2 Kings 23:10 He also desecrated Topheth in the Valley of Ben-hinnom so that no one could sacrifice his son or daughter in the fire to Molech.

◄ 2 Kings 23:10 ►

New International Version
He desecrated Topheth, which was in the Valley of Ben Hinnom, so no one could use it to sacrifice their son or daughter in the fire to Molek.

New Living Translation
Then the king defiled the altar of Topheth in the valley of Ben-Hinnom, so no one could ever again use it to sacrifice a son or daughter in the fire as an offering to Molech.

English Standard Version
And he defiled Topheth, which is in the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, that no one might burn his son or his daughter as an offering to Molech.

Berean Standard Bible
He also desecrated Topheth in the Valley of Ben-hinnom so that no one could sacrifice his son or daughter in the fire to Molech.

King James Bible
And he defiled Topheth, which is in the valley of the children of Hinnom, that no man might make his son or his daughter to pass through the fire to Molech.

New King James Version
And he defiled Topheth, which is in the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, that no man might make his son or his daughter pass through the fire to Molech.

New American Standard Bible
He also defiled Topheth, which is in the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, so that no one would make his son or his daughter pass through the fire for Molech.

NASB 1995
He also defiled Topheth, which is in the valley of the son of Hinnom, that no man might make his son or his daughter pass through the fire for Molech.

NASB 1977
He also defiled Topheth, which is in the valley of the son of Hinnom, that no man might make his son or his daughter pass through the fire for Molech.

Legacy Standard Bible
He also defiled Topheth, which is in the valley of the son of Hinnom, that no man might make his son or his daughter pass through the fire for Molech.

Amplified Bible
Josiah also defiled Topheth, which is in the Valley of Ben-hinnom (son of Hinnom), so that no man could make his son or his daughter pass through the fire [as a burnt offering] for Molech.

Christian Standard Bible
He defiled Topheth, which is in Ben Hinnom Valley, so that no one could sacrifice his son or daughter in the fire to Molech.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
He defiled Topheth, which is in the Valley of Hinnom, so that no one could make his son or daughter pass through the fire to Molech.

American Standard Version
And he defiled Topheth, which is in the valley of the children of Hinnom, that no man might make his son or his daughter to pass through the fire to Molech.

Contemporary English Version
Josiah sent some men to Hinnom Valley just outside Jerusalem with orders to make the altar there unfit for worship. That way, people could no longer use it for sacrificing their children to the god Molech.

English Revised Version
And he defiled Topheth, which is in the valley of the children of Hinnom, that no man might make his son or his daughter to pass through the fire to Molech.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Josiah also made Topheth in the valley of Ben Hinnom unclean so that people would never again sacrifice their sons or daughters by burning them to the god Molech.

Good News Translation
King Josiah also desecrated Topheth, the pagan place of worship in Hinnom Valley, so that no one could sacrifice his son or daughter as a burnt offering to the god Molech.

International Standard Version
He also defiled Topheth, which is located in the Ben-hinnom Valley, so that no one would force his son or daughter to pass through the fire in dedication to Molech.

Majority Standard Bible
He also desecrated Topheth in the Valley of Ben-hinnom so that no one could sacrifice his son or daughter in the fire to Molech.

NET Bible
The king ruined Topheth in the Valley of Ben Hinnom so that no one could pass his son or his daughter through the fire to Molech.

New Heart English Bible
He defiled Topheth, which is in the Valley of Ben Hinnom, that no man might make his son or his daughter to pass through the fire to Moloch.

Webster's Bible Translation
And he defiled Topheth, which is in the valley of the children of Hinnom, that no man might make his son or his daughter to pass through the fire to Molech.

World English Bible
He defiled Topheth, which is in the valley of the children of Hinnom, that no man might make his son or his daughter to pass through the fire to Molech.

Literal Translations

Literal Standard Version
And he has defiled Topheth that [is] in the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, so that no man causes his son and his daughter to pass over through fire to Molech.

Young's Literal Translation
And he hath defiled Topheth, that is in the valley of the son of Hinnom, so that no man doth cause his son and his daughter to pass over through fire to Molech.

Smith's Literal Translation
And he defiled Topheth in the valley of the sons of Hinnom, for a man not to cause his son and his daughter to pass through in fire to the king.

Catholic Translations

Douay-Rheims Bible
And he defiled Topheth, which is in the valley of the son of Ennom: that no man should consecrate there his son or his daughter through fire to Moloch.

Catholic Public Domain Version
Also, he defiled Topheth, which is in the steep valley of the son of Hinnom, so that no one would consecrate his son or his daughter, through fire, to Molech.

New American Bible
The king also defiled Topheth in the Valley of Ben-hinnom, so that there would no longer be any immolation of sons or daughters by fire in honor of Molech.

New Revised Standard Version
He defiled Topheth, which is in the valley of Ben-hinnom, so that no one would make a son or a daughter pass through fire as an offering to Molech.

Translations from Aramaic

Lamsa Bible
And he destroyed the high places which the kings of Judah had made in Taphath, which is in the valley of Bar-hannom, that no man might make his son or his daughter to pass through the fire to Amlech.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
And he tore down the high places that the Kings of Yehuda had made in Taphat that is in the Valley in BarHennum, because the Kings of Yehuda had made a man to pass his son or his daughter into fire for Amlek.

OT Translations

JPS Tanakh 1917
And he defiled Topheth, which is in the valley of the son of Hinnom, that no man might make his son or his daughter to pass through the fire to Molech.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And he defiled Tapheth which is in the valley of the son of Ennom, constructed for a man to cause his son or his daughter to pass through fire to Moloch.

Additional Translations ...

Audio Bible

Context

Josiah Destroys Idolatry
…9Although the priests of the high places did not come up to the altar of the LORD in Jerusalem, they ate unleavened bread with their fellow priests. 10He also desecrated Topheth in the Valley of Ben-hinnom so that no one could sacrifice his son or daughter in the fire to Molech. 11And he removed from the entrance to the house of the LORD the horses that the kings of Judah had dedicated to the sun. They were in the court near the chamber of an official named Nathan-melech. And Josiah burned up the chariots of the sun.…

Berean Standard Bible · Download

Cross References

Leviticus 18:21
You must not give any of your children to be sacrificed to Molech, for you must not profane the name of your God. I am the LORD.

Jeremiah 32:35
They have built the high places of Baal in the Valley of Ben-hinnom to make their sons and daughters pass through the fire to Molech—something I never commanded them, nor had it ever entered My mind, that they should commit such an abomination and cause Judah to sin.

Deuteronomy 18:10
Let no one be found among you who sacrifices his son or daughter in the fire, practices divination or conjury, interprets omens, practices sorcery,

Ezekiel 16:20-21
You even took the sons and daughters you bore to Me and sacrificed them as food to idols. Was your prostitution not enough? / You slaughtered My children and delivered them up through the fire to idols.

2 Chronicles 28:3
Moreover, Ahaz burned incense in the Valley of Ben-hinnom and sacrificed his sons in the fire, according to the abominations of the nations that the LORD had driven out before the Israelites.

2 Chronicles 33:6
He sacrificed his sons in the fire in the Valley of Ben-hinnom. He practiced sorcery, divination, and witchcraft, and consulted mediums and spiritists. He did great evil in the sight of the LORD, provoking Him to anger.

Psalm 106:37-38
They sacrificed their sons and their daughters to demons. / They shed innocent blood—the blood of their sons and daughters, whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan, and the land was polluted with blood.

Isaiah 57:5
who burn with lust among the oaks, under every luxuriant tree, who slaughter your children in the valleys, under the clefts of the rocks?

Jeremiah 7:31
They have built the high places of Topheth in the Valley of Ben-hinnom so they could burn their sons and daughters in the fire—something I never commanded, nor did it even enter My mind.

Jeremiah 19:5-6
They have built high places to Baal on which to burn their children in the fire as offerings to Baal—something I never commanded or mentioned, nor did it even enter My mind. / So behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when this place will no longer be called Topheth or the Valley of Ben-hinnom, but the Valley of Slaughter.

Ezekiel 20:31
When you offer your gifts, sacrificing your sons in the fire, you continue to defile yourselves with all your idols to this day. So should I be consulted by you, O house of Israel? As surely as I live, declares the Lord GOD, I will not be consulted by you!

Ezekiel 23:37
For they have committed adultery, and blood is on their hands. They have committed adultery with their idols. They have even sacrificed their children, whom they bore to Me, in the fire as food for their idols.

Micah 6:7
Would the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousand rivers of oil? Shall I present my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?

Acts 7:43
You have taken along the tabernacle of Molech and the star of your god Rephan, the idols you made to worship. Therefore I will send you into exile beyond Babylon.’

Romans 12:1-2
Therefore I urge you, brothers, on account of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. / Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God.

Treasury of Scripture

And he defiled Topheth, which is in the valley of the children of Hinnom, that no man might make his son or his daughter to pass through the fire to Molech.

Topheth.

Isaiah 30:33
For Tophet is ordained of old; yea, for the king it is prepared; he hath made it deep and large: the pile thereof is fire and much wood; the breath of the LORD, like a stream of brimstone, doth kindle it.

Jeremiah 7:31,32
And they have built the high places of Tophet, which is in the valley of the son of Hinnom, to burn their sons and their daughters in the fire; which I commanded them not, neither came it into my heart…

Jeremiah 19:6,11-13
Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that this place shall no more be called Tophet, nor The valley of the son of Hinnom, but The valley of slaughter…

Tophet.

Joshua 15:8
And the border went up by the valley of the son of Hinnom unto the south side of the Jebusite; the same is Jerusalem: and the border went up to the top of the mountain that lieth before the valley of Hinnom westward, which is at the end of the valley of the giants northward:

2 Chronicles 28:3
Moreover he burnt incense in the valley of the son of Hinnom, and burnt his children in the fire, after the abominations of the heathen whom the LORD had cast out before the children of Israel.

2 Chronicles 33:6
And he caused his children to pass through the fire in the valley of the son of Hinnom: also he observed times, and used enchantments, and used witchcraft, and dealt with a familiar spirit, and with wizards: he wrought much evil in the sight of the LORD, to provoke him to anger.

might make.

2 Kings 16:3
But he walked in the way of the kings of Israel, yea, and made his son to pass through the fire, according to the abominations of the heathen, whom the LORD cast out from before the children of Israel.

2 Kings 17:17
And they caused their sons and their daughters to pass through the fire, and used divination and enchantments, and sold themselves to do evil in the sight of the LORD, to provoke him to anger.

2 Kings 21:6
And he made his son pass through the fire, and observed times, and used enchantments, and dealt with familiar spirits and wizards: he wrought much wickedness in the sight of the LORD, to provoke him to anger.

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2 Kings 23

1. Josiah causes the book to be read in a solemn assembly.
3. He renews the covenant of the Lord.
4. He destroys idolatry.
15. He burns dead men's bones upon the altar of Bethel, as was prophesied.
21. He keeps a most solemn Passover.
24. He puts away witches and all abomination.
26. God's final wrath against Judah.
29. Josiah, provoking Pharaoh Neco, is slain at Megiddo.
31. Jehoahaz, succeeding him,
33. is imprisoned by Pharaoh Neco, who makes Jehoiakim king.
36. Jehoiakim's wicked reign.

Berean Study Bible

He also desecrated
The Hebrew word for "desecrated" is "טִמֵּא" (timmē'), which means to defile or make unclean. This action by King Josiah was a deliberate effort to purify the land from idolatrous practices. In a spiritual sense, it reflects the need for believers to cleanse their lives from anything that defiles their relationship with God. Josiah's actions serve as a reminder of the importance of holiness and the rejection of practices that are abominable to God.

Topheth
The term "Topheth" is derived from the Hebrew "תֹּפֶת" (Topheth), which is believed to mean "place of burning." Historically, Topheth was a site in the Valley of Ben Hinnom where child sacrifices were made to the pagan god Molech. This place became synonymous with idolatry and abomination. The desecration of Topheth by Josiah symbolizes the eradication of deeply entrenched sin and the restoration of true worship.

in the Valley of Ben Hinnom
The Valley of Ben Hinnom, known in Hebrew as "גֵּי בֶן־הִנֹּם" (Gē' Ben-Hinnom), was located south of Jerusalem. It was notorious for its association with idolatrous practices, particularly the worship of Molech. In later Jewish thought, this valley became associated with Gehenna, a symbol of divine judgment and hell. The historical and geographical context underscores the gravity of the idolatry that had infiltrated Judah and the radical measures needed to eliminate it.

so that no one could sacrifice
The phrase indicates a decisive action to prevent future occurrences of this heinous practice. The Hebrew root "זָבַח" (zāvaḥ) means to slaughter or offer a sacrifice. Josiah's reform was not merely about stopping a ritual but about transforming the spiritual landscape of the nation. It highlights the responsibility of leaders to protect their people from spiritual harm and to guide them towards righteousness.

his son or daughter
The mention of "son or daughter" emphasizes the personal and familial cost of idolatry. The sacrifice of children was a grievous sin that violated the sanctity of life, a gift from God. This phrase serves as a poignant reminder of the destructive nature of sin and the lengths to which people can go when they turn away from God. It calls believers to cherish and protect the innocent and vulnerable.

in the fire to Molech
Molech, or "מֹלֶךְ" (Molekh) in Hebrew, was a Canaanite deity associated with child sacrifice. The practice of passing children through the fire was a detestable act condemned by God (Leviticus 18:21). Josiah's actions to stop this practice reflect a return to covenant faithfulness and the rejection of foreign gods. It serves as a powerful illustration of the need to uphold God's commandments and to resist cultural pressures that lead to moral compromise.

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(10) Topheth.--Heb. the Topheth; i.e., the burning place, or hearth, if the word be rightly derived from the Persian t?ften, "to burn." The Hebrew word, however, has been so modified as to suggest a derivation from t?ph, "to spit;" so that the epithet would mean "the abomination." (Comp. 2Kings 23:13.) (Comp. also Job 17:6; Isaiah 30:33; and the Coptic t?f, "spittle.")

The valley of the children of Hinnom.--Elsewhere called "the valley of the son of Hinnom," and "the valley of Hinnom (Joshua 15:8; Jeremiah 7:31-32). Simonis plausibly explained the word Hinnom as meaning shrieking or moaning (from the Arabic hanna, arguta voce gemuit, flevit). "The valley of the sons of shrieking" would be a good name for the accursed spot. (Thenius suggests Wimmer-Kinds-Thal.) . . .

Pulpit Commentary

Verse 10. - And he defiled Topheth. "To-pheth" or "Tophet" was the name given to the place in the valley of Hinnom where the sacrifices were offered to Moloch. The root of the word is thought by some to be taph (תַּף), "a drum," because the cries of the children burnt there were drowned by the beating of drums. Others suggest as the root, tuph (תּוּף), "to spit," because the place was "spat at" by the orthodox. But Gesenius and Bottcher derive it from an Aryan root, taph, or tap, "to burn," whence Greek θάπτειν τέφρα, Latin tepidus, Mod. Persian taftan, Sanskrit tap, etc., and regard the meaning as simply "the place of burning" (see the comment on Isaiah 30:33). Which is in the valley of the children of Hinnom. The valley of Hinnom, or of the sons of Hinnom, is generally allowed to be that which sweeps round the more western of the two hills whereon Jerusalem was built, in a direction at first south and then east, uniting itself with the Kidron valley a little to the south of Ophel. The origin of the name is uncertain; but it is most likely that the Beni-Hinnom were a tribe of Canaanites, settled on this side of Jerusalem in the time of Joshua (Joshua 15:8). The "valley" is a ravine, deep and narrow, with steep, rocky sides. When the Moloch-worship first began in it we cannot say; but it was probably before the time of Solomon, who built a high place for Moloch (1 Kings 11:11), on one of the heights by which the valley is enclosed. (On the horrible profanations of the Moloch-worship, see Jeremiah 7:31, 32; Jeremiah 19:4-13; Jeremiah 32:35.) After the Captivity, the valley of Hinnom - Ge-Hinnom - was reckoned an accursed and abominable place, a sort of earthly counterpart of the place of final punishment, which. thence derived its name of "Geheuna" (Γέεννα); (see Matthew 5:22, 29, etc.). That no man might make his son or his daughter to pass through the fire to Moloch (see the comment on 2 Kings 16:3).

Parallel Commentaries ...

Hebrew

He also desecrated
וְטִמֵּ֣א (wə·ṭim·mê)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Piel - Conjunctive perfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 2930: To be or become unclean

Topheth
הַתֹּ֔פֶת (hat·tō·p̄eṯ)
Article | Noun - proper - feminine singular
Strong's 8612: Topheth -- a place South of Jerusalem

in the Valley of Ben-hinnom
בְּגֵ֣י (bə·ḡê)
Preposition-b | Noun - proper - feminine singular
Strong's 1516: A valley

so that no
לְבִלְתִּ֗י (lə·ḇil·tî)
Preposition-l
Strong's 1115: A failure of, not, except, without, unless, besides, because not, until

one
אִ֜ישׁ (’îš)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 376: A man as an individual, a male person

could sacrifice
לְהַעֲבִ֨יר (lə·ha·‘ă·ḇîr)
Preposition-l | Verb - Hifil - Infinitive construct
Strong's 5674: To pass over, through, or by, pass on

his son
בְּנ֧וֹ (bə·nōw)
Noun - masculine singular construct | third person masculine singular
Strong's 1121: A son

or daughter
בִּתּ֛וֹ (bit·tōw)
Noun - feminine singular construct | third person masculine singular
Strong's 1323: A daughter

in the fire
בָּאֵ֖שׁ (bā·’êš)
Preposition-b, Article | Noun - common singular
Strong's 784: A fire

to Molech.
לַמֹּֽלֶךְ׃ (lam·mō·leḵ)
Preposition-l, Article | Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 4432: Molech -- a heathen god to whom Israelites sacrificed children

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OT History: 2 Kings 23:10 He defiled Topheth which (2Ki iiKi ii ki 2 kg 2kg)