And they brake down the altars of Baalim in his presence; and the images, that were on high above them, he cut down; and the groves, and the carved images, and the molten images, he brake in pieces, and made dust of them, and strowed it upon the graves of them that had sacrificed unto them.
In front of King Josiah, they tore down the altars dedicated to the false gods called Baal. He cut down the idols that were placed high above these altars. He also destroyed the sacred poles, carved statues, and metal idols, breaking them into pieces and grinding them into dust. Then he scattered this dust over the graves of those who had worshiped these false gods.
King Josiah completely destroyed all the false idols and altars in his kingdom, even scattering their dust on the graves of those who had worshiped them.
📚 Historical Context
In the 7th century BC, King Josiah of Judah became king at just eight years old and later discovered the Book of the Law, which revealed how far the nation had strayed into idolatry. This prompted him to launch widespread reforms, including the destruction of pagan altars and images as described in this verse, to restore faithful worship of God. These actions occurred during a time when Judah was influenced by surrounding nations' religious practices, aiming to purify the land from foreign gods like Baalim.
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