Josiah Killed at Megiddo and National Mourning
2 Chronicles 35:20-36:1
2 C.35.20 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- אחרי: PREP
- כל: DET
- זאת: DEM,f,sg
- אשר: PRON,rel
- הכין: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- יאשיהו: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- את: PRT,acc
- הבית: NOUN,m,sg,def
- עלה: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- נכו: NOUN,prop,m,sg
- מלך: NOUN,m,sg,cons
- מצרים: NOUN,f,pl,abs
- להלחם: VERB,hitp,inf
- בכרכמיש: PREP+NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- על: PREP
- פרת: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- ויצא: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,sg
- לקראתו: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs+PRON,3,m
- יאשיהו: NOUN,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- 2 Kings 23:29-30 (verbal): Direct parallel account: Pharaoh Neco goes up to fight at Carchemish by the Euphrates and King Josiah meets him; records Josiah's fatal encounter.
- Jeremiah 46:2 (allusion): Mentions the army of Pharaoh Neco by the river Euphrates and the battle at Carchemish — the same campaign context referenced in Chronicles.
- 2 Chronicles 35:21-24 (structural): Immediate continuation in Chronicles recounting Josiah's confrontation with Necho, his wounding at Megiddo, and subsequent death — same event expanded.
- 2 Chronicles 35:25 (thematic): Reports the communal/messianic aftermath (lamentation) for Josiah after his death at the encounter with Pharaoh Neco, tying the battle to its national and prophetic consequences.
Alternative generated candidates
- After all this that Josiah had prepared for the house, Necho king of Egypt went up to make war at Carchemish by the Euphrates; and Josiah went out to meet him.
- After all this that Josiah had prepared the house, Necho king of Egypt went up to make war at Carchemish by the Euphrates; and Josiah went out to meet him.
2 C.35.21 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- וישלח: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- אליו: PREP+PRON,3,m,sg
- מלאכים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- לאמר: INF,qal,infc
- מה: PRON,int
- לי: PREP+PRON,1,sg
- ולך: CONJ+PREP+PRON,2,m,sg
- מלך: NOUN,m,sg,cons
- יהודה: NOUN,m,sg,prop
- לא: PART_NEG
- עליך: PREP+2ms
- אתה: PRON,2,m,sg
- היום: NOUN,m,sg,def
- כי: CONJ
- אל: NEG
- בית: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- מלחמתי: NOUN,f,sg,abs,poss,1,sg
- ואלהים: CONJ+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- לבהלני: PREP+VERB,qal,infc,1,sg
- חדל: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- לך: PRON,2,m,sg
- מאלהים: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אשר: PRON,rel
- עמי: NOUN,m,sg,abs+1s
- ואל: CONJ+PREP
- ישחיתך: VERB,hiphil,impf,3,m,sg
Parallels
- 2 Kings 23:29 (quotation): Nearly identical wording—Pharaoh Neco's messengers tell Josiah, “What have I to do with thee… I come not against thee this day… for God commanded me to make haste; forbear thee from meddling with God who is with me.” (direct parallel/quotation).
- Psalm 105:15 (1 Chron. 16:22) (verbal): “Touch not mine anointed….” — an admonition against interfering with one protected by God; echoes Pharaoh’s warning not to ‘meddle with God who is with me.’
- Isaiah 10:5-6 (thematic): Assyria is depicted as the ‘rod of my anger,’ a foreign power used and commissioned by God—parallels the theme of a pagan ruler acting under divine sanction or serving divine purpose.
- Exodus 9:16 (thematic): God says He raised up Pharaoh ‘to show in thee my power,’ reflecting the motif that God directs or uses foreign kings’ actions—relevant to Pharaoh’s claim of divine command.
- Romans 9:17 (allusion): Paul cites Exodus 9:16 (‘I raised you up…’) to make the point that God ordains rulers’ actions; this New Testament use links to the Chronicles passage’s theme of divine sanction for a foreign king’s campaign.
Alternative generated candidates
- Necho sent messengers to him, saying, “What have I to do with you, king of Judah? I am not coming against you today; I am going against the house with which I am at war, for God has commanded me to hurry. Stand aside from opposing God who is with me, lest he destroy you.”
- Necho sent messengers to him, saying, "What have I to do with you, king of Judah? I do not come against you this day, but against the house with which I am at war; God has commanded me to hurry. Cease—do not meddle with God who is with me, lest he destroy you."
2 C.35.22 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ולא: CONJ
- הסב: VERB,hifil,perf,3,m,sg
- יאשיהו: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- פניו: NOUN,m,pl,cons+3,m,sg
- ממנו: PREP+PRON,3,m,sg
- כי: CONJ
- להלחם: VERB,hitp,inf
- בו: PREP+PRON,3,m,sg
- התחפש: VERB,hitpael,impv,2,m,sg
- ולא: CONJ
- שמע: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- אל: NEG
- דברי: NOUN,m,pl,abs+PRON,1,c,sg
- נכו: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- מפי: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אלהים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- ויבא: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,sg
- להלחם: VERB,hitp,inf
- בבקעת: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,const
- מגדו: NOUN,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- 2 Kings 23:29-30 (verbal): Direct parallel account of Josiah’s meeting with Pharaoh Necho: Josiah disguises himself, does not heed Necho’s words (from God), and goes to fight at Megiddo.
- 1 Kings 22:29-34 (verbal): King Ahab likewise disguises himself to go into battle and is struck down; parallels the motif of a king in disguise killed in combat and the prophetic/ divinely guided outcome.
- 1 Samuel 31:1-6 (thematic): Narrative of a king (Saul) who falls fatally in battle; thematically parallels royal death in warfare after prior disobedience or failure to secure God’s favor.
- Revelation 16:16 (allusion): The name Har‑Magedon (Armageddon) evokes Megiddo — a thematic connection to decisive, fate‑deciding battles centered on Megiddo (the valley where Josiah fell).
Alternative generated candidates
- But Josiah would not turn aside from him; he disguised himself to engage him in battle and would not listen to the words of Necho—which came from the mouth of God—and he went to fight in the Plain of Megiddo.
- But Josiah would not turn his face from him; for he had girded himself to fight him, and did not heed the words of Necho from the mouth of God, and came to fight in the plain of Megiddo.
2 C.35.23 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- וירו: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,pl
- הירים: NOUN,m,pl,def
- למלך: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- יאשיהו: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ויאמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- המלך: NOUN,m,sg,def
- לעבדיו: PREP+NOUN,m,pl,abs,poss,3,m,sg
- העבירוני: VERB,piel,imp,2,m,pl,obj1s
- כי: CONJ
- החליתי: VERB,qal,perf,1,sg
- מאד: ADV
Parallels
- 2 Kings 23:29-30 (quotation): Direct parallel account—Kings reports Josiah struck by archers at Megiddo and telling his servants to take him away because he was mortally wounded; Chronicles largely follows this tradition.
- 2 Chronicles 35:24 (structural): Immediate continuation in Chronicles: the scene of Josiah's wounding is followed by his transport from the battlefield and his death—part of the same narrative unit.
- 1 Kings 22:34-37 (thematic): Ahab is struck by an arrow (an archer's wound) in battle and later removed from the field—parallel motif of a king wounded by archery and carried from combat.
- 1 Samuel 31:3-6 (thematic): Saul is mortally wounded in battle and, facing capture, asks his servant to finish him or be removed—similar motif of a mortally wounded king requesting to be taken away or put out of his misery.
Alternative generated candidates
- The archers shot at King Josiah; and the king said to his attendants, “Take me away, for I am severely wounded.”
- The archers shot at King Josiah; and the king said to his servants, "Take me away, for I am grievously wounded."
2 C.35.24 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויעבירהו: VERB,hiph,impf,3,m,sg
- עבדיו: NOUN,m,pl,abs+3ms
- מן: PREP
- המרכבה: DET+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- וירכיבהו: VERB,hiph,impf,3,m,sg
- על: PREP
- רכב: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- המשנה: NOUN,f,sg,def
- אשר: PRON,rel
- לו: PRON,3,m,sg
- ויוליכהו: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,pl
- ירושלם: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- וימת: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- ויקבר: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,sg
- בקברות: PREP+NOUN,f,pl,const
- אבתיו: NOUN,m,pl,abs,3s
- וכל: CONJ+PRON,indef
- יהודה: NOUN,m,sg,prop
- וירושלם: CONJ+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- מתאבלים: VERB,hitp,pres,3,m,pl
- על: PREP
- יאשיהו: NOUN,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- 2 Kings 23:29-30 (quotation): Direct parallel account of Josiah’s death at Megiddo: he was wounded, brought to Jerusalem in a chariot, died, was buried in the tombs of his fathers, and all Judah and Jerusalem mourned—essentially the same wording as Chronicles 35:24.
- 2 Chronicles 34:28 (allusion): Earlier in Chronicles God’s promise to Josiah is recorded: that he would be 'gathered to his grave in peace' and be buried with his fathers—this anticipatory promise connects to the actual burial in 35:24.
- 2 Chronicles 35:23 (structural): Immediate narrative precursor: verse 35:23 describes Josiah being wounded and removed from Pharaoh’s chariot (and put in his second chariot), which connects directly to the report of his being brought to Jerusalem and dying in v.24.
- 2 Chronicles 35:25 (thematic): Immediate narrative continuation: v.25 elaborates on the mourning in v.24, noting Jeremiah’s lament for Josiah and the ongoing commemoration by the singers—expanding the report that 'all Judah and Jerusalem mourned.'
Alternative generated candidates
- So his servants removed him from the chariot and put him in the other chariot that belonged to him, and they brought him to Jerusalem; and he died there and was buried in the tombs of his fathers. And all Judah and Jerusalem mourned for Josiah.
- So his servants took him from the chariot and put him in the second chariot which he had, and brought him to Jerusalem; and he died and was buried in the tombs of his fathers. And all Judah and Jerusalem mourned for Josiah.
2 C.35.25 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויקונן: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- ירמיהו: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- על: PREP
- יאשיהו: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ויאמרו: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,pl
- כל: DET
- השרים: NOUN,m,pl,def
- והשרות: NOUN,f,pl,def
- בקינותיהם: NOUN,f,pl,abs+3,m,pl
- על: PREP
- יאשיהו: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- עד: PREP
- היום: NOUN,m,sg,def
- ויתנום: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- לחק: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- על: PREP
- ישראל: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- והנם: CONJ+DEM,3,m,pl
- כתובים: VERB,pual,ptcp,m,pl
- על: PREP
- הקינות: NOUN,f,pl,def
Parallels
- 2 Kings 23:29-30 (structural): Parallel account of Josiah’s death at Megiddo; Kings gives the death and burial details that form the narrative background for Chronicles’ note about the lament.
- 2 Chronicles 35:24 (structural): Immediate context in Chronicles: the preceding verse describes Josiah being wounded and dying at Megiddo, which explains why Jeremiah and the singers lament in v.25.
- 2 Samuel 1:17-18 (thematic): David’s lament for Saul and Jonathan is publicly sung and said to be written down (’it is written in the Book of Jashar’), paralleling the establishment and recording of official laments for a fallen king in Chronicles.
- 2 Samuel 3:31-39 (thematic): Public, formal mourning for a slain leader (Abner) led by the king and people, including songs and proclamations—parallels the role of singers and public lamentation rituals described for Josiah.
Alternative generated candidates
- Jeremiah composed laments for Josiah; and all the officers and the people made their lamentations for Josiah to this day. They imposed them as a statute upon Israel—behold, they are written among the laments.
- Jeremiah lamented for Josiah; and all the princes and the people bewailed him with lamentations for Josiah to this day. He set them down as a prescribed lamentation for Israel; they are written among the laments.
2 C.35.26 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויתר: CONJ+ADJ,m,sg,abs
- דברי: NOUN,m,pl,abs+PRON,1,c,sg
- יאשיהו: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- וחסדיו: CONJ+NOUN,m,sg,abs+PRON,3,m,sg
- ככתוב: ADV
- בתורת: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,const
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- 2 Kings 23:25 (thematic): A parallel summary-praise of Josiah (no king like him) that highlights the same theme of Josiah’s unparalleled faithfulness and reforms referenced in 2 Chr 35:26.
- 2 Kings 22:11 (verbal): Connects to the discovery of 'the book of the law' whose contents prompted Josiah’s reforms; echoes the phrase and legal/torah grounding cited in 2 Chr 35:26 ('as written in the law of the LORD').
- 2 Chronicles 34:33 (verbal): An almost identical summary-formula in Chronicles concerning Josiah’s deeds and goodness 'according to all that is written in the book of the law of the LORD,' showing close verbal and editorial overlap within Chronicles.
- 2 Chronicles 32:32 (structural): Uses the same historiographical formula ('the rest of the acts… are written in') at the close of a king’s account (Hezekiah), illustrating the chronicler’s standard way of referring readers to other records for additional details.
Alternative generated candidates
- And the rest of the words of Josiah and his acts of kindness are written in the Book of the Law of the LORD.
- The rest of the acts of Josiah and his devoted deeds are written in the Book of the Law of the LORD.
2 C.35.27 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ודבריו: CONJ+NOUN,m,pl,poss3ms
- הראשנים: ADJ,m,pl,def
- והאחרנים: NOUN,m,pl,def
- הנם: NOUN,m,sg,def
- כתובים: VERB,pual,ptcp,m,pl
- על: PREP
- ספר: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- מלכי: NOUN,pl,m,cons
- ישראל: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ויהודה: CONJ+NOUN,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- 2 Chronicles 33:18 (verbal): Concluding formula nearly identical: 'Now the rest of the acts of Manasseh... are they not written in the book of the kings of Israel?'—same claim that a king's deeds are recorded in the royal annals.
- 2 Chronicles 32:32 (verbal): Similar closing line about Hezekiah: 'Now the rest of the acts of Hezekiah... are they not written in the book of the kings of Judah and Israel?'—same structure and function.
- 2 Chronicles 12:16 (verbal): Concluding remark for Rehoboam: the king's remaining deeds are recorded 'in the book of the kings of Israel and Judah,' mirroring the Chronicles’ standard epilogue.
- 1 Kings 14:19 (structural): A parallel epilogue in Kings concerning Jeroboam: 'Are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?'—the same literary device locating fuller records in royal chronicles.
- 1 Chronicles 29:29 (thematic): Similar notion for David: the king's deeds and history are preserved in another named source (the book of Samuel/records), reflecting the common practice of referring readers to archival royal or prophetic records.
Alternative generated candidates
- And the account of his reign, first and last, behold, they are written in the book of the kings of Israel and Judah.
- And the matters of his reign, the first and the last, are written in the book of the kings of Israel and Judah.
2 C.36.1 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויקחו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- עם: PREP
- הארץ: NOUN,f,sg,def
- את: PRT,acc
- יהואחז: NOUN,m,sg,prop
- בן: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- יאשיהו: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- וימליכהו: VERB,hiphil,wayyiqtol,3,m,pl
- תחת: PREP
- אביו: NOUN,m,sg,abs+3,m,sg
- בירושלם: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
Parallels
- 2 Kings 23:30 (verbal): Nearly identical report: the people made Jehoahaz (son of Josiah) king in Jerusalem in place of his father.
- 2 Kings 23:31-34 (structural): Follows the same episode: gives the length of Jehoahaz’s reign and recounts Pharaoh Neco’s deposition of him and the installation of another son—parallel sequence and outcome.
- 1 Kings 12:20 (thematic): A comparable instance where the people (or 'people of the land') install a king (Jeroboam), illustrating the theme of popular/political appointment of rulers rather than dynastic continuation.
- 2 Chronicles 36:2 (verbal): Immediate continuation in Chronicles: specifies Jehoahaz’s short reign and his removal by Pharaoh Neco—direct continuation of the same narrative.
Alternative generated candidates
- Then the people of the land took Jehoahaz son of Josiah and made him king in place of his father in Jerusalem.
- The people of the land took Jehoahaz son of Josiah and made him king in place of his father in Jerusalem.
After all this that Josiah had prepared for the house, Necho king of Egypt went up to fight at Carchemish by the Euphrates; and Josiah went out to meet him. And he sent messengers to him, saying, "What have I to do with you, king of Judah? I do not come against you this day, but against the house with which I am at war; and God has commanded me to hurry. Refrain from opposing God who is with me, lest he destroy you." But Josiah would not turn his face from him; he prepared himself to battle against him and did not listen to the words of Necho, which were from the mouth of God. He came to fight in the plain of Megiddo. And the archers shot at King Josiah; and the king said to his servants, "Carry me away, for I am severely wounded." So his servants took him from the chariot and put him on the second chariot that he had, and they brought him to Jerusalem; and he died and was buried in the tombs of his fathers. And all Judah and Jerusalem mourned for Josiah.
Jeremiah composed a lament for Josiah; and all the princes and the people made their lamentations over Josiah to this day. They appointed them as a statute for Israel—these are written among the laments.
The rest of the acts of Josiah and his kindnesses are written in the book of the law of the LORD. And his words, first and last, are they not written in the book of the kings of Israel and Judah?
Then the people of the land took Jehoahaz son of Josiah and made him king in Jerusalem in place of his father.