2 Kings 22 is the twenty-second chapter of the second part of the Books of Kings in the Hebrew Bible or the Second Book of Kings in the Old Testament of the ChristianBible.[1][2] The book is a compilation of various annals recording the acts of the kings of Israel and Judah by a Deuteronomic compiler in the seventh century BCE, with a supplement added in the sixth century BCE.[3] This chapter records the events during the reign of Josiah, the king of Judah, especially the discovery of the Book of the Law (Torah) during the renovation of the TempleinJerusalem.[4]
There is also a translation into Koine Greek known as the Septuagint, made in the last few centuries BCE. Extant ancient manuscripts of the Septuagint version include Codex Vaticanus (B; B; 4th century) and Codex Alexandrinus (A; A; 5th century).[6][a]
2 Kings 22–23:30 mainly contains the story of Josiah's actions of his eighteenth year (22:3; 23:23) and the discovery of the book of the law (22:8-10; 23:24) as grouped based on five royal initiatives (using distinct verbs "send" and "command"):[10]
Discovery of the book (22:3–11; "sent," 22:3)
Inquiry about the book (22:12–20; "commanded," 22:12)
Covenant and the book (23:1–3; "sent," 23:1)
Reforms from the book (23:4–20; "commanded," 23:4)
Passover from the book (23:21–24; "commanded," 23:21)[10]
The account of Josiah ben Amon as the king of Judah is bracketed by the introductory regnal form in 2 Kings 22:1–2 and the concluding regnal form in 2 Kings 23:28–30, as the body in 2 Kings 22:3–23:27 highlights the religious reform and national restoration.[11][12] The life of Josiah shows some similarities to the life of Joash, king of Judah, in that:[9]
both ascended the throne at a very young age (Josiah was 8 years old, 2 Kings 22:1; cf. Joash/Jehoash was 7 years old, 2 Kings 11:21)
at the age of 18, both repaired the Temple, reversing the acts of the last ruler before them (Joash replaced Athaliah; Josiah succeeded Manasseh).
the key event in Josiah's reign was the discovery of the book of law (Hebrew: "book of the Torah") in the temple by Hilkiah the priest (2 Kings 22:8-13), a person with similar stature as Jehoiada, the priest in Joash's reign.[9]
In 625 BCE Babylon achieved independence under Nabopolassar and in 612 BCE took the Assyrian capital Nineveh. This situation enables the kingdom of Judah, not under the threat of the Assyrians anymore, could make internal changes, including religious reforms.[13]
Verses 3–7 records the instruction of Josiah, through the scribe Shaphan ben Azaliah ben Meshullam, to the high priest Hilkiah to lead the renovation of the Temple in Jerusalem.[11]
And it came to pass in the eighteenth year of king Josiah, that the king sent Shaphan the son of Azaliah, the son of Meshullam, the scribe, to the house of the LORD, saying,[14]
"Azaliah, the son of Meshullam" (cf. 2 Chronicles 34:8) may be attested by a bulla with the inscription "belonging to Azaliahu son of Meshullam" according to archaeologist Nahman Avigad.[17]
Hilkiah reported to Shaphan about the discovery of a book of Torah in the temple during the renovations.(verse 8; cf. 2 Kings 12).[13] Critical studies suggest that the discovered book was Deuteronomy or its core (Deuteronomy 6ab–28), which contains the speech made by Moses shortly before his death and might include some older materials as well. The closing admonitions (Deuteronomy 28), the strict demand for the exclusive worship of YHWH (Deuteronomy 6:5) and the cultic veneration of YHWH alone in the central holy site of Jerusalem (Deuteronomy 12) would impress Josiah, and rules such as the social laws of Deuteronomy (e.g. Deuteronomy 15: 24) would become state law during his reign.[13] Shaphan's report to King Josiah concerning the discovery of the Torah scroll and read the document (verses 9–10), causing Josiah's distress on hearing the words and his command to a delegation including Hilkiah the priest, Shaphan the scribe, and others to make an inquiry of YHWH to determine the significance of this discovery (verses 11–13), which led them to the home of the prophetess, Huldah, wife of Shallum ben Harhas, the keeper of garments.[18]
And Hilkiah the high priest said unto Shaphan the scribe, I have found the book of the law in the house of the Lord. And Hilkiah gave the book to Shaphan, and he read it.[19]
"Hilkiah" (Hebrew: חִלְקִיָּהḤilqīyyāhū, "my portion is Yahweh"): Hilkiah's preaching may have encouraged Josiah to restore the worship of Yahweh as God of the Israelites in the kingdom of Judah.[20] The name is attested in extra-biblical sources by at least two artifacts: (1) a clay bulla found in 1980 inscribed with the text "(Belonging) to Hanan, son (of) Hilkiah the priest" in reversed paleo-Hebrew letters so the letters would read properly when impressed in a lump of clay;[21] (2) a bulla found in the eastern slope of Jerusalem during excavations in 1982 (among fifty-one bullae dated between Josiah's rule and the destruction of the city by the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar II in 586 BCE) with the inscription: "(Belonging) to Azaryah, son (of) Hilkiah".[22][23] Both seals seem to be engraved by the same master engraver. Both owners likely held a sacerdotal function in the Temple of Jerusalem, with Azaryah (identified as "Azaryah IV" by archaeologists) becoming the successor of Hilkiah as high priest (1 Chronicles 5:39; 9:11).[24] Hilkiah may also be the father of prophet Jeremiah or (could be another) Jeremiah of Libnah, and would have lived in Anathoth in the land of Benjamin.[25]
And the king commanded Hilkiah the priest, and Ahikam the son of Shaphan, and Achbor the son of Michaiah, and Shaphan the scribe, and Asahiah a servant of the king's, saying,[26]
The prophetess Huldah pointed out the inevitability that the kingdom of Judah would suffer destruction because of the people's apostasy, although she showed supports for Josiah's reforms and indicated that Josiah's righteousness would earn him a peaceful death before the catastrophe struck.[13][29]
"Surely, therefore, I will gather you to your fathers, and you shall be gathered to your grave in peace; and your eyes shall not see all the calamity which I will bring on this place." So they brought back word to the king.[30]
"Gather you to your fathers" or "Cause you to join your ancestors in death"[31]
Two ostraca were found in 1997 (Shlomo Moussaieff #1 and #2) that seems to strengthen the evidence for a temple renovation during the reign of Josiah (see Bordreuil, Israel, and Pardee 1996[32] and 1998[33]),[13][34] but these artifacts did not come from regular excavations, so there is a suspicion of modern forgery.[35] The first ostracon has a five-line inscription that records a royal contribution of three shekel of silver by a king ʾAshyahu to the temple of Yahweh to be made through a royal functionary named Zakaryahu, dated by palaeography to the time of Josiah.[36] The name "Ashyahu" is determined as a short form of Yo’shiyahu ("Josiah").[37][38] The second ostracon contains a widow's plea about an inheritance which mentions Josiah's name and a short quote from Psalm 22:11.[39]
^Lohfink, Contra Norbert. “The Cult Reform of Josiah of Judah: 2 Kings 22-23 as a Source for the History of Israelite Religion,” in Ancient Israelite Religion (ed. P. D. Miller et aL; Philadelphia: Fortress. 1987). 459-75.
^Yair Shoham, "Hebrew Bullae" in City of David Excavations: Final Report VI, Qedem 41 (Jerusalem: Hebrew University of Jerusalem, 2000), 33
^Avigad, Nahman (1997). Corpus of West Semitic Stamp Seals (2 ed.). Institute of Archaeology, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. p. 237. ISBN978-9652081384.; WSS 90, published by the Israel Academy of Sciences & Humanities
^Bible Dictionary (an appendix to the edition of the King James Bible published by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, Salt Lake City, UT, U.S.A.), p. 718, article titled "Josiah".
^Josette Elayi, Name of Deuteronomy’s Author Found on Seal Ring, Biblical Archaeology Review, September/October 1987, 54-56.
^Yigal Shiloh and David Tarler, Bullae from the City of David, Biblical Archaeologist 49/4, 1986, 196-209.
^Yigal Shiloh, A Group of Hebrew Bullae from the City of David, Israel Exploration Journal, 36, 1988, 16-38; Tsvi Schneider, Azaryahu Son of Hilqiyahu (Priest?) on a City of David Bulla, Israel Exploration Journal, 38, 1988, 139-141.
^Josette Elayi, "New Light on the Identification of the Seal of Priest Hanan, Son of Hilqiyahu" (2 Kings 22), Bibliotheca Orientalis, 5/6, September–November 1992, 680–685.
^Younger, K. Lawson, Jr. (2002) The Temple Of The Lord Ostracon, Moussaïeff No. 1, Context of Scripture, The Widow’s Plea COS 3.44, p. 86.
^Stieglitz, Robert (2003) "Ashyahu: He’s Josiah", BAR 29:03
^Hess, R. S. (2005) Taxes, Taxation. Dictionary of the Old Testament: historical books, p. 953.
^The Inscription on pottery shard reads: “May Yahweh bless you with peace [Psalm 22:11]. And now, may my lord, the prince, hear your maidservant. My husband has died without children. May your hand be with me, and that you might give into the hand of your maidservant the inheritance concerning which you spoke to Josiah. As for the field of wheat which is in Naamah, you gave to his brother.” Rudd, Steve Ostraca, Tablets and Inscriptions of the Bible: King Josiah Letters Ostraca collection (640 - 609 BC) - Shlomo Moussaieff #1 and #2. Accessed on September 28, 2020.
Thiele, Edwin R. (1951). The Mysterious Numbers of the Hebrew Kings: A Reconstruction of the Chronology of the Kingdoms of Israel and Judah. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). "Codex Sinaiticus". Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company.
