In his days Pharaohnechoh king of Egypt went up against the king of Assyria to the river Euphrates: and king Josiah went against him; and he slew him at Megiddo, when he had seen him.
During Josiah's reign, Pharaoh Necho king of Egypt marched his army toward the Euphrates River to fight against the king of Assyria. King Josiah went out to battle against him, and Pharaoh Necho killed Josiah at Megiddo when they met in combat.
This verse tells us that King Josiah was killed in battle at Megiddo while trying to stop the Egyptian army from marching north to fight Assyria.
📚 Historical Context
During the reign of King Josiah, a faithful ruler of Judah who had led reforms to cleanse the nation of idolatry and restore worship of God, Pharaoh Necho II of Egypt was marching northward to aid the Assyrian empire in their battles near the Euphrates River. Josiah, possibly seeing this as a threat to his kingdom's security, decided to confront the Egyptian forces at Megiddo around 609 BC. This confrontation resulted in Josiah's death, which weakened Judah and set the stage for further invasions.
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