And all the houses also of the high places that were in the cities of Samaria, which the kings of Israel had made to provoke the LORD to anger, Josiah took away, and did to them according to all the acts that he had done in Bethel.

2 KINGS 23:19KJV
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2 Kings 23:19 (KJV)

What does 2 Kings 23:19 mean?

2 Kings 23:19 describes how King Josiah removed all the places of idol worship (“high places”) in the cities of Samaria, just as he had done in Bethel. These sites had been set up by earlier kings of Israel and had angered the LORD, but Josiah destroyed them as part of his religious reforms.

This verse is part of a larger story where Josiah, king of Judah, is working to purify worship in the land by getting rid of practices and places that led people away from worshiping the LORD alone. The verse points out that Josiah’s reforms were not limited to his own territory but extended into Samaria, which had once been the capital of the northern kingdom of Israel. Josiah’s actions followed the same pattern as what he had already done in Bethel, showing his determination to remove idol worship wherever it was found.

The Hebrew behind 2 Kings 23:19

  • “houses” (בַּיִת, bayit, H1004): This word often means “house” or “building,” but here it refers to the physical structures used for idol worship at the high places. The verse emphasizes that Josiah did not just stop the practices but also destroyed the actual buildings.
  • “places” (בָּמָה, bamah, H1116): This word means “high place,” a common term in the Old Testament for sites of worship, often on hills, where people offered sacrifices to gods other than the LORD. The verse underscores that these were widespread and officially established by previous kings.
  • “Samaria” (שֹׁמְרוֹן, Shomron, H8111): Naming Samaria highlights that Josiah’s reforms reached into territory that had belonged to the northern kingdom, showing the thoroughness and boldness of his actions.

Why 2 Kings 23:19 matters

  • The verse shows that Josiah’s reforms were not just local or symbolic; he took concrete action even in former enemy territory, demonstrating the seriousness of his commitment to exclusive worship of the LORD.
  • By mentioning the “acts that he had done in Bethel,” the verse connects Josiah’s actions to earlier events, helping readers see the pattern and scope of his reforms.
  • The verse clarifies that the high places were not just tolerated by the people but had been officially established by the kings of Israel, making Josiah’s removal of them a direct reversal of royal policy.

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.

“anger” Hebrew H3707 · used in 53 verses

  • Deuteronomy 4:25 When thou shalt beget children, and children's children, and ye shall have remained long in the land, and shall corrupt yourselves, and make a graven image, or the likeness of any thing, and shall do evil in the sight of the LORD thy God, to provoke him to anger:
  • 1 Kings 22:53 For he served Baal, and worshipped him, and provoked to anger the LORD God of Israel, according to all that his father had done.
  • Ecclesiastes 7:9 Be not hasty in thy spirit to be angry: for anger resteth in the bosom of fools.

“Bethel” Hebrew H1008 · used in 63 verses

  • Genesis 12:8 And he removed from thence unto a mountain on the east of Bethel, and pitched his tent, having Bethel on the west, and Hai on the east: and there he builded an altar unto the LORD, and called upon the name of the LORD.
  • Judges 1:22 And the house of Joseph, they also went up against Bethel: and the LORD was with them.
  • 2 Kings 2:3 And the sons of the prophets that were at Bethel came forth to Elisha, and said unto him, Knowest thou that the LORD will take away thy master from thy head to day? And he said, Yea, I know it; hold ye your peace.

“places” Hebrew H1116 · used in 92 verses

  • Leviticus 26:30 And I will destroy your high places, and cut down your images, and cast your carcases upon the carcases of your idols, and my soul shall abhor you.
  • 2 Kings 15:35 Howbeit the high places were not removed: the people sacrificed and burned incense still in the high places. He built the higher gate of the house of the LORD.
  • 2 Chronicles 33:3 For he built again the high places which Hezekiah his father had broken down, and he reared up altars for Baalim, and made groves, and worshipped all the host of heaven, and served them.