John Gill's Bible Commentary Ver. 4. And the king commanded Hilkiah the high priest, and the priests of the second order , etc.] Or the second course of the priests; the course of Jedaiah, ( 1 Chronicles 24:7) as some think; or rather, the two chief priests next to the high priest, who were of the line both of Eleazar and Ithamar; though the Targum interprets it of the Sagan of the priests, a deputy of the high priest, such as in later times the high priest had always appointed for him on the day of atonement f261 : and the keepers of the door : the porters at the door and gates of the temple; or rather the treasurers, as the Targum; such as were appointed over the vessels of the sanctuary, as the Jewish writers generally interpret it, and which best agrees with what follows: to bring forth out of the temple of the Lord all the vessels that were made for Baal : used in burning incense, or offering sacrifices to him: and for the grove : the idol of the grove, or Asherah, that is, Ashtoreth, or Astarte, the same with Venus, or the moon, as Baal was the sun, the one the husband, and the other the wife, according to the Jews f262 : and for all the host of heaven : the stars: and he burnt them without Jerusalem in the fields of Kidron ; or plain of Kidron, as the Targum; through which the brook Kidron ran: and carried the ashes of them unto Bethel ; where one of Jeroboam’s calves was set, and was the source of idolatry; and this he did in contempt of that place; and, to show his detestation of the idolatry there, he made it a dunghill of ashes of things used in idolatrous service; this he could do, that place being in the hands of the kings of Judah from the times of Ahijah, ( 2 Chronicles 13:19).
Matthew Henry Commentary
Verses 4-14 - What abundance of wickedness in Judah and Jerusalem! One would not have believed it possible, that in Judah, where God was known, in Israel where his name was great, in Salem, in Zion, where his dwelling-plac was, such abominations should be found. Josiah had reigned eightee years, and had himself set the people a good example, and kept u religion according to the Divine law; yet, when he came to search for idolatry, the depth and extent were very great. Both common history and the records of God's word, teach, that all the real godliness of goodness ever found on earth, is derived from the new-creating Spiri of Jesus Christ.
Original Hebrew ויצו6680 המלך4428 את853 חלקיהו2518 הכהן3548 הגדול1419 ואת853 כהני3548 המשׁנה4932 ואת853 שׁמרי8104 הסף5592 להוציא3318 מהיכל1964 יהוה3068 את853 כל3605 הכלים3627 העשׂוים6213 לבעל1168 ולאשׁרה842 ולכל3605 צבא6635 השׁמים8064 וישׂרפם8313 מחוץ2351 לירושׁלם3389 בשׁדמות7709 קדרון6939 ונשׂא5375 את853 עפרם6083 בית אל׃1008
