The Meaning of 2 Kings 23:29 Explained

2 Kings 23:29

KJV: In his days Pharaohnechoh king of Egypt went up against the king of Assyria to the river Euphrates: and king Josiah went against him; and he slew him at Megiddo, when he had seen him.

YLT: In his days hath Pharaoh-Nechoh king of Egypt come up against the king of Asshur, by the river Phrat, and king Josiah goeth out to meet him, and he putteth him to death in Megiddo, when he seeth him.

Darby: In his days Pharaoh-Nechoh king of Egypt went up against the king of Assyria to the river Euphrates; and king Josiah went against him; but Nechoh slew him at Megiddo, when he had seen him.

ASV: In his days Pharaoh-necoh king of Egypt went up against the king of Assyria to the river Euphrates: and king Josiah went against him; and Pharaoh-necoh'slew him at Megiddo, when he had seen him.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

In his days  Pharaohnechoh  king  of Egypt  went up  against the king  of Assyria  to the river  Euphrates:  and king  Josiah  went  against  him; and he slew  him at Megiddo,  when he had seen  him. 

What does 2 Kings 23:29 Mean?

Context Summary

2 Kings 23:26-37 - In The Hands Of Heathen Foes
Josiah's life ended in terrible disaster. He persisted in measuring himself in battle against the king of Egypt in a quarrel which was none of his, and thus met his death. The events of this paragraph are fully narrated in 2 Chronicles 35:1-27, and are corroborated by the Greek historian, Herodotus, and by the sculptures on this Pharaoh's tomb. The story of Jehoiakim should also be studied in the pages of Jeremiah- Jeremiah 22:1-30; Jeremiah 26:1-24; Jeremiah 36:1-32 -which cast a flood of light on these last days, when the sands in the time-glass of repentance were running out.
It is extraordinary that, notwithstanding the earnest expostulations of Jeremiah and others, and the awful example furnished by the fate of the ten tribes, the kings of Judah and their people should be so persistent in wrong-doing. But their hearts were fully set upon evil. In our own time the history of the drink traffic furnishes a parallel. Its evils stand confessed, as they touch individuals and nations, and yet neither individuals nor nations seem able to cast off the coils of this serpent. The Hebrew race had to pass through terrible fixes to become fitted for their mission to the world, and surely the present anguish of conflict is our parallel! [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 23:29 mean?

in his days went Pharaoh Necho king of Egypt to the aid of the king of Assyria to the River Euphrates And went King Josiah against him and [Pharaoh Necho] killed him at Megiddo when he confronted him
בְּיָמָ֡יו עָלָה֩ פַרְעֹ֨ה נְכֹ֧ה מֶֽלֶךְ־ מִצְרַ֛יִם עַל־ מֶ֥לֶךְ אַשּׁ֖וּר עַל־ נְהַר־ פְּרָ֑ת וַיֵּ֨לֶךְ הַמֶּ֤לֶךְ יֹאשִׁיָּ֙הוּ֙ לִקְרָאת֔וֹ וַיְמִיתֵ֙הוּ֙ בִּמְגִדּ֔וֹ כִּרְאֹת֖וֹ אֹתֽוֹ

בְּיָמָ֡יו  in  his  days 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, masculine plural construct, third person masculine singular
Root: יׄום 
Sense: day, time, year.
עָלָה֩  went 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: סָלַק 
Sense: to go up, ascend, climb.
פַרְעֹ֨ה  Pharaoh 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
נְכֹ֧ה  Necho 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: פַּרְעֹה 
Sense: the Pharaoh of Egypt who fought king Josiah of Judah at Megiddo and killed him.
מֶֽלֶךְ־  king 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: מֶלֶךְ 
Sense: king.
מִצְרַ֛יִם  of  Egypt 
Parse: Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: מִצְרַיִם  
Sense: a country at the northeastern section of Africa, adjacent to Palestine, and through which the Nile flows adj Egyptians = “double straits”.
עַל־  to  the  aid 
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.
מֶ֥לֶךְ  of  the  king 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: מֶלֶךְ 
Sense: king.
אַשּׁ֖וּר  of  Assyria 
Parse: Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: אַשּׁוּר  
Sense: the second son of Shem, eponymous ancestor of the Assyrians.
נְהַר־  the  River 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: נָהָר  
Sense: stream, river.
פְּרָ֑ת  Euphrates 
Parse: Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: פְּרָת  
Sense: the largest and longest river of western Asia; rises from two chief sources in the Armenian mountains and flows into the Persian Gulf.
וַיֵּ֨לֶךְ  And  went 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: הָלַךְ  
Sense: to go, walk, come.
הַמֶּ֤לֶךְ  King 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: מֶלֶךְ 
Sense: king.
יֹאשִׁיָּ֙הוּ֙  Josiah 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יׄאשִׁיָּה 
Sense: son of Amon by Jedidah who succeeded his father to the throne of Judah and reigned for 3 years; his reign is noteworthy for the great revivals back to the worship of Jehovah which he led.
לִקְרָאת֔וֹ  against  him 
Parse: Preposition-l, Verb, Qal, Infinitive construct, third person masculine singular
Root: קָרָא  
Sense: to encounter, befall, meet.
וַיְמִיתֵ֙הוּ֙  and  [Pharaoh  Necho]  killed  him 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Hifil, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular, third person masculine singular
Root: מוּת  
Sense: to die, kill, have one executed.
בִּמְגִדּ֔וֹ  at  Megiddo 
Parse: Preposition-b, Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: מְגִדֹּו 
Sense: ancient city of Canaan assigned to Manasseh and located on the southern rim of the plain of Esdraelon 6 miles (0 km) from Mount Carmel and miles (8 km) from Nazareth.
כִּרְאֹת֖וֹ  when  he  confronted 
Parse: Preposition-k, Verb, Qal, Infinitive construct, third person masculine singular
Root: רָאָה 
Sense: to see, look at, inspect, perceive, consider.