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. He also desecrated TophethTopheth stood in the Valley of Ben-hinnom south of Jerusalem and had become a center of abhorrent worship. Josiah deliberately defiled the site so that it could no longer serve its idolatrous purpose. His action struck at the visible places where Judah had blended covenant worship with pagan religion. Jer 7:31 They have built the high places of Topheth…
Jer 19:6 So behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD,…
Jer 19:11 this is what the LORD of Hosts says: I will shatter…
in the Valley of Ben-hinnom The valley had been polluted by generations of rebellion, including the sins of Ahaz and Manasseh, who caused their children to pass through the fire (2 Kings 16:3; 21:6). Jeremiah later proclaimed God’s judgment against this place because of the blood shed there (Jeremiah 7:31–34). Its later association with Gehenna made it a fitting image of divine judgment. Jer 19:2 and go out to the Valley of Ben-hinnom…
Jer 7:32 So behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD,…
Jos 15:8 From there the border went up the Valley of Ben-hinnom…
so that no one could sacrifice his son or daughter God had expressly forbidden Israel to give their children to pagan gods (Leviticus 18:21; Deuteronomy 12:31). Children belonged to the Lord and were to be received as His gift, not destroyed in an attempt to gain favor, prosperity, or protection from false gods. Josiah’s reform defended the sanctity of life and called Judah back to obedience. 2Ki 17:17 They sacrificed their sons and daughters in the fire…
Deu 12:31 You must not worship the LORD your God in this way,…
2Ch 28:3 Moreover, Ahaz burned incense in the Valley of Ben-hinnom…
in the fire to Molech. Molech worship demanded the very evil God had condemned from the beginning. Such sacrifice revealed the destructive end of idolatry: false worship turns people from the living God and devours those entrusted to their care. By ending these rites, Josiah upheld Israel’s calling to reject the practices of the nations and worship the Lord alone. Jer 32:35 They have built the high places of Baal in the Valley…
Lev 20:2-5 “Tell the Israelites, ‘Any Israelite or foreigner…
Lev 18:21 You must not give any of your children to be sacrificed…
Persons / Places / Events 1. JosiahThe king of Judah who initiated religious reforms to restore the worship of Yahweh and eliminate idolatry. 2. TophethA site in the Valley of Ben Hinnom associated with child sacrifice, particularly to the god Molech. 3. Valley of Ben HinnomA location near Jerusalem notorious for idolatrous practices, later associated with the concept of Gehenna or hell. 4. MolechA pagan deity to whom child sacrifices were offered, representing a significant departure from the worship of Yahweh. 5. Religious ReformsThe actions taken by Josiah to purify Judah from idolatry and restore the covenant with God. Teaching Points The Importance of Righteous LeadershipJosiah's actions demonstrate the impact a godly leader can have in turning a nation back to God. Leaders today should strive to uphold and promote biblical values. The Abomination of IdolatryThe desecration of Topheth underscores the severity of idolatry and its destructive consequences. Believers must guard against modern forms of idolatry that can lead them away from God. The Sanctity of LifeThe prohibition against child sacrifice highlights the value God places on human life. Christians are called to protect and cherish life at all stages. Repentance and ReformJosiah's reforms illustrate the power of repentance and the need for continual reformation in our spiritual lives. Believers should regularly examine their hearts and practices to align with God's will. The Consequences of SinThe association of the Valley of Ben Hinnom with judgment serves as a reminder of the consequences of sin. Christians are encouraged to live in obedience to avoid spiritual downfall. Bible Study Questions 1. How does Josiah's leadership in 2 Kings 23:10 inspire you to influence your community or workplace for Christ? 2. In what ways can modern Christians identify and eliminate idolatry in their lives, drawing parallels to Josiah's actions? 3. How does the biblical view of the sanctity of life challenge contemporary societal norms, and how can believers advocate for life? 4. What steps can you take to ensure that your spiritual life is continually being reformed and aligned with God's Word? 5. How does the imagery of the Valley of Ben Hinnom as a place of judgment influence your understanding of sin and its consequences? Connections to Other Scriptures Leviticus 18:21This verse prohibits the Israelites from offering their children to Molech, highlighting the abomination of such practices. Jeremiah 7:31Jeremiah condemns the practice of child sacrifice in the Valley of Ben Hinnom, reinforcing the message of 2 Kings 23:10. 2 Chronicles 34:4-5Chronicles the reforms of Josiah, providing a parallel account to 2 Kings 23:10. Deuteronomy 12:31Warns against adopting the detestable practices of the nations, including child sacrifice. Matthew 5:22Jesus references Gehenna, drawing on the imagery of the Valley of Ben Hinnom as a place of judgment. People Ahaz, Ammonites, Ashtoreth, Ben, Chemosh, Eliakim, Hamutal, Hilkiah, Jehoahaz, Jehoiakim, Jeremiah, Jeroboam, Joshua, Josiah, Manasseh, Melech, Milcom, Moabites, Molech, Nathan, Nathanmelech, Nebat, Pedaiah, Pharaoh, Pharaohnechoh, Sidonians, Sodomites, Solomon, Zebudah, ZidoniansPlaces Assyria, Beersheba, Bethel, Egypt, Euphrates River, Geba, Hamath, Jerusalem, Kidron, Libnah, Megiddo, Moab, Riblah, Rumah, Samaria, Topheth, Valley of HinnomTopics Ben, Burn, Cause, Daughter, Defiled, Fire, Hinnom, Molech, Offering, Pass, Sacrifice, Sons, Topheth, To'pheth, Unclean, ValleyDictionary of Bible Themes 2 Kings 23:10 7316 blood, OT sacrifices
7332 child sacrifice
8747 false gods
8769 idolatry, in OT
9511 hell, place of punishment 2 Kings 23:1-20 7241 Jerusalem, significance 2 Kings 23:1-24 8466 reformation 2 Kings 23:1-25 5345 influence
7245 Judah, kingdom of 2 Kings 23:4-20 4906 abolition 2 Kings 23:8-20 7442 shrine Library Reformation Lessons
Eversley. 1861. 2 Kings xxiii. 3, 4, 25, 26. "And the king stood by a pillar, and made a covenant before the Lord, to "walk after the Lord, and to keep his commandments and his testimonies and his statutes with all their heart and all their soul, to perform the words of this covenant that were written in this book. And all the people stood to the covenant. And the king commanded Hilkiah the high priest, and the priests of the second order, and the keepers of the door, to bring forth out …
Charles Kingsley—All Saints' Day and Other SermonsWhether the Old Law was Suitably Given at the Time of Moses?
Objection 1: It would seem that the Old Law was not suitably given at the time of Moses. Because the Old Law disposed man for the salvation which was to come through Christ, as stated above ([2068]AA[2],3). But man needed this salutary remedy immediately after he had sinned. Therefore the Law should have been given immediately after sin. Objection 2: Further, the Old Law was given for the sanctification of those from whom Christ was to be born. Now the promise concerning the "seed, which is Christ" …
Saint Thomas Aquinas—Summa Theologica Whether Christ Should have Been Born in Bethlehem?
Objection 1: It would seem that Christ should not have been born in Bethlehem. For it is written (Is. 2:3): "The law shall come forth from Sion, and the Word of the Lord from Jerusalem." But Christ is truly the Word of God. Therefore He should have come into the world at Jerusalem. Objection 2: Further, it is said (Mat. 2:23) that it is written of Christ that "He shall be called a Nazarene"; which is taken from Is. 11:1: "A flower shall rise up out of his root"; for "Nazareth" is interpreted "a flower." …
Saint Thomas Aquinas—Summa Theologica Whether Prophets Always Know the Things which they Prophesy?
Objection 1: It would seem that the prophets always know the things which they prophesy. For, as Augustine says (Gen. ad lit. xii, 9), "those to whom signs were shown in spirit by means of the likenesses of bodily things, had not the gift of prophecy, unless the mind was brought into action, so that those signs were also understood by them." Now what is understood cannot be unknown. Therefore the prophet is not ignorant of what he prophesies. Objection 2: Further, the light of prophecy surpasses …
Saint Thomas Aquinas—Summa Theologica Whether the Prophecy which is Accompanied by Intellective and Imaginative vision is More Excellent than that which is Accompanied by Intellective vision Alone?
Objection 1: It would seem that the prophecy which has intellective and imaginative vision is more excellent than that which is accompanied by intellective vision alone. For Augustine says (Gen. ad lit. xii, 9): "He is less a prophet, who sees in spirit nothing but the signs representative of things, by means of the images of things corporeal: he is more a prophet, who is merely endowed with the understanding of these signs; but most of all is he a prophet, who excels in both ways," and this refers …
Saint Thomas Aquinas—Summa Theologica The Fall of Solomon
'For it came to pass, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned away his heart after other gods: and his heart was not perfect with the Lord his God, as was the heart of David his father. 5. For Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Zidonians, and after Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites. 6. And Solomon did evil in the sight of the Lord, and went not fully after the Lord, as did David his father. 7. Then did Solomon build an high place for Chemosh, the abomination of Moab, in the …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture The Rediscovered Law and Its Effects
'And Hilkiah the high priest said unto Shaphan the scribe, I have found the book of the law in the house of the Lord: and Hilkiah gave the book to Shaphan, and he read it. 9. And Shaphan the scribe came to the king, and brought the king word again, and said, Thy servants have gathered the money that was found in the house, and have delivered it into the hand of them that do the work, that have the oversight of the house of the Lord. 10. And Shaphan the scribe shewed the king, saying, Hilkiah the …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture Entering the Covenant: with all the Heart
"And they entered into the covenant to seek the Lord God of their fathers with all their heart, and all their soul."--2 CHRON. xv. 12 (see xxxiv. 31, and 2 Kings xxiii. 3). "The Lord thy God will circumcise thine heart, to love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul."--DEUT. xxx. 6. "And I will give them an heart to know Me, that I am the Lord; and they shall be My people, and I will be their God: for they shall turn to Me with their whole heart."--JER. xxiv. 7 (see xxix. 13). …
Andrew Murray—The Two Covenants How Shall one Make Use of Christ as the Life, when Wrestling with an Angry God Because of Sin?
That we may give some satisfaction to this question, we shall, 1. Shew what are the ingredients in this case, or what useth to concur in this distemper. 2. Shew some reasons why the Lord is pleased to dispense thus with his people. 3. Shew how Christ is life to the soul in this case. 4. Shew the believer's duty for a recovery; and, 5. Add a word or two of caution. As to the first, There may be those parts of, or ingredients in this distemper: 1. God presenting their sins unto their view, so as …
John Brown (of Wamphray)—Christ The Way, The Truth, and The Life The Sins of Communities Noted and Punished.
"Verily I say unto you, All these things shall come upon this generation." This is predicated of the judgments of God on those who had shed the blood of his saints. The Savior declares that all the righteous blood which had been shed on the earth from that of Abel down to the gospel day, should come on that generation! But is not this unreasonable and contrary to the Scriptures? "Far be wickedness from God and iniquity from the Almighty. For the work of man shall be render unto him, and cause every …
Andrew Lee et al—Sermons on Various Important Subjects The Whole Heart
LET me give the principal passages in which the words "the whole heart," "all the heart," are used. A careful study of them will show how wholehearted love and service is what God has always asked, because He can, in the very nature of things, ask nothing less. The prayerful and believing acceptance of the words will waken the assurance that such wholehearted love and service is exactly the blessing the New Covenant was meant to make possible. That assurance will prepare us for turning to the Omnipotence …
Andrew Murray—The Two Covenants The Medes and the Second Chaldaean Empire
THE FALL OF NINEVEH AND THE RISE OF THE CHALDAEAN AND MEDIAN EMPIRES--THE XXVIth EGYPTIAN DYNASTY: CYAXARES, ALYATTES, AND NEBUCHADREZZAR. The legendary history of the kings of Media and the first contact of the Medes with the Assyrians: the alleged Iranian migrations of the Avesta--Media-proper, its fauna and flora; Phraortes and the beginning of the Median empire--Persia proper and the Persians; conquest of Persia by the Medes--The last monuments of Assur-bani-pal: the library of Kouyunjik--Phraortes …
G. Maspero—History Of Egypt, Chaldaea, Syria, Babylonia, and Assyria, V 8 Josiah, a Pattern for the Ignorant.
"Because thine heart was tender, and thou hast humbled thyself before the Lord, when thou heardest what I spake against this place, and against the inhabitants thereof, that they should become a desolation and a curse, and hast rent thy clothes, and wept before Me; I also have heard thee, saith the Lord. Behold therefore, I will gather thee unto thy fathers, and thou shalt be gathered into thy grave in peace; and thine eyes shall not see all the evil which I will bring upon this place."--2 Kings …
John Henry Newman—Parochial and Plain Sermons, Vol. VIII Kings
The book[1] of Kings is strikingly unlike any modern historical narrative. Its comparative brevity, its curious perspective, and-with some brilliant exceptions--its relative monotony, are obvious to the most cursory perusal, and to understand these things is, in large measure, to understand the book. It covers a period of no less than four centuries. Beginning with the death of David and the accession of Solomon (1 Kings i., ii.) it traverses his reign with considerable fulness (1 Kings iii.-xi.), …
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament Links 2 Kings 23:10 NIV2 Kings 23:10 NLT2 Kings 23:10 ESV2 Kings 23:10 NASB2 Kings 23:10 KJV
2 Kings 23:10 Commentaries
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