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Commentary Index | Return to PrayerRequest.com | DownloadPaul Kretzmann Commentary - 2 Chronicles 35:20 - 35:27
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Josiah Slain at Megiddo
v. 20. After all this, when Josiah had prepared the Temple, when his work of restoring the ancient worship had come to a close and an era of peace and prosperity might have been expected, Necho, king of Egypt, came up to fight against Charchemish by Euphrates, a great commercial city. And Josiah went out against him, either because he thought the neutrality of his country endangered, or because he felt that he must take the part of the Assyro-Babylonian king.
v. 21. But he sent ambassadors to him, saying, What have I to do with thee, thou king of Judah? Pharaoh-Necho urged Josiah not to meddle in this affair, since he had no quarrel with him. I come not against thee this day, but against the house wherewith I have war; for God commanded me to make haste. Forbear thee from meddling with God, who is with me, that He destroy thee not. What Necho believed to be the will of the Egyptian god whom he served, that he transferred to Jehovah of Israel, in order to persuade Josiah the more easily.
v. 22. Nevertheless, Josiah would not turn his face from him, but disguised himself, as Ahab of Israel had done in the battle against the Syrians, by wearing the armor and dress of a common soldier or officer, that he might fight with him, and hearkened not unto the words of Necho from the mouth of God, and came to fight in the Valley of Megiddo, in the Plain of Jezreel, Necho having either brought up his army by fleet to the neighborhood of Carmel or marched up along the Mediterranean Sea.
v. 23. And the archers shot at King Josiah; and the king said to his servants, Have me away; for I am sore wounded, sick with the severity and with the pain of his wound.
v. 24. His servants therefore took him out of that chariot and put him in the second chariot that he had, probably one larger and more comfortable than his war-chariot. And they brought him to Jerusalem; and he died and was buried in one of the sepulchers of his fathers, in the tombs of the kings. And all Judah and Jerusalem mourned for Josiah.
v. 25. And Jeremiah lamented for Josiah; and all the singing men and the singing women spake of Josiah in their lamentations to this day, probably taking one of the poems of Jeremiah for that purpose, and made them an ordinance in Israel; and, behold, they are written in the lamentations, a collection of poems chanted on certain public occasions by professional singers.
v. 26. Now, the rest of the acts of Josiah and his goodness, all his acts of kindness, according to that which was written in the Law of the Lord,
v. 27. and his deeds, first and last, behold, they are written in the Book of the Kings of Israel and Judah. He was one of the best-loved kings of the house of David, through whom God blessed His people, as He does through all faithful rulers.