2 Kings 22:16

Thus saith the Lord, behold, I will bring evil upon this place, and upon the inhabitants of it,.... Destruction to the place, and captivity to the inhabitants of it: even all the words of the book which the king of Judah hath read; particularly what is contained in Leviticus 26:14, even all the curses in it, as in 2 Chronicles 34:24.

22:11-20 The book of the law is read before the king. Those best honour their Bibles, who study them; daily feed on that bread, and walk by that light. Convictions of sin and wrath should put us upon this inquiry, What shall we do to be saved? Also, what we may expect, and must provide for. Those who are truly apprehensive of the weight of God's wrath, cannot but be very anxious how they may be saved. Huldah let Josiah know what judgments God had in store for Judah and Jerusalem. The generality of the people were hardened, and their hearts unhumbled, but Josiah's heart was tender. This is tenderness of heart, and thus he humbled himself before the Lord. Those who most fear God's wrath, are least likely to feel it. Though Josiah was mortally wounded in battle, yet he died in peace with God, and went to glory. Whatever such persons suffer or witness, they are gathered to the grave in peace, and shall enter into the rest which remaineth for the people of God.

All the words of the book - The "words" here intended are no doubt the threatenings of the Law, particularly those of Leviticus 26:16-39 and Deuteronomy 28:15-68 . Josiah had probably only heard a portion of the Book of the Law; but that portion had contained those awful denunciations of coming woe. Hence, Josiah's rending of his clothes 2 Kings 22:11 , and his hurried message to Huldah.

(16) I will bring evil upon . . . —Literally, I am about to bring evil unto . . . Instead of unto , the LXX., Vulg., and Chronicles rightly read upon , which follows in the next phrase. Which the king of Judah hath read.—The book had been read to him as the chronicler explains. The freedom of expression here warns us against pressing the words of 2Kings 22:8; 2Kings 22:10 (“he read it”).

15-20. she said unto them, Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, Tell the man that sent you to me—On being consulted, she delivered an oracular response in which judgment was blended with mercy; for it announced the impending calamities that at no distant period were to overtake the city and its inhabitants. But at the same time the king was consoled with an assurance that this season of punishment and sorrow should not be during his lifetime, on account of the faith, penitence, and pious zeal for the divine glory and worship which, in his public capacity and with his royal influence, he had displayed.

16 . all the words of the book which the king of Judah hath read ] The Chronicler says, ‘all the curses that are written in the book which they have read before the king of Judah’. The curses are such as those contained in Deuteronomy 28 already alluded to, and in Leviticus 26:14-39 .

Verse 16. - Thus saith the Lord, Behold, I will bring evil upon this place - i.e. Jerusalem - and upon the inhabitants thereof, even all the words of the book which the King of Judah hath read. In the parallel passage of Chronicles ( 2 Chronicles 34:24 ) the expression used is stronger, viz, "Behold, I will bring evil upon this place, and upon the inhabitants thereof, even all the curses that are written in the book which they have road before the King of Judah." The passage which most strongly affected Josiah was probably that, already mentioned, in Deuteronomy 28 , which began with a series of curses. 2 Kings 22:16

The reply of Huldah the prophetess. - Huldah confirmed the fear expressed by Josiah, that the wrath of the Lord was kindled against Jerusalem and its inhabitants on account of their idolatry, and proclaimed first of all ( 2 Kings 22:16 , 2 Kings 22:17 ), that the Lord would bring upon Jerusalem and its inhabitants all the punishments with which the rebellious and idolaters are threatened in the book of the law; and secondly ( 2 Kings 22:18-20 ), to the king himself, that on account of his sincere repentance and humiliation in the sight of God, he would not live to see the predicted calamities, but would be gathered to his fathers in peace. The first part of her announcement applies "to the man who has sent you to me" ( 2 Kings 22:15 ), the second "to the king of Judah, who has sent to inquire of the Lord" ( 2 Kings 22:18 ). "The man" who had sent to her was indeed also the king; but Huldah intentionally made use of the general expression "the man," etc., to indicate that the word announced to him applied not merely to the king, but to every one who would hearken to the word, whereas the second portion of her reply had reference to the king alone. הזּה המּקום, in 2 Kings 22:16 , 2 Kings 22:19 , and 2 Kings 22:20 , is Jerusalem as the capital of the kingdom. In 2 Kings 22:16 , הסּפר כּל־דּברי is an explanatory apposition to רעה. 2 Kings 22:17 . "With all the work of their hands," i.e., with the idols which they have made for themselves (cf. 1 Kings 16:7 ).

The last clause in 2 Kings 22:18 , "the words which thou hast heard," is not to be connected with the preceding one, "thus saith the Lord," and על or ל to be supplied; but it belongs to the following sentence, and is placed at the head absolutely: as for the words, which thou hast heart - because thy heart has become soft, i.e., in despair at the punishment with which the sinners are threatened (cf. Deuteronomy 20:3 ; Isaiah 7:4 ), and thou hast humbled thyself, when thou didst hear, etc.; therefore, behold, I will gather thee to thy fathers, etc. לשׁמּה להיות, "that they (the city and inhabitants) may become a desolation and curse." These words, which are often used by the prophets, but which are not found connected like this except in Jeremiah 44:22 , rest upon Leviticus 26 and Deuteronomy 28 , and show that these passages had been read to the king out of the book of the law.