And he put down the idolatrous priests, whom the kings of Judah had ordained to burn incense in the high places in the cities of Judah, and in the places round about Jerusalem; them also that burned incense unto Baal, to the sun, and to the moon, and to the planets, and to all the host of heaven.
King Josiah removed the false priests that the previous kings of Judah had appointed to burn incense at the worship sites throughout the cities of Judah and around Jerusalem. He also got rid of those who burned incense to the false god Baal, to the sun, moon, stars, and all the heavenly bodies.
King Josiah was cleaning house by removing all the false priests who had been leading people to worship idols and celestial objects instead of God.
📚 Historical Context
This verse describes King Josiah's religious reforms around 621 BC, when he discovered the Book of the Law and realized how far Judah had strayed from worshiping God alone. Previous kings had allowed and even encouraged the worship of foreign gods alongside or instead of the Lord. Josiah was systematically removing all traces of idol worship to restore proper worship of God in Judah.
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