2 Kings 23:27

And the Lord said, I will remove Judah also out of my sight, as I have removed Israel. Not from his all seeing eye, but from being the object of his special care and protection; the meaning is, that he would suffer them to he carried out of their land into captivity as Israel was; this he had said in his heart, was determined upon; the decree was gone forth, and it was irrevocable: and will cast off this city Jerusalem which I have chosen: for the place of his worship, the people having forsaken his worship there, and followed after idols: and the house of which I said, my name shall be there; the temple, called after his name, and where his name was to be, and had been, called upon.

23:25-30 Upon reading these verses, we must say, Lord, though thy righteousness be as the great mountains, evident, plainly to be seen, and past dispute; yet thy judgments are a great deep, unfathomable, and past finding out. The reforming king is cut off in the midst of his usefulness, in mercy to him, that he might not see the evil coming upon his kingdom: but in wrath to his people, for his death was an inlet to their desolations.

2 Kings 23:27 . I will cast off this city, and the house of which I said, My name shall be there — God promised upon conditions, in sundry places expressed, that his name should be there. These conditions they broke, and therefore God justly made them to know his breach of promise.

26. Notwithstanding, the Lord turned not from the fierceness of his wrath,—&c. The national reformation which Josiah carried on was acquiesced in by the people from submission to the royal will; but they entertained a secret and strong hankering after the suppressed idolatries. Though outwardly purified, their hearts were not right towards God, as appears from many passages of the prophetic writings; their thorough reform was hopeless; and God, who saw no sign of genuine repentance, allowed His decree (2Ki 21:12-15) for the subversion of the kingdom to take fatal effect.

Verse 27. - And the Lord said - God said in his secret counsels, came to the determination, and pronounced the sentence in his thoughts - I will remove Judah also out of my sight, as I have removed Israel (comp. 2 Kings 17:18 , "Therefore the Lord was very angry with Israel, and removed them out of his sight" ). The sins of Judah were now as great as those of Israel had been; therefore her punishment must be the same, as God is no respecter of persons. And I will east off this city Jerusalem which I have chosen (comp. 1 Kings 8:44, 48 ; 1 Kings 11:13, 32, 36 , etc.). God "chose" Jerusalem when he put it into the heart of David to bring up the ark thither ( 2 Samuel 6:1-17 ). And the house of which I said, My Name shall he there (see Deuteronomy 12:11 ; 1 Kings 8:29 , etc.). A visible confirmation was given to all that David and Solomon had done in establishing the temple at Jerusalem as the head-quarters of the national religion, when "fire came down from heaven, and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices" made there, and "the glory of the Lord filled the house" ( 2 Chronicles 7:1 ; comp. 2 Chronicles 5:13, 14 ). 2 Kings 23:27

26, 27 (= 1Es 1:33 ; 2 Kings 23:25 ; 2 Kings 23:28 ). The Epilogue of Josiah’s Reign 26 . his goodness ] R.V. his good deeds ; cp. 2 Chronicles 32:32 . according to that which was ( is ) written ] Cp. the strong terms used in 2 Kings 23:25 , “like unto him was no king before him, that turned to the Lord with all his heart … according to all the law of Moses … neither after him arose there any like him.”