2 KINGS 23:4 — KING JAMES VERSION 0 0
“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 grove, 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.”
The king commanded the high priest Hilkiah, the priests of the second order, and the guardians of the threshold, to bring out of the temple of the LORD all the vessels made for Baal, for Asherah, and for all the host of heaven; he burned them outside Jerusalem in the fields of the Kidron, and carried their ashes to Bethel — Josiah initiates systematic removal of apostate cultic objects from the temple. The phrase 'all the vessels made for Baal, for Asherah, and for all the host of heaven' indicates comprehensive desecration removal. Burning outside Jerusalem and dispersing ashes to Bethel (צֶא־בֵית־אֵל, *tzea Bethel*) ensures irreversible destruction of the idolatrous apparatus. The burning represents ritualistic desecration and purification.
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