Atomic Bible

King of Judah known for his religious reforms

Josiah

Named in 49 verses across 7 books, first in 1 Kings 13:2.

יֹאשִׁיָּ֫הוּJosiah

ἸωσίαςJosiah

The name means “the Lord burns; the fire of the Lord.” Hitchcock's Bible Names, 1869

Father
Amon
Mother
Jedidah
Married to
Hamutal, Zebidah, A wife of Josiah
Children
Jehoahaz, Jehoiakim, Zedekiah, Shallum
People
Tribe of Judah

About Josiah Written by AI

Josiah was a king of Judah who reigned from approximately 640 to 609 BC. He was the son of Amon and the grandson of Manasseh (2 Kings 21:24; 1 Chronicles 3:14). Josiah became king at the age of eight and reigned for thirty-one years in Jerusalem (2 Kings 22:1; 2 Chronicles 34:1). Josiah is best known for his religious reforms and his commitment to following the Law of the Lord. In the eighteenth year of his reign, Josiah initiated repairs to the temple (2 Kings 22:3 to 7; 2 Chronicles 34:8 to 13). During these repairs, the Book of the Law was discovered (2 Kings 22:8 to 13; 2 Chronicles 34:14 to 21). Upon hearing the words of the Law, Josiah tore his clothes in repentance and sought the guidance of the prophetess Huldah (2 Kings 22:11 to 20; 2 Chronicles 34:22 to 28). Josiah then led a comprehensive religious reform, removing pagan worship sites, idols, and practices from Judah and Jerusalem (2 Kings 23:1 to 25; 2 Chronicles 34:29 to 35:19). He renewed the covenant between the people and God and celebrated the Passover with great dedication (2 Kings 23:21 to 23; 2 Chronicles 35:1 to 19). Josiah's reign and reforms were praised by the prophets, including Jeremiah and Zephaniah (Jeremiah 1:2; Zephaniah 1:1). However, Josiah's life came to a tragic end when he confronted Pharaoh Necho of Egypt at Megiddo and was killed in battle (2 Kings 23:29 to 30; 2 Chronicles 35:20 to 27). He was succeeded by his son Jehoahaz (2 Kings 23:30; 2 Chronicles 36:1). Despite the reforms Josiah implemented, Judah's unfaithfulness persisted, and the nation ultimately faced the Babylonian exile (2 Kings 23:26 to 27; Jeremiah 25:1 to 14). Nonetheless, Josiah is remembered as a righteous king who sought to turn the nation back to God.

Drafted by an AI model for STEPBible's TIPNR (Tyndale House Cambridge, CC BY 4.0). Check it against the verses below.

Easton's Bible Dictionary, 1897

This entry is on the name Josiah, and may cover more than one person or place by that name.

Healed by Jehovah, or Jehovah will support. The son of Amon, and his successor on the throne of Judah (2 Kings 22:1; 2 Chr. 34:1). His history is contained in 2 Kings 22, 23. He stands foremost among all the kings of the line of David for unswerving loyalty to Jehovah (23:25). He “did that which was right in the sight of the Lord, and walked in all the way of David his father.” He ascended the throne at the early age of eight years, and it appears that not till eight years afterwards did he begin “to seek after the God of David his father.” At that age he devoted himself to God. He distinguished himself by beginning a war of extermination against the prevailing idolatry, which had practically been the state religion for some seventy years (2 Chr. 34:3; comp. Jer. 25:3, 11, 29).

In the eighteenth year of his reign he proceeded to repair and beautify the temple, which by time and violence had become sorely dilapidated (2 Kings 22:3, 5, 6; 23:23; 2 Chr. 34:11). While this work was being carried on, Hilkiah, the high priest, discovered a roll, which was probably the original copy of the law, the entire Pentateuch, written by Moses.

Read the rest of the entry

When this book was read to him, the king was alarmed by the things it contained, and sent for Huldah, the “prophetess,” for her counsel. She spoke to him words of encouragement, telling him that he would be gathered to his fathers in peace before the threatened days of judgment came. Josiah immediately gathered the people together, and engaged them in a renewal of their ancient national covenant with God. The Passover was then celebrated, as in the days of his great predecessor, Hezekiah, with unusual magnificence. Nevertheless, “the Lord turned not from the fierceness of his great wrath wherewith his anger was kindled against Judah” (2 Kings 22:3-20; 23:21-27; 2 Chr. 35:1-19). During the progress of this great religious revolution Jeremiah helped it on by his earnest exhortations.

Soon after this, Pharaoh-Necho II. (q.v.), king of Egypt, in an expedition against the king of Assyria, with the view of gaining possession of Carchemish, sought a passage through the territory of Judah for his army. This Josiah refused to permit. He had probably entered into some new alliance with the king of Assyria, and faithful to his word he sought to oppose the progress of Necho.

The army of Judah went out and encountered that of Egypt at Megiddo, on the verge of the plain of Esdraelon. Josiah went into the field in disguise, and was fatally wounded by a random arrow. His attendants conveyed him toward Jerusalem, but had only reached Hadadrimmon, a few miles south of Megiddo, when he died (2 Kings 23:28, 30; comp. 2 Chr. 35:20-27), after a reign of thirty-one years. He was buried with the greatest honours in fulfilment of Huldah’s prophecy (2 Kings 22:20; comp. Jer. 34:5). Jeremiah composed a funeral elegy on this the best of the kings of Israel (Lam. 4:20; 2 Chr. 35:25). The outburst of national grief on account of his death became proverbial (Zech. 12:11; comp. Rev. 16:16).

M. G. Easton, Illustrated Bible Dictionary, third edition (1897), public domain, from CrossWire. Shown as written; its Scripture quotes are from older translations.

GenesisMatthewRevelation

Where the Bible names him

  1. 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.’”

  2. 2 Kings 21:24

    But the people of the land killed all those who had conspired against King Amon, and they made his son Josiah king in his place.

  3. 2 Kings 21:26

    And he was buried in his tomb in the garden of Uzza, and his son Josiah reigned in his place.

  4. 2 Kings 22:1

    Josiah was eight years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem thirty-one years. His mother’s name was Jedidah daughter of Adaiah; she was from Bozkath.

  5. 2 Kings 22:3

    Now in the eighteenth year of his reign, King Josiah sent the scribe, Shaphan son of Azaliah, the son of Meshullam, to the house of the LORD, saying,

  6. 2 Kings 23:16

    And as Josiah turned, he saw the tombs there on the hillside, and he sent someone to take the bones out of the tombs, and he burned them on the altar to defile it, according to the word of the LORD proclaimed by the man of God who had foretold these things.

  7. 2 Kings 23:19

    Just as Josiah had done at Bethel, so also in the cities of Samaria he removed all the shrines of the high places set up by the kings of Israel who had provoked the LORD to anger.

  8. 2 Kings 23:23

    But in the eighteenth year of Josiah’s reign, this Passover was observed to the LORD in Jerusalem.

  9. 2 Kings 23:24

    Furthermore, Josiah removed the mediums and spiritists, the household gods and idols, and all the abominations that were seen in the land of Judah and in Jerusalem. He did this to carry out the words of the law written in the book that Hilkiah the priest had found in the house of the LORD.

  10. 2 Kings 23:28

    As for the rest of the acts of Josiah and all his accomplishments, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah?

  11. 2 Kings 23:29

    During Josiah’s reign, Pharaoh Neco king of Egypt marched up to help the king of Assyria at the Euphrates River. King Josiah went out to confront him, but Neco faced him and killed him at Megiddo.

  12. 2 Kings 23:30

    From Megiddo his servants carried his body in a chariot, brought him to Jerusalem, and buried him in his own tomb. Then the people of the land took Jehoahaz son of Josiah, anointed him, and made him king in place of his father.

  13. 2 Kings 23:34

    Then Pharaoh Neco made Eliakim son of Josiah king in place of his father Josiah, and he changed Eliakim’s name to Jehoiakim. But Neco took Jehoahaz and carried him off to Egypt, where he died.

  14. 1 Chronicles 3:14

    Amon his son, and Josiah his son.

  15. 1 Chronicles 3:15

    The sons of Josiah: Johanan was the firstborn, Jehoiakim the second, Zedekiah the third, and Shallum the fourth.

  16. 2 Chronicles 33:25

    But the people of the land killed all those who had conspired against King Amon, and they made his son Josiah king in his place.

  17. 2 Chronicles 34:1

    Josiah was eight years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem thirty-one years.

  18. 2 Chronicles 34:33

    And Josiah removed all the abominations from all the lands belonging to the Israelites, and he required everyone in Israel to serve the LORD their God. Throughout his reign they did not turn aside from following the LORD, the God of their fathers.

  19. 2 Chronicles 35:1

    Then Josiah kept the Passover to the LORD in Jerusalem, and the Passover lamb was slaughtered on the fourteenth day of the first month.

  20. 2 Chronicles 35:7

    From his own flocks and herds Josiah contributed 30,000 lambs and goats plus 3,000 bulls for the Passover offerings for all the people who were present.

  21. 2 Chronicles 35:16

    So on that day the entire service of the LORD was carried out for celebrating the Passover and offering burnt offerings on the altar of the LORD, according to the command of King Josiah.

  22. 2 Chronicles 35:18

    No such Passover had been observed in Israel since the days of Samuel the prophet. None of the kings of Israel ever observed a Passover like the one that Josiah observed with the priests, the Levites, all Judah, the Israelites who were present, and the people of Jerusalem.

  23. 2 Chronicles 35:19

    In the eighteenth year of Josiah’s reign, this Passover was observed.

  24. 2 Chronicles 35:20

    After all this, when Josiah had set the temple in order, Neco king of Egypt marched up to fight at Carchemish by the Euphrates, and Josiah went out to confront him.

  25. 2 Chronicles 35:22

    Josiah, however, did not turn away from him; instead, in order to engage him in battle, he disguised himself. He did not listen to Neco’s words from the mouth of God, but went to fight him on the Plain of Megiddo.

  26. 2 Chronicles 35:23

    There the archers shot King Josiah, who said to his servants, “Take me away, for I am badly wounded!”

  27. 2 Chronicles 35:24

    So his servants took him out of his chariot, put him in his second chariot, and brought him to Jerusalem, where he died. And Josiah was buried in the tomb of his fathers, and all Judah and Jerusalem mourned for him.

  28. 2 Chronicles 35:25

    Then Jeremiah lamented over Josiah, and to this day all the male and female singers recite laments over Josiah. They established them as a statute for Israel, and indeed they are written in the Book of Laments.

  29. 2 Chronicles 35:26

    As for the rest of the acts of Josiah and his deeds of loving devotion according to what is written in the Law of the LORD—

  30. 2 Chronicles 36:1

    Then the people of the land took Jehoahaz son of Josiah and made him king in Jerusalem in place of his father.

  31. Jeremiah 1:2

    The word of the LORD came to Jeremiah in the thirteenth year of the reign of Josiah son of Amon king of Judah,

  32. Jeremiah 1:3

    and through the days of Jehoiakim son of Josiah king of Judah, until the fifth month of the eleventh year of Zedekiah son of Josiah king of Judah, when the people of Jerusalem went into exile.

  33. Jeremiah 3:6

    Now in the days of King Josiah, the LORD said to me, “Have you seen what faithless Israel has done? She has gone up on every high hill and under every green tree to prostitute herself there.

  34. Jeremiah 22:11

    For this is what the LORD says concerning Shallum son of Josiah, king of Judah, who succeeded his father Josiah but has gone forth from this place: “He will never return,

  35. Jeremiah 22:18

    Therefore this is what the LORD says concerning Jehoiakim son of Josiah king of Judah: “They will not mourn for him: ‘Alas, my brother! Alas, my sister!’ They will not mourn for him: ‘Alas, my master! Alas, his splendor!’

  36. Jeremiah 25:1

    This is the word that came to Jeremiah concerning all the people of Judah in the fourth year of Jehoiakim son of Josiah king of Judah, which was the first year of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon.

  37. Jeremiah 25:3

    “From the thirteenth year of Josiah son of Amon king of Judah until this very day—twenty-three years—the word of the LORD has come to me, and I have spoken to you again and again, but you have not listened.

  38. Jeremiah 26:1

    At the beginning of the reign of Jehoiakim son of Josiah king of Judah, this word came from the LORD:

  39. Jeremiah 27:1

    At the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah son of Josiah king of Judah, this word came to Jeremiah from the LORD.

  40. Jeremiah 35:1

    This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD in the days of Jehoiakim son of Josiah king of Judah:

And 9 more

Jeremiah 36:1, 36:2, 36:9, 37:1, 45:1, 46:2

Zephaniah 1:1

Matthew 1:10, 1:11

From STEPBible's TIPNR, Tyndale House Cambridge (CC BY 4.0): names, family, references and the AI written article. Verse text is the BSB.