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2 Kings 23:19

Old Testament Historical ASV (1901)

What does 2 Kings 23:19 say?

The American Standard Version records this verse as: “And all the houses also of the high places that were in the cities of Samaria, which the kings of Israel had made to provoke [Jehovah] to anger, Josiah took away, and did to them according to all the acts that he had done in Beth-el.” Read the surrounding verses and the named sources below before drawing broader conclusions.

The verse

And all the houses also of the high places that were in the cities of Samaria, which the kings of Israel had made to provoke [Jehovah] to anger, Josiah took away, and did to them according to all the acts that he had done in Beth-el.
2 Kings 23:19 — American Standard Version

Context — 2 Kings 23

American Standard Version (1901) — public domain. Click any verse for its study page.
16And as Josiah turned himself, he spied the sepulchres that were there in the mount; and he sent, and took the bones out of the sepulchres, and burned them upon the altar, and defiled it, according to the word of Jehovah which the man of God proclaimed, who proclaimed these things.
17Then he said, What monument is that which I see? And the men of the city told him, It is the sepulchre of the man of God, who came from Judah, and proclaimed these things that thou hast done against the altar of Beth-el.
18And he said, Let him be; let no man move his bones. So they let his bones alone, with the bones of the prophet that came out of Samaria.
19And all the houses also of the high places that were in the cities of Samaria, which the kings of Israel had made to provoke [Jehovah] to anger, Josiah took away, and did to them according to all the acts that he had done in Beth-el.
20And he slew all the priests of the high places that were there, upon the altars, and burned men`s bones upon them; and he returned to Jerusalem.
21And the king commanded all the people, saying, Keep the passover unto Jehovah your God, as it is written in this book of the covenant.
22Surely there was not kept such a passover from the days of the judges that judged Israel, nor in all the days of the kings of Israel, nor of the kings of Judah;
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What do historical commentaries say?

John Gill's Exposition
John Gill (1697–1771) · Exposition of the Old and New Testament · 18th-century historical commentary
“And all the houses also of the high places, etc.] The temples of the idols there, and the houses for the priests to dwell in: that were in the cities of Samaria, which the kings of Israel had made to provoke the Lord to anger, Josiah took away; particularly in the cities of Manasseh, Ephraim, and Simeon, unto Naphtali, (<143406>2 Chronicles 34:6) the Israelites that remained there acknowledging Josiah as their king; and perhaps, after the defeat of Sennacherib, many of the cities of Israel might put themselves under the protection of Hezekiah, and especially upon the destruction of the Assyrian empire; and Manasseh, with his liberty, might have his kingdom enlarged by the king of Babylon;…”
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Barnes' Notes
Albert Barnes (1798–1870) · Notes on the Whole Bible · 19th-century historical commentary
“A parenthesis giving the earlier reforms of Josiah. 2 Kings 23:4 The priests of the second order - This is a new expression; and probably refers to the ordinary priests, called here “priests of the second order,” in contrast with the high priest, whose dignity was reviving (2 Kings 12:2 note). The vessels - This would include the whole apparatus of worship, altars, images, dresses, utensils, etc., for Baal, etc. (2 Kings 21:3-5 notes). The ashes of the idolatrous objects burned in the first instance in the “fields of Kidron” (i. e., in the part of the valley which lies northeast of the city, a part much broader than that between the Temple Hill and the Mount of Olives) were actually taken to…”
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Tyndale Open Study Notes
Tyndale House Publishers · Tyndale Open Study Notes · Modern study notes
“23:19-20 pagan shrines . . . of Samaria: Josiah’s religious purge extended throughout the former northern kingdom (see also 2 Chr 34:6-7). Josiah’s freedom to carry out such reforms testifies to his strength and Assyria’s growing weakness (see study note on 2 Kgs 23:29).”
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Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge
R. A. Torrey and contributors · The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge · Cross-reference reference work
“the houses: Kg2 17:9; Kg1 12:31, Kg1 13:32 the cities: Ch2 30:6-11, Ch2 31:1, Ch2 34:6, Ch2 34:7 the kings: Kg2 8:18; Kg1 16:33; Mic 6:16 to provoke the Lord: Kg2 17:16-18, Kg2 21:6; Psa 78:58; Jer 7:18, Jer 7:19; Eze 8:17, Eze 8:18 4 Kings (2 Kings) 23:20”
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Related study paths

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Sources and verification