Josiah in Easton's Bible Dictionary
healed by Jehovah, or Jehovah will support. The son of Amon,
and
his successor on the throne of Judah (2 Kings 22:1;
2 Chr.
34:1). His history is contained in 2 Kings 22, 23.
He stands
foremost among all the kings of the line of David
for unswerving
loyalty to Jehovah (23:25). He "did that which was
right in the
sight of the Lord, and walked in all the way of
David his
father." He ascended the throne at the early age of
eight years,
and it appears that not till eight years afterwards
did he begin
"to seek after the God of David his father." At that
age he
devoted himself to God. He distinguished himself by
beginning a
war of extermination against the prevailing
idolatry, which had
practically been the state religion for some seventy
years (2
Chr. 34:3; comp. Jer. 25:3, 11, 29).
In the eighteenth year of his reign he proceeded to
repair and
beautify the temple, which by time and violence had
become
sorely dilapidated (2 Kings 22:3, 5, 6; 23:23; 2
Chr. 34:11).
While this work was being carried on, Hilkiah, the
high priest,
discovered a roll, which was probably the original
copy of the
law, the entire Pentateuch, written by Moses.
When this book was read to him, the king was alarmed
by the
things it contained, and sent for Huldah, the
"prophetess," for
her counsel. She spoke to him words of
encouragement, telling
him that he would be gathered to his fathers in
peace before the
threatened days of judgment came. Josiah immediately
gathered
the people together, and engaged them in a renewal
of their
ancient national covenant with God. The Passover was
then
celebrated, as in the days of his great predecessor,
Hezekiah,
with unusual magnificence. Nevertheless, "the Lord
turned not
from the fierceness of his great wrath wherewith his
anger was
kindled against Judah" (2 Kings 22:3-20; 23:21-27; 2
Chr.
35:1-19). During the progress of this great
religious revolution
Jeremiah helped it on by his earnest exhortations.
Soon after this, Pharaoh-Necho II. (q.v.), king of
Egypt, in
an expedition against the king of Assyria, with the
view of
gaining possession of Carchemish, sought a passage
through the
territory of Judah for his army. This Josiah refused
to permit.
He had probably entered into some new alliance with
the king of
Assyria, and faithful to his word he sought to
oppose the
progress of Necho.
The army of Judah went out and encountered that of
Egypt at
Megiddo, on the verge of the plain of Esdraelon.
Josiah went
into the field in disguise, and was fatally wounded
by a random
arrow. His attendants conveyed him toward Jerusalem,
but had
only reached Hadadrimmon, a few miles south of
Megiddo, when he
died (2 Kings 23:28, 30; comp. 2 Chr. 35:20-27),
after a reign
of thirty-one years. He was buried with the greatest
honours in
fulfilment of Huldah's prophecy (2 Kings 22:20;
comp. Jer.
34:5). Jeremiah composed a funeral elegy on this the
best of the
kings of Israel (Lam. 4:20; 2 Chr. 35:25). The
outburst of
national grief on account of his death became
proverbial (Zech.
12:11; comp. Rev. 16:16).
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