John Gill's Bible Commentary Ver. 6. And he brought out the grove from the house of the Lord , etc.] Not a real grove of trees, but a carved one, as some think; or rather the image of the grove, ( 2 Kings 21:7) that is, the idol Ashtoreth, or Astarte, which was set up there; so Theodoret says; some interpreters call it Astoreth, the name of Venus, whom they call Astarte: this Josiah ordered to be brought without Jerusalem, unto the brook Kidron, and burnt it at the brook Kidron ; the black brook, where the filth of the sacrifices was carried: and stamped it small to powder ; as Moses did the golden calf: and cast the powder thereof upon the graves of the children of the people ; the common people, (see Jeremiah 26:23) or rather on the graves of the worshippers of idols, as it seems from ( 2 Chronicles 34:4) the Targum is, ``on the graves of the children of Galia,” which, Kimchi says, is the name of an idol; this was done partly in contempt of the idol, groves being, according to law, impure; and partly to the reproach of the deceased, and the memory of them, for their idolatry, and to deter from it those that survived them.
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 ויצא3318 את853 האשׁרה842 מבית1004 יהוה3068 מחוץ2351 לירושׁלם3389 אל413 נחל5158 קדרון6939 וישׂרף8313 אתה853 בנחל5158 קדרון6939 וידק1854 לעפר6083 וישׁלך7993 את853 עפרה6083 על5921 קבר6913 בני1121 העם׃5971
