2 Kings 23:13 Meaning: The Mount of Corruption
The king defiled the high places that were before Jerusalem, which were on the right hand of the mountain of corruption, which Solomon the king of Israel had built for Ashtoreth the abomination of the Sidonians, and for Chemosh the abomination of Moab, and for Milcom the abomination of the children of Ammon.
And the high places that were before Jerusalem, which were on the right hand of the mount of corruption, which Solomon the king of Israel had builded for Ashtoreth the abomination of the Zidonians, and for Chemosh the abomination of the Moabites, and for Milcom the abomination of the children of Ammon, did the king defile.
And the high places that were before Jerusalem, which were on the right hand of the mount of corruption, which Solomon the king of Israel had builded for Ashtoreth the abomination of the Sidonians, and for Chemosh the abomination of Moab, and for Milcom the abomination of the children of Ammon, did the king defile.
And the high places that are on the front of Jerusalem, that are on the right of the mount of corruption, that Solomon king of Israel had built to Ashtoreth abomination of the Zidonians, and Chemosh abomination of Moab, and to Milcom abomination of the sons of Ammon, hath the king defiled.
And the high places that were before Jerusalem, which were on the right hand of the mount of corruption, which Solomon the king of Israel had built for Ashtoreth the abomination of the Zidonians, and for Chemosh the abomination of the Moabites, and for Milcom the abomination of the children of Ammon, did the king defile.
Meaning in one sentence
Why does 2 Kings 23:13 call the Mount of Olives the ‘mount of corruption’?
Context
Second Kings 23 records the sweeping religious reforms of King Josiah of Judah. After the Book of the Law was discovered in the temple, Josiah tore down every trace of idol worship in the land. In verse 13, he turns his attention to the high places east of Jerusalem, on the slope of what the text calls the “mount of corruption.” Centuries earlier, King Solomon had built altars there for foreign gods to please his many wives. Now Josiah defiles those altars, making them ceremonially unclean so no one could ever use them again. This act is part of a thorough cleansing that stretched from the temple to the countryside, fulfilling warnings given by earlier prophets. The verse names three specific deities: Ashtoreth, Chemosh, and Milcom, each called an abomination. Josiah’s reform was not half-hearted; he went to the very places where Israel’s kings had led the nation astray and made them unusable for worship.
Key Words
Three Hebrew words in this verse carry the weight of the story. High places (bamah) were raised platforms originally used for worship. But these were not for the Lord; they were built for foreign gods, turning what should have been sacred into a snare.
The name mount of corruption (mashchit) is a deliberate wordplay. Commentators note that the hill’s proper name, Mount of Olives (mashchah, “anointing”), is twisted here into “destruction” or “ruin.” The text uses irony to show what idolatry does: it turns the place of blessing into a place of decay.
The verb defiled (tamme’) means to make ritually unclean. Josiah did not simply demolish the altars; he polluted the site so thoroughly that no one could treat it as holy ground again. That is the kind of cleansing God desires, not just removal, but a heart so changed that the old ways become repulsive.
How Christians Read This Verse
Jewish commentators like Jarchi, following the Chaldee paraphrase, highlight the wordplay between “anointing” and “corruption,” seeing it as a divine rebuke of the idolatry that took place there. Christian commentators such as the Cambridge Bible note that the Vulgate calls it the “Mount of Offence,” a name that appears in later Christian writings. Matthew Henry emphasizes that Josiah’s actions fulfilled the prophecy of the man of God from Judah (1 Kings 13). Some traditions note that Hezekiah had already destroyed the idols on this hill, but the people still regarded the site as sacred; therefore, Josiah defiled the ground itself. Across traditions, there is agreement that this verse demonstrates God’s hatred of idolatry and the need for thorough repentance.
A common misunderstanding
Some readers assume the “mount of corruption” is a separate, unknown mountain. In fact, it is the same ridge as the Mount of Olives. The Hebrew text renames it with a sarcastic twist: “mount of destruction” instead of “mount of anointing,” to mark the shame of what occurred there. The hill itself is not corrupt, but the worship that took place on it was.
Living This Out
Maybe there is a habit or compromise in your life that has been around so long it feels permanent, something you inherited or once chose but now seems too big to touch. Josiah’s action suggests that old sins can be dealt with completely. You can “defile” that pattern: starve it, remove its hiding places, and make it so unappealing you never want to go back. The thoroughness of Josiah’s reform is an invitation to let God clean house without leaving any corner untouched. You do not have to live with what has always been. God gives grace for a fresh start.
Main takeaway: The thoroughness of true repentance leaves no corner untouched; even long-standing sins can be made unusable by God’s grace.
For Families
For ages 5, 8
King Josiah found places where people had built altars to fake gods. He made those places dirty so no one would use them again. We can ask God to help us say no to things that are wrong.
For ages 9, 12
Long ago, King Solomon built altars to foreign gods on the Mount of Olives. Hundreds of years later, King Josiah did something brave: he made those altars unclean so no one could worship there anymore. It shows us that even if wrong things have been around for a long time, we can still choose to get rid of them completely with God’s help.
Questions People Ask
Where is the “mount of corruption” mentioned in 2 Kings 23:13?
It is the Mount of Olives, east of Jerusalem. The Hebrew text calls it “mount of destruction” (mashchit) as a wordplay on its proper name (“mount of anointing”), because of the idolatrous altars Solomon built there.
Why did Solomon build high places for foreign gods?
Solomon built these altars to please his many foreign wives, who worshiped Ashtoreth, Chemosh, and Milcom. This is recorded in 1 Kings 11:4-8, and it led Israel into idolatry.
What did King Josiah do to these high places?
Josiah defiled them, he made them ceremonially unclean, likely by scattering bones or other unclean things on them. This ensured they could never be used for worship again.
Are Ashtoreth, Chemosh, and Milcom mentioned elsewhere in the Bible?
Yes. Ashtoreth appears in Judges 2:13 and 1 Kings 11:5. Chemosh appears in Numbers 21:29 and Judges 11:24. Milcom (also called Molech) appears in 1 Kings 11:5,7. They were the national gods of the Sidonians, Moabites, and Ammonites.
What is the significance of Josiah defiling the high places rather than just destroying them?
By defiling them, Josiah made the sites ritually impure, so even if someone rebuilt the altars, the ground could not be used for worship. It was a final, complete rejection of idolatry on that spot.
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