Josiah

Josiah began his reign over Judah at the tender age of eight, after the death of his father Amon, and he ruled for thirty-one years in Jerusalem (2 Kings 22:1; 2 Chronicles 34:1). The biblical narrative emphasizes his early devotion, noting that "the heart of the king was wholly after God" (2 Kings 22:2), a theme that frames the rest of his ministry.

In the eighteenth year of his reign, Josiah ordered a repair of the temple, and the high priest Hilkiah discovered "the book of the law of the Lord which was found in the house of the Lord" (2 Kings 22:8; 2 Chronicles 34:14). When the king heard its contents, he tore his clothes in grief, recognizing how far the nation had strayed (2 Kings 22:11). He then sent a delegation to the prophetess Huldah, who confirmed that disaster would come upon Judah because of its idolatry, yet promised that Josiah himself would die peacefully (2 Kings 22:20).

Motivated by the rediscovered covenant, Josiah summoned all the people of Judah and Jerusalem, read the words of the law aloud, and renewed the covenant before the Lord, proclaiming, "I have sold the sons and daughters of the people of the land and the people of the land have been sold to the men of war" (2 Kings 23:2; 2 Chronicles 35:2). He commanded the removal of all foreign altars, images, and incense altars that had been set up in the land (2 Kings 23:4‑5).

The reforms continued with the systematic destruction of the high places, the cutting down of Asherah poles, and the eradication of priests who served the Baals and the host of heaven (2 Kings 23:10‑14; 2 Chronicles 35:3‑7). Josiah also abolished the sacred stone at the high place of Bethel, smashed the bronze serpent that Moses had made, and restored proper worship at the altar of the Lord (2 Kings 23:15‑20; 2 Chronicles 35:8‑10).

Before his death, Josiah gathered the nation to observe the Passover "as it was written in the Book of the Law" and ensured that it was celebrated with fidelity for the first time since the days of the judges (2 Kings 23:29‑30; 2 Chronicles 35:20‑21). Yet his life ended abruptly when he confronted the Egyptian king Necho at Megiddo; the biblical account records that he was "struck down by the sword of the king of Egypt" (2 Kings 23:31‑35; 2 Chronicles 35:22‑24), a tragic conclusion that scholars often view as the culmination of his zealous yet politically precarious reforms.