Another Bible Commentary: 2 Kings

2 Kings continues the Deuteronomistic History.

1:1 Moab leaving as a result of Ahab’s evil sets up the war in chapter 3.

1:2 “Baal-Zebul” means “lord of glory”; “Baal-Zebub” means “lord of the flies” signifying a pile of dung. The historian editorializes (like changing names in the 2 Samuel 4:4 note).

1:3-4 What did we already say about talking to Baal instead of to God (1 Kings 22:6)?

1:8 “He was a hairy man” Elijah was possibly a Nazirite, especially given the similarities to John the Baptist.

1:9-10 reminds me of Exodus 19:12. These guys didn’t read 1 Kings 18.

1:11-12 These guys didn’t read 1 Kings 18 or the memo about the funeral for their coworkers from verse 10.

2:1 Elijah ascended and his disciple received his spirit, mantle, and mission similar to the experience of the apostles in the first few chapters of the Book of Acts.

2:3 Christ’s disciples never seemed to understand that He was about to be taken from them.

2:7 Another “baptism” at the Jordan river (like Joshua 3 as well), crossing from the wilderness to the promised inheritance.

2:8 Another miracle associated with the clothing of a holy man, like Jesus’ Healing Robe (Matthew 9:21) and Paul’s Healing Handkerchiefs (Acts 19:12).

2:9 Elisha wishes to be the “firstborn” of the prophets mentioned in verse 3.

2:11 See Genesis 5:24. Despite being an alleged storm god, that’s not Baal’s whirlwind. See Psalm 68 and Psalm 104. Elijah and Elisha demonstrate the inferiority of Baal to God for the benefit of the doomed North, so of course Elijah rides the sky. Judah failed after the promised return (Deuteronomy 30), so John the Baptist came to them before Rome sacked Jerusalem in 70 AD. Analogously, two witnesses with powers like Elijah and Moses have a role in Revelation before the end of the world.

2:12 “My father!” He got his wish to be the firstborn.

2:15 They’re walking the Joshua route.

2:17 Jesus went missing for three days more than once in the Gospels.

2:19 After crossing water on dry land, now it’s time to make some water potable. We’ve got another prophet like Moses (Exodus 15:23-25).

2:21 Salt preserves, so this would have looked like a magical transfer of properties.

2:22 Jesus’ touch makes people whole.

2:23-25 At this point, Bethel was a site for idol worship. Pharaoh, meet Moses… The Leviticus 26 famine under Elijah wasn’t heeded, so a new sevenfold punishment kicks in, beginning with wild animals (See Leviticus 26:22. In Joshua 24:12, God used hornets). The next steps involved the sword, famine, pestilence, cannibalism, exile, etc., that all happened as promised. “Go up, Baldy!” meant to ascend like Elijah and stop ruining their fun. See Psalm 105:15. Elijah was hairy; it seems that Elisha was not. Paul is usually depicted balder than Jesus, just saying.

I’m not saying Elisha was one, but there was such a thing as a bald Nazirite: “nazir memorat”. They may have symbolically shaved their heads at the end of their vow or not depending on their interpreter of the text (rabbi). Similarly, a healed leper missing a right thumb or big toe was either unclean forever, had oil and blood applied to the phantom digits, or had a left-sided ceremony depending on their rabbi. I offer that bit of trivia to say that since there can be many ways to read a text, interpretation matters. Jesus is the Truth (John 14:6), and the truth will set you free (John 8:32). Freedom “from” sin is great (Romans 6:21), and freedom “to” sin is just the freedom to be miserable (Galatians 5:17), but otherwise if a teacher is trying to bind you up in a bunch of extra rules (what to wear, where to go, what to give, etc.), they could use a little more time hanging out with the Truth.

3:3 Namely, the golden calves at Bethel and Dan.

3:7 “I am with you…” as a vassal says, of course.

3:11 Sequels to movies usually repeat at least one line, too (1 Kings 22:7).

3:15 Worship with instruments is appropriate; prophets used it to tune into God’s frequency, David used instrumental music to alleviate Saul’s demonic influence, etc. Good music (even with instruments, in case any Campbellites have found this) in a worship service can elevate your mood and your thoughts. Now under the New Covenant, we are one spirit with the Lord (1 Corinthians 6:17). Feel free to “turn your radio on” to commune with God, but know that it’s a local call.

3:19 God can command marching around Jericho on the Sabbath, and he can provide an exception to Deuteronomy 20:19-20, too.

3:20-22 Remember when Moses got water from rocks? Remember when the Nile turned to blood? God loves referencing His book.

3:27 The truth of this is likely closer to “this was a shocking and effective display to rally troops” and “demons are real and have some power” than to some version of henotheism in which Chemosh was effective. No one should have been expecting God’s help against Moab because of all the Baal worship (2 Kings 3:2-3).

4:1 Elijah did miracles for a widow, too.

4:4 See 1 Kings 17 and John 2. Like this oil, God’s grace is similarly superabundant (Romans 5:20).

4:7 They were set for life. We have it good, too (Philippians 4:19).

4:13 would be for someone’s promotion and/or a move to the court.

4:16 like Sarah (Genesis 17:21).

4:23,26 “All is well” Is this denial? Is she “speaking faith” over the situation? Is this a knee jerk response of “fine” until she can see the real prophet? Whatever happens in this life, God is on His throne, and it all ends well for believers.

4:31 A resurrection from the dead was associated with Elijah in 1 Kings 17:17-24. Jesus brought back a dead child in Mark 5. This master-does-what-the-servant-cannot dynamic also appears in Mark 9.

4:34 A symbolic transfer of properties (this time, warmth) like 2 Kings 2:21.

4:41 A transfer of the properties of good flour. Ordinarily, the bad ruins the good, and the unclean sullies the clean. Miracles reverse our expectations; rather than us making Jesus unclean, He fixes us.

4:44 Jesus fed 5,000 men (not to mention women and children) with five loaves and two fishes with twelve baskets left over. He also fed 4,000 in a similar incident.

5:1 Now that we’ve foreshadowed Jesus with a food multiplication miracle, it’s time to heal a leper, too.

5:3 Given what we’ve read about master/slave relations (Abe/Hagar, the origins of several of the tribes of Israel, etc.), motives range from kindness to a good master to “If I have to sleep with him, then I wish this guy were less gross”.

5:5 Approximately $750,000 in metals as of the time of this writing, give or take.

5:10 The original baptisms were self-immersion. This is reminiscent of the sevenfold cleansings in Leviticus 16. Instead of the Leviticus 14 procedure, Elisha sent the Gentile with no relationship with God in an unclean land of foreign idolatrous oppression to dunk himself in living water. The Way of John the Baptist (whose ultimate purpose was pointing out Jesus, who baptizes with the Holy Spirit per Matthew 3:11) required a similar do-over spirit from the Jewish audience of that day.

5:14 Baptism can be seen symbolically as being moist like a newborn.

5:16 The lesson is that God healed Naaman, so Elisha does not commit medical billing fraud. Lepers didn’t pay Jesus, and we don’t pay for grace.

5:17 He took a mini-Israel to worship in. The pagans thought gods to be bound to certain places.

5:18-19 “Rimmon” the Thunderer, aka Baal, aka Hadad, etc. Between Elisha’s answer here and the text’s approving tone regarding 2 Kings 10:25, we can see that idolatry requires sincerity to be sinful. Therefore, Paul was fine with Christians buying leftover idol sacrifice meat at the market if they knew there was only one true God. Details are in the letters to the Romans and the Corinthians.

5:23 Gehazi asked for about $25,000 and Naaman gave him double. Again, lepers didn’t pay Jesus, and we don’t pay for grace. Gehazi ruined the symbolism like Moses and the rock in Numbers 20.

5:27 “white” More like “flaky” as snow.

6:5-7 Ironwork was very valuable in those days. Wood floats, so this was another transfer of properties. The ax floated, so Jesus topped that by walking on water.

6:16 God surrounds whatever tries to surround you.

6:17,20 Christ gives sight (John 9).

6:18 like Isaiah 6:10, John 12:40, etc.

6:19 Pikuach nefesh for Deuteronomy 27:18. They’re at least kind in verse 22.

6:25 “doves’ dung” They were really hungry. In different economic conditions, bird excrement can be used as a fertilizer. More substantial herbivore dung was used as oven fuel as in Ezekiel 4.

6:28-29 is a dark echo of 1 Kings 3. They knew things like famine and cannibalism would happen according to the curses of Deuteronomy 28 if they worshiped idols.

6:31 Jehu paid back this rash oath.

6:33 This sounds like, “How dare God have standards?”

7:1 There was no repentance. This is grace.

7:2 This prediction comes true in verse 17.

7:4 During the siege of Jerusalem in 70 AD, many people chose to flee at the risk of crucifixion rather than starve.

7:6 like 2 Samuel 5:24.

7:7 They were too terrified to think that riding might have been faster.

7:8 Their find was like Canaan’s vineyards that the Israelites didn’t plant (Deuteronomy 6:11) and the Messiah’s dinner party we Gentiles are enjoying thanks to the original invitees opting out (Luke 14:15-24, Romans 9 through Romans 11).

8:1 in 2 Kings 4:8-37.

8:3 like returning from exile to the Promised Land.

8:4 Here’s Gehazi again. Instead of being out of sequence with 2 Kings 5:27 as some commentators suggest, why not grace? Miriam came back from leprosy, and even Ahab was eligible for a different ending contingent upon repentance.

8:6 Our reward in Heaven is Jesus (Genesis 15:1). We’re co-heirs with Him (Romans 8:17), and He owns everything. But, for those who’ve traded earthly materialism for the heavenly variety (square footage in your mansion, medals, chains, crowns to throw at Jesus’ feet, gift certificates in Heaven’s company store, etc.), if Matthew 20’s Parable of the Vineyard Workers doesn’t convince you that we’re all paid the same, then take comfort in knowing that in addition to our imperishable inheritance we cannot mess up (1 Peter 1:4), any “rewards” from a God more gracious than the human king in this verse cannot be truly lost.

8:9-10 Some apologists say that Leviticus 19:11 applies only within the Israelite people; I opt for reading this situation as Ben-Hadad was on the road to recovery from the illness but the predicted murder was not part of the question.

8:12 Seeing the future can be sad (Luke 19:41), but keep reading. The Bible ends well for believers.

8:16 Jehoram was co-regent with his father, Jehoshaphat, and a vassal to the Omride dynasty of the Kingdom of Israel. He even had a marriage alliance with them.

8:18 “daughter of Ahab” namely, Athaliah.

8:23 Our 2 Chronicles 21 is very detailed.

8:25 “son” meaning descendant, namely a grandson in this instance. Ahaziah was an Omride vassal, too.

8:28 This is like his grandfather’s experience in 1 Kings 22:29.

9:1-3 Here is another installment of Nazirites/prophets as kingmakers as in 1 Kings 19:16. We’ve seen it before when Samuel anointed David, and we’ll see it again when John the Baptist identified Jesus as the Messiah.

9:7 God sees what they’ve done to you.

9:8 See 1 Kings 14:10 note.

9:21-22 We’ve returned to the site of 1 Kings 21:19.

9:27 He was also related to Ahab. Dying at Megiddo foreshadows (spoiler alert) Josiah and also connects this event to Judges 5:19 and Revelation 16:16.

9:35 As for the leftovers, did the dogs get full? I don’t know. Heads, feet, and/or hands of executed criminals were sometimes displayed (like 2 Samuel 4:12), and this seems like a supernatural version of that practice.

10:5 These guys got betrayed in verse 11.

10:8 like Judges 9:5.

10:11 Deuteronomy 13 and 1 Kings 21 cover Ahab’s family and the false priests, but the unsanctioned killings are addressed in Hosea 1.

10:13 see 2 Kings 8:27, these are Ahab’s family members.

10:14 Taking them alive just facilitated easy slaughter.

10:15-17 see Jeremiah 35. The teetotalling Rekabites helped avenge Naboth (1 Kings 21) the winemaker (in the same geographic area).

10:19 “great sacrifice” What he said is true but deceptive. Then again, these are child sacrificers.

10:25 “burnt offering” See 2 Kings 5:18-19. Idolatry must be sincere to be a problem. Jehu is just doing this to facilitate killing Baal worshipers.

10:28-29 Wow.

10:30-31 See Hosea 1.

10:32 As promised back around 2 Kings 8:12. The “Tel Dan Stele” presently in the Israel Museum corroborates details from 2 Kings as seen through enemy eyes.

11:1 Athaliah (Daughter of Ahab and Jezebel; 2 Kings 8:18, 26) did this to claim the throne for herself (1 Kings 21:29).

11:2-3 like Moses, Jesus, etc. In a similar situation, we already rule with Christ (Ephesians 2:6) rightfully, but it sure doesn’t look like it (1 John 5:19, 2 Corinthians 4:4) yet.

11:4 “Carites” Foreign mercenaries as in 2 Samuel 20:7,23.

11:16 Ahab’s daughter is out, and a son (descendant) of David is back in.

11:20 Nations with young kings like this tend to be run by their advisors, which provides more stability than letting them make drastic changes perhaps toward a ninjas-and-zombies-based economy.

12:4 Joash said this at some unspecified point in time during his reign. All of it ended up being wasted (verse 18).

12:6 This may have been much later depending on the timing of verse 4. I would guess several readers are familiar with churches with a “building fund” that haven’t installed so much as a doorknob with the money in recent memory.

12:15 Building contractor honesty was greater than priest honesty. Jesus, a carpenter, is the best High Priest by far, especially compared to the corrupt Sadducees He dealt with down here.

12:16 See Hosea 4:8.

12:17-21 See 2 Chronicles 24:17-27, which explains this in the context of Joash turning away from God. His life story is Israel’s story all over again like Solomon, etc.

13:5 The “deliverer” is nameless. It might be nameless because it might be the Assyrians. Historians corroborate that Assyria beat Aram (Syria) and that Israel had a resurgence as a vassal. We know to credit God regardless of His choice of instrument.

13:10-13 see also 2 Kings 14:11-14.

13:14 is a callback to 2 Kings 2:12; he wanted something like that last blessing.

13:17-19 Elisha told the king that one arrow equaled one victory. Miracles like in 2 Kings 4 that involved borrowing all the jars they could to contain the blessing were in somewhat recent memory. Therefore, stopping before the prophet stopped him was not a great idea.

13:21 This is why relics were kept. Never mind that believers have the Holy Spirit living in them, and that the supernatural can become fairly ordinary with prayer and faith; people wanted a piece of a finger to rely on. This kind of old thinking contributed to three separate alleged heads of John the Baptist touring Europe simultaneously in the Middle Ages.

13:23 “compassion” and “concern” even for the idolatrous Northern Kingdom.

14:4 Some have compared “unauthorized” worship outside of Establishment churches to the use of high places, but believers in Jesus are the Temple now (John 4:23-24, 1 Peter 2:4-10). Notice that even Peter the “Rock” said so.

14:6 in Deuteronomy 24:16.

14:7 While Edomites were welcome to convert to Judaism (Deuteronomy 23:7), the nation of Edom was usually an enemy to them historically, as in the Book of Obadiah.

14:12 In 2 Chronicles 25:14, Amaziah is seen worshiping the idols of the defeated Edomites, explaining his defeat.

14:15-16 repeats 2 Kings 13:12-13.

14:21 Azariah “YHWH aided” was also called Uzziah “YHWH is my strength”.

14:23 We’ve reached the time in which Amos and Hosea preached. There is archaeological evidence from the reign of Jeroboam II demonstrating literacy, bureaucracy, division of labor, a professional army, and prophetic protests like those of Amos and Hosea’s followers.

14:25, 28 Yes, the guy from the Book of Jonah. Historians say Israel took back territory when Assyria beat Aram.

14:26-27 God is merciful, even to the idolatrous North.

14:29 not the prophet Zechariah, mind you. Comparing the lengths of the reigns of the rulers offered as references in 2 Kings, there are 24 years unaccounted for between the death of Jeroboam II and the beginning of Zechariah’s reign. We can assume regents (advisors and the like filling in on the throne that were never officially crowned), a Judges 21:25 anarchy scenario, or some combination of the two.

15:1-2 Comparing 2 Kings 14:23 and 2 Kings 14:2, it looks like Azariah’s father died when he was three years old. The thirteen year interregnum gets overlooked in many proposed timelines. Isaiah and Micah preached from the reign of Azariah through the reign of Hezekiah.

15:5 is explained in 2 Chronicles 26:16-23.

15:12 from 2 Kings 10:30.

15:13 not to be confused with Josiah’s son Jehoahaz who also went by this name. Again, this isn’t a movie, and we’re not under an arbitrary “one Steve limit”.

15:16 This barbarous practice was usually attributed to other nations (2 Kings 8:12, Amos 1:13, Hosea 13:16).

15:18-20 Progressive taxation schemes are not new.

15:29 Pekah joined Philistia and Damascus in a coalition; Assyria conquered its vassals.

15:30 “in the twentieth year of Jotham” which is to say twenty years after Jotham took the throne for sixteen years (verse 33), which would be the fourth year of Ahaz (2 Kings 16:1-2). Comparing this with 2 Kings 17:1, we may see an eight year interregnum.

15:32 while Uzziah was leprous (2 Chronicles 26:21).

15:38 There were one hundred years of “good” kings in Judah until Ahaz.

16:5 Isaiah 7 and Isaiah 8 have more historical context.

16:7 Against the advice of Isaiah 7:1-10.

16:15 “seeking guidance” He used God’s real altar for “extispicy”, which is divination by examining animal entrails.

17:1 “Hoshea” is “Joshua” missing a jot. They came in under Joshua and left under Hoshea.

17:6 in 722 BC.

17:15 Romans 1:18-32 details how idol worship leads to depravity.

17:16 Later, 2 Kings 23:5 clarifies that the “forces of heaven” or “starry hosts” in this instance means the sun, moon, constellations, etc. Don’t ascribe the power to control your destiny to things floating in space. God called dibs on that. Also, not everyone on the Titanic had the same horoscope.

17:24 The Assyrians called the whole subjugated province “Samaria”, not just the capital city. The new settlers mentioned were basically Iraqi.

17:25-26 You knew this was coming: Leviticus 26:22, 1 Kings 13:24, 1 Kings 20:36, 1 Peter 5:8, etc.

17:28-41 Religious differences and racial admixture led to a deep divide between the Judeans and the Samaritans. Jeroboam’s old capital Penuel was by the Jabbok (Genesis 32; a fine place for a wrestling match) in the land taken and resettled near Gerasa. Pagan gods are demons (1 Corinthians 10:19-20). Have you ever wondered where the “legion” of demons came to be where they were in the Gospels? Jesus took care of all of these imported demons (Matthew 8:28-34, Mark 5:1-20, Luke 8:26-39).

18:1 It seems that the Thiele chronology omits a one year co-regency here (but it’s helpful and worth checking out if you’d like a timeline). One of Hezekiah’s descendants is the prophet Zephaniah.

18:3 Thanks to the guidance of the prophet Micah, who threatened the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple as in Leviticus 26:31.

18:4 like Deuteronomy 7:5. See Numbers 21:5-9 and the associated note.

18:5 He even had a Passover for all Hebrews, including the North (2 Chronicles 30:1-5). Since David’s rule of Judah prior to being anointed king of all pre-split Israel seems to be presented as a step on the way up, the “no one..before or after…” does not seem to be a dig at David.

18:7 Judah joined Egypt’s anti-Assyrian coalition. Judah’s neighbors quit paying tribute/protection too, so Assyria invaded. 2 Chronicles 32 details the preparations for war. His likely breaking of an oath taken in the Name of God is treated much more kindly here than Zedekiah’s (Ezekiel 17:18-20). God knows the heart; their motivations were different, Hezekiah was acting due to religious fervor, Jehu got away with a fake pagan sacrifice to kill pagans, etc.

18:13 Psalm 44 could fit this scenario. See also Isaiah 36.

18:16 This attempt was all for naught. Again, human works accomplish nothing.

18:18 Eliakim was a relative of the prophet Jeremiah (Jeremiah 1:1).

18:21 He agrees with God’s assessment of Egypt in Isaiah 30:1-5.

18:22 The pagan thinks that a god’s power is proportional to the number of its worship sites and adherents. The Assyrians didn’t comprehend that the true God requires no help; they didn’t get that Hezekiah was obeying Him.

18:30 Assyria was only as dominant as it was because it suited God’s purposes at the time (Isaiah 10:5-19).

18:32 “choose life” sounds like Deuteronomy 30:19.

18:33 The Assyrians’ boasting about lists of vanquished foes in 2 Kings 18 through 2 Kings 19 resembles Joshua 12. You see the same things on the way up and on the way down.

18:35 The historical Assyrians were known for terror tactics like flaying captured townspeople alive in view/earshot of those still hiding behind walls to convince them to break a siege.

19:4 Their survival could not depend on their own merit (2 Chronicles 32:19).

19:20 Yes, that Isaiah. See Isaiah 37 for another view of these events.

19:28 The Assyrians treated captives as animals. See also Amos 4:1-3.

19:35 Herodotus’ hypothesis was a plague carried by rats. See also 2 Kings 20:7 for evidence; namely, a boil.

19:37 Adrammelek and Esarhaddon remind me of a darker version of Esau and Jacob. Adrammelek was the heir, but he was replaced by Esarhaddon thanks to an influential mother. Adrammelek was still popular, so Esarhaddon was sent away for his safety. Adrammelek and his little brother Sharezar killed their father Sennacherib. Adrammelek lost some supporters; Esarhaddon returned with an army and took the throne. The Assyrians were weakened by fighting nomadic Scythians in addition to the civil war. Assyria peaceably abandoned Israel and Judah while dealing with their own stuff, giving (spoiler alert) King Josiah his opportunity, thanks be to God.

20:1 Others see Hezekiah affected by the same plague as the Assyrians; regardless of the mechanism, 1 Kings 18:21 plus Deuteronomy 17:16 reveals the reason. The very definite “you will not recover” phrasing goes on to prove that with God, mercy even supersedes keeping your word.

20:6 Comparing with 2 Kings 21:1, we see that mercy allowed for the birth of Manasseh and the continuation of David’s line down this branch. See Matthew 1.

20:12-13 as seen in Isaiah 39:1-8.

20:17-18 Hezekiah’s descendant Zephaniah prophesied about the coming of Babylon, too.

21:1-2 The name Manasseh sounds like “forget” in Hebrew. He was an Assyrian vassal like the hated northern kingdom of Israel.

21:9-12 See also Jeremiah 15:4. Remember when the sins of the Amorites (Genesis 15:16) were finally complete, and they lost the ability to exist in Canaan? Manasseh accomplished that for the Hebrews. Their doom could only be delayed by the actions of “good” (only God is good) men like Josiah, not averted. Conversely, Jesus did what He set out to do so well that our salvation is assured (Romans 5). Manasseh’s repentance is included in 2 Chronicles 33.

21:13 Jesus is a carpenter. A plumb line can be used to see if a structure is vertical/level. A leaning structure may need to be torn down (Isaiah 28:17, Lamentations 2:8, Amos 7:7-8).

21:16 “filled Jerusalem from end to end” To what depth? Perhaps metaphorically? Inspired works like history and prophecy can include metaphors like inspired poetry (Psalms). This view is controversial in some circles. There are futurists that may one day say concerning Revelation, “There ain’t enough horns on that giant beast stomping down the street, so it ain’t fulfilled yet!” Even so, let us not let secondary issues like eschatology divide the body of Christ.

21:18 “Uzza” was an Arab star god. I guess the garden was named before Manasseh repented.

22:1-2 Josiah (who reigned from approximately 640 to 609 BC) can be seen as the star (God is, but I digress) of these history books. His advent was foretold in 1 Kings 13. Josiah’s reforms were influenced by Zephaniah and Jeremiah. Habakkuk was also active in these years.

22:4 Hilkiah is related to Jeremiah (Jeremiah 1:1).

22:7 is a callback to 2 Kings 12:15. Building contractor honesty was greater than priest honesty. Jesus, a carpenter, is the best High Priest by far, especially compared to the corrupt Sadducees He dealt with down here.

22:8 The text was probably hidden because of Manasseh (2 Kings 21:2-9). It may have been Deuteronomy based on context, reading time, etc., or the whole Torah (Deuteronomy 31:24).

22:14 Certain readers that think women should be silent regarding religious matters should note the presence of a lady prophet in this verse. She teaches five dudes, complicating things for people who apply Paul’s specific instructions to the Corinthians and to Timothy outside their original contexts. Also of note, the “New Quarter” was expanded for the influx of refugees that were still loyal to the Temple system who had fled Israel’s golden calves.

22:20 Notice that the promise was for him to be buried in peace with a proper burial before the destruction of Judah, not that he would die a peaceful death.

23:4-5 like Deuteronomy 7:5.

23:5 like Deuteronomy 13. Again, astrology is not for you. God is in control, not space rocks.

23:9 Again, these people were engaged in unauthorized YHWH worship at the hilltop shrines. If they were pagans, Josiah would have done very religiously intolerant things to them.

23:10 You may have heard of the Valley of Ben Hinnom by the name Gehenna. It was a burning trash heap outside Jerusalem that had been used for child sacrifice. It is mentioned a few times in the Gospels as a way to talk about the judgment of God and/or Hell.

23:16 The grave robbery is omitted in 2 Chronicles 34. Improperly exhumed corpses were thought to become vengeful spirits. Also, to the ancient mind, this wasn’t just a bad offering—it was a ritual insult. In purity-obsessed cultures where everything had to be ceremonially clean, throwing adult remains onto an altar was like cracking open a spiritual biohazard container and smearing its contents across the face of the god. It was analogous to Josiah kicking in the doors of a demonic five-star restaurant, lighting a trash fire in the kitchen, and dumping the corpse of a dysentery patient onto the grill. The gods Molech and Chemosh had very particular tastes: they wanted fresh, young sacrifices—babies, if possible—pure, innocent, tender to eat, and/or virginal, depending on your view of what happened after sending them to the heavens in a fire. Burning adult bones, such as belonging to a false prophet or some long-dead, definitely non-virgin uncle who had died in a bar fight, would have been like trying to give the gods space gonorrhea. 

23:17 See 1 Kings 13:1-2.

23:19 See 1 Kings 13:32.

23:21 See 2 Chronicles 35 for more additional details about this Passover.

23:22 “had any such” To the letter without paganism, perhaps? Hyperbole, maybe? This could be in reference to the divided kingdoms, but someone may make the case that the last truly national unity without some type of glaring sin among the people and/or leadership, missing Ark, etc., seems to have been in 1 Samuel 3:20-21.

23:23 Josiah re-established worship at the Temple.

23:25 “who turned to the Lord” David was already there, so I guess he doesn’t count here.

23:26 See 2 Kings 22:20 note. Josiah was never going to avert the Day of the Lord. The people were also to blame (2 Chronicles 36:15-16).

23:29 Former Assyrian vassals like the Babylonians, Medes, Persians, etc., had taken the Assyrian capital city (Nineveh) in 612 BC. Thanks to shifting alliances, Egypt went to help what remained of Assyria. In 2 Chronicles 35, it seems that Necho was obeying God. In the deuterocanonical 1 Esdras 1:26, Jeremiah is shown also warning Josiah.

23:31-33 Jehoahaz was also known as Shallum. He was an Egyptian vassal; Judah was under Egypt’s thumb from the death of Josiah until Babylon took control of them. See Jeremiah 22:10-12.

23:34 Changing his name was a show of dominance, like Adam naming an animal.

23:35-37 Progressive taxation schemes are not new. Jehoiakim (who started out as another Egyptian vassal) is discussed in Jeremiah 22:13-19.

24:1 During this invasion, the “first round draft picks” of deportees to Babylon were taken (Daniel 1:1-7), and Jehoiakim became a Babylonaian vassal. Then, Egypt temporarily pushed Babylon back, and Jehoiakim chose rebellion.

24:2-4 Blood was spilled because of the blood that was spilled. The Law kills (Romans 7:8-10 and 2 Corinthians 3:7-11).

24:7 Babylon had won the Battle of Carchemish in 605 BC against Egypt and what was left of Assyria.

24:8 For anyone piecing together the chronology, the Septuagint is consistent here and in 2 Chronicles 36:9 that Jehoiachin was eighteen years old. He was also known as Jeconiah (1 Chronicles 3:16 and Jeremiah 24:1) and Coniah (Jeremiah 22:24).

24:9 Not surprising for a Babylonian vassal. Being under the thumb of a foreign power naturally lends itself to taking oaths in the names of false gods, etc.

24:14 This was the second deportation.

24:17 Changing his name was a show of dominance, like Adam naming an animal. After returning from exile, the Jewish people were extra careful with God’s Name. The consonant-free YHWH and casual use of names ending in -jah gave way to writing “G-d” instead, or saying Hashem (“The Name”) or Adonai (“The Lord”).

24:18 Regarding Zedekiah, see Jeremiah 24: 8-10 and 2 Chronicles 36:12-13. He was fully warned in Jeremiah 27, Jeremiah 32, and Jeremiah 34:1-5. Ezekiel, already in Babylon, began having his visions four years into Zedekiah’s reign in Judah.

25:1 According to archaeologists, the “siege works” were probably dirt ramps.

25:6 See Jeremiah 38:19

25:7 Jeremiah 21:7, Jeremiah 32:4, Jeremiah 34:4, and Ezekiel 12:11-13 were fulfilled

25:11 This was the third deportation. In addition to the overtly religious infractions in focus in these books, the prophets repeatedly mention failing to care for the strangers, widows, and orphans as repeatedly commanded in Deuteronomy and demonstrated in object lessons in the lives of Abe, Moses, David, etc. Therefore, the people got a “semester abroad” of sorts. See Zechariah 7:14 and Hebrews 11:13-16.

25:22-26 Gedaliah was the son of Josiah’s secretary. Additional details can be found in Jeremiah 40:6 through Jeremiah 41:9. The return to Egypt was predicted in Deuteronomy 28:68.

25:27-30 This is a “hope spot” about the line of David. God can make people be kind to you because you are His kid. See Matthew 1:11.

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