II Kings 23:24 · Bible study
2 Kings 23:24 Commentary: Josiah's Comprehensive Purge
Hebrew · 8 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Why Josiah removed mediums, wizards, and teraphim, and what it reveals about wholehearted obedience to God's law.
Research Summary
- Meaning: Josiah removed all occult and idolatrous objects, public and private, to establish the authority of the rediscovered law.
- Key words: ’ovot (mediums/necromancers), yidde’onim (spiritists/wizards), teraphim (household gods), gilulim (idols), shiqqutsim (abominations). The verb bi’er means to purge or consume.
- Main debate: Whether Josiah's reform was effective in the long term given God's judgment that followed (vv. 26, 27). Most commentators see it as genuine but not averting the coming exile.
- Theological theme: Comprehensive obedience to God's Word requires exposing and removing what is hidden, not just what is public.
- Best use: A call to examine areas of life we have compartmentalised away from Scripture's authority.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
Furthermore, Josiah removed the mediums and spiritists, the household gods and idols, and all the abominations that were seen in the land of Judah and in Jerusalem. He did this to carry out the words of the law written in the book that Hilkiah the priest had found in the house of the LORD.
WEB World English Bible 2000
Moreover, Josiah removed those who had familiar spirits, the wizards, and the teraphim, and the idols, and all the abominations that were seen in the land of Judah and in Jerusalem, that he might confirm the words of the law which were written in the book that Hilkiah the priest found in Yahweh’s house.
KJV King James Version 1769
Moreover the workers with familiar spirits, and the wizards, and the images, and the idols, and all the abominations that were spied in the land of Judah and in Jerusalem, did Josiah put away, that he might perform the words of the law which were written in the book that Hilkiah the priest found in the house of the Lord.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
Moreover them that had familiar spirits, and the wizards, and the teraphim, and the idols, and all the abominations that were seen in the land of Judah and in Jerusalem, did Josiah put away, that he might confirm the words of the law which were written in the book that Hilkiah the priest found in the house of Jehovah.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
And also, those having familiar spirits, and the wizards, and the teraphim, and the idols, and all the abominations that were seen in the land of Judah, and in Jerusalem, hath Josiah put away, in order to establish the words of the law that are written on the book that Hilkiah the priest hath found in the house of Jehovah.
Darby Darby Bible 1890
Moreover the necromancers and the soothsayers, and the teraphim and the idols, and all the abominations that were seen in the land of Judah and in Jerusalem, Josiah took away, that he might perform the words of the law which were written in the book that Hilkijah the priest had found in the house of Jehovah.
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
Moreover the diviners by spirits, and soothsayers, and the figures of idols, and the uncleannesses, and the abominations, that had been in the land of Juda and Jerusalem, Josias took away: that he might perform the words of the law, that were written in the book, which Helcias the priest had found in the temple of the Lord.
Translations in other languages (10 available)
Asimismo barrió Josías los pythones, adivinos, y terapheos, y todas las abominaciones que se veían en la tierra de Judá y en Jerusalem, para cumplir las palabras de la ley que estaban escritas en el libro que el sacerdote Hilcías había hallado en la casa de Jehová.
Também expulsou Josias os necromantes, adivinhos, e ídolos, e todas as abominações que se viam na terra de Judá e em Jerusalém, para cumprir as palavras da lei que estavam escritas no livro que o sacerdote Hilquias havia achado na casa do SENHOR.
De plus, Josias fit disparaître ceux qui évoquaient les esprits et ceux qui prédisaient l’ avenir, et les théraphim, et les idoles, et toutes les abominations qui se voyaient dans le pays de Juda et à Jérusalem, afin de mettre en pratique les paroles de la loi, écrites dans le livre que le sacrificateur Hilkija avait trouvé dans la maison de l’ Éternel.
Auch fegte Josia aus alle Wahrsager, Zeichendeuter, Bilder und Götzen und alle Greuel, die im Lande Juda und zu Jerusalem gesehen wurden, auf daß er aufrichtete die Worte des Gesetzes, die geschrieben standen im Buch, das Hilkia, der Priester, fand im Hause des HERRN.
En ook deed Josia weg de waarzeggers, en de duivelskunstenaars, en de terafim, en de drekgoden, en alle verfoeiselen, die in het land van Juda en in Jeruzalem gezien werden; opdat hij bevestigde de woorden der wet, die geschreven waren in het boek, dat de priester Hilkia in het huis des HEEREN gevonden had.
Giosia fe’ pure sparire quelli che evocavano gli spiriti e quelli che predicevano l’avvenire, le divinità familiari, gl’idoli e tutte le abominazioni che si vedevano nel paese di Giuda e a Gerusalemme, affin di mettere in pratica le parole della legge, scritte nel libro che il sacerdote Hilkia avea trovato nella casa dell’Eterno.
Ale i wieszczków, i czarowników, i obrazy, i brzydkie bałwany, i wszystkie obrzydłości, co ich było widać w ziemi Judzkiej i w Jeruzalemie, wykorzenił Jozyjasz, aby wypełnił słowa zakonu napisane w księgach, które znalazł Helkijasz kapłan w dom u Pańskim.
И вызывателей мертвых, и волшебников, и терафимов, и идолов, и все мерзости, которые появлялись в земле Иудейской и в Иерусалиме, истребил Иосия, чтоб исполнить слова закона, написанные в книге, которую нашел Хелкия священник в доме Господнем.
凡猶大 國 和耶路撒冷 所 有 交鬼的、 行巫術的，與 家中的神像 和 偶像，並 一切 可憎之物，約西亞 盡都除掉， 成就了 祭司 希勒家 在耶和華 殿裡 所 得 律法 書 上 所寫 的話。
And all those who had control of spirits, and the wonder-workers, and the images, and the false gods, and all the disgusting things which were seen in the land of Judah and in Jerusalem, Josiah put away, so that he might give effect to the words of the agreement recorded in the book which Hilkiah the priest made discovery of in the house of the Lord.
Verse in Context
Original Language (Biblical Hebrew)
Old Testament · Biblical Hebrew · II Kings 23:24
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators agree that this verse captures the final, most personal phase of Josiah's reform. Barnes notes that Josiah saw the need not only to destroy open idolatry but also to 'root out the secret practices' that had mixed with Yahweh worship. Cambridge Bible observes the progression from purging the temple and high places to now exterminating 'superstitious practices which grow up side by side with idolatry.' Wesley points out that the three terms for images, teraphim, idols, abominations, show that 'all the instruments and monuments of idolatry were destroyed.' Gill adds that diligent search was made, and wherever these items were discovered they were removed. The motive is clear: Josiah acted 'that he might perform the words of the law' written in the book Hilkiah found. Barnes renders it 'establish', not a one-time event but an enduring change. The consensus is that Josiah's obedience was comprehensive, reaching into homes and private rituals, because the law left no room for compromise.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Low
What is clear: Josiah's removal of mediums, wizards, teraphim, and idols was a deliberate, comprehensive act intended to establish the commands of the rediscovered law, reflecting wholehearted obedience to God.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| Nature of the teraphim | Christians across traditions agree that teraphim were household idols, often used for divination or blessing, and forbidden by the Mosaic law. | Some scholars see them as small ancestor figurines; others as representations of household deities. The text does not specify their exact form. |
| Effectiveness of the reform | All note that Josiah's reform was thorough, extending to hidden practices, and was commended in Scripture. | Evangelicals often stress personal revival as the key; others emphasize that divine judgment was already determined, so reform could not avert exile. Both agree the reform was sincere. |
| Meaning of 'confirm the words of the law' | Commentators agree Josiah aimed to establish the law's requirements, not just perform a one-time purge. | Barnes and Cambridge prefer 'establish' (ongoing observance); some translations use 'perform' (immediate compliance). The Hebrew <em>hakim</em> supports both nuances. |
| Occult practices combined with Yahweh worship | All agree that many people mixed worship of Yahweh with mediums and teraphim, which the law prohibited. | Some see this as syncretism borrowed from surrounding nations; others as a persistent folk religion that coexisted with official temple worship. |
Historical & Cultural Context
Josiah became king of Judah at age eight after his father Amon was assassinated. Amon and his grandfather Manasseh had filled the land with idols, altars to foreign gods, and occult practices. In Josiah's eighteenth year, Hilkiah the high priest discovered a scroll of the law, likely Deuteronomy, in the temple. When its words were read to the king, he tore his clothes in grief. What followed was a systematic reform described in 2 Kings 23: the temple cleansed of Baal vessels, the high places demolished, Topheth defiled, the horses of the sun removed, and the Passover reinstituted.
This verse targets practices the law specifically forbade. The mediums (’ovot) and wizards (yidde’onim) were condemned in Leviticus 19:31 and Deuteronomy 18:10, 12 as abominations. The teraphim were household gods, small figurines believed to bring blessing or reveal hidden knowledge. Rachel had stolen her father Laban’s teraphim (Genesis 31:19). Micah kept them in his private shrine (Judges 17:5). Josiah's reform did not stop at the temple gates. The text says these abominations were 'seen' or 'spied', an active search. Wesley suggests the priests or zealots had hidden some after earlier reforms; Josiah’s agents found them anyway. He did this to 'confirm the words of the law', to make the written commands a living reality in every corner of the land.
Textual Notes
The supplied commentaries note no significant textual variants for this verse. The parallel account in 2 Chronicles 34 omits the details of mediums and teraphim, but that is a difference of inclusion, not a textual variant. The Hebrew text is stable across manuscripts.
Reception History
Josiah's reform has been a model of wholehearted repentance throughout church history. Early church fathers cited him as an example of destroying idols when the law is recovered. During the Reformation, Josiah's discovery of the book and his subsequent reforms were seen as a parallel to the rediscovery of Scripture in the sixteenth century. John Calvin referenced Josiah when arguing that Christian rulers should purge false worship. In modern preaching, this verse is often used to call believers to examine areas of hidden sin, especially the blending of Christian faith with worldly or occult practices. The thoroughness of Josiah's search, leaving no teraphim in the house, continues to challenge readers to let God's Word touch every corner of life.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- Occult and household gods were not harmless. The law connected them to spiritual defilement and judgment. Josiah treated them as seriously as public idolatry.
- True reform goes public and private. Cleansing the temple was not enough. Josiah searched out what was hidden in homes and hearts.
- Obedience is anchored in the Word. The discovered scroll drove every action. Josiah did not invent his own standards; he returned to what was written.
Five-point outline
- The specific targets: mediums, wizards, teraphim, idols, abominations, each is named to leave no category untouched.
- The thorough search: 'that were seen' implies deliberate investigation, not passive clearing.
- The geographic scope: land of Judah and Jerusalem, the whole nation.
- The explicit motive: to carry out the words of the law written in the book.
- The result (v.25): no king before or after turned to the Lord with all his heart, soul, and might.
Illustration hooks
- A homeowner discovers a hidden infestation behind walls, termites or mold. Cleaning the visible rooms is not enough; you must tear out the source. Josiah did the same with Judah’s spiritual rot.
- A driver clears the windshield but ignores a warning light on the dashboard. The law was Judah’s warning light. Josiah finally paid attention and fixed the engine.
Questions your congregation is asking
- What are the 'teraphim' in my own life, small compromises, cherished sins, things I keep tucked away?
- Do I take the Bible seriously enough to let it reshape my private world, not just my Sunday behaviour?
- Is there a difference between outward religion and the kind of wholehearted obedience Josiah modelled?
Leading a Discussion
This verse shows Josiah's reform reaching into homes and personal practices. It challenges us to ask what areas of life we have left unexamined. The law Josiah followed required not just public compliance but private purity. As a group, consider how God's Word functions as the standard for every part of life.
Discussion questions
- Read the verse aloud. What four categories of items did Josiah remove? Why might each be significant?
- Look up Leviticus 19:31, Leviticus 20:27, and Deuteronomy 18:10, 12. What do these laws reveal about God's view of occult practices?
- The teraphim were household gods. What does the story of Rachel stealing them (Genesis 31:19) or Micah making them (Judges 17:5) tell us about how these objects functioned in daily life?
- Josiah's reform included a thorough search: 'all the abominations that were seen.' Why did he not just wait for people to bring them forward voluntarily?
- Barnes notes that Josiah aimed to 'establish' the words of the law, not just obey them once. What does it mean to establish God's Word in a community?
- How can we distinguish between healthy religious tradition and practices that have drifted into syncretism or superstition?
- Verse 25 says Josiah turned to the Lord 'with all his heart, soul, and might.' How does that kind of wholeheartedness apply to our own obedience today?
Word Study
The key original-language words in this verse. Select any word for its full lexicon entry — meaning, every occurrence in Scripture, and related words.
Cross-References
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK, public domain)
| Genesis 31:19 | Now Laban had gone to shear his sheep; and Rachel stole the teraphim that were her father’s. |
| Leviticus 19:31 | “‘Don’t turn to those who are mediums, nor to the wizards. Don’t seek them out, to be defiled by them. I am Yahweh your God. |
| Leviticus 20:27 | “‘A man or a woman that is a medium or is a wizard shall surely be put to death. They shall be stoned with stones. Their blood shall be upon themselves.’” |
| Deuteronomy 18:10 | There shall not be found with you anyone who makes his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, one who uses divination, one who tells fortunes, or an enchanter, or a sorcerer, |
| Deuteronomy 18:12 | For whoever does these things is an abomination to Yahweh. Because of these abominations, Yahweh your God drives them out from before you. |
| Judges 17:5 | The man Micah had a house of gods, and he made an ephod, and teraphim, and consecrated one of his sons, who became his priest. |
| Judges 18:17 | The five men who went to spy out the land went up, and came in there, and took the engraved image, the ephod, the teraphim, and the molten image; and the priest stood by the entrance of the gate with the six hundred men armed with weapons of war. |
| Judges 18:18 | When these went into Micah’s house, and took the engraved image, the ephod, the teraphim, and the molten image, the priest said to them, “What are you doing?” |
Interlinear and lexical data from STEPBible (CC BY 4.0). Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Commentaries are public domain.
For personal reflection
Read the devotional page — prayer, application, and "for families"
What the Commentators Say
8 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Adam Clarke's Commentary Methodist/Wesleyan 1826
Clarke refers readers to his earlier notes on 2 Kings 21:5 for the meaning of "workers with familiar spirits" and on Genesis 31:19 for "images" (teraphim). He does not explain them here.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible Protestant 1832
Barnes notes that Josiah understood a thorough reform required more than stopping public idolatry. He also had to root out the secret, unlawful practices that many had mixed into their worship of Yahweh, which for some had become nearly the whole of their religion.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
The commentator emphasizes that Josiah's reforms targeted not only open idolatry but also household superstitions like teraphim, which were treated as charms. His goal was to make obedience to the law permanent, not just a one-time event. The silence about later passover celebrations does not prove they were neglected.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
The Geneva Notes highlight that Josiah removed every form of occult practice and idolatry—spirit mediums, soothsayers, images, and all abominations—from Judah and Jerusalem. This total purge was driven by a single purpose: to carry out the words of the Law written in the book Hilkiah discovered in the temple.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill emphasizes that Josiah's thorough removal of occult practitioners and idols was driven by a deliberate effort to obey every command written in the law Hilkiah discovered. The king's active search and purging were not merely reform but a precise attempt to perform what Scripture required regarding witchcraft and idolatry.
Lange's Commentary Reformed 1857
Lange insists the discovered book was the entire Pentateuch, not just Deuteronomy, and a known document rediscovered after being hidden during Manasseh's reign. He rejects critical theories that treat it as a forgery or late composition, arguing the text clearly presents it as the authentic Law of Moses whose threats of judgment drove Josiah to repentance.
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Henry emphasizes Josiah's thoroughness in treating idolatry as utterly contemptible, not merely removing it but grinding it to powder and casting it onto graves. He notes that Josiah defiled the very places and objects of false worship, showing that sin must be detested and erased without a trace.
Wesley's Explanatory Notes Methodist/Wesleyan 1754
Wesley observes that the three different words for idols in this passage all mean the same thing, driving home the point that every object of idolatry was destroyed without exception. He adds that those “spied” include not only openly displayed images but also any that priests had tried to hide.