Read 2 Kings 22 here (text coming …) or at Bible Gateway.
The Hebrew paragraphs:
22:1-2 {p} Josiah reigned 31 years/ he did what was right in the eyes of YHVH
22:3-23:30 {p} …
2 Kin 12:1-22:7 Chiastic structure:
Concerning the chiastic structure: of all the kings of Judah who did what was right in the eyes of YHVH, only Hezekiah removed the high places.
High places refer to elevated sites used for religious worship, often located on hills or mountains. These sites typically featured altars, sacred pillars, and sometimes wooden poles associated with Canaanite deities. While some high places were used to worship YHVH, especially before the temple’s construction (1 Kin 3:2), their continued use after Solomon’s temple was built violated the Torah command for centralized worship at the place YHVH would choose (Deu 12:2–5, fulfilled in Jerusalem). Godly King Hezekiah removed the high places to restore proper worship in compliance with Torah’s commands (2 Kin 18:4) and was the only king since David who “did what was right in the eyes of YHVH” to do so, while others, like Jehoshaphat (1 Kin 22:43), allowed them to persist.
It seems that during Hezekiah’s reign, the commands of the Book of the Law were known, as his reforms reflect adherence to Torah principles (2 Kin 18:4-6). However, by Josiah’s reign several generations later, the Book of the Law had been lost, and its commands, except perhaps generally, were not known. The evil reign of Manasseh was likely responsible for this complete reversal in so short a time, in that he persecuted the faithful and filled Jerusalem with innocent blood (2 Kin 21:16).
Leave a Reply