Why remove sun horses in 2 Kings 23:11?
Why did Josiah remove the horses dedicated to the sun in 2 Kings 23:11?

Historical Setting of 2 Kings 23:11

Josiah’s purge occurs in 622 BC, eighteen years into his reign (2 Kings 22:3). Between the reigns of Hezekiah and Josiah, Manasseh (697–642 BC) and Amon (642–640 BC) had re-introduced Assyro-Babylonian cults (2 Kings 21). With the rediscovery of “the Book of the Law” (Deuteronomy) in the Temple (2 Kings 22:8–11), Josiah set out to eradicate every trace of idolatry that had accumulated for roughly seventy years.


Sun Worship in the Ancient Near East

From Syria to Egypt, the sun-god rode a chariot drawn by sacred horses. Assyrian texts (e.g., the Šamaš Hymns, 7th cent. BC) describe daily processions of horses dedicated to Šamaš. The Neo-Assyrian relief of Ashurbanipal (British Museum, BM 124920) depicts such teams. Egypt’s Akhenaten (14th cent. BC) portrayed the Aten as a sun-disk whose rays end in hands holding reigns. Judah’s proximity to these superpowers explains how the practice infiltrated the royal compound.


Description of the Cult Objects

2 Kings 23:11: “He removed from the entrance of the house of the LORD the horses that the kings of Judah had dedicated to the sun… and he burned up the chariots of the sun.”

• Horses—likely life-size statuary or living royal steeds kept for dawn rituals (cf. Ezekiel 8:16).

• Chariots—ritual vehicles, perhaps gilded, stored near “the chamber of Nathan-Melech,” a court official overseeing the practice.


Archaeological Corroboration

• A 2019 excavation in Jerusalem’s City of David unearthed a clay bulla stamped “(Belonging) to Nathan-Melech, Servant of the King,” matching the name and title in 2 Kings 23:11, situating the narrative in real history.

• Solomonic-era stables at Megiddo and Hazor (dated by ceramic typology and radiocarbon to 10th cent. BC) confirm that royal equine complexes were common in Israel. Their later perversion for solar rites is entirely plausible.

• An inscribed cultic plaque from Beersheba (Iron II) depicts a four-horse sun chariot, paralleling the biblical description.


Biblical Prohibition of Astrolatry

Deuteronomy 17:3 forbids serving “the sun or the moon or any of the host of heaven.” Deuteronomy 17:16 also restricts the king from “multiplying horses” lest Israel trust military power over Yahweh. By removing sun-horses, Josiah obeyed both commands. Exodus 20:3–5, Deuteronomy 4:19, and Jeremiah 8:2 echo the same prohibition.


Theological Motives Behind Josiah’s Action

1. Exclusive Worship—Yahweh alone is Creator (Genesis 1:16; Psalm 148:3–5). To worship created lights is to exchange the truth for a lie (Romans 1:25).

2. Covenant Renewal—Josiah read “all the words of the covenant” publicly (2 Kings 23:2) and pledged national obedience (v. 3). Purging idols was the tangible outworking.

3. Rejection of Human Might—Horses symbolized military strength (Psalm 20:7). Burning the chariots (cf. Psalm 46:9) proclaimed dependence on God, not foreign alliances.


Practical Application

Modern idolatry may cloak itself in technology, materialism, or self-exaltation. Josiah’s decisive action illustrates the believer’s mandate to “flee from idolatry” (1 Corinthians 10:14) and align life under the supremacy of Christ, through whom alone salvation comes (Acts 4:12).


Answer in Summary

Josiah removed and destroyed the horses and chariots dedicated to the sun because they embodied forbidden sun worship, violated the Deuteronomic covenant, tempted Judah to trust in created powers and foreign gods, and stood in direct conflict with exclusive loyalty to Yahweh. His action, historically and textually verified, exemplifies covenant faithfulness and calls every generation to eradicate idolatry and glorify the Creator alone.

What steps can we take to ensure our worship aligns with God's commands today?
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