2CH 34

2 Chronicles 34:5

WEB

He burned the bones of the priests on their altars, and purged Judah and Jerusalem.

BSB

Then he burned the bones of the priests on their altars. So he cleansed Judah and Jerusalem.

KJV

And he burnt the bones of the priests upon their altars, and cleansed Judah and Jerusalem.

Matthew Henry

Verses 1–7

2 Chronicles 34:1–7

Concerning Josiah we are here told, 1. That he came to the crown when he was very young, only eight years old (yet his infancy did not debar him from his right), and he reigned thirty-one years (Ch2 34:1), a considerable time. I fear, however, that in the beginning of his reign things went much as they had done in his father's time, because, being a child, he must have left the management of them to others; so that it was not till his twelfth year, which goes far in the number of his years, that the reformation began, Ch2 34:3. He could not, as Hezekiah did, fall about it immediately. 2. That he reigned very well (Ch2 34:2), approved himself to God, trod in the steps of David, and did not decline either to the right hand of to the left: for there are errors on both hands. 3. That while he was young, about sixteen years old, he began to seek after God, Ch2 34:3. We have reason to think he had not so good an education as Manasseh had (it is well if those about him did not endeavour to corrupt and debauch him); yet he thus sought God when he was young. It is the duty and interest of young people, and will particularly be the honour of young gentlemen, as soon as they come to years of understanding, to begin to seek God; for those that seek him early shall find him. 4. That in the twelfth year of his reign, when it is probable he took the administration of the government entirely into his own hands, he began to purge his kingdom from the remains of idolatry; he destroyed the high places, groves, images, altars, all the utensils of idolatry, v. 3, 4. He not only cast them out as Manasseh did, but broke them to pieces, and made dust of them. This destruction of idolatry is here said to be in his twelfth year, but it was said (Kg2 23:23) to be in his eighteenth year. Something was probably done towards it in his twelfth year; then he began to purge out idolatry, but that good work met with opposition, so that it was not thoroughly done till they had found the book of the law six years afterwards. But here the whole work is laid together briefly which was much more largely and particularly related in the Kings. His zeal carried him out to do this, not only in Judah and Jerusalem, but in the cities of Israel too, as far as he had any influence upon them.

Cross-references: 2Chr 34:1 · 2Chr 34:3 · 2Chr 34:2 · 2Kgs 23:23

Hebrew interlinear

H6106

עֶצֶםʻetsem/eh'tsem/

n-f — bone, strong, body, substance, selfsame

Derivation: from 6105;

a bone (as strong); by extension, the body; figuratively, the substance, i.e. (as pron.) selfsame

KJV: body, bone, × life, (self-) same, strength, × very.

עֶ֫צֶם

n.f — bone

עֶ֫צֶם 125 n.f. bone, substance, self

H3548

כֹּהֵןkôhên/ko-hane'/

n-m — officiating, priest, acting priest

Derivation: active participle of 3547;

literally one officiating, a priest; also (by courtesy) an acting priest (although a layman)

KJV: chief ruler, × own, priest, prince, principal officer.

כֹּהֵן

n.m — priest

כֹּהֵן 750 n.m. priest

H8313

שָׂרַףsâraph/saw-raf'/

v — be, set, on fire

Derivation: a primitive root;

to be (causatively, set) on fire

KJV: (cause to, make a) burn((-ing), up) kindle, × utterly.

שָׂרַף

vb — burn

שָׂרַף 117 vb. burn

Qal burn

Niph. be burned

Pi. his burner, usu. one burning him, but prob. burning spices for him

Pu. it was burnt up (and gone).

H5921

עַלʻal/al/

prep — above, over, upon, against

Derivation: properly, the same as 5920 used as a preposition (in the singular or plural often with prefix, or as conjunction with a particle following);

above, over, upon, or against (yet always in this last relation with a downward aspect) in a great variety of applications

KJV: above, according to(-ly), after, (as) against, among, and, × as, at, because of, beside (the rest of), between, beyond the time, × both and, by (reason of), × had the charge of, concerning for, in (that), (forth, out) of, (from) (off), (up-) on, over, than, through(-out), to, touching, × with.

כִּי עַל כֵּן

forasmuch as

כִּי עַל כֵּן forasmuch as

עַל

subst — above

עַל, עָ֑ל

I. subst. height

II. As prep. upon, and hence 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

1. Upon, of the substratum upon which an object in any way rests, or on which an action is performed

a.

(a). of clothing, etc., which any one wears

(b). With verbs of covering or protecting, even though the cover or veil be not over or above the thing covered, but around or before it

b. Of what rests heavily upon a person, or is a burden to him

c. Of a duty, payment, care, etc., imposed upon a person, or devolving on him

d. על is used idiom. to give pathos to the expression of an emotion, by emphasizing the person who is its subject, and who, as it were, feels it acting upon him

e. חָיָה עַל to live upon (as upon a foundation or support)

f. Of the ground or basis, on which a thing is done

2. It expresses excess

3. It denotes elevation or pre-eminence

4. It expresses addition

5. It expresses the idea of being extended, or suspended over anything, without however being in contact with it, above, over

6. From the sense of inclining or impending over, על comes to denote contiguity or proximity, Engl. by (or sts. on)

7. In connection with verbs of motion (actual or fig.)

8. By writers of the silver age, על is sts. used with the force of a dative

9. With other particles:

III. As conj.

a. עַל אֲשֶׁר because that

b. עַל כִּי similar in meaning, but less frequent

c. עַל alone:

(a). because

(b). notwithstanding that, although

IV. Compounds:

1. with כְּ (rare and late)

a. as concerning, as upon

b. the like of their deeds is the like of (that which) he will repay

2. מֵעַל from upon, from over, from by

H4196

מִזְבֵּחַmizbêach/miz-bay'-akh/

n-m — altar

Derivation: from 2076;

an altar

KJV: altar.

מִזְבֵּחַ

n.m — altar

מִזְבֵּחַ 401 n.m. altar

H2891

טָהֵרṭâhêr/taw-hare'/

v — be pure

Derivation: a primitive root; properly, to be bright; i.e. (by implication)

to be pure (physical sound, clear, unadulterated; Levitically, uncontaminated; morally, innocent or holy)

KJV: be (make, make self, pronounce) clean, cleanse (self), purge, purify(-ier, self).

טָהֵר

vb — be clean

טָהֵר vb. be clean, pure

Qal

1. be clean, i.e. (miraculously) freed from leprosy by washing in the Jordan

2. be clean ceremonially

3. be clean morally

Pi.

1. cleanse, purify

2. pronounce clean, ceremonially

3. perform the ceremony of cleansing

Pu. a land not cleansed

Hithp.

1. purify oneself

2. present oneself for purification

H853

אֵתʼêth/ayth/

prt — self, even, namely

Derivation: apparent contracted from 226 in the demonstrative sense of entity;

properly, self (but generally used to point out more definitely the object of a verb or preposition, even or namely)

KJV: [as such unrepresented in English].

אֵת

mark of the accusative

אֵת the mark of the accusative, prefixed as a rule only to nouns that are definite

H3063

יְהוּדָהYᵉhûwdâh/yeh-hoo-daw'/

n-pr-m — Jehudah

Derivation: from 3034; celebrated;

Jehudah (or Judah), the name of five Israelites; also of the tribe descended from the first, and of its territory

KJV: Judah.

יְהוּדָה

n.pr.m — Judah

יְהוּדָה 820 n.pr.m. et terr. Judah

I. n.pr.m.

1. son of Jacob and Leah

2. tribe descended from Judah

3. nation, of southern kingdom under dynasty of David, as distinguished from northern kingdom of Ephraim or Israel

4. Levite, Ezra’s time

5. an overseer of Jerus.

6. Levite musician

7. priest

II. n.pr.terr. land of Judah

H3389

יְרוּשָׁלִַ͏םYᵉrûwshâlaim/yer-oo-shaw-lah'-im/

n-pr-loc — Jerushalaim, Jerushalem

Derivation: rarely יְרוּשָׁלַיִם; a dual (in allusion to its two main hills (the true pointing, at least of the former reading, seems to be that of 3390)); probably from (the passive participle of) 3384 and 7999; founded peaceful;

Jerushalaim or Jerushalem, the capital city of Palestine

KJV: Jerusalem.

יְרוּשָׁלִַ֫͏ם

n.pr.loc — Jerusalem

יְרוּשָׁלִַ֫͏ם, יְרוּשָׁלַ֫יִם 644 n.pr.loc. Jerusalem

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