King Josiah began his righteous reign at eight years old, diligently seeking the LORD and initiating extensive religious reforms throughout Judah and Israel. During the Temple's repair in his eighteenth year, the Book of the Law was discovered, profoundly impacting Josiah, who rent his clothes in repentance. He then sought the LORD through Huldah the prophetess, who confirmed impending judgment but promised Josiah peace in his lifetime due to his humility. Subsequently, Josiah gathered the people, read the law, and led them in a national covenant renewal to serve the LORD faithfully.
He did that which was right in the eyes of the LORD, and walked in the ways of David his father, and didn’t turn aside to the right hand or to the left.
For 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 Asherah poles, and the engraved images, and the molten images.
They broke down the altars of the Baals in his presence; and the incense altars that were on high above them he cut down; and the Asherah poles, and the engraved images, and the molten images, he broke in pieces, and made dust of them, and strewed it on the graves of those who had sacrificed to them.
He broke down the altars, and beat the Asherah poles and the engraved images into powder, and cut down all the incense altars throughout all Eretz-Israel, and returned to Jerusalem.
Now 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 LORD’s house his God.
They came to Hilkiah the high priest, and delivered the money that was brought into God’s house, which the Levites, the keepers of the threshold, had gathered of the hand of Manasseh and Ephraim, and of all the remnant of Israel, and of all Judah and Benjamin, and of the inhabitants of Jerusalem.
They delivered it into the hand of the workmen who had the oversight of the LORD’s house; and the workmen who labored in the LORD’s house gave it to mend and repair the house;
even to the carpenters and to the builders gave they it, to buy cut stone, and timber for couplings, and to make beams for the houses which the kings of Judah had destroyed.
The men did the work faithfully: and their overseers 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 others of the Levites, all who were skillful with instruments of music.
Also they were over the bearers of burdens, and set forward all who did the work in every kind of service: and of the Levites there were scribes, and officers, and porters.
They have emptied out the money that was found in the LORD’s house, and have delivered it into the hand of the overseers, and into the hand of the workmen.”
“Go inquire of the LORD for me, and for those who 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 on us, because our fathers have not kept the LORD’s word, to do according to all that is written in this book.”
So Hilkiah, and they whom the king had commanded, went to Huldah the prophetess, the wife of Shallum the son of Tokhath, the son of Hasrah, keeper of the wardrobe; (now she lived in Jerusalem in the second quarter;) and they spoke to her to that effect.
“Thus says the LORD, ‘Behold, I will bring evil on this place, and on its inhabitants, even all the curses that are written in the book which they have read before the king of Judah.
Because they have forsaken me, and have burned incense to other gods, that they might provoke me to anger with all the works of their hands; therefore is my wrath poured out on this place, and it shall not be quenched.’”’
But to the king of Judah, who sent you to inquire of the LORD, thus you shall tell him, ‘Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel: “As touching the words which you have heard,
because your heart was tender, and you humbled yourself before God, when you heard his words against this place, and against its inhabitants, and have humbled yourself before me, and have torn your clothes, and wept before me; I also have heard you,” says the LORD.
“Behold, I will gather you to your fathers, and you shall be gathered to your grave in peace, neither shall your eyes see all the evil that I will bring on this place, and on its inhabitants.”’” They brought back word to the king.
The king went up to the LORD’s house, and all the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and the priests, and the Levites, and all the people, both great and small: and he read in their ears all the words of the book of the covenant that was found in the LORD’s house.
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 that were written in this book.
He caused all who were found in Jerusalem and Benjamin to stand. The inhabitants of Jerusalem did according to the covenant of God, the God of their fathers.
Josiah took away all the abominations out of all the countries that pertained to the children of Israel, and made all who were found in Israel to serve, even to serve the LORD their God. All his days they didn’t depart from following the LORD, the God of their fathers.
Study Notes for 2 Chronicles 34
Verse 1
Josiah’s 31-year reign contrasts significantly with the short, wicked reigns of his immediate predecessors. The Chronicler presents him as the last truly righteous king of Judah.
Verse 2
Walking in the ways of David is the Chronicler’s highest commendation, indicating complete devotion to the covenant and avoiding the apostasy common in Judah.
Verse 3
This verse establishes the timeline of Josiah’s reforms: seeking God at age 16 (8th year) and beginning the widespread public purge at age 20 (12th year), well before the Temple repair.
Verse 4
The destruction of the altars and the *asherim* (groves/sacred poles dedicated to the goddess Asherah) was thorough, symbolizing the utter rejection of syncretistic and foreign worship.
Verse 5
Burning the bones of the idolatrous priests upon their own altars was an act of profound desecration, rendering the altars permanently unusable and fulfilling an ancient prophecy (1 Kings 13:2).
Verse 6
Josiah’s cleansing extended into the former territory of the Northern Kingdom (Israel), demonstrating his claim to spiritual authority over all twelve tribes, not just Judah and Benjamin.
Verse 8
The 18th year of Josiah’s reign marks the transition from cleansing the land of idols to renovating the central institution of true worship—the Temple.
Verse 12
The Levites, including those normally associated with music and liturgy, were appointed as overseers, underscoring the sacred nature of the building project.
Verse 14
The 'Book of the Law of the LORD given by Moses' (likely a core portion of Deuteronomy) had evidently been lost or hidden during the reigns of Manasseh and Amon, highlighting the depth of previous apostasy.
Verse 19
Rending his clothes was the traditional Jewish sign of extreme grief and horror. Josiah recognized immediately that the nation had grievously violated the covenant stipulations described in the Law.
Verse 21
Josiah’s immediate concern is for the entire remnant of God’s people. He understands that the curses of the Law apply nationally due to the long history of covenant disobedience.
Verse 22
The delegation sought counsel from Huldah, a respected prophetess in Jerusalem, rather than the contemporary prophets Jeremiah or Zephaniah, confirming her recognized authority in matters of the Law.
Verse 27
Huldah confirms that while national judgment is inevitable, Josiah’s personal sincerity and humility (*tender heart*) have secured God’s mercy and a promise of peace for the king himself.
Verse 28
The promise that Josiah will be gathered to his grave 'in peace' meant he would die before the catastrophic destruction of Jerusalem by the Babylonians.
Verse 29
Josiah acted immediately upon the prophecy, convening the national leadership to ensure that the covenant renewal would be a public and binding commitment.
Verse 30
The public reading of the Law in the Temple ensured that the people understood the requirements of the covenant they were about to renew, making their commitment informed and deliberate.
Verse 31
Josiah’s personal oath (with 'all his heart, and with all his soul') models the central requirement of the Law (Deuteronomy 6:5) and sets the standard for the nation.
Verse 32
By compelling the people to 'stand to it,' Josiah ensured that the covenant renewal was a formal, national oath of allegiance to the stipulations of the rediscovered Law.
Verse 33
The Chronicler emphasizes the success of Josiah’s reforms: as long as he lived, the people were compelled to follow the LORD, making this the most extensive religious revival since Hezekiah.
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