2 Kings 23:30

Contextual Overview

²⁵ Never before had there been a king like Josiah, who turned to the Lord with all his heart and soul and strength, obeying all the laws of Moses. And there has never been a king like him since. ²⁵ And like unto him was there no king before him, that turned to the LORD with all his heart, and with all his soul, and with all his might, according to all the law of Moses; neither after him arose there any like him. ²⁵ And like him there was no king before him, that turned to Yahweh with all his heart, and with all his soul, and with all his might, according to all the law of Moses; neither after him did there arise any like him. ²⁵ There was no king like Josiah before or after him. He obeyed the Lord with all his heart, soul, and strength, following all the Teachings of Moses. ²⁵ No king before or after repented before the Lord as he did, with his whole heart, soul, and being in accordance with the whole law of Moses. ²⁵ And like him was there no king before him, that turned to the LORD with all his heart, and with all his soul, and with all his might, according to all the law of Moses; neither after him arose there [any] like him. ²⁵ Like him was there no king before him, who turned to Yahweh with all his heart, and with all his soul, and with all his might, according to all the law of Moses; neither after him arose there any like him. ²⁵Before him there was no king like Josiah who turned to the LORD with all his heart and all his soul and all his might, in accordance with all the Law of Moses; nor did anyone like him arise after him. ²⁵ Before him there was no king like him, who turned to the Lord with all his heart and with all his soul and with all his might, according to all the Law of Moses, nor did any like him arise after him. ²⁵ No kyng bifor him was lijk hym, `that turnede ayen to the Lord in al his herte, and in al his soule, and in al his vertu, bi al the lawe of Moises; nether aftir hym roos ony lijk hym.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

servants: 2 Kings 9:28, 1 Kings 22:33-38, 2 Chronicles 35:24

the people: 2 Kings 14:21, 2 Kings 21:24, 2 Chronicles 36:1, 2 Chronicles 36:2-4

Reciprocal: Joshua 12:21 - Megiddo Joshua 17:11 - Megiddo 1 Kings 4:12 - Megiddo 1 Kings 9:15 - Megiddo 2 Kings 9:27 - Megiddo 2 Kings 22:20 - gathered 1 Chronicles 3:14 - Josiah 1 Chronicles 11:3 - anointed 2 Chronicles 35:20 - Necho 2 Chronicles 35:22 - Megiddo Jeremiah 22:10 - Weep ye Ezekiel 19:1 - the princes Zephaniah 1:8 - the princes John 19:41 - and in Revelation 16:16 - Armageddon

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And his servants carried him in a chariot dead from Megiddo,.... They took him out of the chariot in which he was wounded, and put him into another, where he died of his wounds by the way; being mortally wounded, he is said to be dead, or a dead man, see 2 Chronicles 35:24

and brought him to Jerusalem; which, according to Bunting b, was forty four miles from Megiddo:

and buried him in his own sepulchre; which either he had provided for himself in his lifetime, or which in common belonged to the kings of Judah, see 2 Chronicles 35:24

and the people of the land took Jehoahaz the son of Josiah, and anointed him, and made him king in his father's stead; though he was not the eldest son, Jehoiakim, who was afterwards placed in his room, being two years older, as appears from 2 Kings 23:31 and this is the reason, as the Jewish commentators in general agree, that he was anointed; which they say was never done to the son of a king, unless there was a competitor, or some objection to, or dispute about, the succession, as in the case of Solomon and others.

b Travels, &c. p. 188.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Dead - It appears from a comparison of this passage with 2 Chronicles (marginal reference) that Josiah was not actually killed in the battle.

Jehoahaz - Or Shallum (the marginal note). He may have taken the name of Jehoahaz (“the Lord possesses”) on his accession. He was not the eldest son of Josiah (see 2 Kings 23:36 note). The mention of “anointing” here favors the view that there was some irregularity in the succession (see 1 Kings 1:34 note).

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 30. Dead from Megiddo — The word מת meth should here be considered as a participle, dying, for it is certain he was not dead: he was mortally wounded at Megiddo, was carried in a dying state to Jerusalem, and there he died and was buried. See 2 Chronicles 35:24.

Herodotus, lib. i., c. 17, 18, 25, and lib. ii. 159, appears to refer to the same war which is here mentioned. He says that Nechoh, in the sixth year of his reign, went to attack the king of Assyria at Magdolum, gained a complete victory, and took Cadytis. Usher and others believe that Magdolum and Megiddo were the same place. The exact place of the battle seems to have been Hadadrimmon, in the valley of Megiddo, for there Zechariah tells us 2 Kings 12:11, was the great mourning for Josiah. Compare this with 2 Chronicles 35:24-25.