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 23:15KJVWhat 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.