2 Chronicles 35:21

Contextual Overview

²⁰After all this that Josiah had prepared for the temple, King Neco of Egypt marched up to fight at Carchemish by the Euphrates, and Josiah went out to confront him. ²⁰ After all this, when Yoshiyahu had prepared the temple, Nekho king of Mitzrayim went up to fight against Karkemish by the Perat: and Yoshiyahu went out against him. ²⁰ After all this, when Josiah had prepared the temple, Necho king of Egypt came up to fight against Charchemish by Euphrates: and Josiah went out against him. ²⁰ After all this, when Josiah had prepared the temple, Neco king of Egypt went up to fight at Carchemish on the Euphrates, and Josiah went out to meet him. ²⁰ After Josiah did all this for the Temple, Neco king of Egypt led an army to attack Carchemish, a town on the Euphrates River. And Josiah marched out to fight against Neco. ²⁰ After Josiah had done all this for the temple, King Necho of Egypt marched up to do battle at Carchemish on the Euphrates River. Josiah marched out to oppose him. ²⁰After all this, when Josiah had prepared the temple, Neco king of Egypt came up to make war at Carchemish on the Euphrates, and Josiah went out to meet him. ²⁰ After all this, when Josiah had set the temple in order, Neco king of Egypt came up to wage war at Carchemish on the Euphrates, and Josiah went out to engage him. ²⁰ After all this, when Josiah had prepared the temple, Neco king of Egypt went up to fight against Carchemish by the Euphrates: and Josiah went out against him. ²⁰ After all this, when Iosiah had prepared the Temple, Necho King of Egypt came vp to fight against Carchemish by Perath, and Iosiah went out against him.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

What: 2 Samuel 16:10, Matthew 8:29, John 2:4

house wherewith I have war: Heb. house of my war

God: 2 Kings 18:25, Isaiah 36:10

forbear thee: 2 Chronicles 25:19

Reciprocal: 1 Kings 17:18 - What have I 2 Kings 14:10 - why shouldest 2 Chronicles 35:22 - the mouth Jeremiah 46:2 - Pharaohnecho

Cross-References

Micah 4:8
And you, watchtower for the flock,fortified hill of Daughter Zion,the former rule will come to you;sovereignty will come to Daughter Jerusalem.

Micah 4:8
You, tower of the flock, the hill of the daughter of Tziyon, To you it will come, Yes, the former dominion will come, The kingdom of the daughter of Yerushalayim.

Micah 4:8
And thou, O towre of the flock, the strong hold of the daughter of Zion, vnto thee shall it come, euen the first dominion, the kingdome shall come to the daughter of Ierusalem.

Micah 4:8
And thou, O tower of the flock, the strong hold of the daughter of Zion, unto thee shall it come, even the first dominion; the kingdom shall come to the daughter of Jerusalem.

Micah 4:8
And you, O tower of the flock, hill of the daughter of Zion, to you shall it come, the former dominion shall come, kingship for the daughter of Jerusalem.

Micah 4:8
"As for you, tower of the flock, Hill of the daughter of Zion, To you it will come— Yes, the former dominion will come, The kingdom of the daughter of Jerusalem.

Micah 4:8
And you, watchtower of the flocks, hill of Jerusalem, to you will come the kingdom as in the past. Jerusalem, the right to rule will come again to you."

Micah 4:8
"As for you [Jerusalem], tower of the flock [of Israel], Hill and stronghold of the Daughter of Zion (Jerusalem's inhabitants), To you the former dominion shall come, The kingdom of the Daughter of Jerusalem [when the Messiah reigns in Jerusalem, and the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled].

Micah 4:8
And thou, O towre of the flock, the strong holde of the daughter Zion, vnto thee shall it come, euen the first dominion, and kingdome shall come to the daughter Ierusalem.

Micah 4:8
"As for you, tower of the flock, Hill of the daughter of Zion, To you it will come— Even the former dominion will come, The kingdom of the daughter of Jerusalem.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

But he sent ambassadors to him,.... That is, Necho sent to Josiah:

saying, what have I to do with thee, thou king of Judah? signifying he had no quarrel with him, he did not come to fight with him, and he had no business to intermeddle between him and another prince:

I come not against thee this day; in an hostile manner:

but against the house wherewith I have war; the king of Assyria:

for God commanded me to make haste; and oppose his enemy: according to the Targum, it was his idol; and which is the sense of other Jewish writers y; but the true God might have appeared to him in a dream, or sent a prophet to him; or at least he might pretend this, that it might have the greater effect on Josiah; and indeed it seems to be real from the following verse:

forbear thee from meddling with God, who is with me, that he destroy thee not; he concluded God was with him, and would succeed him, because he had put him upon this enterprise, and hastened him to it; therefore Josiah, in opposing him, might expect to be resisted by him, and fall.

y T. Bab. Taanith, fol. 22. 2.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

The house wherewith I have war - Necho viewed Babylon as the successor and representative of Assyria - the hereditary enemy of Egypt - and he means that he is merely continuing an old hostility with which Josiah has nothing to do. No doubt the Assyrian and Egyptian armies had often passed up and down Syria by the coast route, without approaching Jerusalem, or even touching the soil of Judaea.

God commanded me to make haste: forbear thee from meddling with God - These are remarkable words in the mouth of a pagan; but ancient inscriptions show that the Egyptian kings, in a certain sense, acknowledged a single supreme god, and considered their actions to be inspired by him. (e. g. The god Tum (compare) the name of his city, Pithom, Exodus 1:11 note) was worshipped as ankh, “the living One” (compare “Yahweh”)). Hence, Necho merely expressed himself as Egyptian kings were in the habit of doing.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 2 Chronicles 35:21. God commanded me to make haste — The Targum gives a curious turn to this and the following verse: "My idol commanded me to make haste; refrain therefore from me and my idol which is with me, that he betray thee not. When he heard him mention his idol, he would not go back; and he hearkened not unto the words of Necho, which he spake concerning his idol." Here is the rabbinical excuse for the conduct of Josiah.