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2 Kings 23:7-9
New English Translation
2 Kings 23:7-9
New English Translation
7 He tore down the quarters[a] of the male cultic prostitutes in the Lord’s temple, where women were weaving shrines[b] for Asherah.
8 He brought all the priests from the cities of Judah and ruined[c] the high places where the priests had offered sacrifices, from Geba to Beer Sheba.[d] He tore down the high place of the goat idols[e] situated at the entrance of the gate of Joshua, the city official, on the left side of the city gate. 9 (Now the priests of the high places did not go up to the altar of the Lord in Jerusalem, but they did eat unleavened cakes among their fellow priests.)[f]
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- 2 Kings 23:7 tn Or “cubicles.” Heb “houses.”
- 2 Kings 23:7 tn Heb “houses.” Perhaps tent-shrines made from cloth are in view (see BDB 109 s.v. בַּיִת). M. Cogan and H. Tadmor (II Kings [AB], 286) understand this as referring to clothes made for images of the goddess.
- 2 Kings 23:8 tn Heb “defiled; desecrated,” that is, “made ritually unclean and unusable.”
- 2 Kings 23:8 sn These towns marked Judah’s northern and southern borders, respectively, at the time of Josiah.
- 2 Kings 23:8 tc The Hebrew text reads “the high places of the gates,” which is problematic in that the rest of the verse speaks of a specific gate. The translation assumes an emendation to בָּמוֹת הַשְּׁעָרִים (bamot hasheʿarim), “the high place of the goats” (that is, goat idols). Worship of such images is referred to in Lev 17:7 and 2 Chr 11:15. For a discussion of the textual issue, see M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 286-87.
- 2 Kings 23:9 tn Heb “their brothers.”
2 Kings 23:7-9
New International Version
2 Kings 23:7-9
New International Version
7 He also tore down the quarters of the male shrine prostitutes(A) that were in the temple of the Lord, the quarters where women did weaving for Asherah.
8 Josiah brought all the priests from the towns of Judah and desecrated the high places, from Geba(B) to Beersheba, where the priests had burned incense. He broke down the gateway at the entrance of the Gate of Joshua, the city governor, which was on the left of the city gate. 9 Although the priests of the high places did not serve(C) at the altar of the Lord in Jerusalem, they ate unleavened bread with their fellow priests.
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