This chapter begins with the age and character of Josiah king of Judah, 2 Kings 22:1–2, relates his orders for repairing the temple, 2 Kings 22:3–7, his attention to the book of the law, which was found, and read to him, and the effect it had upon him, 2 Kings 22:8–11, the command he gave to…

Josiah was eight years old when he began to reign And must be born when his father was but sixteen, for Amon lived but twenty four years, , and he reigned thirty and one years in Jerusalem; and so must die at thirty nine years of age: and his mother’s name was Jedidah, the daughter of Adaiah of…

And he did that which was right in the sight of the Lord In the affair of religious worship especially, as well as in other things: and walked in all the ways of David his father; in his religious ways, in which he never departed from his God: and turned not aside to the right hand or to the left;…

And it came to pass in the eighteenth year of King Josiah Not of his age, but of his reign, as appears from nor is what follows the first remarkable act he did in a religious way; for elsewhere we read of what he did in the eighth and twelfth years of his reign, , that the king sent Shaphan the son…

Go up to Hilkiah the high priest Who had an apartment in the temple; there was an Hilkiah, a priest, in those times, who was the father of Jeremiah the prophet, (Jer. 1:1, Jer.

And let them deliver it into the hand of the doers of the work, that have the oversight of the house of the Lord That were overseers of the workmen, whose names are mentioned, into their hands the money was to be delivered by the high priest, when he had taken the account of it, and perhaps along…

Unto carpenters, and builders, and masons Who were employed, some in mending the woodwork, and others in repairing the stone walls and to buy timber and hewn stone to repair the house; not only money was to be given them for their workmanship, but to buy timber and stone to work with.

Howbeit, there was no reckoning made with them of the money that was delivered into their hand No account was kept between the high priest, and the king’s scribe who delivered the money and the overseers of the workmen, who received it from them the latter were not called to any account by the…

And Hilkiah the high priest said unto Shaphan the scribe Not at the first time of his message to him, but afterwards that he attended on him upon the same business; after the high priest had examined the temple to know what repairs it wanted, and where: I have found the book of the law in the house…

And Shaphan the scribe came to the king, and brought the king word again Of the delivery of his message to the high priest, and of what had been done upon it: and said, thy servants have gathered the money that was found in the house; meaning Hilkiah and himself, who had examined the chest in the…

And Shaphan showed the king Further related to him what follows: saying, Hilkiah the high priest hath delivered me a book; but did not say what book it was: and Shaphan read it before the king; part of it; and it is thought by Kimchi and Ben Gersom that he particularly read the reproofs and…

And it came to pass, when the king had heard the words of the book of the law From whence it appears that he had never wrote out a copy of it, as the kings of Israel were ordered to do, when they came to the throne, (Deut. 17:18, Deut.

And the king commanded Hilkiah the priest The high priest, as he is called, (2 Kings 22:4, 2 Kings 22:8) and Ahikam the son of Shaphan; whether the same with Shaphan the scribe, before mentioned, or another of the same name, is not certain: and Achbor the son of Michaiah; who is called Abdon, the…

Go ye, inquire of the Lord Of some of his prophets, as Jeremiah, who began to prophesy in the thirteenth year of Josiah’s reign, and had been a prophet five years, (Jer. 1:1, Jer.

So Hilkiah the priest, and Ahikam, and Achbor, and Shaphan, and Asahiah, went down to Huldah the prophetess Such as were Miriam and Deborah; in imitation of those Satan had very early his women prophetesses, the Sibyls, so called from their being the council and oracle of God, and consulted as such…

And she said unto them The king’s messengers: thus saith the Lord God of Israel; being immediately inspired by him, she spake in his name, as prophets did: tell the man that sent you to me; which may seem somewhat rude and unmannerly to say of a king; but when it is considered she spake not of…

Thus saith the Lord, behold, I will bring evil upon this place, and upon the inhabitants of it Destruction to the place, and captivity to the inhabitants of it: even all the words of the book which the king of Judah hath read; particularly what is contained in , even all the curses in it, as in .

Because they have forsaken me My worship, as the Targum; his word and ordinances: and have burnt incense unto other gods; to Baal, to the host of heaven, and other Heathen deities: that they might provoke me to anger with all the works of their hands: their idols of wood, stone, gold, and silver,…

But to the king of Judah, which sent you to inquire of the Lord That is, with respect to him, or what may concern him: thus shall ye say unto him; carry back this message to him as from the Lord he desired to inquire of: thus saith the Lord God of Israel, as touching the words which thou hast…

Because thine heart was tender Soft like wax, and susceptible of impressions; or was “moved”, or “trembled”, as the Targum; for God has respect to such as are of contrite hearts, and tremble at his word, , and thou hast humbled thyself before the Lord; external humiliation, such as in Ahab, was…

Behold therefore, I will gather thee unto thy fathers To his godly ancestors, to share with them in eternal life and happiness; otherwise it could be no peculiar favour to die in common, as his fathers did, and be buried in their sepulchres: and thou shall be gathered into thy grave in peace; in a…