2 Kings 23:20
“He killed all the priests of the high places that were there, on the altars, and burned men’s bones on them; and he returned to Jerusalem.”
What does 2 Kings 23:20 mean?
King Josiah's religious reforms were sweeping and dramatic. After discovering the Book of the Law during temple repairs, he became determined to purge the kingdom of idol worship and unauthorized religious practices. The "high places" were local altars where people worshiped outside the official temple in Jerusalem, often mixing worship of God with pagan practices that had accumulated over generations. This verse shows how thoroughly Josiah carried out his mission, removing the priests who served at these unauthorized sites. While it's jarring to read, the action reflected his conviction that spiritual faithfulness required decisive action against what he saw as corruption. His reforms lasted for his lifetime and represented one of Judah's last major attempts to return to what they believed was true worship before the nation's eventual fall to Babylon. For those reading this, it's a reminder of how seriously the biblical figures took their understanding of God's will, even when their methods seem extreme by modern standards.