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Matthew Henry

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - 2 Chronicles 35:20-27

It was thirteen years from Josiah's famous passover to his death. During this time, we may hope, thing went well in his kingdom, that he prospered, and religion flourished; yet we are not entertained with the pleasing account of those years, but they are passed over in silence, because the people, for all this, were not turned from the love of their sins nor God from the fierceness of his anger. The next news therefore we hear of Josiah is that he is cut off in the midst of his days and... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - 2 Chronicles 35:20

After all this, when Josiah had prepared the temple ,.... Purified it, and cleansed it from the filth in it, and from all idolatry, and had repaired it, and put the service of it in good order, and on a good footing, after which great prosperity in church and state might have been expected: Necho king of Egypt came up to fight against Carchemish by Euphrates ; now called Querquisia, supposed by some to be the same with the Cadytis of Herodotus, which that historian calls a great city of... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - 2 Chronicles 35:21

But he sent ambassadors to him ,.... That is, Necho sent to Josiah: saying, what have I to do with thee, thou king of Judah ? signifying he had no quarrel with him, he did not come to fight with him, and he had no business to intermeddle between him and another prince: I come not against thee this day ; in an hostile manner: but against the house wherewith I have war ; the king of Assyria: for God commanded me to make haste ; and oppose his enemy: according to the Targum, it... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - 2 Chronicles 35:22

Nevertheless, Josiah would not turn his face from him ,.... Or withdraw his forces, and go back: but disguised himself that he might fight with him ; without being personally known, and aimed at, see 1 Kings 22:30 . and hearkened not unto the words of Necho from the mouth of God : not believing that what he said came from the Lord, though it might; and his infirmity was, that he did not inquire of the Lord about it: and came to fight in the valley of Megiddo ; which was in the... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - 2 Chronicles 35:23

And the archers shot at King Josiah ,.... For, though disguised, he appeared to be a general officer, and indeed chief commander, and therefore aimed at him, and pressed him hard: and the king said to his servants, have me away, for I am wounded ; as Ahab said, when in the like case, 1 Kings 22:34 . read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - 2 Chronicles 35:24

And his servants therefore took him out of that chariot ,.... Dead, and had him to Jerusalem, and buried him; See Gill on 2 Kings 23:30 , and all Judah and Jerusalem mourned for Josiah ; he having been so good a king, so tender of them, and such an happy instrument in restoring the true religion, and the service of God; this was the sense of the generality of them, who were sincere in their mourning; but it is not improbable that those who were inclined to idolatry were secretly glad,... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - 2 Chronicles 35:20

Necho king of Egypt - Pharaoh the lame, says the Targum. read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - 2 Chronicles 35:21

God commanded me to make haste - The Targum gives a curious turn to this and the following verse: "My idol commanded me to make haste; refrain therefore from me and my idol which is with me, that he betray thee not. When he heard him mention his idol, he would not go back; and he hearkened not unto the words of Necho, which he spake concerning his idol." Here is the rabbinical excuse for the conduct of Josiah. read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - 2 Chronicles 35:24

The second chariot - Perhaps this means no more than that they took Josiah out of his own chariot and put him into another, either for secrecy, or because his own had been disabled. The chariot into which he was put might have been that of the officer or aid-de-camp who attended his master to the war. See the note on 2 Kings 22:20 . read more

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