2 Chronicles Chapter 34
Josiah and the Book of the Law
A. The beginnings of Josiah’s reforms.
1. (2 Chronicles 34:1–2) A summary of the reign of Josiah, the son of Amon.
“Josiah was eight years old when he began to reign, and he reigned in Jerusalem one and thirty years. And he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD, and walked in the ways of David his father, and declined neither to the right hand, nor to the left.”
Josiah ascended to the throne at the remarkably young age of eight. His accession was the result of the violent assassination of his father Amon, whose short and wicked reign ended abruptly. Humanly speaking, an eight year old king would seem vulnerable, easily manipulated, and unfit to rule. Yet Scripture emphasizes not Josiah’s age, but his character. From the outset of his reign, the Holy Spirit records a summary judgment that governs everything that follows, namely that Josiah did what was right in the sight of the LORD. Chronicles often provides these theological summaries at the beginning of a king’s reign to frame the spiritual evaluation of his life, rather than to describe the king’s maturity at the moment of accession.
The statement that Josiah walked in the ways of David his father is especially significant. David is presented in Kings and Chronicles as the standard by which the kings of Judah are measured, not because David was sinless, but because David’s heart was consistently oriented toward the LORD in covenant faithfulness. To decline neither to the right hand nor to the left is covenant language drawn from the Law of Moses, particularly passages such as Deuteronomy 5:32 and Deuteronomy 17:11, which describe wholehearted obedience to God’s revealed will without compromise or deviation. Josiah’s reign is thus characterized by doctrinal fidelity and moral consistency, even before the reforms themselves are described.
Chronicles highlights that this evaluation is a general description of Josiah’s reign as a whole, not a claim that an eight year old child possessed full spiritual discernment. The point is that from beginning to end, Josiah’s reign moved in the right direction. Unlike his father Amon, who hardened himself against the LORD, Josiah’s life trajectory was one of increasing faithfulness. As one commentator observed, after more than three centuries, the prophecy spoken against the altar at Bethel during the days of Jeroboam was moving toward fulfillment, demonstrating that God’s word does not fail, even when generations pass.
2. (2 Chronicles 34:3–7) Josiah against idolatry in Judah and the former kingdom of Israel.
“For in the eighth year of his reign, while he was yet young, he began to seek after the God of David his father, and in the twelfth year he began to purge Judah and Jerusalem from the high places, and the groves, and the carved images, and the molten images. And they brake down the altars of Baalim in his presence, and the images, that were on high above them, he cut down, and the groves, and the carved images, and the molten images, he brake in pieces, and made dust of them, and strowed it upon the graves of them that had sacrificed unto them. And he burnt the bones of the priests upon their altars, and cleansed Judah and Jerusalem. And so did he in the cities of Manasseh, and Ephraim, and Simeon, even unto Naphtali, with their mattocks round about. 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.”
Chronicles carefully outlines the progressive nature of Josiah’s spiritual development and reforms. In the eighth year of his reign, when he was approximately sixteen years old, Josiah began to seek after the God of David his father. In the Chronicler’s theology, seeking the LORD is not a vague spiritual sentiment, but a disciplined pattern of dependence upon God, prayer, obedience, and submission to His covenant. This language echoes passages such as 2 Chronicles 7:14 and 2 Chronicles 30:19, where seeking the LORD involves humility, repentance, and a wholehearted return to God’s revealed truth. Josiah’s reforms did not begin with outward destruction, but with inward devotion.
Four years later, in the twelfth year of his reign, Josiah moved decisively against idolatry. The text lists a wide variety of pagan objects, including high places, groves associated with Asherah worship, carved images, and molten images. The sheer number and diversity of these idols reveal how deeply entrenched idolatry had become in Judah, especially after the long reign of Manasseh and the evil rule of Amon. Although Manasseh later repented, the damage done by decades of apostasy had not been undone, and idolatrous worship had become normalized throughout the land.
Josiah’s actions are described in deliberately forceful language. Altars were broken down, images were cut down, idols were smashed into pieces, beaten into powder, and ground into dust. This repetition emphasizes the thoroughness of the reform. Josiah was not content with symbolic gestures or partial obedience. He dismantled idolatry at its roots, leaving no structure intact that could later be rebuilt. One commentator noted that multiple words are used to describe the destruction in order to show the intensity of Josiah’s holy zeal and righteous indignation against false worship.
The scattering of the powdered idols upon the graves of those who had sacrificed to them served both as an act of defilement and as a visible declaration of judgment. In burning the bones of the idolatrous priests upon their altars, Josiah fulfilled the prescribed punishment for apostate priests and rendered the altars ceremonially unclean. This act also directly fulfilled the prophecy recorded centuries earlier in 1 Kings 13:2, where a man of God foretold that a king named Josiah would defile the altar at Bethel by burning human bones upon it. Josiah’s reforms thus stand as a clear demonstration of God’s sovereign control over history and the certainty of prophetic fulfillment.
Importantly, Josiah did not limit his reforms to the territory of Judah. He extended them into the former northern kingdom, into the cities of Manasseh, Ephraim, Simeon, and as far north as Naphtali. By this time, the Assyrian captivity had largely emptied the land of Israel of its original population. Those who remained were weak, scattered, and unable to resist Josiah’s authority. This allowed him to act where previous kings could not, cleansing territory that had once belonged to the covenant people but had been dominated by idolatry for generations.
Josiah’s reforms addressed both sinful objects and sinful leadership. The idols did not exist in isolation, but were promoted, maintained, and defended by corrupt priests. A true reformation must confront both false practices and the people who perpetuate them. If the sinful leadership remains intact, the sinful practices will inevitably return. Josiah understood this principle and acted decisively. After completing this comprehensive purge throughout the land of Israel, he returned to Jerusalem, having laid the groundwork for one of the most significant spiritual revivals in Judah’s history.
3. (2 Chronicles 34:8–13) The restoration of the temple.
“Now in the eighteenth year of his reign, when he had purged the land, and the house, he sent Shaphan the son of Azaliah, and Maaseiah the governor of the city, and Joah the son of Joahaz the recorder, to repair the house of the LORD his God. And when they came to Hilkiah the high priest, they delivered the money that was brought into the house of God, which the Levites that kept the doors had gathered of the hand of Manasseh and Ephraim, and of all the remnant of Israel, and of all Judah and Benjamin, and they returned to Jerusalem. And they put it in the hand of the workmen that had the oversight of the house of the LORD, and they gave it to the workmen that wrought in the house of the LORD, to repair and amend the house. Even to the artificers and builders gave they it, to buy hewn stone, and timber for couplings, and to floor the houses which the kings of Judah had destroyed. And the men did the work faithfully. And the overseers of them were Jahath and Obadiah, the Levites, of the sons of Merari, and Zechariah and Meshullam, of the sons of the Kohathites, to set it forward, and other of the Levites, all that could skill of instruments of musick. Also they were over the bearers of burdens, and were overseers of all that wrought the work in any manner of service, and of the Levites there were scribes, and officers, and porters.”
In the eighteenth year of his reign, after Josiah had already purged both the land and the temple of idolatry, he turned his attention to restoration rather than demolition. True reform does not end with tearing down what is corrupt, it must also rebuild what has been neglected. This mirrors the earlier reforms of King Hezekiah, who likewise restored the temple after a season of spiritual decay. Josiah’s reforms are now moving from cleansing to renewal, from removing corruption to reestablishing proper worship.
Josiah acted deliberately and with structure. He sent Shaphan the scribe, Maaseiah the governor of the city, and Joah the recorder, men of civil and administrative authority, to oversee the repairs. When they came to Hilkiah the high priest, the collected funds were delivered into proper hands. The money had been gathered faithfully by the Levites from Judah, Benjamin, and even from the remnant of the northern tribes of Manasseh and Ephraim. This detail shows that spiritual unity was beginning to form again around the temple in Jerusalem, even among those whose tribes had once been separated by political division.
The funds were placed directly into the hands of the foremen overseeing the work. There is no mention of corruption, skimming, or misuse of resources. Scripture simply states that the men did the work faithfully. This is a notable contrast with earlier periods in Judah’s history, where temple funds were often misused or neglected. Faithful leadership produces faithful labor. The craftsmen and builders purchased hewn stone and timber, restoring structural damage caused by generations of apostate kings who had either neglected or intentionally defiled the house of God.
The organization of the labor force is emphasized. Levites from both the sons of Merari and the sons of Kohath were appointed as overseers, ensuring that the work was carried out according to proper Levitical responsibility. Other Levites, skilled in music, were assigned supervisory roles over the burden bearers and laborers. This reflects a biblical principle that skill, discipline, and order are not opposed to spirituality, but are essential to faithful service. Even scribes, officers, and gatekeepers were involved, showing that the restoration of the temple required the coordinated effort of the entire covenant community.
It is also significant that Hilkiah the high priest played a central role in this process. According to Jeremiah 1:1–2, “The words of Jeremiah the son of Hilkiah, of the priests that were in Anathoth in the land of Benjamin: To whom the word of the LORD came in the days of Josiah the son of Amon king of Judah, in the thirteenth year of his reign.” This places the prophet Jeremiah squarely within this reforming generation, ministering during the very years when Josiah was restoring the temple and renewing covenant faithfulness. The restoration of the physical structure of the temple would soon coincide with the rediscovery of the written Word of God.
4. (2 Chronicles 34:14–17) The discovery of the Book of the Law.
“And when they brought out the money that was brought into the house of the LORD, Hilkiah the priest found a book of the law of the LORD given by Moses. And Hilkiah answered and said to Shaphan the scribe, I have found the book of the law in the house of the LORD. And Hilkiah delivered the book to Shaphan. And Shaphan carried the book to the king, and brought the king word back again, saying, All that was committed to thy servants, they do it. And they have gathered together the money that was found in the house of the LORD, and have delivered it into the hand of the overseers, and to the hand of the workmen.”
While the temple was being restored, the most significant discovery of Josiah’s reign took place. Hilkiah the high priest found the Book of the Law of the LORD given by Moses. According to Deuteronomy 31:24–26, “And it came to pass, when Moses had made an end of writing the words of this law in a book, until they were finished, That Moses commanded the Levites, which bare the ark of the covenant of the LORD, saying, Take this book of the law, and put it in the side of the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God, that it may be there for a witness against thee.” The Word of God had always been present in Israel, but it had been ignored, neglected, and effectively lost during the apostate reigns of Manasseh and Amon.
The discovery of the Book highlights the tragic reality that a nation can retain religious structures while losing the authority of Scripture. The temple stood, priests ministered, and sacrifices were offered, yet the Law of God had been forgotten. Hilkiah’s announcement, “I have found the book of the law,” stands out as a moment of profound spiritual significance. This was not merely the recovery of a physical scroll, but the recovery of divine authority.
Shaphan the scribe carried the book to the king, demonstrating how the Word of God begins to move outward once it is rediscovered. It was no longer hidden in the debris of neglect, but now placed before the ruler of the nation. The report given to Josiah shows that the restoration work was proceeding faithfully, but the presence of the Book would soon expose how far Judah had drifted from covenant obedience.
Throughout redemptive history, genuine revival is always connected to the recovery of Scripture. When the Word of God is found, read, believed, and proclaimed, transformation follows. This principle is seen repeatedly, not only in Josiah’s day, but throughout church history. The rediscovery of Scripture has always preceded reformation, repentance, and renewal. What began with one priest finding an overlooked book would soon shake the conscience of a king and bring a nation face to face with the Word of the living God.
5. (2 Chronicles 34:18–21) King Josiah hears the word of God.
“Then Shaphan the scribe told the king, saying, Hilkiah the priest hath given me a book. And Shaphan read it before the king. And it came to pass, when the king had heard the words of the law, that he rent his clothes. And the king commanded Hilkiah, and Ahikam the son of Shaphan, and Abdon the son of Micah, and Shaphan the scribe, and Asaiah a servant of the king, saying, Go, enquire of the LORD for me, and for them that are left in Israel and in Judah, concerning the words of the book that is found, for great is the wrath of the LORD that is poured out upon us, because our fathers have not kept the word of the LORD, to do after all that is written in this book.”
When Shaphan read the Book of the Law before King Josiah, the Word of God accomplished exactly what Scripture itself declares it does, it pierced the heart. This was not merely an intellectual exercise or the transfer of religious information. Josiah heard the Law as the living voice of God speaking directly to him and to the nation. The king understood immediately that Judah had not merely drifted from God culturally, but had violated the written covenant knowingly and persistently. The Law exposed sin, responsibility, and accountability.
Josiah’s response reveals the mark of a regenerate and tender heart. He tore his clothes, an ancient expression of deep grief, horror, and repentance. This action demonstrated personal identification with the guilt of the nation. Though Josiah himself had sought the LORD and initiated reforms, he did not distance himself from the sins of his fathers or the guilt of the people. He recognized that covenant judgment was deserved and imminent. This is the posture of true leadership, owning responsibility rather than deflecting blame.
The tearing of garments also reveals genuine conviction of sin, something that always accompanies authentic revival. Conviction is not produced by emotion alone, but by the Holy Spirit applying the Word of God to the conscience. Jesus Himself taught this principle in John 16:8, “And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment.” Josiah’s grief was not theatrical or performative, but Spirit wrought.
Josiah’s next response is equally instructive. He immediately commanded that inquiry be made of the LORD. This was not because Josiah was ignorant of God or unfamiliar with prayer. Rather, he was overwhelmed by the realization of guilt and impending judgment and recognized his need for divine clarification and mercy. He understood that obedience must now be informed directly by God’s revealed will.
Josiah openly acknowledged that great wrath was poured out upon Judah because their fathers had not kept the Word of the LORD. He accepted the full authority of Scripture and the legitimacy of its warnings. He did not question whether the curses were fair or outdated. He accepted them as righteous and deserved. This moment marks the turning point where reform moves from external action to covenant renewal driven by Scripture.
6. (2 Chronicles 34:22–28) God speaks to King Josiah.
“And Hilkiah, and they that the king had appointed, went to Huldah the prophetess, the wife of Shallum the son of Tikvath, the son of Hasrah, keeper of the wardrobe, now she dwelt in Jerusalem in the college, and they spake to her to that effect. And she answered them, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Tell ye the man that sent you to me, Thus saith the LORD, Behold, I will bring evil upon this place, and upon the inhabitants thereof, even all the curses that are written in the book which they have read before the king of Judah, because they have forsaken me, and have burned incense unto other gods, that they might provoke me to anger with all the works of their hands, therefore my wrath shall be poured out upon this place, and shall not be quenched. And as for the king of Judah, who sent you to enquire of the LORD, so shall ye say unto him, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel concerning the words which thou hast heard, Because thine heart was tender, and thou didst humble thyself before God, when thou heardest his words against this place, and against the inhabitants thereof, and humbledst thyself before me, and didst rend thy clothes, and weep before me, I have even heard thee also, saith the LORD. Behold, I will gather thee to thy fathers, and thou shalt be gathered to thy grave in peace, neither shall thine eyes see all the evil that I will bring upon this place, and upon the inhabitants of the same. So they brought the king word again.”
Hilkiah and the royal delegation went to Huldah the prophetess, a recognized spokeswoman for the LORD during Josiah’s reign. Scripture does not emphasize her personal background or status, only her prophetic authority. Though other prophets were active during this period, including Jeremiah and Zephaniah, the choice to consult Huldah underscores a vital truth, God speaks through whom He chooses. Authority rests not in office, gender, or prominence, but in divine calling and fidelity to God’s message.
Huldah’s message begins with unambiguous judgment. God declared that calamity would fall upon Jerusalem and its inhabitants, including all the covenant curses written in the Book of the Law. This affirms that Scripture is not merely historical or devotional, but judicial. The same Word that promises blessing also guarantees judgment for persistent rebellion. Judah’s idolatry, incense offerings to false gods, and long term covenant violation had provoked the righteous anger of God, and that wrath would not be quenched.
Yet the message then turns personally to King Josiah. God distinguished between national guilt and individual response. Josiah’s heart was described as tender, meaning it was soft, responsive, and submissive to the Word of God. He humbled himself voluntarily, not because circumstances forced him, but because he recognized the authority of God’s Word. His repentance was expressed inwardly through humility and outwardly through visible grief, tearing his garments and weeping before the LORD.
God affirmed that He had heard Josiah. This is one of the most profound assurances in Scripture, the LORD hears the prayer of the humble. Though Josiah could not avert national judgment, he was granted personal mercy. God promised that Josiah would be gathered to his fathers in peace and would not witness the full devastation that would come upon Judah.
This promise does not contradict the fact that Josiah later died in battle. The peace promised was covenantal and temporal. Josiah would die before the Babylonian invasion, before Jerusalem’s destruction, and before the exile of the people. He died in God’s favor, reconciled and approved, spared the agony of witnessing national collapse.
This passage demonstrates that while judgment may be inevitable for a nation, individual faithfulness still matters deeply to God. Josiah’s godliness delayed judgment and secured mercy for himself. God remains just, faithful to His Word, and compassionate to those who humble themselves before Him.
B. The honest repentance of King Josiah and the people of Judah.
1. (2 Chronicles 34:29–30) Josiah reads the word of God to the leaders of Judah.
“Then the king sent and gathered together all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem. And the king went up into the house of the LORD, and all the men of Judah, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and the priests, and the Levites, and all the people, great and small, and he read in their ears all the words of the book of the covenant that was found in the house of the LORD.”
After hearing both the promise of delayed judgment and the certainty of future calamity, Josiah did not respond with complacency or personal relief. He understood that mercy shown to him personally did not remove his responsibility to lead the nation in repentance. Genuine repentance does not stop at individual concern, but seeks corporate obedience and restoration. Josiah therefore summoned all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem, recognizing that national repentance required the participation of national leadership.
Josiah deliberately gathered every segment of society. The elders, the men of Judah, the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the priests, the Levites, and all the people, great and small, were assembled together in the house of the LORD. This was not a private reform carried out behind closed doors, but a public confrontation with the Word of God. The covenant community was brought face to face with divine revelation, leaving no one ignorant or exempt.
The king himself read all the words of the Book of the Covenant aloud to the people. This detail is significant. Josiah did not delegate this task to a priest or scribe. He personally ensured that the Word of God was heard clearly and completely. His concern was not ceremonial appearance, but spiritual comprehension. He understood that reform without Scripture is shallow, temporary, and ultimately powerless.
Josiah’s actions demonstrate his conviction that written Scripture holds supreme authority over inherited tradition, cultural habits, and political convenience. He was willing to submit his reign, his policies, and his people to the corrective authority of God’s written Word, even when it exposed failure and demanded costly change. This moment represents the public restoration of biblical authority in Judah.
2. (2 Chronicles 34:31–33) The covenant is renewed.
“And the king stood in his place, and made a covenant before the LORD, to walk after the LORD, and to keep his commandments, and his testimonies, and his statutes, with all his heart, and with all his soul, to perform the words of the covenant which are written in this book. And he caused all that were present in Jerusalem and Benjamin to stand to it. And the inhabitants of Jerusalem did according to the covenant of God, the God of their fathers. And Josiah took away all the abominations out of all the countries that pertained to the children of Israel, and made all that were present in Israel to serve, even to serve the LORD their God. And all his days they departed not from following the LORD, the God of their fathers.”
Josiah stood in his appointed place as king and publicly entered into covenant with the LORD. This was not a vague promise of moral improvement, but a formal covenant commitment grounded in the written Word of God. Josiah pledged to walk after the LORD and to keep His commandments, testimonies, and statutes with all his heart and all his soul. This language reflects the covenantal standard of wholehearted obedience found in passages such as Deuteronomy 6:5, where love for God is expressed through complete devotion and submission.
The phrase made a covenant reflects the ancient practice of cutting a covenant, a solemn and binding agreement sealed with life and death implications. Josiah understood the seriousness of what he was doing. He was placing himself and his reign under the authority of the covenant, publicly binding his leadership to obedience before God and the people.
Josiah then required those present in Jerusalem and Benjamin to take a stand. This was not coercion in the sense of forced inward belief, but a public affirmation of covenant accountability. The people stood as a visible expression of agreement and responsibility. Revival had moved beyond royal resolve to popular participation. The people did according to the covenant of God, demonstrating that the Spirit of God was at work not only in the king, but among the nation.
Josiah continued to remove all remaining abominations throughout the territories that belonged to Israel. Covenant renewal was accompanied by covenant obedience. Repentance was not merely emotional or ceremonial, but practical and decisive. Idolatry was not tolerated, excused, or postponed. Josiah made all who were present in Israel diligently serve the LORD their God.
The final assessment of Josiah’s reform is striking. All his days the people did not depart from following the LORD God of their fathers. While this faithfulness would not endure beyond his reign, it testifies to the depth and sincerity of the reform during his lifetime. Josiah’s leadership produced a sustained season of obedience, not a brief emotional surge. This passage stands as one of the clearest biblical examples of honest repentance producing tangible, lasting fruit.
