprinkle, toss, throw, scatter abundantly, strew 1a) (Qal) to scatter, sprinkle, toss 1b) (Pual) to be sprinkled

onעַל־'al-H5921A
upon

עַל (al) prep 1) upon, on the ground of, according to, on account of, on behalf of, concerning, beside, in addition to, together with, beyond, above, over, by, on to, towards, to, against 1a) upon, on the ground of, on the basis of, on account of, because of, therefore, on behalf of, for the sake of, for, with, in spite of, notwithstanding, concerning, in the matter of, as regards 1b) above, beyond, over (of excess) 1c) above, over (of elevation or pre-eminence) 1d) upon, to, over to, unto, in addition to, together with, with (of addition) 1e) over (of suspension or extension) …

[the] surface ofפְּנֵ֣יpe-NEIH6440J
face: before

פָּנֶה (pa.neh) : before/to/front 1) face 1a) face, faces 1b) presence, person 1c) face (of seraphim or cherubim) 1d) face (of animals) 1e) face, surface (of ground) 1f) as adv of loc/temp 1f1) before and behind, toward, in front of, forward, formerly, from beforetime, before 1g) with prep 1g1) in front of, before, to the front of, in the presence of, in the face of, at the face or front of, from the presence of, from before, from before the face of

the gravesהַקְּבָרִ֔יםha-ke-va-RIMH6913
grave

קֶ֫בֶר (qe.ver) grave, sepulchre, tomb

who sacrificedהַזֹּבְחִ֖יםha-zoe-CHIMH2076
to sacrifice

דְּבַח (de.vach) (P'al) to sacrifice Aramaic of za.vach (זָבַח "to sacrifice" H2076)

Words and meanings from STEPBible data (Tyndale House, Cambridge, CC BY 4.0). The capitalized syllable is the stressed one.