Chapter XXIV (continued, part 5)
Sennacherib Besieoes Je'ktjsal,em. 17. king of Assyria sent Tartan—general. (Isaiah 20. 1.) Rabsaris— chief of the eunuchs. Rab-shalteh—chief cup-bearer. These were the great ofllcers employed in delivering Sennacherib's Insulting message to Hezekiah. On the walls of the palace of Sennacherib, at Khorsabad, certain figures have been identified with the ofBcers of that sovereign mentioned In Scripture. In particular, the figures, Rab-shakeh, Rabsaris, and Tartan, appear as full-length portraits of the persons holding those offices in the reign of Sennacherib, and probably the very individuals sent on this embassy, with a great host to Jerusalem Engaged In a campaign of three years in Egypt, Sennacherib was forced by the king of Ethiopia to retreat, and discharging his rage against Jeru.salem, sent an immense army to summon it to surrender. (See on 2 Chronicles 32.
80.) the conduit of the upper pool, &c.—is the conduit which went from the reservoir of the Upper Gihon (Birket el Mamilla)to the lower pool, the Birket es Sultan, the highway of the ftiUer's Held-the public road which pas.sed by that district, which had been assigned them for carrying on their business without the city, on account of the unpleasant smell. [Keii,.] . 18. when they had called to the king—Hezekiah did not make a persimal appearance, but commissioned his three principal mlnis-
14-34. Hezekiah's Prayer. 14. Hezekiah receive<l tlie letter . , , and went up Into the house of tlie Lord —Hezekiah, after reading it, hastened into the temple,
ters to meet the Assyrian deputies at a conference outside
An Angd Destroys the Assynaiis, 2 KINGS XX. Hezekiah's Life Lengthened.
way as he came (v. 33). The route is described (Isaiah lU). The early chariot track near Beyrout is on tlie rooky edge
spread it in the child-like confidence of faitli before the Lord, as containing taunts deeply affecting the Divine honour, and implored deliverance from this proud defler
of Lebanon, which is skirted by the ancient Lycus (Nahr-el Kelb.) On the pt rpendigular face of the limestone rook, at different heights, are seen slabs witli Assyrian inscriptions, wliicli having been dec-ipliered, are found to contain the name of Sennacherib. Thus, by tho preservation of these tablets, the wrath of the Assyrian invaders is made to praise the Lord, dwelt at Nineveh —This statement implies a considerable period of time, and his Annals carry on his history at least five years
of God and man. The devout spirit of this prayer, the recognition of the Divine being in the plenitude of His majesty—so strikingly contrasted with the fancy of the Assyrians as to his merely local power—his acknowledgment of the conquests obtained over other lands, and of the destruction of their wooden idols which, according
to the Assyrian practice, were committed to the flames because their tutelary deities were no gods; and the ob-
after his disastrous campaign at Jerusalem. No record of his catastrophe can be found, as tlie Assyrian practice was
ject for which he supplicated the Divine interposition, that all the kingdoms of the earth might know tliat the Lord was the only God ;—this was an attitude worthy to be assumed by a pious theocratic king of the chosen peo-
to record victories alone. The sculptures give only the sunny side of the picture.
37. Sennacherib Slain. 37. as he was worshipping in the house of Nisrocli—Assarae, or Assliur, the head of
ple. 20. Tlien Isaiah . . . sent^-A revelation having been made to Isaiah, the prophet announced to the king that his prayer was heard. The prophetic message consisted of three different portions -.—First, Sennacherib is apostrophized (v. 21-28) in a highly poetical strain, admirably descriptive of the turgid vanity, haughty pretensions, and presumptuous impiety of the Assj-rian despot. Secondly, Hezekiah is addressed {v. 29-31), and a sign given him of the promised deliverance—viz., that for two years the presence of the enemy would interrupt the peaceful pursuits of husbandry, but on the third year the people would be in circumstances to till their fields and vineyards, and reap the fruits as formerly. Thirdly, the issue of Sennacherib's invasion is announced (v. 32-34). 33. shall not come Into this city—Nor approach near enough to shoot an arrow, not even from the most powerful engine which throws missiles to the greateit distance, nor shall he occupy any part of the ground before the city by a fence, a mantelet, or covering for men employed in a siege, nor cast (raise) a bank (mound) of earth, overtopping the city walls, whence he may see and command the interior of the city. None of these, which were tlie principal modes of attack followed in ancient military art, should Sennacherib be permitted to adopt. Though the army under Rab-shakeh marched towards Jerusalem, and encamped at a little distance with a view to blockade it, tlaey delayed laying siege to it, probably waiting till the king, having taken Lachish and Libnah, should bring up his detachment, that with the whole combined forces of Assyria they might invest the capital. So determined was this invader to conquer Judah and the neighbouring countries (Isaiah 10. 7), that nothing but a Divine interposition could have saved Jerusalem. It might be supposed that the powerful monarch who overran Palestine, and carried away the tribes of Israel, would leave memorials of his deeds on sculptured slabs, or votive bulls. A long and minute account of this expedition is contained in the Annals of Sennacherib, a translation of whicli has recently been made into English, and, in his remarks upon
tlie Assyrian Pantheon, represented not as a vultureheaded figure—tliat is now ascertained to be a priest—but as a winged figure in a circle, which was the guardian deity of Assyria. The king is represented on tlie monuments standing or kneeling beneath tills figure, his hand raised in sign of prayer or adoration, his sons smote him witli the sword—Sennacherib's temper, exasperattnl, probably, by his reverses, displayed itself in tho most savage cruelty and intolerable tyranny over his subjects and slaves, till at length he was assassinated by his two sons, whom, it is said, he Intended to sacrifice to pacify the gods, and dispose them to grant him a return of prosperity. The parricides, taking flight into Armenia, a third son, Esar-haddon, ascended the throne.
Ver. 1-7. Hezekiah's Life Lengthened. 1. In those days was Hezekiali sick—As his reign lasted twentynine years (ch. 18. 2), and his kingdom was Invaded in the fourteenth (ch. 18. 13), it Is evident that tills sudden and severe illness must have occurred in tho very year of the Syrlun invasion. Between tlie threatened attack and the actual appearance of the enemy, this incident In Hezekiah's history must have taken place. But according tD the usage of the sacred historian, the story of Sennacherib
is coniploted before entering on what was personal to tlio king of Judah (see also Isaiah 38. 39). set thine Iioiise in order—Isaiah, being of the blood-royal, might have access to the king's private house. But since the prophet was commissioned to make this announcement, the messago must be considered as referring to matters of higher Importance than the settlement of the king's domestic and private affairs. It must have related clilefly to the state of his kingdom, he having not as yet any son (cf. v. 6 with ch. 21. 1). for thou slialt die, and not live—The disease was of a malignant character, and would be mortal in its
efleets, unless tho healing power of God should mlraoulously Interpose, a. he turned his face to tlie wall—Not like Ahab (1 Kings 21. 4), In fretful discontent, but in order
It, Colonel Rawlinson says the Assyrian version confirms the most important features of the Scripture account. The Jewish and Assyrian narratives of tlie campaign are, indeed, on the whole, strikingly Illustrative of each otlier. [Outlines of Assyrian History.]
to secure abetter opportunity for prayer. 3. remember now howl have walke<l before thee, Ac—The course of Hezekiah's thoughts was evidently directed to tho promise made to David and his successors on tlie tlirono
35, 36. An Angel Destroys the Assyrians. 35. In the morning . . . tliey were all dead corpses—It was the miraculous Interposition of the Almighty that defended Jerusalem. As to the secondary agent employed in the destruction of the Assyrian army, It is mosiprobable that
(1 Kings 8. '25). He had kept the conditions as faithfully as human Inflrmlty admitted, and as ho had b^on all along
free from any of those great crimes by which, through tho
It was effected by a hot south wind—the simoom-such as to this day often envelops and destroys whole caravans. This conjecture is supp9rted by v. 7, and J(!remlah SI. I. The destruction wbk during night; tlie olHcers andsoldiers, i)eing in full security, were negligent; tlieir dlsclplina was relaxed; the camp-guards were not alert, or perhaps they themselves were the first taken off, and those who slept, no< wrapped up, imbibed the poison plen-
Judgment of God, human life was often sudtli'nly out short, his great grief might arise partly from the love of
life, partly from the obscurity of the Mosaic dlsponsatlon, where life and Iniinortnllty had not boon fully brought to
light, and partly from his plans for the reformation of his kingdom being frustrated by his death. He pleaded tho fuinimentof the promise. 4. afore Isaiah was ^one out Into the middle court-Of the royal oastl(>. 5. Thus snith
. . . the God of I>avld thy father—An lmniodl!it(>answer was given to his prayer, containing an a»surnn<u> that the Lord was mindful of bis iiroinlse to Dnvid, and would nc-
tifully. If this had been an evening of dissolute mirth (no uncommon thing In a camp), their Joy (perhaps for a victory), or "tlie first night of their attacking the city," •nays Joseph us, became, by Its effects, one means of their destruction. [Calmkt's Fragment.] 36. So Scnna- ^eherlb, king of Assyria, went aild returned-The same
coinpllsli It In Hezekiah's experience, lioth by the prolongation of his life, and bis deliverance from the Assyr-
ians, on the third day — The perfect recovery fl-om k
' 244
The Sun goes Ten Degrees Backward. 2 KINGS XXI. MuTMsseh's Wicked Reign.
reign. The work of religious reformation which Hezekiah had zealously carried on was but partially accomplished. There was little appearance of its influence on the heart and manners of the people at large. On the contrary, the true fear of God had vanished from the mass of the people; corruption a,nd vice increased, and were openly practised (Isaiah 28. 7, <tc.) by the degenerate leaders, who, having got the young prince Manasseh into their power, directed his education, trained him up in their views, and seduced him into the open patronage of idolatry. Hence, when he became sovereign, he introduced the worship of idols, the restoration of high places, and the erection of altars or pillars to Baal, and the placing, in the temple of God itself, a graven image of Asherah, the sacred or symbolic tree, which represented "all the host of heaven." This was not Idolati-y, but pure star worship, of Chaldaic and Assyrian origin. [Keil.] The sun, as among the Persians, had chariots and horses consecrated to it (ch. 23. 11), and Incense was offered to the stars on the housetops (ch. 23. 12; 'i Chronicles 33. 5; Jeremiah 19. 13; Zephaniah 1.5), and n the temple area with the face turned toward the sunrise (Ezekiel 8. 16). 5. the two courts of the house of tlie Lord—The court of the priests and the large court of the people. 6. made his son pass through the tire—(See on ch. 16. 3.) obser^-ed times—From an observation of the clouds, used enchantments—Jugglery and spells, dealt witli familiar spirits—Sept., ventriloquists, who pretended to ask counsel of a familiar spirit, and gave the response received from him to others. • and wizards—Wise or knowing ones, who protended to reveal secrets, to recover things lost, and hidden treasure, and interpret dreams. A great influx of these impostors had, at various times, poured from Chaldea into the land of Israel to pursue their gainful occupations, especially during the reigns of the latter kings; and Manasseh was not only their liberal patron, but zealous to. appear himself an adept in the arts. He raised them to be an influential class at his court, as they were in that of Assyria and Babylon, where nothing was done till they had ascertained the lucky hour and promised a happy issue. 7. And he set a graven image—The placing of the Asherah within the precincts of the temple,
dangerous sickness, within so short a time, shows the miraculous cliaracter of the cure (see his thanksgiving song, Isaiah 38. 9). The disease cannot be ascertained; but the text gives no hint tliat the plague was raging then in JuruBalem; and although A.vai) physicians apply a cataplasm of flgs to plagUe-boils, they also do" so in other cases, as
figs are considered useful In ripening and soothing in- .- flammatory ulcers.
8-20. The Sun Goes Ten Degrees Backward. 8. Hezekiah said unto Isatali, Wliat will be tlie sign that tlie Xjord sliall heal me—His recovei-y in the course of nature was so unlooked for, that the king asked for some token to justify his reliance on the truth of the prophet's communication ; and the sign he specified was granted to him. The shadow of the sun went back upon the dial of Ahaz the ten degrees It had gone down. Various conjectures have been formed as to this dial. The word in the original is "degrees," or "steps," and hence many commentators have supposed that it was a stair, so artfully contrived, that the shadow on the steps indicated the hours and course of the sun. But it
Is more probable that it was a proper instrument, and, from the Hebrews having no term to designate it, that it was one of the foreign novelties imported from Babylon by Ahaz, It seems to have been of such magnitude, and so placed in the court, that Isaiah could point to it, and the king see il, from his chamber. The retrogression of the sun's shadow on the dial was miraculously accomplished by the omnipotent power of God; but the phenomenon was temporary, local, confined to the notice, and Intended for the satisfaction, only of Hezekiah and his court, ia-19. Bei-odacU-baladan—(Isaiah 39.) The
first king of Babylon mentioned in sacred history; formerly its rulers were viceroys of the Assyrian monarchs. This individual threw off the yoke, and, asserting his Independence, made with varying success, a long and obstinate resistance. [Rawlinson's Outlines.] The message of congratulation to Hezekiah, was, in all likelihood, accompanied with proposals for a defensive alliance against their common Assyrian enemy. The king of Judah, flattered with this honour, showed the ambassadors all his treasures, his armoury and warlike stores
which was dedicated to the worship of the true God, is dwelt upon as the most aggravated outrage of the royal idolater. 8. neither will I make the feet of Israel move . . . out of the land wliich I gave their fathers —Alluding to the promise (2 Samuel 7. 10). only if they will obsei-ve, &c.—This condition was expressed from tha first plantation of Israel in Canaan. But that people not only did not keep it, but through the pernicious influence of Manasseh, were seduced into greater excesses of idolatrous corruption than even the original Canaanites. 10-17. the Lord spake by his servants the prophets These were Hosea, Joel, Nahum, Habakkuk, and Isaiah. Their counsels, admonitions, and prophetic warnings, were put on record in the national chronicles (2 Chronicles 33. 18), and now form part of the sacred canon. 1.'4. whosoever heareth of it, both his ears shall tingle—
and his motive for this was evidently that the Babylonian deputies might be the more induced to prize his friendship, the silver and the gold—He paid so much tribute to Sennacherib as exhausted his treasury (ch. 18. 16). But, after the destruction of Sennacherib, presents were brought him from various quarters, out of respect to a king who, by his faith and prayer, saved his country; and besides, it is by no means improbable that from the corpses in the Assyrian camp, all the gold and silver he had paid might be recovered. The vain display, however, wasolfensive to his Divine liege-lord, who sent Isaiah to reprove him. The answer he gave the prophet (v. 11) shows how he was elated by the compliment of their visit; but it was wrong, as presenting a bait for the cupidity of these rapacious foreigners, who, at no distant period, would return and pillAge his country, and transfer all the possessions he ostentatiously displayed to Babylon, as well as his posterity to be court attendants in that country—(see on 2 Chronicles .32. 31). 19. Good is the word of the liord—Indicating a humble and pious resignation to the Divine will. The concluding part of his reply was uttered after a pause, and was probably an ejaculation to himself, expressing his thankfulness, that, though gi-eat afflictions should befal his descendants, the execution of the Divine
strong metaphorical form of announcing an extraordinary and appalling event (see 1 Samuel 3. 11 ; Jeremiah 19. 3 ; also Habakkuk 1. 5). 13. the line of Samaria^ and the plummet of the liouse of Ahab—Captives doomed to destruction were sometimes grouped together, and marked off by means of a measuring-line and plummet
(2 Samuels. 2; Isaiah 34.11; Amos 7. 7); so tli'at the line of Samaria means the line drawn for the destruction of Samaria; the plummet of the house of Ahab, for exterminating his apostate family; and the import oi the threatening declaration here is, that Judan would be utterly destroyed, as Samaria and the dynasty of Ahab had been. I will wipe Jerusalem, &c.—The same doom is denounced more strongly in a figure unmistakably significant. 14. I will forsake the remnant of mine iii> heritance—The people of Judah, who of all the choseo people alone remained. The consequence of the Lord's forsaking them would be their fall into the power of their enemies. 16. Moreover, Manasseh shed innocent b!oo^ —Not content with the patronage and the pract ice of idol-
judgment was to be suspended during his own lifetime, ao. pool and a condul<>-(See on 2 Chronicles 32. 30.)
Ver. 1-18. MANAasEH's Wicked Reion, and Great Idolatry. 1. Manasseh was twelve years old when he began to reign-He must have been born three years alter his father's recovery; and his minority, spent under the Influence of guardians who were hostile to the religious principles and reforming policy of his father, may account in part for the anti-theocratic principles of his
Jodiaks Good Reign. 2 KINGS XXII, XXIII. He Destroys Idolati y.
miah2(3. 2i). Aclibor—orAbdon (2 Chronicles 3^. 20), a man
atrous abomination, he was a cruel persecutor of all who
of influence at court (Jeremiah 2ti. 22). Tlie occasion waa urgent, and tlierefore they were sent—not to ZephaniaU (Zephaniah 1. 1), who was perhaps young—nor to Jeremiah, who was probably absent at liis house in Anathoth, but to one wlio was at hand and known for her prophetic gifts—to Huldaii, who was probably at this time a widow. Her husband Sliallum was grandson of one Harhas, "keepei' of the wardrobe." If this means the priestly wardrobe, he must have been a Levite. But it probably
ftid not conform. The land was deluged with the blood
of good men; amongst whom it is traditionally said Isaiah
snflered a horrid death, by being sawn asunder (see on Hebrews 11. 37).
19-26. Amon'S Wicked Reign. 18. Amon his son reigned In Ills stead—This prince continued the idola-
trous policy of his father; and, after an inglorious reign
of two years, was massacred by some of his own domes-
tics. The people slew the regicide conspirators, and placed
refers to the royal wardrobe, she dwelt ... in the college—Ratlier in the Misnah, taking the original word as a proper name, not a school or college, but a particular suburb of Jerusalem. She was held in such, veneration that Jewish writers say she and Jehoiada the priest were the only persons not of tlie house of David (2 Chronicles
his son Joslah on the throne.
Ver. 1, 2. JosiAH's Good Reign. 1. Joslah was eight years old wlien he began to reign—Happier tliau his grandfather Manasseh, he seems to have fallen during his minority under the care of better guardians, wlio trained him in the principles and practice of piety; and so
24. 16) who were ever buried in Jerusalem. 15. she said tmto them, Thus saith tlie Lord God of Israel, tell the man that sent you—On being consulted, she delivered an oracular response in which judgment was blended with mercy; for it announced the impending calamities that at no distant period were to overtake the city and its inhabitants, but at the same time consoled the king witli an assurance that tills season of punislinieiit and sorrow should not be during his lifetime, on account of the faith, penitence and pious zeal for tlie Divine glory and worship which, in his public capacity and with his royal influence, he had displayed.
strongly had his young affections been enlisted on the
side of true and undeflled religion, that he continued to adhere all his life, with undeviating perseverancei to the cause of God and righteousness.
3-7. He Provides for the Repair of the Temple.
3. in the eighteenth year of King Joslah—Previous to
this period, he had commenced the work of national reformation. The preliminary steps had been already taken ; not only the builders were employed, but money had been brought by all the people, and received by ths Levites at the door, and various other preparations had been made. But the course of this narrative turns on one interesting incident which happened in the eighteenth year of Josiah's reign, and hence that date is specified. In fact the whole land was thoroughly purified from every
Ver. 1-3. JosiAH Causes the Lam' to he Read. 1. the king sent and gatliercd nil the elders—This pious and patriotic king, not content with tlie promise of his own security, felt, after Huldali's response, an increased desire to avert the threatened calamities from his kingdom and people. Knowing the richness of the Divine clemency and grace to the penitent, he convened the elders of the people, and placing liimself at their head, accompanied by tlie collective body of the inluiliitants, went in solemn procession to the temple, wliere lie :>rdered the book of tlie law to be read to tl'.e assembled audience, and covenanted, with the unanimous concurrence of his subjects, to adlu re steadfastly to all the commandments of the Lord. It was an occasion of solemn interest, closely connected with a great national crisis, and the beautiful example of piety in the highest quarter would exert a salutary Induence over all classes of tlie people in animating their devotions and encouraging their return to the faitli of their fathers. 3. I)e read in their ears i.e., caused to be read. 3. all the |>eo|>Ie stood to the covenant— i. <:, the.v agreed to tl\e proposals made; they assented to what was reiiuired of llieni.
object and all traces of idolatry. The king now addressed himself to the repair and embellishment of the temple, and gave directions to Hilkiah the high priest to take a general survey, in order to ascertain what was necessary
to be done (see on 2 Chronicles Ai. 8-15).
8-15. HitKiAH Finds the Book of the Law. 8. Hilkiah said ... I have found the bool^ of tlie law in the Iiouse of the Lord, &C.—4. e., the law of Moses—the Pent;Ueuch. It was the temple copy—which, having been laid (Deuteronomy 31. 2.5, 20) beside tlie ark in the most holy place, and during the ungodly reigns of Manasseh and Amon—perhaps under Ahaz, when the temple itself had been profaned by idols, and the arlc also (2 Chronicles 35.
3) removed from its site—was someliow lost, and was now found again during the repair of tlie temple. [KeiIj.] Delivered by Hilkiali the discoverer to Sliaplian tlie scribe,
it was by tlie latter shown and read to the king. It is thought, with great probability, that tlie passage read to the king, and by which the royal mind was so greatly excited, was a portion of Deuteronomy, the 28th, 29th and 30th chapters, in which is recorded a renewal of the national covenant, and an enumeration of tlie terriljle threats and cur.ses denounced against all wlio violated the
4-2S. He Dkstuoys Idolatry. 4. the king eoinmandefl Hilklah, &o. i.e., the high priest and other priests, for there was not a variety of dlllcijvl gradations
in the temple, all the vessels, A-c.— llie wllole api^aratus of idol worship, burned them witliout J«"rusalem The law required them to be consigned to the Haines (Deuteronomy 7.25). in the flelils of Kidron — Most probably that part of the valley of Kidron, where lies Jerusalem and the Mount of Olives. It Is a level, spacious basin, abounding at present with plantations. |UoiuNson.] The brook winds along the <>ast and south of the city, the channel of which is throughout a large portion of the yi^ar almost or wholly dry, except after lieav.y rains, when It suddenly swells and overflows. There was emptied all the impurities of the temple (2 Clironicle.s 29. 15, 1(!) and the city. Ills r(>loriiiliig iiredecessnrs had ordi-red the mutilated relics of Idolatry to bo thrown into that receptacle of tilth (1 Kings 15. 13; 2 Chronicles 15. 16; 30. U), but Joslah, while he Imitated their piety, far outstripped them In zeal; for he caused the ashes of the Inirut wood and the fragmenis of the broken metal to be cOllecled and conveyed to Beth-el, In order llu nceforth to associate Ideas of horror and avt^lsion witli that place, as odious for the wornt iiolluth^ns. 5. put down tlie idolatroiia
liiw, whether prince or people. The impressions of grief and terror which tlie reading produced on the mind of Josiah have seemed to many unaccountable. But, as it
Is certain from the extensive and familiar knowledge displayed by the propliets, that there were numbers of oUier copies in popular circulation, the king must have known its sacred contents In some degree. But lie niiglit liavo Ijcen a stranger ,to the passage read liim, or tlie reading of it might, in tlie peculiar circumstances, have found a way to his heart in a manner that he never felt before. His strong faith in the Divine word, and liis painful consciousness tliat the woeful and long-continued apostasies of the nation hail exposed tliem to tlie infliction of tlio judgments denounced, must have come ^vith overwhelming force on tlie lieart of so jiious a prince. I'-J-LI. tlie Iting commanded . . . go, inquire of tlie Lord for me, &c.—The agitattid feelings of tlie icing prompted liiin to ask immediate counsel liow to avert tliosi; curses und(>r whicll his kingdom lay; and fortliwith a deputation of his principal olllcers was sent to oi e endowed with tlie p-rophetlc spirit. Aliikam, a friend of Jcicmiali (Jere246
l>rlc»tj*— //6'6?x>it', Chemarliu, "soorclied," i. e., Guebres, or
JosUih Destroys Idtilatry, 2 kiKgs xxiy. and Defiles the Ifiyh Place*,
tlie hill on the right hand denotes the soutlirrnniost peak. Josiali Is said not to have destroyed, but only defiled, "the high places on the hill of corruptitjn." It is most probable that Hezekiah had long before demolished the idolatrous temples erected there by Solomon ; but, as the superstitions people continued to regard thi> spot as consecrated ground, Josiah defiled it, 14t. filled tht-ir places with the bones of men—Kvery moiiunient of idolatry in his dominions he in like manner destroyed, aiid the places where they stood he defiled by strewing them with dead men's l)ones. The presence of a dead carcass rendered both persons and places unclean in the eyes both of Jews and heathens. 15-30. Moreover, ihe altar tliat was at Beth-el, &c.—Not satisfied with the removal of every vestige of idolatry from his own dominions, this zealous iconoclast made a tour of inspection through the cities of Bamaria and all the territory formerly occupied by the ten tribes, destroying the altars and temples of the high places, consigning the Asherim to the flames, putting to death the priests of the high places, and showing his horror at Idolatry by ransacking the sepulchres of idolatrous priests, and strewing the burnt ashes of their l)ones upon the altars before he demolished them, according to tlie wortl of n»e I/ord, wliich the man of God proclaimeil, &c.—In carrying on these proceedings, Josiah was prompted by his own intense hatred of idolatry. But it is remarkable that this act was predicted 326 years before his birth, and his name also was expressly mentioned, as well as the very place where it should be done (1 Kings 13.2). This is one of the most remarkable prophecies contained in the Bible. 17. what title is tl»at that I seel—The king's attention, it is probable, had been arrested by a tombstone more conspicuous than the rest around it, bearing on an inscription the name of him that lay beneath; and this* prompted his curiosity to make the inquiry, the mti\ of the cUy—not the Assyrian colonists—for they could know nothing about the ancient transactions of the place—but some of the old people who had been allowed to remain, and perhaps tho tomb itself might not then have been discoverable, through the effects of time and neglect, had not some " Old Mortality" garnished the sepulchre of the rigliteons. ill-ZS. the king commnniled all tlie people, saying. Keep the passover unto the Lord your God, <tc.—It was observed with great solemnity, and was attended not only by his own subjects, but by the remnant people from Israel (see on 2 Chronicles 35. 1-19). Many of the Israelites who were at Jerusalem might have heard o/,if they did not hear, the law read by Josiah. It is pitibftble that they might even have got a copy of the law, stimulated as ^liey were to the better observance of Jehovah's worship by the unusual and solemn transactions at Jerusalem. 36. Notwithstanding, the Lord turned not from the fierceness of his vnrath, (fee. The national reformation which Josiah carried on was acquiesced in by the people from submission to the royal will; biit they entertained a secret and strong hankering after the suppressed idolatries. Though outwardly purified, their hearts were not right towards .God, as appears from many p'assages of the prophetic writings; their thorough reform was hopeless-; and God, who saw no sign of genuine repentance, allowed his decree (ch. 21. 12-15) for the subversion of the kingdom to take fatal eflTect. 29. In his days Pharaoli-uechoh— (See 2 Chronicles 35. 20-27.)
flre-worshippers, distinguished bj' a girdle (EzekicI 23.
14-17) or belt of wool and camel's ha,ir, twisted round the body twice and tied with four knots, which had a sym-
bolic meaning, and made it a defence against evil, them also tltat 3i>ui-ned incense unto Baal, to the sun, and (o the moon, &c.—or Baal-shemesh—for Baal was sometimes considered the sun. This form of false worship was not by images, but pure star-woreliip, borrowed from the old Assyrians, and—Rather, even to all the host of heaven. 6. brought otit the grove—t. e., Asherah, the m.vstic tree, placed by Manasseh in the temple, removed by him after his conversion, and replaced in the sanctuary by his wicked son Amon. Josiah had it taken to Kidron, burnt the wood, ground the metal about it to powdei', and strewed the ashes "on the graves of tlie children of the people." The poor were buried in a common on part of the valley of Kidron. But reference is here made to the graves "of those that had sacrificed"
(2 Chronicles 31, 4). 7. hralcc down the houses of the sodomites—not solid houses, but tents, called elsewhere Succoth-benoth, the booths of the young women who were devoted to the service of Asherah, for wliich they made embroidered hangings, and in which they gave themselves to unbridled revelry and lust. Or the hangings might be for Asherah itself, as it is a popular superstition in the East to hang pieces of cloth on trees. 8. he brought all tlte priests out of the cities of Jiidah, and defiled the high places, &c.—Numbers of the Levitical order, finding in the reigns of Manasseh and Amon the temple worship abolished, and the tithes and other ofTeriugs alienated, had been betrayed into the folly of officiating on high places, and presenting such sacrifices as were brought to them. Tliese irregularities, even though the object of that worship was the true God, were prohibited in the law (Deuteronomy 12. 11). Those who had been guilty of this sin, Josiah brought to Jerusalem, and, regarding them as defiled, debarred them from the service of the temple, but gave them an allowance out of the temple revenues, like the lame and disabled members of the priesthood (Leviticus 21. 21, 22). from Geba to Beershebo—the most nortliern and the most southern places In Judah—meaning all parts of the kingdom, the high places . . . wliich were in the entering in of the gate of Joshua—The governor's house and gate were on the
left of the city gate, and close by the entrance of that civic mansion-house were public altars, dedicated, it might be, to the true God, but contrary to his own ordinance of worship (Isaiah 57. 8). 10. Topheth—so called from Toph—a drum—the prevailing opinion among Jewish writers being that the cries of the terrified children made to pass through the fire in that place of idolatrous horror were drowned by the sound of that instrument.
. 11. took away tlie horses which the kings of Jndah
had given to the sun—Among the people who anciently 'worshipped the sun, horses were usually dedicated to that divinity, from the supposed idea that the sun himself was drawn in a chariot by horses. In some cases these horses were sacrificed; but more commonly they were employed either in the sacred processions to carry the images of the sun, or for the worshippers to ride in every morning to welcome his rise. It seems that the idolatrous kings, Ahaz, Manasseh, and Amon, or their great officers, proceeded on these horses early on each day from the east gate of the temple to salute and woi-shi p the sun at his appearing above the horizon. 12. tlie altars that were on the top of the upper chambers of Ahaz— Altars were reared on the tlat roofs of houses, where the worsliippers of "the host of heaven" burnt Incense (Zephaniah 1. 5 ; Jeremiah 19. 13). Ahaz had reared altars for this purpose on tlie oleah, or upper chamber of