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2 Kings 23:14

Made Simple — Modern English Translation

Translated by Verse Made Simple Editorial
KJV ORIGINAL
And he brake in pieces the images, and cut down the groves, and filled their places with the bones of men.
Close to the original. Clear modern English.
✦ MADE SIMPLE

He smashed the idols into pieces, cut down the sacred poles, and filled those places with human bones.

⚡ THE BOTTOM LINE

King Josiah completely destroyed all the pagan worship sites and made them ceremonially unclean by scattering human bones there.

📚 Historical Context

This verse describes King Josiah's religious reforms around 621 BC, when he systematically destroyed all pagan worship sites throughout Judah. The 'groves' were wooden poles or trees associated with the worship of Asherah, a Canaanite goddess. By scattering human bones in these former worship places, Josiah made them ceremonially unclean according to Jewish law, ensuring they could never be used for religious purposes again.

Explore Similar Verses

2 Kings 18:4
He tore down the worship sites on hills, smashed the idols, cut down the sacred poles, and broke into pieces the bronze snake that Moses had made. The Israelites had been burning incense to it as an act of worship right up until that time, and he called it 'just a piece of bronze.'
2 Chronicles 31:1
When all this was finished, all the Israelites who were there went out to the cities of Judah and smashed the idols to pieces. They cut down the sacred poles, tore down the worship sites on hills, and destroyed the altars throughout all of Judah and Benjamin, and also in Ephraim and Manasseh, until they had completely destroyed them all. Then all the Israelites returned home, each person to their own property and cities.
Isaiah 27:9
This is how Jacob's wrongdoing will be cleansed, and this is the complete result of removing his sin: when he crushes all the altar stones like chalk that's been smashed to pieces, the sacred groves and idols will no longer remain standing.

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Translation & Methodology Sources

The original manuscript text provided is based on the King James Version (KJV), which is in the public domain. Our modern English simplifications are generated via proprietary philological synthesis, cross-referenced against Strong's Exhaustive Concordance and the Textus Receptus to ensure unwavering theological and etymological precision.

Read our full translation methodology →