2 Chronicles Chapter 35 — Josiah’s Passover and Death
King Josiah organizes a massive Passover celebration in Jerusalem, but later dies in battle against King Neco of Egypt at Megiddo.
1Josiah kept a Passover to the LORD in Jerusalem. They killed the Passover on the fourteenth day of the first month.
2He set the priests in their offices and encouraged them in the service of the LORD’s house.
3He said to the Levites who taught all Israel, who were holy to the LORD, “Put the holy ark in the house which Solomon the son of David king of Israel built. It will no longer be a burden on your shoulders. Now serve the LORD your God and his people Israel.
4Prepare yourselves after your fathers’ houses by your divisions, according to the writing of David king of Israel, and according to the writing of Solomon his son.
5Stand in the holy place according to the divisions of the fathers’ houses of your brothers the children of the people, and let there be for each a portion of a fathers’ house of the Levites.
6Kill the Passover lamb, sanctify yourselves, and prepare for your brothers, to do according to the LORD’s word by Moses.”
7Josiah gave to the children of the people, of the flock, lambs and young goats, all of them for the Passover offerings, to all who were present, to the number of thirty thousand, and three thousand bulls. These were of the king’s substance.
8His princes gave a free will offering to the people, to the priests, and to the Levites. Hilkiah, Zechariah, and Jehiel, the rulers of God’s house, gave to the priests for the Passover offerings two thousand six hundred small livestock, and three hundred head of cattle.
9Conaniah also, and Shemaiah and Nethanel, his brothers, and Hashabiah, Jeiel, and Jozabad, the chiefs of the Levites, gave to the Levites for the Passover offerings five thousand small livestock and five hundred head of cattle.
10So the service was prepared, and the priests stood in their place, and the Levites by their divisions, according to the king’s commandment.
11They killed the Passover lambs, and the priests sprinkled the blood which they received from their hands, and the Levites skinned them.
12They removed the burnt offerings, that they might give them according to the divisions of the fathers’ houses of the children of the people, to offer to the LORD, as it is written in the book of Moses. They did the same with the cattle.
13They roasted the Passover with fire according to the ordinance. They boiled the holy offerings in pots, in cauldrons, and in pans, and carried them quickly to all the children of the people.
14Afterward they prepared for themselves and for the priests, because the priests the sons of Aaron were busy with offering the burnt offerings and the fat until night. Therefore the Levites prepared for themselves and for the priests the sons of Aaron.
15The singers, the sons of Asaph, were in their place, according to the commandment of David, Asaph, Heman, and Jeduthun the king’s seer; and the gatekeepers were at every gate. They didn’t need to depart from their service, because their brothers the Levites prepared for them.
16So all the service of the LORD was prepared the same day, to keep the Passover, and to offer burnt offerings on the LORD’s altar, according to the commandment of King Josiah.
17The children of Israel who were present kept the Passover at that time, and the feast of unleavened bread seven days.
18There was no Passover like that kept in Israel from the days of Samuel the prophet, nor did any of the kings of Israel keep such a Passover as Josiah kept—with the priests, the Levites, and all Judah and Israel who were present, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem.
19This Passover was kept in the eighteenth year of the reign of Josiah.
20After all this, when Josiah had prepared the temple, Neco king of Egypt went up to fight against Carchemish by the Euphrates, and Josiah went out against him.
21But he sent ambassadors to him, saying, “What have I to do with you, you king of Judah? I come not against you today, but against the house with which I have war. God has commanded me to make haste. Beware that it is God who is with me, that he not destroy you.”
22Nevertheless Josiah would not turn his face from him, but disguised himself, that he might fight with him, and didn’t listen to the words of Neco from the mouth of God, and came to fight in the valley of Megiddo.
23The archers shot at King Josiah; and the king said to his servants, “Take me away, because I am seriously wounded!”
24So his servants took him out of the chariot, and put him in the second chariot that he had, and brought him to Jerusalem; and he died, and was buried in the tombs of his fathers. All Judah and Jerusalem mourned for Josiah.
25Jeremiah lamented for Josiah, and all the singing men and singing women spoke of Josiah in their lamentations to this day; and they made them an ordinance in Israel. Behold, they are written in the lamentations.
26Now the rest of the acts of Josiah and his good deeds, according to that which is written in the LORD’s law,
27and his acts, first and last, behold, they are written in the book of the kings of Israel and Judah.
WEB Translation
Notable Verses
2 Chronicles 35:18
“There was no Passover like that kept in Israel from the days of Samuel the prophet, nor did any of the kings of Israel keep such a Passover as Josiah kept—with the priests, the Levites, and all Judah and Israel who were present, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem.”
It highlights the uniqueness and scale of Josiah's devotion compared to previous kings.
2 Chronicles 35:22
“Nevertheless Josiah would not turn his face from him, but disguised himself, that he might fight with him, and didn’t listen to the words of Neco from the mouth of God, and came to fight in the valley of Megiddo.”
This verse identifies the turning point that led to Josiah's tragic death.
Chapter Summary
2 Chronicles 35 details the peak of King Josiah's religious reforms: a magnificent Passover celebration. Josiah provides 30,000 lambs and goats and 3,000 bulls from his own property, encouraging the priests and Levites to perform their duties according to the Law of Moses and the precedents of David and Solomon. The text emphasizes that no king since the days of Samuel had observed such a Passover. However, the narrative shifts to Josiah's final days when he intervenes in a conflict between Egypt and Assyria. Despite King Neco of Egypt's warning that God had sent him to fight elsewhere, Josiah disguises himself and engages in battle at Megiddo. He is mortally wounded by archers and brought back to Jerusalem, where he dies. His death triggers national mourning, including a lament from the prophet Jeremiah, marking the end of the last great reformist reign in Judah.
Frequently Asked Questions
According to the text, no Passover like it had been kept since the time of Samuel the prophet. It was notable for the involvement of all Judah and Israel, the strict adherence to the Law of Moses, and the massive scale of offerings provided by the king and his officials.
Josiah died after being wounded by archers in the valley of Megiddo. He had gone out to fight King Neco of Egypt, who was on his way to Carchemish, despite Neco's claim that God had told him not to interfere.
The prophet Jeremiah wrote a lament for Josiah, and the singing men and women of Israel continued to commemorate him in their lamentations, which became an ordinance in Israel.
Study Note
The mention of Josiah disguising himself in verse 22 mirrors the actions of King Ahab in 2 Chronicles 18, both leading to fatal outcomes despite the attempt to avoid detection.
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