The Meaning of 2 Chronicles 34:5 Explained

2 Chronicles 34:5

KJV: And he burnt the bones of the priests upon their altars, and cleansed Judah and Jerusalem.

YLT: and the bones of the priests he hath burnt on their altars, and cleanseth Judah and Jerusalem,

Darby: and he burned the bones of the priests upon their altars, and purged Judah and Jerusalem.

ASV: And he burnt the bones of the priests upon their altars, and purged Judah and Jerusalem.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And he burnt  the bones  of the priests  upon their altars,  and cleansed  Judah  and Jerusalem. 

What does 2 Chronicles 34:5 Mean?

Context Summary

2 Chronicles 34:1-11 - A Toting King's Noble Leadership
Josiah was as much better than his father Amon, as Manasseh had been worse than Hezekiah. How strange to find such a pure young soul in the heart of Amon's court! What led the boy to such moral and religious attainments? Perhaps his grandfather, Manasseh, unable to change his son, focused his prayers and influence on his grandson. It is probable, also, that considerable influence for good resulted from the discovery that he had been the subject of prophecy. See 1 Kings 13:2. He felt encouraged to apprehend that for which he had been apprehended years before. Though no prophet's voice has predicted the program and attainments of our lives, they are well known in heaven, and we are summoned to realize God's great ideals for us.
The call of Jeremiah, also so nearly coincides with the commencement of Josiah's reforms that we can scarcely regard the two facts as unconnected. At any rate the king's earlier efforts seem to have been coincident with the first appearance of the prophet-statesman in the king's court at Jerusalem. [source]

Chapter Summary: 2 Chronicles 34

1  Josiah's good reign
3  He destroys idolatry
8  He takes order for the repair of the temple
14  Hilkiah, having found a book of the law,
21  Josiah sends to Huldah to enquire of the Lord
23  Huldah prophesies the destruction of Jerusalem, but respite thereof in Josiah's time
29  Josiah, causing it to be read in a solemn assembly, renews the covenant with God

What do the individual words in 2 Chronicles 34:5 mean?

And the bones of the priests He burned on - their altars and cleansed - Judah and Jerusalem
וְעַצְמוֹת֙ כֹּֽהֲנִ֔ים שָׂרַ֖ף עַל־ [מזבחותים] (מִזְבְּחוֹתָ֑ם) וַיְטַהֵ֥ר אֶת־ יְהוּדָ֖ה וְאֶת־ יְרוּשָׁלִָֽם

וְעַצְמוֹת֙  And  the  bones 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, feminine plural construct
Root: עֶצֶם 
Sense: bone, essence, substance.
כֹּֽהֲנִ֔ים  of  the  priests 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural
Root: כֹּהֵן  
Sense: priest, principal officer or chief ruler.
שָׂרַ֖ף  He  burned 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: שָׂרַף  
Sense: to burn.
[מזבחותים]  - 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct
(מִזְבְּחוֹתָ֑ם)  their  altars 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct, third person masculine plural
Root: מִזְבֵּחַ  
Sense: altar.
וַיְטַהֵ֥ר  and  cleansed 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Piel, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: טָהֵר  
Sense: to be clean, be pure.
אֶת־  - 
Parse: Direct object marker
Root: אֹות 
Sense: sign of the definite direct object, not translated in English but generally preceding and indicating the accusative.
יְהוּדָ֖ה  Judah 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יְהוּדָה  
Sense: the son of Jacob by Leah.
יְרוּשָׁלִָֽם  Jerusalem 
Parse: Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: יְרוּשָׁלַםִ  
Sense: the chief city of Palestine and capital of the united kingdom and the nation of Judah after the split.