1 JOSIAH was eight years old when he began to reign, and he reigned thirty and one years in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was Jedidah, the daughter of Adaiah of Boscath.
2 And he did that which was right in the sight of the Lord, and walked in all the way of David his father, and turned not aside to the right hand or to the left.
3 And it came to pass in the eighteenth year of king Josiah, that the king sent Shaphan the son of Azaliah, the son of Meshullam, the scribe, to the house of the Lord, saying,
4 Go up to Hilkiah the high priest, that he may sum the silver which is brought into the house of the Lord, which the keepers of the door have gathered of the people:
5 And let them deliver it into the hand of the doers of the work, that have the oversight of the house of the Lord: and let them give it to the doers of the work which is in the house of the Lord, to repair the breaches of the house,
6 Unto carpenters, and builders, and masons, and to buy timber and hewn stone to repair the house.
7 Howbeit there was no reckoning made with them of the money that was delivered into their hand, because they dealt faithfully.
8 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 priest hath delivered me a book. And Shaphan read it before the king.
11 And it came to pass, when the king had heard the words of the book of the law, that he rent his clothes.
12 And the king commanded Hilkiah the priest, and Ahikam the son of Shaphan, and Achbor the son of Michaiah, and Shaphan the scribe, and Asahiah a servant of the king’s, saying,
13 Go ye, inquire of the Lord for me, and for the people, and for all Judah, concerning the words of this book that is found: for great is the wrath of the Lord that is kindled against us, because our fathers have not hearkened unto the words of this book, to do according unto all that which is written concerning us.
14 So Hilkiah the priest, and Ahikam, and Achbor, and Shaphan, and Asahiah, went unto Huldah the prophetess, the wife of Shallum the son of Tikvah, the son of Harhas, keeper of the wardrobe; (now she dwelt in Jerusalem in the college;) and they communed with her.
15 And she said unto them, Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, Tell the man that sent you to me,
16 Thus saith the Lord, Behold, I will bring evil upon this place, and upon the inhabitants thereof, even all the words of the book which the king of Judah hath read:
17 Because they have forsaken me, and have burned incense unto other gods, that they might provoke me to anger with all the works of their hands; therefore my wrath shall be kindled against this place, and shall not be quenched.
18 But to the king of Judah which sent you to inquire of the Lord, thus shall ye say to him, Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, As touching the words which thou hast heard;
19 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.
20 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. And they brought the king word again.

1Iosiah was eight yeeres old when hee beganne to reigne, and hee reigned thirtie and one yeeres in Ierusalem: and his mothers name was Iedidah, the daughter of Adaiah of Boscath.

2And he did that which was right in the sight of the Lord, and walked in all the wayes of Dauid his father, and turned not aside to the right hand, or to the left.

3 And it came to passe in the eighteenth yeere of king Iosiah, that the king sent Shaphan the sonne of Azaliah, the sonne of Meshullam the Scribe to the house of the Lord, saying,

4Goe vp to Hilkiah the high priest, that he may summe the siluer which is brought into the house of the Lord, which the keepers of the doore haue gathered of the people.

5And let them deliuer it into the hand of the doers of the worke, that haue the ouersight of the house of the Lord: and let them giue it to the doers of the worke, which is in the house of the Lord, to repaire the breaches of the house,

6Unto carpenters, and builders, and masons, and to buy timber and hewen stone, to repaire the house.

7Howbeit, there was no reckoning made with them, of the money that was deliuered into their hand, because they dealt faithfully.

8 And Hilkiah the high Priest said vnto Shaphan the Scribe, I haue found the booke of the Law in the house of the Lord. And Hilkiah gaue the booke to Shaphan, and he read it.

9And Shaphan the Scribe came to the king, and brought the king word againe, and said, Thy seruants haue gathered the money that was found in the house, and haue deliuered it into the hand of them that doe the worke, that haue the ouersight of the house of the Lord.

10And Shaphan the Scribe shewed the king, saying, Hilkiah the Priest hath deliuered mee a booke: and Shaphan read it before the king.

11And it came to passe when the king had heard the words of the booke of the Law, that he rent his clothes.

12And the king commanded Hilkiah the Priest, and Ahikam the sonne of Shaphan, and Achbor the sonne of Michaiah, and Shaphan the Scribe, and Asahiah a seruant of the Kings, saying,

13Goe yee, enquire of the Lord for me, and for the people, and for all Iudah, concerning the wordes of this booke that is found: for great is the wrath of the Lord that is kindled against vs, because our fathers haue not hearkened vnto the woordes of this booke, to doe according vnto all that which is written concerning vs.

14So Hilkiah the Priest, and Ahikam, and Achbor, and Shaphan, and Asahiah, went vnto Huldah the Prophetesse, the wife of Shallum the sonne of Tikuah, the sonne of Harhas, keeper of the wardrobe: now she dwelt in Ierusalem in the colledge: And they communed with her.

15 And she said vnto them, Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, Tell the man that sent you to me;

16Thus saith the Lord, Behold, I will bring euill vpon this place, and vpon the inhabitants thereof, euen all the words of the booke which the king of Iudah hath read.

17Because they haue forsaken me, and haue burnt incense vnto other gods, that they might prouoke mee to anger with all the woorkes of their handes: therefore my wrath shall bee kindled against this place, and shall not be quenched.

18But to the king of Iudah which sent you to enquire of the Lord, Thus shall yee say to him, Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, as touching the woordes which thou hast heard:

19Because thine heart was tender, and thou hast humbled thy selfe 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 cloathes, and wept before me; I also haue heard thee, saith the Lord.

20Behold therefore, I will gather thee vnto thy fathers, and thou shalt be gathered into thy graue in peace, and thine eyes shal not see all the euil which I will bring vpon this place. And they brought the king word againe.

I == Josh 15:39 ; 2nd Chr 34:1

 

 

II == Deut 5:32

 

 

III == 2nd Chr 34:8

 

 

 

IV == 2nd Kings 12:4 , 9 ; Ps 84:10

 

V == 2nd Kings 12:11-12 , 14

 

 

 

 

 

VII == 2nd Kings 12:15

 

VIII == Deut 31:24 ; 2nd Chr 34:14

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

XII == 2nd Chr 34:20

 

 

XIII == Deut 29:27

 

 

 

 

 

XIV == 2nd Chr 34:22

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

XVI == Deut 29:27 ; Dan 9:11-14

 

XVII == Deut 29:25-27

 

 

 

XVIII == 2nd Chr 34:26

 

 

XIX == Lev 26:31-32 ; 1st Kings 21:29 ; Ps 51:17 ; Isa 57:15 ; Jer 26:6 ; 44:22

 

 

 

XX == Ps 37:37 ; Isa 57:1-2

1 Josiah was eight years old when he began to reign, and he reigned thirty-one years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Jedidah, daughter of Adaiah of Bozkath.

2 He pleased the LORD and conducted himself unswervingly just as his ancestor David had done.

3 In his eighteenth year, King Josiah sent the scribe Shaphan, son of Azaliah, son of Meshullam, to the temple of the LORD with orders to

4 go to the high priest Hilkiah and have him smelt down the precious metals that had been donated to the temple of the Lord, which the doorkeepers had collected from the people.

5 They were to be consigned to the master workmen in the temple of the LORD, who should then pay them out to the carpenters, builders, and lumbermen making repairs on the temple,

6 and for the purchase of wood and hewn stone for the temple repairs.

7 No reckoning was asked of them regarding the funds consigned to them, because they held positions of trust.

8 The high priest Hilkiah informed the scribe Shaphan, "I have found the book of the law in the temple of the LORD." Hilkiah gave the book to Shaphan, who read it.

9 Then the scribe Shaphan went to the king and reported, "Your servants have smelted down the metals available in the temple and have consigned them to the master workmen in the temple of the LORD."

10 The scribe Shaphan also informed the king that the priest Hilkiah had given him a book, and then read it aloud to the king.

11 When the king had heard the contents of the book of the law, he tore his garments

12 and issued this command to Hilkiah the priest, Ahikam, son of Shaphan, Achbor, son of Micaiah, the scribe Shaphan, and the king's servant Asaiah:

13 "Go, consult the LORD for me, for the people, for all Judah, about the stipulations of this book that has been found, for the anger of the LORD has been set furiously ablaze against us, because our fathers did not obey the stipulations of this book, nor fulfill our written obligations."

14 So Hilkiah the priest, Ahikam, Achbor, Shaphan, and Asaiah betook themselves to the Second Quarter in Jerusalem, where the prophetess Huldah resided. She was the wife of Shallum, son of Tikvah, son of Harhas, keeper of the wardrobe. When they had spoken to her,

15 she said to them, "Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel: 'Say to the man who sent you to me,

16 Thus says the LORD: I will bring upon this place and upon its inhabitants all the evil that is threatened in the book which the king of Judah has read.

17 Because they have forsaken me and have burned incense to other gods, provoking me by everything to which they turn their hands, my anger is ablaze against this place and it cannot be extinguished.'

18 "But to the king of Judah who sent you to consult the LORD, give this response: 'Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel: As for the threats you have heard,

19 because you were heartsick and have humbled yourself before the LORD when you heard my threats that this place and its inhabitants would become a desolation and a curse; because you tore your garments and wept before me; I in turn have listened, says the LORD.

20 I will therefore gather you to your ancestors; you shall go to your grave in peace, and your eyes shall not see all the evil I will bring upon this place.'" This they reported to the king.

v 1,2. Ordinarily if a man is wicked, his son may be more so, but Josiah is in great contrast to his wicked father Amon. Amon had followed the steps of Manasseh in his early days, but after his repentance and turn to the Lord, Manasseh may have been an influence for good on his grandson, Josiah. It is reasonable to assume that he may have held Josiah on his knee as he extolled the virtues of following the Lord, because Josiah was 6 years old when he died at the age of 61-67. A king at age 7, Joash had mechanically followed the leadership of Jehoiada in 2 Ki. 11 and 12, but lacked a personal commitment to God. Josiah, a king at age 8,  may have merely just followed in Manasseh’s later spiritual steps the first eight years of his reign, older men in government running the country much as it had been before. 2 Chr. 34:1-7 When he was 16 years old, he began to seek the Lord from his own conviction. Then when he was 20, he took full personal command of government  and began to purge Jerusalem and Judah of the high places and all kinds of idolatry, scattering the dust of the images over the graves of those who had worshiped them. He also burned the bones of the pagan priests on their own altars. His authority as king was limited to Judah, but as an envoy of God, he continued the destruction of the idols and altars of Canaanite worship through all the cities of Israel to the very northern limit. Apparently the Assyrian appointed rulers did not interfere in this religious matter. This is not the later reform where he destroyed Jeroboam’s altars etc. which is discussed in 2 Ki. 23:15-19 and 2 Chr. 34:33.

v 3-7. Includes comments from 2 Chr. 34:8-13 . In Josiah’s 18th year, when he was 26 years old and he had completed purging all of Israel of idolatry, he turned his attention to the repair of the temple. He apparently had Levites collecting money for this purpose from Judah and the remnant  all over Israel while the purge was going on. Josiah commissioned officials, Shaphan a scribe, Maaseiah, governor of Jerusalem, and Joah the recorder, to be responsible for repair of the temple. They delivered the money to Hilkiah the priest to be counted and distributed to overseers to hire workmen and buy materials. The craftsmen were skilled in wood, stone and probably metal. The named overseers were  skilled musicians, sensitive to good artistry. Other Levites, who were scribes, officers and porters, oversaw all labor, from burden bearers to the most skilled. No general accounting was made of the money, because it was given to the workmen regularly and faithfully. Our Pentagon could not be run that way today?

v 8--10. Includes comments from 2 Chr. 34:14-17. While the temple was being repaired, Hilkiah the high priest was getting out money to pay workmen and came accidentally upon the book of the Law, the five books of Moses. He gave it to Shaphan the scribe, and he read it before making his report to the king. When he reported that the work and the payment of workmen was going on fine, he reported, almost as an after thought, that Hilkiah had found that book, and he read it before the king.

v 11-14. Includes comments from 2 Chr. 34:18-21. Josiah tore his clothes and wept at the words, possibly because he realized his reforms had not nearly fulfilled the great responsibility that Moses had given kings. All other copies had probably been destroyed by Manasseh, and Hilkiah only knew the rules pertaining to his own office. Josiah feared that the wrath of God would be upon the nation for disobedience so he sent him and four other important men,

v 12, to Huldah the prophetess for instruction. Jeremiah, (Jer. 1:2),  Zephaniah, (Zeph 1:1) and possibly Nahum and Habakkuk were in the area, but perhaps they felt more comfortable going to her, an acquaintance, the wife of Shallum, who had charge of the royal or priestly wardrobe. Shallum may also have been Jeremiah’s uncle, Jer. 32:7. Her advice as a woman was just as valued as that of Miriam, Ex. 15:20, and Deborah, Jud. 4:4.

V 15-20. Includes comments from 2 Chr. 34:22-28. Huldah sent the men back to Josiah with the message that since the people had disobeyed the Lord and worshiped other gods, He would indeed bring evil upon them in wrath which could not be quenched. This  included all the curses which were read in the book from Deut. 28:15-68 and Lev. 26:14-39. Concerning the king, his heart was tender and he had humbled himself before God, weeping and tearing his clothes. Therefore, he would die in peace before this judgment fell. He died 609 B C, four years before Nebuchadnezzar’s first attack on Jerusalem in 605. Death in the battle which he started may not seem like peace, but it was in peace from the terrible things which followed.