Commentary for II Kings 23:4
וַיְצַ֣ו הַמֶּ֡לֶךְ אֶת־חִלְקִיָּהוּ֩ הַכֹּהֵ֨ן הַגָּד֜וֹל וְאֶת־כֹּהֲנֵ֣י הַמִּשְׁנֶה֮ וְאֶת־שֹׁמְרֵ֣י הַסַּף֒ לְהוֹצִיא֙ מֵהֵיכַ֣ל יְהוָ֔ה אֵ֣ת כָּל־הַכֵּלִ֗ים הָֽעֲשׂוּיִם֙ לַבַּ֣עַל וְלָֽאֲשֵׁרָ֔ה וּלְכֹ֖ל צְבָ֣א הַשָּׁמָ֑יִם וַֽיִּשְׂרְפֵ֞ם מִח֤וּץ לִירוּשָׁלִַ֙ם֙ בְּשַׁדְמ֣וֹת קִדְר֔וֹן וְנָשָׂ֥א אֶת־עֲפָרָ֖ם בֵּֽית־אֵֽל׃
And the king commanded Hilkiah the high priest, and the priests of the second order, and the keepers of the door, to bring forth out of the temple of the LORD all the vessels that were made for Baal, and for the Asherah, and for all the host of heaven; and he burned them without Jerusalem in the fields of Kidron, and carried the ashes of them unto Beth-el.
Rashi on II Kings
The kohanim of the second rank. The assistants of the priesthood,2The kohein who was anointed for war was also included in this group.—Metzudas Dovid who are second in rank3They would substitute for the kohein gadol in the event that he was incapacitated to perform the service in the Beis Hamikdosh.—Radak to the Kohanim Gedolim.
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Rashi on II Kings
And the gatekeepers. The supervisors in charge over all the necessities of the Beis [Hamikdosh], and the keys of the Temple's courtyard were in their charge.4See Rashi above, 12:10.
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Rashi on II Kings
In the plains of Kidron. In the plains of Kidron.
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Rashi on II Kings
And he carried their ashes to Beis Eil. To an unclean place, where he defiled the altar that Yorovom had made,5See v. 15 below. and he burned upon it the priests of the high places.
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