2 Kings 23:14
New International Version
Josiah smashed the sacred stones and cut down the Asherah poles and covered the sites with human bones.

New Living Translation
He smashed the sacred pillars and cut down the Asherah poles. Then he desecrated these places by scattering human bones over them.

English Standard Version
And he broke in pieces the pillars and cut down the Asherim and filled their places with the bones of men.

Berean Standard Bible
He smashed the sacred pillars to pieces, cut down the Asherah poles, and covered the sites with human bones.

King James Bible
And he brake in pieces the images, and cut down the groves, and filled their places with the bones of men.

New King James Version
And he broke in pieces the sacred pillars and cut down the wooden images, and filled their places with the bones of men.

New American Standard Bible
He also smashed to pieces the memorial stones and cut down the Asherim, and filled their places with human bones.

NASB 1995
He broke in pieces the sacred pillars and cut down the Asherim and filled their places with human bones.

NASB 1977
And he broke in pieces the sacred pillars and cut down the Asherim and filled their places with human bones.

Legacy Standard Bible
And he broke in pieces the sacred pillars and cut down the Asherim and filled their places with human bones.

Amplified Bible
He broke in pieces the sacred pillars (cultic memorial stones, images) and cut down the Asherim and replaced them with human bones [to desecrate the places forever].

Christian Standard Bible
He broke the sacred pillars into pieces, cut down the Asherah poles, then filled their places with human bones.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
He broke the sacred pillars into pieces, cut down the Asherah poles, then filled their places with human bones.

American Standard Version
And he brake in pieces the pillars, and cut down the Asherim, and filled their places with the bones of men.

Contemporary English Version
He tore down the stone images of foreign gods and cut down the sacred pole used in the worship of Asherah. Then he had the whole area covered with human bones.

English Revised Version
And he brake in pieces the pillars, and cut down the Asherim, and filled their places with the bones of men.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Josiah crushed the sacred stones, cut down the poles dedicated to Asherah, and filled their places with human bones.

Good News Translation
King Josiah broke the stone pillars to pieces, cut down the symbols of the goddess Asherah, and the ground where they had stood he covered with human bones.

International Standard Version
He broke the pillars to pieces, cut down the Asherim, and filled their locations with human bones.

Majority Standard Bible
He smashed the sacred pillars to pieces, cut down the Asherah poles, and covered the sites with human bones.

NET Bible
He smashed the sacred pillars to bits, cut down the Asherah pole, and filled those shrines with human bones.

New Heart English Bible
He broke in pieces the pillars, and cut down the Asherim, and filled their places with the bones of men.

Webster's Bible Translation
And he broke in pieces the images, and cut down the groves, and filled their places with the bones of men.

World English Bible
He broke in pieces the pillars, cut down the Asherah poles, and filled their places with men’s bones.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
And he has broken the standing-pillars in pieces, and cuts down the Asherim, and fills their place with bones of men;

Young's Literal Translation
And he hath broken in pieces the standing-pillars, and cutteth down the shrines, and filleth their place with bones of men;

Smith's Literal Translation
He brake in pieces the statues and he will cut off the images, and fill their places with bones of man.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
And he broke in pieces the statues, and cut down the groves: and he filled their places with the bones of dead men.

Catholic Public Domain Version
And he crushed the statues, and he cut down the sacred groves. And he filled their places with the bones of the dead.

New American Bible
He broke to pieces the pillars, cut down the asherahs, and filled the places where they had been with human bones.

New Revised Standard Version
He broke the pillars in pieces, cut down the sacred poles, and covered the sites with human bones.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
And he broke in pieces the images and cut down the idols and filled their places with the bones of men.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
And he shattered the monuments and cut off the idols and filled their place with the bones of the sons of men.
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
And he broke in pieces the pillars, and cut down the Asherim, and filled their places with the bones of men.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And he broke in pieces the pillars, and utterly destroyed the groves, and filled their places with the bones of men.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Josiah Destroys Idolatry
13The king also desecrated the high places east of Jerusalem, to the south of the Mount of Corruption, which King Solomon of Israel had built for Ashtoreth the abomination of the Sidonians, for Chemosh the abomination of the Moabites, and for Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites. 14He smashed the sacred pillars to pieces, cut down the Asherah poles, and covered the sites with human bones. 15He even pulled down the altar at Bethel, the high place set up by Jeroboam son of Nebat, who had caused Israel to sin. Then he burned the high place, ground it to powder, and burned the Asherah pole.…

Cross References
Deuteronomy 12:3
Tear down their altars, smash their sacred pillars, burn up their Asherah poles, cut down the idols of their gods, and wipe out their names from every place.

Exodus 23:24
You must not bow down to their gods or serve them or follow their practices. Instead, you are to demolish them and smash their sacred stones to pieces.

2 Chronicles 31:1
When all this had ended, the Israelites in attendance went out to the cities of Judah and broke up the sacred pillars, chopped down the Asherah poles, and tore down the high places and altars throughout Judah and Benjamin, as well as in Ephraim and Manasseh, until they had utterly destroyed them all. Then all the Israelites returned to their cities, each to his own property.

2 Chronicles 34:4-7
Then in his presence the altars of the Baals were torn down, and he cut to pieces the incense altars that were above them. He shattered the Asherah poles, the carved idols, and the cast images, crushed them to dust, and scattered them over the graves of those who had sacrificed to them. / Then he burned the bones of the priests on their altars. So he cleansed Judah and Jerusalem. / Josiah did the same in the cities of Manasseh, Ephraim, and Simeon, as far as Naphtali, and in the ruins around them. ...

Leviticus 26:1
“You must not make idols for yourselves or set up a carved image or sacred pillar; you must not place a sculpted stone in your land to bow down to it. For I am the LORD your God.

Isaiah 27:9
Therefore Jacob’s guilt will be atoned for, and the full fruit of the removal of his sin will be this: When he makes all the altar stones like crushed bits of chalk, no Asherah poles or incense altars will remain standing.

Micah 1:7
All her carved images will be smashed to pieces; all her wages will be burned in the fire, and I will destroy all her idols. Since she collected the wages of a prostitute, they will be used again on a prostitute.

Jeremiah 8:1-2
“At that time,” declares the LORD, “the bones of the kings of Judah, the bones of the officials, the bones of the priests, the bones of the prophets, and the bones of the people of Jerusalem will be removed from their graves. / They will be exposed to the sun and moon, and to all the host of heaven which they have loved, served, followed, consulted, and worshiped. Their bones will not be gathered up or buried, but will become like dung lying on the ground.

Hosea 10:2
Their hearts are devious; now they must bear their guilt. The LORD will break down their altars and demolish their sacred pillars.

Ezekiel 6:3-6
You are to say: ‘O mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord GOD! This is what the Lord GOD says to the mountains and hills, to the ravines and valleys: I am about to bring a sword against you, and I will destroy your high places. / Your altars will be demolished and your incense altars will be smashed; and I will cast down your slain before your idols. / I will lay the corpses of the Israelites before their idols and scatter your bones around your altars. ...

1 Kings 13:2
And he cried out against the altar by the word of the LORD, “O altar, O altar, this is what the LORD says: ‘A son named Josiah will be born to the house of David, and upon you he will sacrifice the priests of the high places who burn incense upon you, and human bones will be burned upon you.’”

1 Kings 14:23
They also built for themselves high places, sacred pillars, and Asherah poles on every high hill and under every green tree.

1 Kings 15:13
He also removed his grandmother Maacah from her position as queen mother because she had made a detestable Asherah pole. Asa chopped down the pole and burned it in the Kidron Valley.

1 Kings 16:32-33
First, Ahab set up an altar for Baal in the temple of Baal that he had built in Samaria. / Then he set up an Asherah pole. Thus Ahab did more to provoke the LORD, the God of Israel, to anger than all the kings of Israel before him.

1 Kings 21:26
He committed the most detestable acts by going after idols, just like the Amorites whom the LORD had driven out before the Israelites.)


Treasury of Scripture

And he broke in pieces the images, and cut down the groves, and filled their places with the bones of men.

he brake.

Exodus 23:24
Thou shalt not bow down to their gods, nor serve them, nor do after their works: but thou shalt utterly overthrow them, and quite break down their images.

Numbers 33:52
Then ye shall drive out all the inhabitants of the land from before you, and destroy all their pictures, and destroy all their molten images, and quite pluck down all their high places:

Deuteronomy 7:5,25,26
But thus shall ye deal with them; ye shall destroy their altars, and break down their images, and cut down their groves, and burn their graven images with fire…

images.

2 Kings 23:16
And as Josiah turned himself, he spied the sepulchres that were there in the mount, and sent, and took the bones out of the sepulchres, and burned them upon the altar, and polluted it, according to the word of the LORD which the man of God proclaimed, who proclaimed these words.

Numbers 19:16,18
And whosoever toucheth one that is slain with a sword in the open fields, or a dead body, or a bone of a man, or a grave, shall be unclean seven days…

Jeremiah 8:1,2
At that time, saith the LORD, they shall bring out the bones of the kings of Judah, and the bones of his princes, and the bones of the priests, and the bones of the prophets, and the bones of the inhabitants of Jerusalem, out of their graves: …

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Asherah Asherahs Asherim Ashe'rim Bits Bones Brake Broke Broken Columns Covered Cut Cutteth Filled Filleth Groves Human Images Josiah Pieces Pillars Places Poles rs Sacred Shrines Smashed Standing-Pillars Stone Stones Wood
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Asherah Asherahs Asherim Ashe'rim Bits Bones Brake Broke Broken Columns Covered Cut Cutteth Filled Filleth Groves Human Images Josiah Pieces Pillars Places Poles rs Sacred Shrines Smashed Standing-Pillars Stone Stones Wood
2 Kings 23
1. Josiah causes the book to be read in a solemn assembly.
3. He renews the covenant of the Lord.
4. He destroys idolatry.
15. He burns dead men's bones upon the altar of Bethel, as was prophesied.
21. He keeps a most solemn Passover.
24. He puts away witches and all abomination.
26. God's final wrath against Judah.
29. Josiah, provoking Pharaoh Neco, is slain at Megiddo.
31. Jehoahaz, succeeding him,
33. is imprisoned by Pharaoh Neco, who makes Jehoiakim king.
36. Jehoiakim's wicked reign.














He smashed the sacred pillars to pieces
The phrase "smashed the sacred pillars" refers to King Josiah's zealous reform efforts to eradicate idolatry from Judah. The Hebrew word for "sacred pillars" is "מַצֵּבוֹת" (matzevot), which were stone monuments often associated with pagan worship practices. These pillars were erected in honor of false gods and were a direct violation of the first and second commandments, which prohibit idolatry. Josiah's actions demonstrate his commitment to restoring the worship of Yahweh alone, aligning with the Deuteronomic reforms that emphasized exclusive devotion to the God of Israel. His destruction of these pillars symbolizes a breaking away from the syncretism that had infiltrated the religious life of Judah.

cut down the Asherah poles
The "Asherah poles" were wooden symbols or trees associated with the worship of the Canaanite goddess Asherah, often placed near altars dedicated to Baal. The Hebrew term "אֲשֵׁרִים" (Asherim) indicates these were not merely decorative but held significant religious meaning for those practicing Canaanite fertility rites. By cutting them down, Josiah was not only removing physical objects of idolatry but also dismantling the cultural and religious practices that led the people away from the covenant with Yahweh. This act of cutting down is reminiscent of the biblical mandate to "tear down their altars, smash their sacred stones" (Exodus 34:13), reinforcing the call to purity and holiness.

and covered the sites with human bones
Covering the sites with "human bones" was a deliberate act to desecrate these pagan worship sites. In ancient Israelite culture, contact with human bones rendered a place ritually unclean (Numbers 19:16). By spreading bones over these sites, Josiah ensured they would be permanently defiled and unfit for any future idolatrous worship. This act was a powerful statement against the false gods and a declaration of the supremacy of Yahweh. It also fulfilled the prophecy given in 1 Kings 13:2, where a man of God foretold that Josiah would defile the altar at Bethel. This fulfillment underscores the sovereignty of God in orchestrating history according to His divine plan.

(14) The images . . . the groves.--The pillars . . . the ash?rahs. These pillars and sacred trees may have been set up at the high places mentioned in the last verse; but the Hebrew construction does not prove this, for comp. 2Kings 23:10. The reference is probably general.

Their places.--Their place or station; a technical term for the position of an idol (the Heb. m?qom, equivalent to Sabaean maqamum. and Arabic muqam, which is still the common designation of holy sites in Palestine.

Verse 14. - And he brake in pieces the images - or, pillars (see the comment on 1 Kings 14:23) - and out down the groves - i.e. the asherirn, or "sacred trees" - and filled their places with the bones of men. Whatever spoke of death and dissolution was a special defilement to shrines where the gods worshipped were deities of productivity and generation. Bones of men had also the actual taint of corruption about them. The "uncleanness" of dead bodies arose first out of man's natural shrinking from death, and was then further confirmed by the horrors accompanying decay. The notion was probably coeval with death itself. It received a sanction from the Law, which made it a legal defilement to touch a corpse (Numbers 19:11, 16), and placed under a sentence of uncleanness all that was in the tent where a man died (Numbers 19:14, 15).

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
He smashed the sacred pillars
הַמַּצֵּב֔וֹת (ham·maṣ·ṣê·ḇō·wṯ)
Article | Noun - feminine plural
Strong's 4676: Something stationed, a column, an idol

to pieces,
וְשִׁבַּר֙ (wə·šib·bar)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Piel - Conjunctive perfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 7665: To break, break in pieces

cut down
וַיִּכְרֹ֖ת (way·yiḵ·rōṯ)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 3772: To cut, to destroy, consume, to covenant

the Asherah poles,
הָאֲשֵׁרִ֑ים (hā·’ă·šê·rîm)
Article | Noun - feminine plural
Strong's 842: A Phoenician goddess, also an image of the same

and covered
וַיְמַלֵּ֥א (way·mal·lê)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Piel - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 4390: To fill, be full of

the sites
מְקוֹמָ֖ם (mə·qō·w·mām)
Noun - masculine singular construct | third person masculine plural
Strong's 4725: A standing, a spot, a condition

with human
אָדָֽם׃ (’ā·ḏām)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 120: Ruddy, a human being

bones.
עַצְמ֥וֹת (‘aṣ·mō·wṯ)
Noun - feminine plural construct
Strong's 6106: A bone, the body, the substance, selfsame


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OT History: 2 Kings 23:14 He broke in pieces the pillars (2Ki iiKi ii ki 2 kg 2kg)
2 Kings 23:13
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