Commento su II Cronache 34:35

when he was still a youth, he started to seek The meaning is that although he was still a youth, he started to seek after the God of David his father. This is similar to (Gen. 37:2): “and as a youth, with the sons of Bilhah, etc., Joseph brought evil reports of them,” and this is not surprising, but if he were thirty years old, he would not have done it. It is, however, surprising, that he (Josiah) was a youth, and nevertheless, he started to seek, etc.

he started to purge Judah and Jerusalem of the high places, the asherim that Manasseh had made and that Amon his son had renewed, as above (33:3): “And he rebuilt the high places that Hezekiah his father had demolished, etc.”

and the sun images images of the sun.

that were above That they had placed above them, on high, opposite the sun, and they would prostrate themselves to it. Manasseh had done all this, as it is written above (33:3): “and he prostrated himself to the entire host of the heaven, and he worshipped them.”

and he cast them upon the graves Here was fulfilled what he said to Jeroboam, (I Kings 13:2): “so said the Lord, ‘Behold a son will be born to the house of David, Josiah will be his name, and upon you will he sacrifice, etc., and human bones, etc.’”

And in the cities of Manasseh and Ephraim, etc. from those “gleanings” [survivors] who survived the sword and the captivity of Sennacherib.

with their instruments of destruction Since they were but few “gleanings,” they feared to live in the lowland and established their houses on the mountain (בְּחַרבָּתֵּיהֶם)).

the recorder Wherever a scribe is mentioned, a recorder is mentioned in close proximity, for every king had a scribe to write everything that occurred in the kingdom, whether favorable or unfavorable, and he had a recorder sitting beside the scribe, to mention every incident, and the scribe would write according to what he told him.

which the Levites who guarded the threshold had gathered from the hands of Manasseh and Ephraim, etc. from their ruins round about.

to mend and repair - Heb. לִבְדוֹק. (Gen 42:9): “to see the nakedness (עֶרְוַת) of the land,” is translated into Aramaic as “to see the crack (בִּדְקָא)” of the land.

and wood for the couplings - Spangen in Middle High German, clasps.

and to make beams - Traver in Old French, to provide with beams.

to direct - Heb. לְנַצּחַ, lemestriyer, to direct, supervise, and so (Ezra 3:8): “to direct (לְנַצּחַ) the work of the House of the Lord,” and likewise (above 2:17): “and six hundred overseers (מְנַצּחִים) .”

and the Levites, all who were expert - Heb. מֵבִין. The term expertise (הֲבָנָה) is universally mentioned regarding song, and so above (I Chron. 25:8), when they cast lots, it is written: “like the small one so the great one, expert (מֵבִין) with pupil.” And likewise, (ibid. verse 7): “trained in song to the Lord: every expert (מֵבִין),” and it is written (ibid. 15:22): “And Chananiah, the leader of the Levites, etc., because he was an expert (מֵבִין),” and he was appointed over them to chastise [them] in raising [the voice], how they should raise [their voice], because he was an expert (מֵבִין).

and of the Levites, scribes to write down the [amount of] silver brought to the House of the Lord and how they had collected it.

and officers over the work.

the Scroll of the Law of the Lord by the hand of Moses the Book of Deuteronomy.

and Hilkiah gave the scroll to Shaphan because it was the scribe’s duty to read everything before the king.

and he further brought back word to the king for he first reported to the king about the errand that the king had sent him on to repair the House of the Lord his God, as is written above (verse 8): “he sent Shaphan the son of Azaliah, etc.”

And they poured - Heb. וַיַּתִּיכוּ, they poured, like (Gen. 28:18): “and he poured (וַיִּצֹק) oil” and the Targum renders: וְאַתִּיךְ

And Shaphan the scribe told the king After bringing back word to the king regarding his errand, he gave him the message of Hilkiah the priest, and read the scroll before him.

that he rent his garments When he heard them reading (Deut. 28:36): “The Lord will lead you and the king, etc.,” he interpreted [the following words] as referring to himself: “whom you will appoint over yourself.” The people had made him king, and he was not a prince by the word [of God].

which has been poured upon us Since wrath is [compared to] fire, the term pouring applies to it, and a similar instance is below (verse 25): “My wrath shall be poured down upon this place, and it shall not be quenched.”

to Huldah the prophetess Our Sages (Meg. 14b) explained that since a woman is more merciful than a man, he did not send them to Jeremiah the prophet.

the keeper of the raiment If you wish, you may say that this is either the priestly raiment or the royal raiment.

and she was sitting in Jerusalem in the study-hall - Heb. בַּמִּשֶׁנֶה. The city had two walls, and she lived between the two walls. The Targum renders: in the study-hall. The meaning is: in the place of Torah, for Huldah had a chamber adjacent to the Chamber of Hewn Stone. The Chamber of Huldah was open to the outside and closed toward the Sanhedrin in the Chamber of Hewn Stone. So it is written in Tractate Middoth (unknown) because of modesty.

Say to the man He wished to interrupt the prophecy of the people “upon this place and upon its inhabitants,” and when he finished that prophecy, he then delineates, “And concerning the king of Judah, who sent you,” and he deals briefly with the prophecy of the palace and its inhabitants and puts it aside and focuses upon the prophecy of the king, which is long.

and you shall be gathered to your graves in peace But was he not slain? It [means] in peace from this, that your eyes will not see all the evil that I am bringing upon this place and upon its inhabitants, i.e., the destruction of the Temple.

the Scroll of the Covenant All the fright that the king experienced was due to the words (Deut. 28: 36): “The Lord will lead you,” and he saw that the Torah called it a covenant: “These are the words of the covenant.” Therefore, he too enacted a covenant and saw written immediately following it (ibid. 29:8): “And you shall keep the words, etc., and practice them.” Josiah also saw written immediately following (ibid. verses 9ff.): “You are standing today, all of you, etc....your children, your wives...that you should pass into the covenant...enacts with you today.” He said, “In such a manner, I too shall enact a covenant, for there it is written: ‘You are standing, etc.’ I too [will do so], ‘And he caused all those found in Jerusalem, both small and great, to stand.’”

with all his heart and with all his soul as he found written there, (Deut. 30:2): “And you will return to the Lord your God, etc. with all your heart and with all your soul.”

in his place An expression of נִצָּבִים, standing.

according to the covenant of God, the God of their forefathers According to all that which is written there: “the God of their forefathers.” Therefore, it is written here, “the God of their forefathers,” which He enacted for their forefathers in the desert. And every covenant that is there concerns idolatry, as it is written (Deut. 29:16f.): “And you saw their abominations and their depravities, etc....turns away today from the Lord.” Therefore, Josiah “removed all the abominations, etc.”