The Meaning of 2 Kings 23:17 Explained

2 Kings 23:17

KJV: Then he said, What title is that that I see? And the men of the city told him, It is the sepulchre of the man of God, which came from Judah, and proclaimed these things that thou hast done against the altar of Bethel.

YLT: And he saith, 'What is this sign that I see?' and the men of the city say unto him, 'The grave of the man of God who hath come from Judah, and proclaimeth these things that thou hast done concerning the altar of Beth-El.'

Darby: Then he said, What tombstone is that which I see? And the men of the city told him, It is the sepulchre of the man of God who came from Judah and proclaimed these things which thou hast done against the altar of Bethel.

ASV: Then he said, What monument is that which I see? And the men of the city told him, It is the sepulchre of the man of God, who came from Judah, and proclaimed these things that thou hast done against the altar of Beth-el.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Then he said,  What title  [is] that  that I see?  And the men  of the city  told  him, [It is] the sepulchre  of the man  of God,  which came  from Judah,  and proclaimed  these things  that thou hast done  against the altar  of Bethel. 

What does 2 Kings 23:17 Mean?

Context Summary

2 Kings 23:15-25 - Proving His Whole-Heartedness
Josiah carried his drastic reforms even to Samaria, thus fulfilling a prophecy uttered 350 years before. See 1 Kings 13:2-3. The old leaven having now been cleared out, the Passover could be celebrated. We cannot keep the feast of joy and worship till the work of self-purgation has been undertaken. See 1 Corinthians 5:7. In that great feast some of the ten tribes also joined. There was therefore an affirmation of the spiritual unity of the entire nation, though, like the professing Church of today, it was outwardly in fragments. We must never let go of our belief in the Holy Universal Church, however distracted and divided to outward seeming it may be.
Though these reforms were carried through by the king's strong hand, the generality of the nation remained idolatrous and corrupt, and yielded a feigned rather than a felt repentance. See Jeremiah 3:10; Jeremiah 4:3-4; Jeremiah 4:14; Jeremiah 5:1-3, etc. Therefore judgment could not be averted. External reformation is not enough to secure the permanence of national life. We must rend our hearts rather than our garments, Joel 2:13. There is a sorrow that needs not to be repented of, and a sorrow which "worketh death," 2 Corinthians 7:10. [source]

Chapter Summary: 2 Kings 23

1  Josiah causes the book to be read in a solemn assembly
3  He renews the covenant of the Lord
4  He destroys idolatry
15  He burns dead men's bones upon the altar of Bethel, as was prophesied
21  He keeps a most solemn Passover
24  He puts away witches and all abomination
26  God's final wrath against Judah
29  Josiah, provoking Pharaoh Neco, is slain at Megiddo
31  Jehoahaz, succeeding him,
33  is imprisoned by Pharaoh Neco, who makes Jehoiakim king
36  Jehoiakim's wicked reign

What do the individual words in 2 Kings 23:17 mean?

And he said what [is] gravestone this that I see so told him the men of the city [it is] the tomb of the man of God who came from Judah and proclaimed - things these which you have done against the altar of Bethel
וַיֹּ֕אמֶר מָ֚ה הַצִּיּ֣וּן הַלָּ֔ז אֲשֶׁ֖ר אֲנִ֣י ؟ רֹאֶ֑ה וַיֹּאמְר֨וּ אֵלָ֜יו אַנְשֵׁ֣י הָעִ֗יר הַקֶּ֤בֶר אִישׁ־ הָֽאֱלֹהִים֙ אֲשֶׁר־ בָּ֣א מִֽיהוּדָ֔ה וַיִּקְרָ֗א אֶת־ הַדְּבָרִ֤ים הָאֵ֙לֶּה֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר עָשִׂ֔יתָ עַ֖ל הַמִּזְבַּ֥ח בֵּֽית־ אֵֽל

וַיֹּ֕אמֶר  And  he  said 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: אָמַר 
Sense: to say, speak, utter.
מָ֚ה  what  [is] 
Parse: Interrogative
Root: לָמָּה 
Sense: what, how, of what kind.
הַצִּיּ֣וּן  gravestone 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: צִיּוּן  
Sense: signpost, monument, market.
הַלָּ֔ז  this 
Parse: Pronoun, masculine singular
Root: הַלָּז 
Sense: this, this one (without subst), yonder.
אֲשֶׁ֖ר  that 
Parse: Pronoun, relative
Root: אֲשֶׁר 
Sense: (relative part.).
؟ רֹאֶ֑ה  see 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine singular
Root: רָאָה 
Sense: to see, look at, inspect, perceive, consider.
וַיֹּאמְר֨וּ  so  told 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: אָמַר 
Sense: to say, speak, utter.
אַנְשֵׁ֣י  the  men 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct
Root: אִישׁ 
Sense: man.
הָעִ֗יר  of  the  city 
Parse: Article, Noun, feminine singular
Root: עִיר 
Sense: excitement, anguish.
הַקֶּ֤בֶר  [it  is]  the  tomb 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: קֶבֶר  
Sense: grave, sepulchre, tomb.
אִישׁ־  of  the  man 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: אִישׁ 
Sense: man.
הָֽאֱלֹהִים֙  of  God 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine plural
Root: אֱלֹהִים  
Sense: (plural).
בָּ֣א  came 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: בֹּוא 
Sense: to go in, enter, come, go, come in.
מִֽיהוּדָ֔ה  from  Judah 
Parse: Preposition-m, Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יְהוּדָה  
Sense: the son of Jacob by Leah.
וַיִּקְרָ֗א  and  proclaimed 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: קָרָא  
Sense: to call, call out, recite, read, cry out, proclaim.
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.
הַדְּבָרִ֤ים  things 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine plural
Root: דָּבָר  
Sense: speech, word, speaking, thing.
הָאֵ֙לֶּה֙  these 
Parse: Article, Pronoun, common plural
Root: אֵהֶל 
Sense: these.
עָשִׂ֔יתָ  you  have  done 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, second person masculine singular
Root: עָשָׂה 
Sense: to do, fashion, accomplish, make.
עַ֖ל  against 
Parse: Preposition
Root: עַל 
Sense: upon, on the ground of, according to, on account of, on behalf of, concerning, beside, in addition to, together with, beyond, above, over, by, on to, towards, to, against.
הַמִּזְבַּ֥ח  the  altar 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: מִזְבֵּחַ  
Sense: altar.
אֵֽל  Bethel 
Parse: Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: בֵּית־אֵל  
Sense: ancient place and seat of worship in Ephraim on border of Benjamin, identified with Luz (former name).

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