2 Kings 22

2 Kings 22:1

*J OSIAH was eight years old when he began to reign, and he reigned’ thirty and one years in Jerusalem: and his mothers name was Jedidah, the daughter of Adaiah of Boscath. Who it is likely was a good woman, and took care to instil early good principles into him.

2 Kings 22:2

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. In him was verified the words of Solomon, (Prov. xx.ll.) “Even a child is knownby his doings, whether his work be pure, and whether it be right.” For when he had reigned eight years, while he was yet young, as Ezra observes, he began to reform all abuses in religion, (2 Chron. xxxiv. 3, &c.)

2 Kings 22:3

And it came to pass in the eighteenth year of king Josiah, that the king sent Shaplian the son of Azaliah, the son ofMeshullam the scribe, to the house of the Lord, saying. This was in the eighteenth year of his reign, not of his age, as we are told, 2 Chron. xxxiv. 8.

2 Kings 22:4

Go tip to Hilkiah the high-priest, that he may sum the silver which is broughtinto the house of the Lord. He ordered him to givo him an exact account of what money had been offered by pious people, for the reparation of the house of the Lord; as had been done in the reign of Jehoash, (xii.4, &c.) Which the keepers of the door have gathered of thepeople.] They were the Levites, as we learn from 2 Chron. xxxiv. 9.

2 Kings 22:5

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.] They entrusted certain persons with the money, who were to oversee the work, (whose names are recorded in 2 Chron. xxxiv. 12.) and they delivered it to the workmen to buy materials for the reparation of the house, as it follows in the next verse.

2 Kings 22:6

Unto carpenters, and builders, and masons, and to buy timber and hewn stone to repair the house. Builders (as distinguished from carpenters and masons) were such as laid the timber and the stone together, which the other had prepared. Ver. 7 J Howbeit, there was no reckoning made with them of the money that ivas delivered into their hand, because they dealt faithfully.] They were men of such approved honesty (like those in the days of Jehoash, xii. 15.) that there was no need to call them to an account how they laid out the money.

2 Kings 22:8

And Hilkiah the high-priest said unto Shaphan the scriM, 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. The book of Deuteronomy, saith Procopius Gazeeus. But it was rather the whole book of the law written by Moses; that authentic copy which by God’s command was laid up in the most holy place, (Dcut. xxxi. 24, &c.) About which the Hebrew doctors made great difficulties in their explication of this place, particularly It. Lipman in his Nitzacon, out of which Hottinger hath alleged a long passage concerning this matter, in his Historica Ecclesiastica, N. T. sect. 1G. par. iv. p. 137. where he justly thinks it a wonder that Josiah should so early fear God, and begin to reform religion, if he had never seen the book of the law before this time. And how should the people have kept such a Passover, and the priests been so well instructed in the rites of it this very year? (2 Chron. xxxiv. 19.) For the copies of the book now found could not be so soon made and dispersed every where as to teach them these things. It is most likely therefore, nay certain, that though this was the original book, yet the Jews had many copies of the law among them, though some of them perhaps imperfect or corrupted. For they report that Manasseh blotted the name of Jehovah out of all the books he could find. Hil- A COMMENTARY UPON [chap. XXII. kiah, therefore, rejoiced that he had found the original, by which all might be corrected. Which had been hid, it is probable, from the impious fury of their idolatrous kings, in some secret place of the temple, where it was now found when they were about to repair it: and the finding it at this very time, when Josiah was making a reformation of religion, could not but be looked upon as a remarkable providence, which very much afTected him, as we read afterward.

2 Kings 22:9

And Shaphan the scribe came to the king, and brought the king word again, saying, 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.) He gives him an account that he had executed his commands, given him ver. 4 — G.

2 Kings 22:10

And Shaphan the scribe shewed the king, saying, Hilkiah the priest hath delivered me a book: and Shaphan redd it before the king. Some part of it. It is said, indeed, in 2 Chron. xxxiv. 30. that " they read in the ears of the people all the book of the law/’ But that was done afterward, and was done by parcels, not all atone time. -And so it follows here, xxiii. 2. that Josiah read, that is, caused some by his order to read, all the words of the book of the covenant that was found in the house of the Lord, in the ears of all the people.

2 Kings 22:11

And it came to pass, when the king had heard the tvords of the book of the law, that he rent his clothes. Being very much affrighted when he heard the dreadful thrcatenings against the transgressor of the law, read out of the book of Deuteronomy. At which the book opened, either bythe special providence of God, or by the design of Shaphan, who had read the book before he brought it to the king, (ver. 8.) The Jerusalem Talmud, and from thence Abarbinel, saith, that he happened to read the place where the punishment of their king is denounced, (Deut. xxviii. 36.) or, that he observed the time drew near, when the punishments God threatened would be inflicted, for their long offences against this law. According to what the king himself here saith, ver. 13. " Great is the wrath of the Lord that is kindled against us," &c. By all which it is plain, the king had not written a copy of the law with his own hand, according to the command, Deut. xvii. 8. -Disuse often cancels the most excellent laws. For it is too probable they had a long time neglected also to read the law publicly evory seventh year, (Deut. xxxiv..9, 10.); -

2 Kings 22:12

And the king commanded Hilkiah the priest, and Ahikam the son of Shaphan, and Achor the son of Micaiah, and Shaphan the scinbe, and Asaiah a semant of the king’s, spying. Shaphan was a servant of the king, being secretary, or some such officer; but Asaiah, I suppose, was one that waited on his person, and was always about him.

2 Kings 22:13

Go ye and inquire of the Lord for me, and for the people. Of Jerusalem. And for all Jndah, concerning the words of this book that is found: for great is the torath of the Lord that is kindled against us, because our fathers have not hearkened unto the words of this book, to do according, to all that which is written concerning us.] I suppose he sent them to inquire whether there were any hopes his anger might be appeased, and by what means.'

2 Kings 22:14

So Hilkiah the priest, and Ahikam, and Achbor, andShaphan, and Asahiah,xvent unto Iluldah the prophetess, the wife of Shalhim the son of Tikvah, the son of^Harlia, keeper of the wardrobe.] It is certain that both Jeremiah and Zephaniah prophesied in the reign of Josiah; therefore it may seem strange that they did not resort to one of them., Of which Abarbinel gives this account/That Jeremiah was at this time absent from Jerusalem, being gone to convert the ten tribes; or rather, being at his own house in Anathoth. And the same he supposes of Zephaniah, that he was not near at hand; and therefore they went to Huldah, who lived at Jerusalem; and the rather, as some suppose, because women are more inclined to pity. and compassion than men. But this is an absurd reason, as Abarbinel well observes; for the prophets did not speak according to their own inclinations, but as God dictated to them. The Jews have a tradition in Massecheth Megillah, that eight prophets descended from Rahab, whereof Huldah was one. And Kimchi upon this place saith, Our doctors write, that three prophesied in the days of Josiah; viz. Jeremiah in the streets or villages, Zephaniah in the synagogues, and Huldah among the women. Now she dwelt in Jerusalem in the college, and they communed with her.] The Hebrew word mishneh, which we translate college (and which the Targum takes to signify a school), is, in the margin of our Bibles, translated the second part. For there were three walls about Jerusalem, as Abarbinel observes. Within the first of which lived artificers, and the common people; within the second, the better sort, the wise men, prophets, and prophetesses, lived; and within the third, was the mountain of the Lord, as they speak. Now of the middle part of. Jerusalem they think the holy MTiter here speaks, in which Huldah dwelt.

2 Kings 22:15

And she said unto them, Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, Telltheman that sent you unto me. Ro speaks in the prophetical style, and with great boldness tells him the plain truth. ,

2 Kings 22:16

TJius saith the Lord, Behold, I xvill bring evil upon this place, and upon the inhabitants thereof, even all the words of the book ivhich the king of Judah hath read. All the plagues threatened in Deut. xxviii. and other places. •

2 Kings 22:17

Because they have forsaken me, and have burnt incense unto other gods, that they might provoke me to anger with all the work of their hands: therefore, my wrath shall be kindled against this place, and shall not be quenched.] This was the answer to the king’s inquiry; that the decree of God was peremptory and irresistible, against Judah and Jerusalem, for their extirpation; and he adds the reason thereof..

2 Kings 22:18

But to the king of Judah which sent you to inquire of the Lord, thus shall ye say unto him, TJius saith tlie Lord God of Israel, As touching the tvords which thou hast heard. As far as they concerned his person.

2 Kings 22:19

Because thy heart was tender, and thou hast humbled thyself before the Lord, when thou hcardest what I spake against this place, and agahxst the inhabitants thereof, that they should become a desolation and a curse, and liast rent thy clothes, and went before me: I also have heard thee> saith the Lord.]. Here are four tokens, as some observe, of a true repentance and conversion unto God. First, softness of heart; which is opposed to that hardness which arises from unbelief of God’s threatenings; because faith majees men tenderly affected with them. Secondly, great CHAP. X^III.] THE SECOND BOOK 01? THE KINGS. humility, arising from a sense of his unworthiness of any mercy. These two were inward: the other were outward; tokens of this inward sense; which were rending his clothes, and weeping for his own, and for the public offences; which moved God to take some pity upoiibiiu, though he resolved to destroy the nation.

2 Kings 22:20

Behold, therefore, I will gather thee unto thy fatiters. The tinie hasting for their utter destniction, God would let him live but a short time; which was a mercy to him, that he might not see the miseries that were coming upon them. And tlioii shall go unto thy grave in peace; and thine eyes shall not see all the evil which I will bring upon this place.’] Though he was slain in battle, (xxiii. &9.) yet he went to his grave in peace; because, as the next words explain it, he did not live to see the calamities which were inevitably threatened to come upon the nation; but left his kingdom in a peaceable condition. For the Egyptians, who slew him, gave them no long disturbance, and the Babylonians were not yet ready to come up against them. And they brought the king word again.’] Who immediately set himself to do all the good he could for his time; though he could not prevent the evil that was coming.