And as Josiah turned himself, he spied the sepulchres that were there in the mount, and sent, and took the bones out of the sepulchres, and burned them upon the altar, and polluted it, according to the word of the LORD which the man of God proclaimed, who proclaimed these words.

2 KINGS 23:16KJV
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2 Kings 23:16 (KJV)

What does 2 Kings 23:16 mean?

2 Kings 23:16 describes how King Josiah, while carrying out religious reforms, noticed tombs on a hill, ordered the bones from those tombs to be removed and burned on the altar, and in doing so, defiled the altar as had been foretold by a prophet. This act fulfilled a specific prophecy about the destruction of idolatrous worship places.

Josiah is the king of Judah at this point, and he is actively working to remove all traces of idol worship from the land. In this verse, Josiah sees graves near a pagan altar and deliberately burns the bones on the altar to make it ritually unclean, following the word of the LORD spoken earlier by a "man of God." This action is a dramatic sign that the altar and its false worship are being completely rejected.

The Hebrew behind 2 Kings 23:16

  • "sepulchres" (קֶבֶר, qeber): This word means graves or tombs. The use of this word highlights that Josiah is not just destroying objects but is also making a statement by involving the remains of those associated with idol worship.
  • "polluted" (טָמֵא, tame): This word means to make unclean or defile. By burning bones on the altar, Josiah is intentionally making the altar unfit for any further use in worship, especially in the context of Israelite purity laws.
  • "word" (דָּבָר, davar): This refers to the specific message or prophecy from God. The verse points out that Josiah’s actions are not random but are fulfilling a prophecy spoken by a man of God.

Why 2 Kings 23:16 matters

  • This verse shows that Josiah’s reforms were thorough and intentional, going beyond just removing idols to actively desecrating the places and objects used for idol worship.
  • It connects Josiah’s actions directly to earlier prophecy, showing that God’s word through the prophets was being fulfilled in real, visible ways.
  • The verse helps clarify that the destruction of the altar was not just about physical removal but about making a public and permanent statement against idolatry.

Where else these words appear

“Josiah” Hebrew H2977 · used in 48 verses

  • 1 Kings 13:2 And he cried against the altar in the word of the LORD, and said, O altar, altar, thus saith the LORD; Behold, a child shall be born unto the house of David, Josiah by name; and upon thee shall he offer the priests of the high places that burn incense upon thee, and men's bones shall be burnt upon thee.
  • 2 Chronicles 34:1 Josiah was eight years old when he began to reign, and he reigned in Jerusalem one and thirty years.
  • Jeremiah 3:6 The LORD said also unto me in the days of Josiah the king, Hast thou seen that which backsliding Israel hath done? she is gone up upon every high mountain and under every green tree, and there hath played the harlot.

“sepulchres” Hebrew H6913 · used in 62 verses

  • Genesis 23:4 I am a stranger and a sojourner with you: give me a possession of a buryingplace with you, that I may bury my dead out of my sight.
  • 1 Kings 13:31 And it came to pass, after he had buried him, that he spake to his sons, saying, When I am dead, then bury me in the sepulchre wherein the man of God is buried; lay my bones beside his bones:
  • Job 17:1 My breath is corrupt, my days are extinct, the graves are ready for me.

“burned” Hebrew H8313 · used in 107 verses

  • Genesis 11:3 And they said one to another, Go to, let us make brick, and burn them throughly. And they had brick for stone, and slime had they for morter.
  • Joshua 7:15 And it shall be, that he that is taken with the accursed thing shall be burnt with fire, he and all that he hath: because he hath transgressed the covenant of the LORD, and because he hath wrought folly in Israel.
  • Psalms 46:9 He maketh wars to cease unto the end of the earth; he breaketh the bow, and cutteth the spear in sunder; he burneth the chariot in the fire.

“bones” Hebrew H6106 · used in 108 verses

  • Genesis 2:23 And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.
  • 1 Kings 13:31 And it came to pass, after he had buried him, that he spake to his sons, saying, When I am dead, then bury me in the sepulchre wherein the man of God is buried; lay my bones beside his bones:
  • Proverbs 3:8 It shall be health to thy navel, and marrow to thy bones.