Moreover the altar that was at Bethel, and the high place which Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin, had made, both that altar and the high place he brake down, and burned the high place, and stamped it small to powder, and burned the grove.

2 KINGS 23:15KJV
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2 Kings 23:15 (KJV)

What does 2 Kings 23:15 mean?

2 Kings 23:15 describes how King Josiah destroyed the altar and high place at Bethel that Jeroboam, son of Nebat, had built, which had led Israel into sin. Josiah broke down the altar and high place, burned them, crushed them to powder, and also burned the grove (a wooden idol or sacred object).

This verse is part of the account of King Josiah’s reforms in Judah, where he is personally taking action to remove places and objects associated with idol worship. The verse highlights Josiah’s thoroughness in eradicating the religious practices introduced by Jeroboam, who had set up alternative worship sites in Bethel to turn people away from the temple in Jerusalem.

The Hebrew behind 2 Kings 23:15

  • בָּמָה (bamah, “place”): This word refers to a “high place,” which in ancient Israel was often a site for worship, usually on an elevated location. Here, it points to a location specifically used for worship outside of Jerusalem, which was against the centralization of worship in the temple.
  • אָשֵׁרָה (asherah, “grove”): This word often refers to a wooden pole or tree associated with the worship of the Canaanite goddess Asherah. Burning the asherah shows Josiah’s determination to remove not just altars but also the objects used in idol worship.
  • דָּקַק (daqaq, “stamped…to powder”): This verb means to crush or pulverize. Josiah did not just remove the altar; he destroyed it so completely that it could not be rebuilt or reused.

Why 2 Kings 23:15 matters

  • This verse shows the seriousness of Josiah’s reforms, emphasizing that he did not just remove idols but destroyed them completely to prevent any return to idol worship.
  • The mention of Jeroboam connects Josiah’s actions to a long history of Israel’s disobedience, showing that Josiah was addressing problems that had existed for generations.
  • By targeting Bethel, a significant site of rival worship, Josiah was making a clear statement about returning to the worship of the God of Israel in the way prescribed by the law.

Where else these words appear

“stamped” Hebrew H1854 · used in 12 verses

  • Exodus 30:36 And thou shalt beat some of it very small, and put of it before the testimony in the tabernacle of the congregation, where I will meet with thee: it shall be unto you most holy.
  • 2 Samuel 22:43 Then did I beat them as small as the dust of the earth, I did stamp them as the mire of the street, and did spread them abroad.
  • 2 Chronicles 34:7 And when he had broken down the altars and the groves, and had beaten the graven images into powder, and cut down all the idols throughout all the land of Israel, he returned to Jerusalem.

“Nebat” Hebrew H5028 · used in 25 verses

  • 1 Kings 11:26 And Jeroboam the son of Nebat, an Ephrathite of Zereda, Solomon's servant, whose mother's name was Zeruah, a widow woman, even he lifted up his hand against the king.
  • 1 Kings 22:52 And he did evil in the sight of the LORD, and walked in the way of his father, and in the way of his mother, and in the way of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin:
  • 2 Kings 15:18 And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD: he departed not all his days from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin.

“grove” Hebrew H842 · used in 40 verses

  • Exodus 34:13 But ye shall destroy their altars, break their images, and cut down their groves:
  • 1 Kings 18:19 Now therefore send, and gather to me all Israel unto mount Carmel, and the prophets of Baal four hundred and fifty, and the prophets of the groves four hundred, which eat at Jezebel's table.
  • 2 Chronicles 17:6 And his heart was lifted up in the ways of the LORD: moreover he took away the high places and groves out of Judah.

“down” Hebrew H5422 · used in 41 verses

  • Exodus 34:13 But ye shall destroy their altars, break their images, and cut down their groves:
  • 2 Kings 10:27 And they brake down the image of Baal, and brake down the house of Baal, and made it a draught house unto this day.
  • Psalms 52:5 God shall likewise destroy thee for ever, he shall take thee away, and pluck thee out of thy dwelling place, and root thee out of the land of the living. Selah.