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71-515: Then I came to them of the captivity at Tel Abib, that lived by the river Chebar, and to where they lived; and I sat there overwhelmed among them seven days. The Kebar or Chebar Canal (or River) is the setting of several important scenes of the Book of Ezekiel , including the opening verses . The book refers to this river eight times in total. Some older biblical commentaries identified the Chebar with

142-546: A chance to redeem itself and save itself from the advance of the Neo-Babylonian Empire . Many scholars see the whole core narrative, from Joshua to 2 Kings, as comprising a Deuteronomistic History (DtrH) written during Josiah's reign. In fact, some recent European theologians even go so far as to posit that most of the Torah and Deuteronomistic History was composed and finalized several centuries later, during

213-595: A largely legendary narrative about one of the earliest stages of the creation of Deuteronomistic work. William G. Dever , for example, argues that the Book of the Law was actually composed by orthodox Yahwist priests, who attributed it to the legendary figure of Moses and then hid it in the Temple, where it would be dramatically discovered; in this way, a "miraculous new Word from Yahweh " would seem to have appeared, giving Judah

284-470: A levy of a hundred talents of silver (about 3 3 ⁄ 4 tons or about 3.4 metric tons) and a talent of gold (about 75 pounds or about 34 kilograms). Necho then took Jehoahaz back to Egypt as his prisoner. The defeat of Josiah at Megiddo essentially represents the end of the rule of the Davidic line , since not only were Josiah's successors short-lived, but also Judah's relative independence had crumbled in

355-569: A new Jewish village near Jaffa , which grew into the modern Israeli city of Tel Aviv . The Hebrew letter ב without dagesh represents a sound like [v], but older English translations of the Bible traditionally transcribe it as "b". Book of Ezekiel The Book of Ezekiel is the third of the Latter Prophets in the Tanakh (Hebrew Bible) and one of the major prophetic books in

426-423: A number of the prophetic books: oracles of woe against the prophet's own people, followed by oracles against Israel's neighbours, ending in prophecies of hope and salvation: The book opens with a vision of YHWH ( יהוה ‎). The book moves on to anticipate the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple, explains this as God's punishment, and closes with the promise of a new beginning and a new Temple . Some of

497-613: A portrayal of "the establishment of the new temple in Zion as YHWH returns to the temple, which then serves as the center for a new creation with the tribes of Israel arrayed around it" in chapters 40–48. The vision in chapters 1:4–28 reflects common Biblical themes and the imagery of the Temple: God appears in a cloud from the north – the north being the usual home of God in Biblical literature – with four living creatures corresponding to

568-542: A program of destruction of Baalist altars and images throughout Jerusalem and Judah. The Chronicler records in detail the execution of this program, whereas the account in 2 Kings begins with the restoration of the temple in Jerusalem, which both accounts say was initiated in the eighteenth year of his reign. Josiah ordered the High Priest Hilkiah to use the tax money which had been collected over

639-401: A purificatory sacrifice upon the altar, made necessary by the abominations in the Temple (the presence of idols and the worship of the god Tammuz ) described in chapter 8. The process of purification begins, God prepares to leave, and a priest lights the sacrificial fire to the city. Nevertheless, the prophet announces that a small remnant will remain true to Yahweh in exile, and will return to

710-592: A vassal of the Assyrian empire, but the rapid decline of Assyria after c. 630 led Josiah to assert his independence and institute a religious reform stressing loyalty to Yahweh , the God of Israel. Josiah was killed in 609 and Judah became a vassal of the new regional power, the Neo-Babylonian empire . In 597, following a rebellion against Babylon, Ezekiel was among the large group of Judeans taken into captivity by

781-547: A year earlier (610 BCE): Psamtik having been appointed and confirmed by Assyrian kings Esarhaddon and Ashurbanipal . According to the Biblical Books of Chronicles , Necho had not intended to do battle with the Judeans and was confused by Josiah's decision to attack him, supposedly sending a letter saying "what have we done to each other, king of Judah? I am not coming against you this day." Josiah attempted to block

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852-725: Is Amon. And its surface was covered with Nettle, this is Jehoiakim. And its stone wall was broken down, this is a reference to Zedekiah, in whose days the temple was destroyed. After the setback in Harran, the Pharaoh Necho left a sizeable force in Judah and returned to Egypt . On his return march, Necho found that Jehoahaz had succeeded his father Josiah as King of Judah. ( 2 Kings 23:31 ) Necho deposed Jehoahaz, who had been king of Judah for only three months, and replaced him with Jehoahaz's older brother, Jehoiakim . Necho imposed on Judah

923-653: Is a major source, there is very little allusion to the prophet in the New Testament; the reasons for this are unclear, but it cannot be assumed that every Christian or Hellenistic Jewish community in the 1st century would have had a complete set of (Hebrew) scripture scrolls, and in any case Ezekiel was under suspicion of encouraging dangerous mystical speculation, as well as being sometimes obscure, incoherent, and pornographic. • The angelic creatures and accompanying wheels seen by Ezekiel in Chapter 1 are referred to by

994-452: Is brought out in the Talmud (Sanh. 103b) as follows:(Sanh. 104a) Ahaz suspended the sacrificial worship, Manasseh tore down the altar, Amon made it a place of desolation [covered it with cobwebs]; Ahaz sealed up the scrolls of the Law (Isa. viii. 16), Manasseh cut out the sacred name, Amon burnt the scrolls altogether [compare Seder Olam, R. xxiv. This is derived from the story of the finding of

1065-581: Is in marked contrast to the Deuteronomistic writers, who held that the sins of the nation would be held against all, without regard for an individual's personal guilt. Nonetheless, Ezekiel shared many ideas in common with the Deuteronomists, notably the notion that God works according to the principle of retributive justice and an ambivalence towards kingship (although the Deuteronomists reserved their scorn for individual kings rather than for

1136-469: Is not identified in the text as the Torah and many scholars believe this was either a copy of the Book of Deuteronomy or a text that became a part of Deuteronomy. However it has been noted that the story of the repairs to the Temple is based on those ordered by an earlier Judean king, Joash (who ruled c. 836 – 796 BCE) in 2 Kings 12 . Hilkiah brought this scroll to Josiah's attention. Josiah consulted

1207-610: Is specifically mentioned by Ben Sirah (a writer of the Hellenistic period who listed the "great sages" of Israel) and 4 Maccabees (1st century). In the 1st century the historian Josephus said that the prophet wrote two books: he may have had in mind the Apocryphon of Ezekiel , a 1st-century text that expands on the doctrine of resurrection. Ezekiel appears only briefly in the Dead Sea Scrolls , but his influence there

1278-612: The Ark of the Covenant to the Temple . The Hebrew Bible states that the priest Hilkiah found a "Book of the Law" in the temple during the early stages of Josiah's temple renovation. Hilkiah then gave the scroll to his secretary Shaphan , who took it to King Josiah. According to the Bible, King Josiah then changed his form of leadership entirely, entering into a new form of covenant with

1349-582: The Khabur River in what is now Syria . The Khabur is mentioned in 1 Chronicles 5:26 as the "Habor". However, more recent scholarship is agreed that the location of the Kebar Canal is near Nippur in Iraq. The ka-ba-ru waterway ( Akkadian ) is mentioned among the 5th century BCE Murashu archives from Nippur. It was part of a complex network of irrigation and transport canals which also included

1420-703: The Shatt el-Nil , a silted up canal toward the east of Babylon. It is not to be confused with the Kebar River in Iran, site of Kebar Dam , the oldest surviving arch dam. Nahum Sokolow adopted the biblical place-name as the title for his Hebrew translation of Theodor Herzl 's 1902 novel Altneuland ("Old New Land"), basing it on archaeologists' use of Arabic "tel" extracted from placenames to mean = "accumulated mound of debris" for "old", and "spring" (season) for "new", "renewal". Menachem Shenkin picked its name to mean

1491-682: The spiritual song Ezekiel Saw the Wheel . In the Command & Conquer video game series, the Nod Stealth Tank is sometimes referred to as the "Ezekiel Wheel", referring to the same passage. • The imagery in Ezekiel 37:1–14 of the Valley of Dry Bones, which Ezekiel prophesies will be resurrected, is referred to in the 1928 spiritual song " Dem Dry Bones ", the folk song Dry Bones and

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1562-521: The Babylonians . He appears to have spent the rest of his life in Mesopotamia . A further deportation of Jews from Jerusalem to Babylon occurred in 586 when a second unsuccessful rebellion resulted in the destruction of the city and its Temple and the exile of the remaining elements of the royal court, including the last scribes and priests. The various dates given in the book suggest that Ezekiel

1633-566: The Bible, notably 2 Kings 22–23 and 2 Chronicles 34–35 . No archaeological evidence for Josiah as a person exists. However, a signet ring has been found in the City of David in Jerusalem featuring the name of one of King Josiah's officials, Nathan-melech , mentioned in 2 Kings 23:11 . The inscription of the ring says, "(belonging) to Nathan-Melech, Servant of the King". Although it may not directly mention King Josiah by name, it does appear to be from

1704-439: The Book of the Law, II Kings, xxii. 8]; Ahab permitted incest, Manasseh committed it himself, Amon acted as Nero was said to have done toward his mother Agrippina. And yet, out of respect for his son Josiah, Amon's name was not placed on the list of the kings excluded from the world to come." also that Josiah's death was brought about because despite his sincere religious reform, he had in fact been deceived; thus he refused to heed

1775-556: The Christian Bible, where it follows Isaiah and Jeremiah . According to the book itself, it records six visions of the prophet Ezekiel , exiled in Babylon, during the 22 years from 593 to 571 BC. It is the product of a long and complex history and does not necessarily preserve the words of the prophet. The visions and the book are structured around three themes: (1) judgment on Israel (chapters 1–24); (2) judgment on

1846-460: The Lord. He wiped out all of the pagan cults that had formed within his land. He, along with his people, then entered into this new covenant with the Lord to keep the commandments of the Lord. For much of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, it was agreed among biblical scholars that this "Book of the Law" was an early version of the Book of Deuteronomy , but recent biblical scholarship sees it as

1917-471: The Messianic age, the prophet Elijah shall reveal them (Mekhilta l.c.). When Josiah became king of Judah in about 641/640 BCE, the international situation was in flux. The Assyrian Empire was beginning to disintegrate, the Neo-Babylonian Empire had not yet risen to replace it, and Egypt to the west was still recovering from Assyrian rule. In this power vacuum, Jerusalem was able to govern itself for

1988-597: The Persian period. However, most biblical scholars are coming to believe that the Deuteronomistic History was composed using other earlier sources, including a brief chronicle of king's names, age at the beginning of their reign, and their mother's names. According to rabbinic interpretation, Huldah said to the messengers of King Josiah, "Tell the man that sent you to me ..." ( 2 Kings 22:15 ), indicating by her unceremonious language that for her Josiah

2059-543: The Prophet Jeremiah, thinking that no sword would pass through the Land of Israel. He was struck by 300 darts; he made no complaint except to acknowledge "The Lord is righteous, for I rebelled against His commandment. The sages also explain proverbs 24:30 as follows: I passed by the field of a lazy man, This is Ahaz. And the vineyard of a senseless man, this is Manashe. And behold, it was all overgrown with thorns, this

2130-601: The advance at Megiddo , where a fierce battle was fought and Josiah was killed. Necho then joined forces with the Assyrian Ashur-uballit II and crossed the Euphrates to lay siege to Harran . The combined forces failed to capture the city, and Necho retreated to northern Syria. There are two accounts of Josiah's death in the Bible. The Second Book of Kings merely states that Necho II met Josiah at Megiddo and killed him ( 2 Kings 23:29 ), whereas

2201-412: The age of eight, after the assassination of his father, King Amon and reigned for 31 years, from 641/640 to 610/609 BCE. Josiah is known only from biblical texts; no reference to him exists in other surviving texts of the period from Egypt or Babylon , and no clear archaeological evidence, such as inscriptions bearing his name, has ever been found. However, a seal bearing the name " Nathan-melech ,"

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2272-471: The book describes God's promise that the people of Israel will maintain their covenant with God when they are purified and receive a "new heart" (another of the book's images) which will enable them to observe God's commandments and live in the land in a proper relationship with Yahweh. The theology of Ezekiel is notable for its contribution to the emerging notion of individual responsibility to God – each man would be held responsible only for his own sins. This

2343-624: The book, with scholars such as C. C. Torrey (1863–1956) and Morton Smith placing it variously in the 3rd century BC and in the 8th/7th. The pendulum swung back in the post-war period , with an increasing acceptance of the book's essential unity and historical placement in the Exile. The most influential modern scholarly work on Ezekiel, Walther Zimmerli 's two-volume commentary, appeared in German in 1969 and in English in 1979 and 1983. Zimmerli traces

2414-446: The daughter of Pedaiah of Rumah; and Shallum (633/632 BCE) and Mattanyahu (c. 618 BCE), whose mother was Hamutal , the daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah . Eliakim had his name changed by Pharaoh Necho of Egypt to Jehoiakim . His third son Shallum succeeded Josiah as king of Judah, under the name Jehoahaz . Shallum was succeeded by Eliakim, under the name Jehoiakim , who was succeeded by his own son Jeconiah ; then, Jeconiah

2485-492: The death of a righteous king to some form of sin. Some researchers have concluded from the account in Kings that Josiah did not meet Necho in battle but was summoned by Necho as a vassal, investigated, and beheaded for failing to pay the correct tribute or tax to Egypt. Rabbinic Literature remarks on Josiah's piety and his father Amon: "The fact that Amon was the most sinful of all the wicked kings of Judah (II Chron. xxxiii. 23)

2556-487: The destruction of the temple at Bethel. Some scholars have rejected the entire historicity of these accounts, while others have defended the historical existence of a religious reform under Josiah's reign. According to the later account in 2 Chronicles , Josiah destroyed altars and images of pagan deities in cities of the tribes of Manasseh , Ephraim , "and Simeon , as far as Naphtali " ( 2 Chronicles 34:6–7 ), which were outside of his kingdom, Judah, and returned

2627-454: The double grave of the "man of God" and of the Bethel prophet to be left alone as these prophecies had come true. Josiah's reforms are described in two biblical accounts, 2 Kings 22–23, and 2 Chronicles 34–35. They began with the ending of ancient Israelite religious practices, and the astral cults that had become popular in the 8th century, and led to centralisation of worship in Jerusalem, and

2698-592: The face of a resurgent Egypt bent on regaining its traditional control of the region, and the imminent rise of the Babylonian empire which also sought control. Necho had left Egypt in 609 BCE to relieve the Assyrian Harran under Babylonian siege. Josiah's actions may have provided aid to the Babylonians by engaging the Egyptian army. The only textual sources of information for Josiah's reign are from

2769-495: The famous Gog and Magog prophecy in Revelation 20:8 refers back to Ezekiel 38–39, and in Revelation 21–22, as in the closing visions of Ezekiel, the prophet is transported to a high mountain where a heavenly messenger measures the symmetrical new Jerusalem, complete with high walls and twelve gates, the dwelling-place of God where His people will enjoy a state of perfect well-being. Apart from Revelation, however, where Ezekiel

2840-535: The highlights include: The Book of Ezekiel is described as the words of Ezekiel ben-Buzi, a priest living in exile in the city of Babylon between 593 and 571 BC. Most scholars today accept the basic authenticity of the book, but see in it significant additions by a school of later followers of the original prophet. According to Jewish tradition, the Men of the Great Assembly wrote the Book of Ezekiel, based on

2911-557: The house with which I am at war; and God has commanded me to hurry. Cease opposing God, who is with me, so that he will not destroy you." According to 2 Chronicles 35:25 , Jeremiah wrote a lament for Josiah's death. The account in Chronicles is considered unreliable by some scholars, as it is based on the description of the death of a different king, Ahab, in 1 Kings, and it meets the Chronicler's religious agenda to attribute

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2982-450: The name of an administrative official under King Josiah according to 2 Kings 23:11 , dating to the 7th century BCE, was found in situ in an archeological site in Jerusalem. The discoverers believe this seal represents the individual mentioned in 2 Kings 23:11. Most scholars believe that Josiah existed historically. The Bible describes him as a righteous king, a king who "walked in all the way of David his father, and turned not aside to

3053-501: The nations (chapters 25–32); and (3) future blessings for Israel (chapters 33–48). Its themes include the concepts of the presence of God , purity, Israel as a divine community, and individual responsibility to God. Its later influence has included the development of mystical and apocalyptic traditions in Second Temple Judaism , Rabbinic Judaism , and Christianity . Ezekiel has the broad threefold structure found in

3124-499: The northern Kingdom of Israel (Samaria) , approximately three hundred years earlier, that "a son named Josiah will be born to the house of David" and that he would destroy the altar at Bethel . And the only exception to this destruction was for the grave of an unnamed prophet he found in Bethel ( 2 Kings 23:15–19 ), who had foretold that these religious sites Jeroboam erected would one day be destroyed (see 1 Kings 13 ). Josiah ordered

3195-740: The office itself). As a priest, Ezekiel praises the Zadokites over the Levites (lower level temple functionaries), whom he largely blames for the destruction and exile. He is clearly connected with the Holiness Code and its vision of a future dependent on keeping the Laws of God and maintaining ritual purity. Notably, Ezekiel blames the Babylonian exile not on the people's failure to keep the Law, but on their worship of gods other than Yahweh and their injustice: these, says Ezekiel in chapters 8–11, are

3266-691: The period of destruction and exile. As a priest, Ezekiel is fundamentally concerned with the Kavod YHWH , a technical phrase meaning the presence (shekhinah) of YHWH (i.e., one of the Names of God ) among the people, in the Tabernacle, and in the Temple, and normally translated as "glory of God". In Ezekiel the phrase describes God mounted on His throne-chariot as he departs from the Temple in chapters 1–11 and returns to what Marvin Sweeney describes as

3337-407: The process by which Ezekiel's oracles were delivered orally and transformed into a written text by the prophet and his followers through a process of ongoing re-writing and re-interpretation. He isolates the oracles and speeches behind the present text, and traces Ezekiel's interaction with a mass of mythological, legendary and literary material as he developed his insights into Yahweh's purposes during

3408-601: The prophet's advice, Jeremiah knew that this was an error by the otherwise pious king; and later he bitterly laments the king's death: the fourth chapter of Lamentations beginning with a dirge on Josiah. King Josiah, who foresaw the impending national catastrophe, concealed the Ark and its contents (including Aaron's rod, the vial of manna and the anointing oil) within a hidden chamber which had been built by King Solomon ] (Tosefta, Sotah, 13a); cf. Babylonian Talmud ( Kereithot 5b) and their whereabouts will remain unknown until, in

3479-436: The prophet's words. While the book exhibits considerable unity and probably reflects much of the historic Ezekiel, it is the product of a long and complex history and does not necessarily preserve the very words of the prophet. According to the book that bears his name, Ezekiel ben-Buzi was born into a priestly family of Jerusalem c.623 BC, during the reign of the reforming king Josiah . Prior to this time, Judah had been

3550-458: The prophetess Huldah , who assured him that the evil foretold in the document for non-observance of its instructions, would come, but not in his day; "because", she said, "thine heart was tender and thou didst humble thyself before the Lord". An assembly of the elders of Judah and Jerusalem and of all the people was called, and Josiah then encouraged the exclusive worship of Yahweh, forbidding all other forms of worship. The instruments and emblems of

3621-428: The purified city. The image of the valley of dry bones returning to life in chapter 37 signifies the restoration of the purified Israel. Previous prophets had used "Israel" to mean the northern kingdom and its tribes; when Ezekiel speaks of Israel he is addressing the deported remnant of Judah; at the same time, however, he can use this term to mean the glorious future destiny of a truly comprehensive "Israel". In sum,

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3692-527: The reasons God's Shekhinah left his city and his people. Ezekiel's imagery provided much of the basis for the Second Temple mystical tradition in which the visionary ascended through the Seven Heavens in order to experience the presence of God and understand His actions and intentions. The book's literary influence can be seen in the later apocalyptic writings of Daniel and Zechariah. He

3763-450: The reign of Josiah; he was a contemporary of his relative the prophetess Hulda and of his teacher Zephaniah. These three prophets divided their activity: Hulda spoke to the women and Jeremiah to the men in the street, while Zephaniah preached in the synagogue. When Josiah restored the true worship, Jeremiah went to the exiled ten tribes, whom he brought to Israel under the rule of the pious king. Although Josiah went to war with Egypt against

3834-514: The right hand or to the left" ( 2 Kings 22:2 ; 2 Chronicles 34:2 ). He is also one of the kings mentioned in the genealogy of Jesus in Matthew's gospel , one of the two genealogies of Jesus in the New Testament (cf. Matthew 1:10 – 11 ). According to the biblical narrative, Josiah was the son of King Amon and Jedidah , the daughter of Adaiah of Bozkath . His grandfather Manasseh

3905-513: The same time period in which he would have lived. Seals and seal impressions from the period show a transition from those of an earlier period which bear images of stars and the moon, to seals that carry only names, a possible indication of Josiah's enforcement of monotheism. No other archaeological evidence of Josiah's religious reforms has been discovered, with a possible exception being at Tel Dothan . The date of Josiah's death can be established fairly accurately. The Babylonian Chronicles date

3976-509: The same to the women. Huldah was not only a prophetess, but taught publicly in the school, according to some teaching especially the oral doctrine. It is doubtful whether "the Gate of Huldah" in the Second Temple (Middot 1:3) has any connection with the prophetess Huldah; it may have meant "Cat's Gate"; some scholars, however, associate the gate with Huldah's schoolhouse (Rashi to Kings l.c.).E. C. L. G. The prophetic activity of Jeremiah began in

4047-409: The second book of Chronicles ( 2 Chronicles 35:20–27 ) gives a lengthier account and states that Josiah was fatally wounded by Egyptian archers and was brought back to Jerusalem to die. His death in the latter account was attributed to him "not listening to what Necho had said at God's command..." when Necho stated: "What have I to do with you, king of Judah? I am not coming against you today, but against

4118-493: The selfish and the tyranny of evil men. Blessed is he who in the name of charity and goodwill shepherds the weak through the valley of darkness, for he is truly his brother's keeper and the finder of lost children. And I will strike down upon thee with great vengeance and furious anger those who attempt to poison and destroy My brothers. And you will know My name is the Lord when I lay My vengeance upon thee." Josiah Josiah ( / dʒ oʊ ˈ s aɪ . ə / ) or Yoshiyahu

4189-518: The shore, Necho passed the low tracts of Philistia and Sharon . However, the passage over the ridge of hills which shuts in on the south of the great Jezreel Valley was blocked by the Judean army led by Josiah. The reason for Josiah attempting to halt the Egyptian campaign is not known, but he may have considered that the Assyrians and Egyptians were weakened by the death of pharaoh Psamtik I only

4260-411: The song Black Cowboys by Bruce Springsteen on his 2005 album Devils & Dust . • In the movie Pulp Fiction , the character Jules recites a fictional biblical passage just before executing someone. Although he claims that it is Ezekiel 25:17, the text is made of references from both the original passage and other sources . "The path of the righteous man is beset on all sides by the inequities of

4331-540: The text). The Greek (Septuagint) version of Ezekiel differs slightly from the Hebrew (Masoretic) version – it is about 8 verses shorter (out of 1,272) and possibly represents an earlier transmission of the book we have today (according to the Masoretic tradition) – while other ancient manuscript fragments differ from both. The first half of the 20th century saw several attempts to deny the authorship and authenticity of

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4402-603: The time being without foreign intervention. In the spring of 609 BCE, Pharaoh Necho II led a sizable army up to the Euphrates River to aid the Neo-Assyrian Empire , which was collapsing under the attacks of the Medes and the Neo-Babylonian Empire . Taking the coast route Via Maris into Syria at the head of a large army, consisting mainly of mercenaries; and supported by his Mediterranean fleet along

4473-583: The two cherubim above the Mercy Seat of the Ark of the Covenant and the two in the Holy of Holies, the innermost chamber of the Temple; the burning coals of fire between the creatures perhaps represents the fire on the sacrificial altar, and the famous "wheel within a wheel" may represent the rings by which the Levites carried the Ark, or the wheels of the cart. Ezekiel depicts the destruction of Jerusalem as

4544-543: The worship of Baal and " the host of heaven " were removed from the Jerusalem Temple. Local sanctuaries, or High Places , were destroyed, from Beer-sheba in the south to Beth-el and the cities of Samaria in the north. Josiah had pagan priests executed and even had the bones of the dead priests of Bethel exhumed from their graves and burned on their altars. Josiah also reinstituted the Passover celebrations. According to 1 Kings 13:1–3 an unnamed "man of God" (sometimes identified as Iddo ) had prophesied to King Jeroboam of

4615-434: The years to renovate the temple. While Hilkiah was clearing the treasure room of the Temple he discovered a scroll described in 2 Kings as "the book of the Law", and in 2 Chronicles as "the book of the Law of the LORD given by Moses ". The phrase sefer ha-torah (ספר התורה) in 2 Kings 22:8 is identical to the phrase used in Joshua 1:8 and 8:34 to describe the sacred writings that Joshua had received from Moses. The book

4686-459: Was 25 when he went into exile, 30 when he received his prophetic call, and 52 at the time of the last vision c.  571 . The Jewish scriptures were translated into Greek in the two centuries prior to the Common Era . The Greek version of these books is called the Septuagint . The Jewish Bible in Hebrew is called the Masoretic Text (meaning passing down after a Hebrew word Masorah ; for Jewish scholars and rabbis curated and commented on

4757-411: Was like any other man. The king addressed her, and not Jeremiah, because he thought that women are more easily stirred to pity than men, and that therefore the prophetess would be more likely than Jeremiah to intercede with God in his behalf. Huldah was a relative of Jeremiah, both being descendants of Rahab by her marriage with Joshua. While Jeremiah admonished and preached repentance to the men, she did

4828-403: Was one of the kings blamed for turning away from the worship of Yahweh . Manasseh adapted the Temple for idolatrous worship. Josiah's great-grandfather was King Hezekiah , a noted reformer also respected by the biblical writers as having "done what was right in the sight of the LORD, as David had done. Josiah had four sons: Johanan , and Eliakim (born c. 634 BCE), whose mother was Zebidah

4899-493: Was profound, most notably in the Temple Scroll with its temple plans, and the defence of the Zadokite priesthood in the Damascus Document . There was apparently some question concerning the inclusion of Ezekiel in the canon of scripture, since it is frequently at odds with the Torah (the five "Books of Moses" which are foundational to Judaism). Ezekiel is referenced more in the Book of Revelation than in any other New Testament writing. To take just two well-known passages,

4970-409: Was succeeded to the throne by his uncle Mattanyahu, under the name Zedekiah . Zedekiah was the last king of Judah before the kingdom was conquered by Babylon and the people exiled . The Second Book of Chronicles records that Josiah was eight years old when he became king. In the eighth year of his reign, he "began to seek the God of his father David" and in the twelfth year of that reign he began

5041-408: Was the 16th King of Judah ( c.  640 –609 BCE). According to the Hebrew Bible , he instituted major religious reforms by removing official worship of gods other than Yahweh . Until the 1990s, the biblical description of Josiah’s reforms were usually considered to be more or less accurate, but that is now heavily debated. According to the Bible, Josiah became king of the Kingdom of Judah at

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