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2 Kings 22:1-2 ~ Introduction to the Reign of Josiah (c. 640-609)
See the parallel passage concerning the reign of Josiah in 2 Chronicles 34:1-16. The prophet Isaiah has been martyred and Jeremiah (born c. 646), son of the priest Hilkiah (Jer 1:1) who may be the high priest during the reign of Josiah (2 Kng 22:4) is born about the same time as Josiah. Jeremiah family lived in the Levitical village of Anathoth, approximately three miles northeast of Jerusalem. Jeremiah will begin his prophetic ministry in the thirteenth year of the reign of King Josiah (Jer 1:1-2). His ministry will continue through the reign of Josiah's son King Jehoiakim and continue until the end of the reign of the last Davidic king, King Zedekiah, at the time of the deportation of Jerusalem into exile. Jeremiah was a contemporary of the prophet Zephaniah who also had his prophetic ministry during the reign of Josiah (Zeph 1:1) but probably during the minority of Josiah, between 640-630 BC, and before the beginning of Jeremiah's ministry.
2 Kings 22:3-10 ~ Rediscovery of the Book of the Law
In the 8th year of his reign, when Josiah was 15 or 16, he began to seek to know Yahweh (2 Chr 34:3). In the 18th year of his reign, when Josiah would have been about 25 or 26, he began repairing the Temple under the same plan that had been put in place by his ancestor Joash/Jehoash of Judah (2 Kng 12:5-16). It was at that time that the High Priest Hilkiah discovered the Book of the Law. Perhaps it was during the years of Manasseh's abuse of the Temple or even earlier during the years of Ahaz, when a former high priest had hidden the ancient book for fear it would be destroyed. Biblical scholars debate exactly what was the Book of the Law: was it the entire Torah (the first five books of the Bible), or was it only the Book of Deuteronomy? Whatever it was, after having it read to him, Josiah decided his religious reforms had not gone far enough.
2 Kings 22:11-20 ~ Josiah's ministers go to the prophetess Hulda
| Prophetess | Scripture Reference |
| Old Testament Prophetesses | |
| Miriam, sister of Moses | Exodus 15:20 |
| Deborah Judge & Prophetess | Judges 4:4 |
| Huldah | 2 Kings 22:14; 2 Chronicles 34:22 |
| Isaiah's wife | Isaiah 8:3 |
| Noadiah | Nehemiah 6:14 |
| New Testament Prophetesses | |
| Anna | Luke 2:36 |
| Philip's four daughters | Acts 21:9 |
| "Jezebel" the False Prophetess | Revelation 2:20 |
| Michal Hunt, Copyright © 2015 Agape Bible Study. Permissions All Rights Reserved. | |
Question: Why did Josiah tear his clothes after the Book of the Law was read to him?
Answer: For the first time he realized how badly the people had strayed from their covenant with Yahweh and how badly they were in violation of their covenant vows.
Between verses 18 and 19 some words of the text have been lost. There is a problem with Huldah's prophesy in verse 20. Josiah did not die in peace but was tragically killed in battle (2 Kng 23:29-30; 2 Chr 35:23-25). An explanation might be that it was God's plan that Josiah should die in peace, but his refusal to heed the word of Yahweh not to go to war against the Egyptians at the Battle of Megiddo cost him his life (2 Chr 35:20-22).
DAY 188 Biblical Evidence for Mary’s Perpetual Virginity
CHALLENGE: “We don’t have evidence Mary remained a virgin after the birth of Jesus.”
DEFENSE: The New Testament indicates that Mary did remain a virgin.
One passage that suggests this occurs during the Crucifixion, where we read, “When Jesus saw his mother, and the disciple whom he loved standing near, he said to his mother, ‘Woman, behold, your son!’ Then he said to the disciple, ‘Behold, your mother!’ And from that hour the disciple took her to his own home” (John 19:26–27).
If Mary had other children, then Jesus would never have entrusted her care to an outsider. It would have been insulting to her children. Jesus’ action is best explained by Mary remaining a virgin and having no other children.
Even more strikingly, when the Angel Gabriel announces to Mary that she will give birth, she asks a very significant question: “How can this be, since I have no relations with a man?” (Luke 1:34, NABRE).
The passage can also be literally translated from Greek as “How will this be, for I know not man.” This relies on the biblical idiom of “knowing” as being sexually intimate with (as in, “Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain”; Gen. 4:1).
The fact that Mary asks the question indicates that she knows that, in the ordinary course of nature, sexual intercourse is required for a woman to have a baby. Yet she asks the angel how she will become pregnant in spite of this.
Further, Luke has already established that Mary was a virgin betrothed to Joseph (Luke 1:27). If Mary were planning a normal marriage with Joseph, it would have been immediately clear how she would become pregnant: After they began cohabiting, they would have marital relations, and she would become pregnant with the son the angel spoke of. The fact that she asks this question suggests that she is not planning on a normal marriage. Instead, she is planning a marriage that does not involve sexual intercourse.
Jimmy Akin, A Daily Defense: 365 Days (Plus One) to Becoming a Better Apologist
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