2 Kings 23:14

And he brake in pieces the images, and cut down the groves, and filled their places with the bones of men.

And he brake in pieces {H7665} the images {H4676}, and cut down {H3772} the groves {H842}, and filled {H4390} their places {H4725} with the bones {H6106} of men {H120}.

He smashed the standing-stones, chopped down the sacred poles and covered their remains with human bones

He smashed the sacred pillars to pieces, cut down the Asherah poles, and covered the sites with human bones.

And he brake in pieces the pillars, and cut down the Asherim, and filled their places with the bones of men.

Commentary

Context

This verse describes a pivotal moment in the sweeping religious reforms initiated by King Josiah of Judah. Reigning from 640 to 609 BC, Josiah ascended the throne at a young age and, unlike many of his predecessors, demonstrated an extraordinary commitment to God's covenant. His zealous campaign against idolatry began in earnest after the discovery of the Book of the Law (likely a portion of Deuteronomy) in the Temple during its renovation. This discovery ignited a fervent desire in Josiah to purify Judah from centuries of pagan worship, which had deeply infiltrated the land, including the worship of Baal, Asherah, and the host of heaven. Verse 14 specifically details his actions against idolatrous sites established even by former kings.

Key Themes

  • Radical Purity and Dedication: Josiah's reforms were not merely superficial; they were thorough and uncompromising. He didn't just remove idols but utterly destroyed and defiled their sites, making them unusable for future pagan worship. This demonstrates a deep commitment to exclusive worship of the one true God, as commanded in the first commandment.
  • Fulfillment of Prophecy: The act of filling the places of idols with human bones was a specific and powerful act of defilement. Crucially, this action, particularly concerning the altar at Bethel (mentioned in subsequent verses of 2 Kings 23), directly fulfills a prophecy made by a man of God against King Jeroboam I centuries earlier. 1 Kings 13:2 foretold that a king named Josiah would burn the bones of men on that altar, thus desecrating it.
  • God's Jealousy for His Worship: The severity of Josiah's actions underscores God's absolute intolerance for idolatry and syncretism. The Lord demands exclusive devotion, and Josiah's reforms reflect this divine principle, restoring the nation's focus (at least temporarily) to covenant faithfulness.

Linguistic Insights

The KJV phrase "brake in pieces the images" refers to the destruction of cultic pillars or statues, often associated with Baal worship. "Cut down the groves" specifically points to the eradication of the asherim (Hebrew: ืึฒืฉึตืืจึดื™ื), which were wooden poles or sacred trees dedicated to Asherah, a prominent Canaanite fertility goddess. These "groves" were central to ancient Near Eastern fertility cults involving immoral practices. The act of "filled their places with the bones of men" was the ultimate act of ritual defilement. Scattering human bones, particularly from graves (as subsequent verses clarify, often from the graves of idolaters), on these "sacred" pagan sites rendered them utterly unclean and unfit for any religious ceremony, a powerful statement of desecration and rejection of false gods.

Practical Application

Josiah's radical spiritual cleansing serves as a powerful reminder for believers today. Just as Josiah purged physical idols from the land, we are called to identify and remove "idols" from our own livesโ€”anything that takes precedence over God, whether it be materialism, self-worship, career, or relationships. This verse encourages a thorough, uncompromising commitment to spiritual purity and obedience to God's Word. Furthermore, it highlights God's unwavering faithfulness to His promises, even those made centuries in advance, affirming His sovereignty over history and His ultimate victory over all forms of evil and false worship.

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Cross-References

  • Exodus 23:24

    Thou shalt not bow down to their gods, nor serve them, nor do after their works: but thou shalt utterly overthrow them, and quite break down their images.

  • Deuteronomy 7:5

    But thus shall ye deal with them; ye shall destroy their altars, and break down their images, and cut down their groves, and burn their graven images with fire.

  • 2 Kings 23:16

    And as Josiah turned himself, he spied the sepulchres that [were] there in the mount, and sent, and took the bones out of the sepulchres, and burned [them] upon the altar, and polluted it, according to the word of the LORD which the man of God proclaimed, who proclaimed these words.

  • Numbers 19:16

    And whosoever toucheth one that is slain with a sword in the open fields, or a dead body, or a bone of a man, or a grave, shall be unclean seven days.

  • Jeremiah 8:1

    ยถ At that time, saith the LORD, they shall bring out the bones of the kings of Judah, and the bones of his princes, and the bones of the priests, and the bones of the prophets, and the bones of the inhabitants of Jerusalem, out of their graves:

  • Jeremiah 8:2

    And they shall spread them before the sun, and the moon, and all the host of heaven, whom they have loved, and whom they have served, and after whom they have walked, and whom they have sought, and whom they have worshipped: they shall not be gathered, nor be buried; they shall be for dung upon the face of the earth.

  • Micah 1:7

    And all the graven images thereof shall be beaten to pieces, and all the hires thereof shall be burned with the fire, and all the idols thereof will I lay desolate: for she gathered [it] of the hire of an harlot, and they shall return to the hire of an harlot.