2CH 35

2 Chronicles 35:20

WEB

After all this, when Josiah had prepared the temple, Neco king of Egypt went up to fight against Carchemish by the Euphrates, and Josiah went out against him.

BSB

After all this, when Josiah had set the temple in order, Neco king of Egypt marched up to fight at Carchemish by the Euphrates, and Josiah went out to confront him.

KJV

¶ After all this, when Josiah had prepared the temple, Necho king of Egypt came up to fight against Carchemish by Euphrates: and Josiah went out against him.

Matthew Henry

Verses 20–27

2 Chronicles 35:20–27

It was thirteen years from Josiah's famous passover to his death. During this time, we may hope, thing went well in his kingdom, that he prospered, and religion flourished; yet we are not entertained with the pleasing account of those years, but they are passed over in silence, because the people, for all this, were not turned from the love of their sins nor God from the fierceness of his anger. The next news therefore we hear of Josiah is that he is cut off in the midst of his days and usefulness, before he is full forty years old. We had this sad story, Kg2 23:29, Kg2 23:30. Here it is somewhat more largely related. That appears here, more than did there, which reflects such blame on Josiah and such praise on the people as one would not have expected.

I. Josiah was a very good prince, yet he was much to be blamed for his rashness and presumption in going out to war against the king of Egypt without cause or call. It was bad enough, as it appeared in the Kings, that he meddled with strife which belonged not to him. But here it looks worse; for, it seems, the king of Egypt sent ambassadors to him, to warn him against this enterprise, Ch2 35:21.

1. The king of Egypt argued with Josiah, (1.) From principles of justice. He professed that he had no desire to do him any hurt, and therefore it was unfair, against common equity and the law of nations, for Josiah to take up arms against him. If even a righteous man engage in an unrighteous cause, let him not expect to prosper. God is no respecter of persons. See Pro 3:30; Pro 25:8. (2.) From principles of religion: "God is with me; nay, He commanded me to make haste, and therefore, if thou retard my motions, thou meddlest with God." It cannot be that the king of Egypt only pretended this (as Sennacherib did in a like case, Kg2 18:25), hoping thereby to make Josiah desist, because he knew he had a veneration for the word of God; for it is said here (Ch2 35:22) that the words of Necho were from the mouth of God. We must therefore suppose that either by a dream, or by a strong impulse upon his spirit which he had reason to think was from God, or by Jeremiah or some other prophet, he had ordered him to make war upon the king of Assyria. (3.) From principles of policy: "That he destroy thee not; it is at thy peril if thou engage against one that has not only a better army and a better cause, but God on his side."

2. It was not in wrath to Josiah, whose heart was upright with the Lord his God, but in wrath to a hypocritical nation, who were unworthy of so good a king, that he was so far infatuated as not to hearken to these fair reasonings and desist from his enterprise. He would not turn his face from him, but went in person and fought the Egyptian army in the valley of Megiddo, Ch2 35:22. If perhaps he could not believe that the king of Egypt had a command from God to do what he did, yet, upon his pleading such a command, he ought to have consulted the oracles of God before he went out against him. His not doing that was his great fault, and of fatal consequence. In this matter he walked not in the ways of David his father; for, had it been his case, he would have enquired of the Lord, Shall I go up? Wilt thou deliver them into my hands? How can we think to prosper in our ways if we do not acknowledge God in them?

II. The people were a very wicked people, yet they were much to be commended for lamenting the death of Josiah as they did. That Jeremiah lamented him I do not wonder; he was the weeping prophet, and plainly foresaw the utter ruin of his country following upon the death of this good king. But it is strange to find that all Judah and Jerusalem, that stupid senseless people, mourned for him (Ch2 35:24), contrived how to have their mourning excited by singing men and singing women, how to have it spread through the kingdom (they made an ordinance in Israel that the mournful ditties penned on this sad occasion should be learned and sung by all sorts of people), and also how to have the remembrance of it perpetuated: these elegies were inserted in the collections of state poems; they are written in the Lamentations. Hereby it appeared, 1. That they had some respect to their good prince, and that, though they did not cordially comply with him in all his good designs, they could not but greatly honour him. Pious useful men will be manifested in the consciences even of those that will not be influenced by their example; and many that will not submit to the rules of serious godliness themselves yet cannot but give it their good word and esteem it in others. Perhaps those lamented Josiah when he was dead that were not thankful to God for him while he lived. The Israelites murmured at Moses and Aaron while they were with them and spoke sometimes of stoning them, and yet, when they died, they mourned for them many days. We are often taught to value mercies by the loss of them which, when we enjoyed them, we did not prize as we ought. 2. That they had some sense of their own danger now that he was gone. Jeremiah told them, it is likely, of the evil they might now expect to come upon them, from which he was taken away; and so far they credited what he said that they lamented the death of him that was their defence. Note, Many will more easily be persuaded to lament the miseries that are coming upon them than to take the proper way by universal reformation to prevent them, will shed tears for their troubles, but will not be prevailed upon to part with their sins. But godly sorrow worketh repentance and that repentance will be to salvation.

Cross-references: 2Kgs 23:29 · 2Kgs 23:30 · 2Chr 35:21 · Prov 3:30 · Prov 25:8 · 2Kgs 18:25 · 2Chr 35:22 · 2Chr 35:24

Hebrew interlinear

H310

אַחַרʼachar/akh-ar'/

adv a — the hind part, after

Derivation: from 309;

properly, the hind part; generally used as an adverb or conjunction, after (in various senses)

KJV: after (that, -ward), again, at, away from, back (from, -side), behind, beside, by, follow (after, -ing), forasmuch, from, hereafter, hinder end, + out (over) live, + persecute, posterity, pursuing, remnant, seeing, since, thence(-forth), when, with.

אַחַר

adv — the hinder

אַחַר prop. subst. the hinder or following part

1. adv.

a. of place, behind

b. of time, afterwards

2. prep.

a. of place, behind, after

b. of time, after

3. conj. after that.

אַחֲרַי

adj — backwards

אַחֲרַי adj. Pr 28:23 a man that turneth backwards.

H3605

כֹּלkôl/kole/

n-m — whole, all, any, every

Derivation: or (Jeremiah 33:8) כּוֹל; from 3634;

properly, the whole; hence, all, any or every (in the singular only, but often in a plural sense)

KJV: (in) all (manner, (ye)), altogether, any (manner), enough, every (one, place, thing), howsoever, as many as, (no-) thing, ought, whatsoever, (the) whole, whoso(-ever).

כֹּל

n.m — the whole

כֹּל once כּוֹל n.m. the whole, all

1. with foll. gen. (as usually) the whole of, to be rendered, however, often in our idiom, to avoid stiffness, any or every

2. Absolutely:

a. without the art., all things, all

b. with the art. הַכֹּל

(a). where the sense is limited by the context to things (or persons) just mentioned

(b). in a wider sense, all, whether of all mankind or of all living things, the universe, or of all the circumstances of life (chiefly late)

H2063

זֹאתzôʼth/zothe'/

d — this

Derivation: irregular feminine of 2088;

this (often used adverb)

KJV: hereby (-in, -with), it, likewise, the one (other, same), she, so (much), such (deed), that, therefore, these, this (thing), thus.

זֶה

demonstr.pron — this

זֶה demonstr.pron. and adv.; fem. זֹאת, once זֹאתָה; this, here

1. standing alone

2. In appos. to subst.

3. More oft. as pred.

4. It is attached enclitically, almost as an adv., to certain words, esp. interrog. pronouns, to impart, in a manner often not reproducible in Engl. idiom, directness and force, bringing the question or statement made into close relation with the speaker.

5. In poetry, as a relative pron. (rare)

6. With prefixes (in special senses)

H834

אֲשֶׁרʼăsher/ash-er'/

r — who, which, what, that, when, where, how, because, in order that

Derivation: a primitive relative pronoun (of every gender and number);

who, which, what, that; also (as an adverb and a conjunction) when, where, how, because, in order that, etc.

KJV: × after, × alike, as (soon as), because, × every, for, + forasmuch, + from whence, + how(-soever), × if, (so) that ((thing) which, wherein), × though, + until, + whatsoever, when, where (+ -as, -in, -of, -on, -soever, -with), which, whilst, + whither(-soever), who(-m, -soever, -se). As it is indeclinable, it is often accompanied by the personal pronoun expletively, used to show the connection.

אֲשֶׁר

part. of relation — who

אֲשֶׁר part. of relation A sign of relation, bringing the clause introduced by it into relation with an antecedent clause.

בַאֲשֶׁר

adv — in which

בַאֲשֶׁר

a. in (that) which

b. adv. in (the place) where

c. conj. in that, inasmuch as

d. on account of whom?

כַּאֲשֶׁר

conj — according as

כַּאֲשֶׁר conj. according as, as, when

1. according to that which, according as, as

2. with a causal force, in so far as, since

3. with a temporal force, when

מֵאֲשֶׁר

adv — who

מֵאֲשֶׁר

a. from (or than) that which

b. adv. from (the place) where

c. conj. from (the fact) that …, since

H3559

כּוּןkûwn/koon/

v n-m — be erect, set up, establish, fix, prepare, apply, appoint, render sure, proper, prosperous

Derivation: a primitive root;

properly, to be erect (i.e. stand perpendicular); hence (causatively) to set up, in a great variety of applications, whether literal (establish, fix, prepare, apply), or figurative (appoint, render sure, proper or prosperous)

KJV: certain(-ty), confirm, direct, faithfulness, fashion, fasten, firm, be fitted, be fixed, frame, be meet, ordain, order, perfect, (make) preparation, prepare (self), provide, make provision, (be, make) ready, right, set (aright, fast, forth), be stable, (e-) stablish, stand, tarry, × very deed.

כּוּן

vb — be firm

[כּוּן] 218 vb. prob. be firm, only in der. conj.

Niph.

1. be set up, established, fixed

2. in a moral sense, be directed aright, of ways

3. prepare, be ready

4. pass. be prepared, of judgments

Hiph.

1. establish, set up

2.

a. fix, so as to be ready, make ready, prepare, a gift

b. provide for, provide, furnish

3. direct one's face toward

4. arrange, order

Hoph.

1. be established, of throne

2. be prepared for

Po‛lēl.

1. set up, establish

2. constitute, make, a man (in womb)

3. fix, so as to be ready

4. direct

Po‛lal. be established

Hithpo‛l. be established

נָכוֹן

n. [m.] — blow

נָכוֹן n. [m.] = blow Jb 12:5

H2977

יֹאשִׁיָּהYôʼshîyâh/yo-shee-yaw'/

n-pr-m — Joshijah

Derivation: or יֹאשִׁיָּהוּ; from the same root as 803 and 3050; founded of Jah;

Joshijah, the name of two Israelites

KJV: Josiah.

יֹאשִׁיָּ֫הוּ

n.pr.m — Josiah

יֹאשִׁיָּ֫הוּ, יֹאשִׁיָּה n.pr.m. (י׳ supporteth)

1. king of Judah, son of Amon

2. a returned exile

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

H1004

בַּיִתbayith/bah'-yith/

n-m — a house

Derivation: probably from 1129 abbreviated;

a house (in the greatest variation of applications, especially family, etc.)

KJV: court, daughter, door, + dungeon, family, + forth of, × great as would contain, hangings, home(born), (winter) house(-hold), inside(-ward), palace, place, + prison, + steward, + tablet, temple, web, + within(-out).

בֵּית

prep — between

בֵּית fem. of בַּיִן, בֵּין prep. between

בַּ֫יִת

n.m — house

בַּ֫יִת 2034 n.m. house

1. house

2. place

3. receptacle

4. of house as containing a family

5. household, family (592 t.)

6. house, including household affairs

7. lit. housewards, hence metaph. inwards

8. מִבַּיִת

a. adv. on the inside

b. prep. within

H5927

עָלָהʻâlâh/aw-law'/

v — ascend, high, mount

Derivation: a primitive root;

to ascend, intransitively (be high) or actively (mount); used in a great variety of senses, primary and secondary, literal and figurative

KJV: arise (up), (cause to) ascend up, at once, break (the day) (up), bring (up), (cause to) burn, carry up, cast up, shew, climb (up), (cause to, make to) come (up), cut off, dawn, depart, exalt, excel, fall, fetch up, get up, (make to) go (away, up); grow (over) increase, lay, leap, levy, lift (self) up, light, (make) up, × mention, mount up, offer, make to pay, perfect, prefer, put (on), raise, recover, restore, (make to) rise (up), scale, set (up), shoot forth (up), (begin to) spring (up), stir up, take away (up), work.

עָלָה

vb — go up

עָלָה 890 vb. go up, ascend, climb

Qal

1. of persons, go up, ascend, in local relations

2. go up, in personal relations

3. of animals, go or come up

4. of vegetation, spring up, grow, shoot forth

5. of natural phenom., go up, rise

6. of inanimate things, instead of passive construction

7. of thoughts

8. come up before God, arrogance

9. go up, extend, of boundary

10. excel

Niph.

1.

a. be brought up

b. be taken up

c.

(1). pass., be taken up, away

(2). reflex., take oneself away from, get up from

2. reflex.: take oneself away

3. be exalted, of God

Hiph.

1. bring up persons

2. in personal relations

3. bring up animals

4. cause to ascend

5. mentally

6. offer a present; bring up tithe to

7. exalt

8. cause to ascend (in flame), offer sacrifice

Hoph.

1. be carried away

2. be taken up into, inserted in

3. be offered

Hithp. lift oneself

H5224

נְכוֹNᵉkôw/nek-o'/

n-pr-m — Neko

Derivation: probably of Egyptian origin;

Neko, an Egyptian king

KJV: Necho. Compare 6549.

נְכוֹ

n.pr.m — Necho. Compare

נְכוֹ, נְכֹה n.pr.m. Necho (II), king of Egypt;—contemp. of Josiah and Nebuchad. [B.C. 611-605]: פַרְעֹה נְכֹה

H4428

מֶלֶךְmelek/meh'-lek/

n-m — king

Derivation: from 4427;

a king

KJV: king, royal.

מֶ֫לֶךְ

n.m — king

מֶ֫לֶךְ 2513 n.m. king

H4714

מִצְרַיִםMitsrayim/mits-rah'-yim/

n-pr — Mitsrajim

Derivation: dual of 4693;

Mitsrajim, i.e. Upper and Lower Egypt

KJV: Egypt, Egyptians, Mizraim.

מִצְרַ֫יִם

n.pr.terr — Egypt

מִצְרַ֫יִם 681 n.pr.terr. et gent. Egypt, Egyptians

1.

a. of land, Egypt

b. combinations

2. of people:

a. in table of nations, personif. as second son of Ham

b. = Egypt (as a people), Egyptians

H3898

לָחַםlâcham/law-kham'/

v — feed on, consume, battle

Derivation: a primitive root;

to feed on; figuratively, to consume; by implication, to battle (as destruction)

KJV: devour, eat, × ever, fight(-ing), overcome, prevail, (make) war(-ring).

לָחַם

vb — use as food

[לָחַם] vb. use as food, eat

לָחַם

vb — fight

[לָחַם] 171 vb. fight, do battle

Qal fight, do battle

Niph. engage in battle (recipr.), sometimes wage war

H3751

כַּרְכְּמִישׁKarkᵉmîysh/kar-kem-eesh'/

n-pr-loc — Karkemish

Derivation: of foreign derivation;

Karkemish, a place in Syria

KJV: Carchemish.

כַּרְכְּמִישׁ

n.pr.loc — Carchemish

כַּרְכְּמִישׁ, כַּרְכְּמִשׁ n.pr.loc. city on Euphrates

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

H6578

פְּרָתPᵉrâth/per-awth'/

n-pr-m — Perath

Derivation: from an unused root meaning to break forth; rushing;

Perath (i.e. Euphrates), a river of the East

KJV: Euphrates.

פְּרָת

n.pr.flum — Euphrates

פְּרָת n.pr.flum. Euphrates

H3318

יָצָאyâtsâʼ/yaw-tsaw'/

v — go, bring, out

Derivation: a primitive root;

to go (causatively, bring) out, in a great variety of applications, literally and figuratively, direct and proxim.

KJV: × after, appear, × assuredly, bear out, × begotten, break out, bring forth (out, up), carry out, come (abroad, out, thereat, without), be condemned, depart(-ing, -ure), draw forth, in the end, escape, exact, fail, fall (out), fetch forth (out), get away (forth, hence, out), (able to, cause to, let) go abroad (forth, on, out), going out, grow, have forth (out), issue out, lay (lie) out, lead out, pluck out, proceed, pull out, put away, be risen, × scarce, send with commandment, shoot forth, spread, spring out, stand out, × still, × surely, take forth (out), at any time, × to (and fro), utter.

יָצָא

vb — go out

יָצָא 1068 vb. go or come out

Qal

1. go or come out or forth

a. from (מִן) a place

b. go forth from (the presence of) a person

c. in technical senses

d. of flight, involving escape

e. depart

f. of inanimate things

g. with especial emphasis on idea of origin, source

h. of children as going forth from loins (of father)

2.

a. go forth to a place

b. go forward, proceed to or toward something

c. come or go forth, with esp. ref. to purpose or result

3. of combinations

Hiph.

1. cause to go or come out, bring out, lead out

2. fig. obj. persons, bring out of (מִן) distress, etc.

3. bring out animals

4. inanimate obj.

5. fig. subj. י׳, bring forth from (מִן)

Hoph. be brought forth

H7125

קִרְאָהqirʼâh/keer-aw'/

n-m — encountering, opposite

Derivation: from 7122;

an encountering, accidental, friendly or hostile (also adverbially, opposite)

KJV: × against (he come), help, meet, seek, × to, × in the way.

קָרָא

vb — encounter

[קָרָא] 137 vb. encounter, befall

Qal 131

1. meet, encounter

2. fig. befall

Niph. meet unexpectedly

Hiph. thou didst cause all this evil to befall them

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