2 Chronicles 34:5

Jerusalem

³ In the eighth year of his reign, while he was still young, Josiah began to seek the God of his father David, and in the twelfth year he began to cleanse Judah and Jerusalem of the high places, the Asherah poles, the carved idols, and the cast images.

⁴ Then in his presence the altars of the Baals were torn down, and he cut to pieces the incense altars that were above them. He shattered the Asherah poles, the carved idols, and the cast images, crushed them to dust, and scattered them over the graves of those who had sacrificed to them.

Then he burned the bones of the priests on their altars. So he cleansed Judah and Jerusalem.

⁶ Josiah did the same in the cities of Manasseh, Ephraim, and Simeon, as far as Naphtali, and in the ruins around them.

⁷ He tore down the altars and Asherah poles, crushed the idols to powder, and cut to pieces all the incense altars throughout the land of Israel. Then he returned to Jerusalem.

Here the Bible tells a story about someone else. Ask yourself what it can say to us today. Do read the surrounding verses too, because the context often says more than a single verse.

Compare

BSB: Then he burned the bones of the priests on their altars. So he cleansed Judah and Jerusalem.
KJV: And he burnt the bones of the priests upon their altars, and cleansed Judah and Jerusalem.
WEB: He burned the bones of the priests on their altars, and purged Judah and Jerusalem.
ASV: And he burnt the bones of the priests upon their altars, and purged Judah and Jerusalem.
DARBY: and he burned the bones of the priests upon their altars, and purged Judah and Jerusalem.
BLB: And he burned the bones of the priests on their altars, and he cleansed Judah and Jerusalem,

ÅB: og prestenes ben brant han på deres altere. Slik renset han Juda og Jerusalem.
OTB: Deretter brente han prestenes ben på deres altere og renset Juda og Jerusalem.
B1930: og prestenes ben brente han på deres altere. Således renset han Juda og Jerusalem.

Study notes (Tyndale)

Original text and word study

Cross references

1 Kings 13:2
And he cried out against the altar by the word of the LORD, “O altar, O altar, this is what the LORD says: ‘A son named Josiah will be born to the house of David, and upon you he will sacrifice the priests of the high places who burn incense upon you, and human bones will be burned upon you.’”
Read in context
Jeremiah 8:1–2
“At that time,” declares the LORD, “the bones of the kings of Judah, the bones of the officials, the bones of the priests, the bones of the prophets, and the bones of the people of Jerusalem will be removed from their graves.
Read in context
2 Kings 23:16
And as Josiah turned, he saw the tombs there on the hillside, and he sent someone to take the bones out of the tombs, and he burned them on the altar to defile it, according to the word of the LORD proclaimed by the man of God who had foretold these things.
Read in context
Jeremiah 3:10
Yet in spite of all this, her unfaithful sister Judah did not return to Me with all her heart, but only in pretense,” declares the LORD.
Read in context
Ezekiel 22:24
“Son of man, say to her, ‘In the day of indignation, you are a land that has not been cleansed, upon which no rain has fallen.’
Read in context
2 Kings 23:20
On the altars he slaughtered all the priests of the high places, and he burned human bones on them. Then he returned to Jerusalem.
Read in context
2 Chronicles 34:7
He tore down the altars and Asherah poles, crushed the idols to powder, and cut to pieces all the incense altars throughout the land of Israel. Then he returned to Jerusalem.
Read in context
Numbers 35:33
Do not pollute the land where you live, for bloodshed pollutes the land, and no atonement can be made for the land on which the blood is shed, except by the blood of the one who shed it.
Read in context