2 Kings 23 · Verse 2

2 Kings 23:2

And the king went up into the house of the Lord, and all the men of Judah and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem with him, and the priests, and the prophets, and all the people, both small and great: and he read in their ears all the words of the book of the covenant which was found in the house of the Lord.
2 Kings 23:2, King James Version

2 Kings 23:2 in other translations

BSBAnd he went up to the house of the LORD with all the people of Judah and Jerusalem, as well as the priests and the prophets—all the people small and great—and in their hearing he read all the words of the Book of the Covenant that had been found in the house of the LORD.
WEBThe king went up to the LORD’s house, and all the men of Judah and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem with him—with the priests, the prophets, and all the people, both small and great; and he read in their hearing all the words of the book of the covenant which was found in the LORD’s house.
ASVAnd the king went up to the house of Jehovah, and all the men of Judah and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem with him, and the priests, and the prophets, and all the people, both small and great: and he read in their ears all the words of the book of the covenant which was found in the house of Jehovah.
YLTand the king goeth up to the house of Jehovah, and every man of Judah, and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, with him, and the priests, and the prophets, and all the people, from small unto great, and he readeth in their ears all the words of the book of the covenant that is found in the house of Jehovah.
DARBYAnd the king went up into the house of Jehovah, and all the men of Judah and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem with him, and the priests and the prophets, and all the people, both small and great; and he read in their ears all the words of the book of the covenant which had been found in the house of Jehovah.
BBEAnd the king went up to the house of the Lord, with all the men of Judah and all the people of Jerusalem, and the priests and the prophets and all the people, small and great; and they were present at his reading of the book of the law which had come to light in the house of the Lord.
WebsterAnd the king went up into the house of the LORD, and all the men of Judah and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem with him, and the priests, and the prophets, and all the people, both small and great: and he read in their ears all the words of the book of the covenant which was found in the house of the LORD.

What does 2 Kings 23:2 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on 2 Kings 23:1-3

2Ki 23:1-3. Josiah Causes the Law to Be Read. 1-3. the king sent, and they gathered unto him all the elders--This pious and patriotic king, not content with the promise of his own security, felt, after Huldah's response, an increased desire to avert the threatened calamities from his kingdom and people. Knowing the richness of the divine clemency and grace to the penitent, he convened the elders of the people, and…

Read the full comment on 2 Kings 23:1-3 →

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 2 The king went up into the house of the Lord - Here is another very singular circumstance. The high priest, scribes, priest, and prophets, are gathered together, with all the elders of the people, and the king himself reads the book of the covenant which had been lately found! It is strange that either the high priest, Jeremiah, Zephaniah, or some other of the prophets, who were certainly there present, did not read the sacred book! It is likely that the king considered himself a mediator between God and them, and therefore read and made the covenant.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on 2 Kings 23:1-3

Josiah slain by Pharaoh-nechoh. (25-30) Wicked reigns of Jehoahaz and Jehoiakim. (31-37) Verses 1-3 Josiah had received a message from God, that there was no preventing the ruin of Jerusalem, but that he should only deliver his own soul; yet he does his duty, and leaves the event to God. He engaged the people in the most solemn manner to abolish idolatry, and to serve God in righteousness and true holiness. Though…

Read the full comment on 2 Kings 23:1-3 →

2 Kings 23:2 in the original Hebrew

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

וַיַּ֣עַלvai.Ya.'aland he went upH5927
הַמֶּ֣לֶךְha.Me.lekhthe kingH4428
בֵּית\־beit-[the] house ofH1004
יְהוָ֡הYah.wehYahwehH3068
וְכָל\־ve.kholand everyH3605
אִ֣ישׁ'ish<the> person ofH376
יְהוּדָה֩ye.hu.DahJudahH3063
וְכָל\־ve.kholand allH3605
יֹשְׁבֵ֨יyo.she.Vei[the] inhabitants ofH3427
יְרוּשָׁלִַ֜םye.ru.sha.LimJerusalemH3389
אִתּ֗וֹ'i.Towith himH854
וְהַכֹּֽהֲנִים֙ve.ha.ko.ha.Nimand the priestsH3548
וְהַנְּבִיאִ֔יםve.ha.ne.vi.'Imand the prophetsH5030
וְכָל\־ve.kholand allH3605
הָעָ֖םha.'Amthe peopleH5971
לְמִקָּטֹ֣ןle.mi.ka.Ton<to> from [the] smallH6996
וְעַד\־ve.'ad-and untoH5704
גָּד֑וֹלga.Dol[the] greatH1419
וַיִּקְרָ֣אvai.yik.Ra'and he read aloudH7121
בְאָזְנֵיהֶ֗םve.'a.ze.nei.Hemin ears theirH241
אֶת\־'et-<obj.>H853
כָּל\־kol-allH3605
דִּבְרֵי֙div.Rei[the] words ofH1697
סֵ֣פֶרSe.fer[the] scroll ofH5612
הַבְּרִ֔יתha.be.Ritthe covenantH1285
הַנִּמְצָ֖אha.nim.Tza'which had been foundH4672
בְּבֵ֥יתbe.Veitin [the] house ofH1004
יְהוָֽה\׃Yah.wehYahwehH3068

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for 2 Kings 23:2

  • 2 Kings 22:8

    And Hilkiah the high priest said unto Shaphan the scribe, I have found the book of the law in the house of the Lord. And Hilkiah gave the book to Shaphan, and he read it.

  • Deuteronomy 31:10-13

    And Moses commanded them, saying, At the end of every seven years, in the solemnity of the year of release, in the feast of tabernacles, When all Israel is come to appear before the Lord thy God in the place which he shall choose, thou shalt read this law before all Israel in their hearing. Gather the people together, men, and women, and children, and thy stranger that is within thy gates, that they may hear, and that they may learn, and fear the Lord your God, and observe to do all the words of this law: And that their children, which have not known any thing, may hear, and learn to fear the Lord your God, as long as ye live in the land whither ye go over Jordan to possess it.

  • Revelation 20:12

    And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.

  • Nehemiah 13:1

    On that day they read in the book of Moses in the audience of the people; and therein was found written, that the Ammonite and the Moabite should not come into the congregation of God for ever;

  • Nehemiah 8:1-8

    And all the people gathered themselves together as one man into the street that was before the water gate; and they spake unto Ezra the scribe to bring the book of the law of Moses, which the Lord had commanded to Israel. And Ezra the priest brought the law before the congregation both of men and women, and all that could hear with understanding, upon the first day of the seventh month. And he read therein before the street that was before the water gate from the morning until midday, before the men and the women, and those that could understand; and the ears of all the people were attentive unto the book of the law. And Ezra the scribe stood upon a pulpit of wood, which they had made for the purpose; and beside him stood Mattithiah, and Shema, and Anaiah, and Urijah, and Hilkiah, and Maaseiah, on his right hand; and on his left hand, Pedaiah, and Mishael, and Malchiah, and Hashum, and Hashbadana, Zechariah, and Meshullam. …

  • 1 Samuel 5:9

    And it was so, that, after they had carried it about, the hand of the Lord was against the city with a very great destruction: and he smote the men of the city, both small and great, and they had emerods in their secret parts.

  • 1 Kings 8:9

    There was nothing in the ark save the two tables of stone, which Moses put there at Horeb, when the Lord made a covenant with the children of Israel, when they came out of the land of Egypt.

  • Acts 26:22

    Having therefore obtained help of God, I continue unto this day, witnessing both to small and great, saying none other things than those which the prophets and Moses did say should come:

  • Nehemiah 9:3

    And they stood up in their place, and read in the book of the law of the Lord their God one fourth part of the day; and another fourth part they confessed, and worshipped the Lord their God.

  • Deuteronomy 31:26

    Take this book of the law, and put it in the side of the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God, that it may be there for a witness against thee.

  • Psalms 115:13

    He will bless them that fear the Lord, both small and great.

  • Genesis 19:11

    And they smote the men that were at the door of the house with blindness, both small and great: so that they wearied themselves to find the door.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
both small and great. Heb. from small even unto great.
Ge 19:11; 1Sa 5:9; 30:2; 2Ch 15:13; Es 1:5; Job 3:19; Ps 115:13
Ac 26:22; Re 20:12
he read.
De 31:10-13; 2Ch 17:9; Ne 8:1-8; 9:3; 13:1
the book.
22:8; De 31:26; 1Ki 8:9

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

  • 2 Kings 23:1

    And the king sent, and they gathered unto him all the elders of Judah and of Jerusalem.

  • 2 Kings 23:2

    And the king went up into the house of the Lord, and all the men of Judah and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem with him, and the priests, and the prophets, and all the people, both small and great: and he read in their ears all the words of the book of the covenant which was found in the house of the Lord.

  • 2 Kings 23:3

    And the king stood by a pillar, and made a covenant before the Lord, to walk after the Lord, and to keep his commandments and his testimonies and his statutes with all their heart and all their soul, to perform the words of this covenant that were written in this book. And all the people stood to the covenant.

Read all of 2 Kings 23

2 Kings 23:2 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909
Y subió el rey á la casa de Jehová con todos los varones de Judá, y con todos los moradores de Jerusalem, con los sacerdotes y profetas y con todo el pueblo, desde el más chico hasta el más grande; y leyó, oyéndolo ellos, todas las palabras del libro del pacto que había sido hallado en la casa de Jehová.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885
Et le roi monta à la maison de l’ Éternel, et avec lui tous les hommes de Juda, et tous les habitants de Jérusalem, et les sacrificateurs, et les prophètes, et tout le peuple, depuis le petit jusqu’au grand: et on lut, eux l’entendant, toutes les paroles du livre de l’alliance qui avait été trouvé dans la maison de l’ Éternel.
German
Elberfelder 1871
Und der König ging in das Haus Jehovas hinauf, und alle Männer von Juda und alle Bewohner von Jerusalem mit ihm, und die Priester und die Propheten, und alles Volk, vom Kleinsten bis zum Größten; und man las vor ihren Ohren alle Worte des Buches des Bundes, das im Hause Jehovas gefunden worden war.
Latin
Clementine Vulgate
Ascenditque rex templum Domini, et omnes viri Juda, universique qui habitabant in Jerusalem cum eo sacerdotes et prophetæ, et omnis populus a parvo usque ad magnum: legitque, cunctis audientibus, omnia verba libri fœderis, qui inventus est in domo Domini.