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Josiah

maleDivided Monarchy

Meaning: “The LORD supports / heals

The boy-king of Judah who led the nation’s last great revival after the lost Book of the Law was found, purging idolatry before dying in battle at Megiddo.

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Biography

Josiah became king of Judah at just eight years old and led the kingdom's last and greatest spiritual revival before the exile. Scripture's verdict is glowing: "like unto him was there no king before him, that turned to the LORD with all his heart" (2 Kings 23:25).

A young reformer

While still young, Josiah began to seek God and to purge Judah and Jerusalem of idols, altars, and high places (2 Chronicles 34:3–7).

The book of the law

During repairs to the temple, the high priest found the lost Book of the Law. When it was read, Josiah tore his clothes in grief; the prophetess Huldah confirmed both coming judgment and his own reprieve. Josiah gathered the people, read the covenant, and led the greatest Passover since the days of the judges (2 Kings 22–23).

Death at Megiddo

Josiah's reforms could not finally turn aside the judgment due for generations of sin. He died young, wounded in battle against Pharaoh Necho at Megiddo, and all Judah mourned him (2 Chronicles 35:23–25) — the last good king before the fall.

Life Timeline

640 BC

Becomes king of Judah at age eight

2 Kings 22:1
622 BC

Discovers the Book of the Law and renews the covenant

2 Kings 23:2
609 BC

Killed in battle against Pharaoh Necho at Megiddo

2 Chronicles 35:23

On the Bible timeline

Josiah belongs to the The Divided Monarchy era (c. 930 – 586 BC).

  1. c. 930 BCThe Kingdom Divides
  2. 722 BCThe Fall of Samaria
  3. 586 BCThe Fall of Jerusalem

Family Tree

JJosiahDivided Monarchy
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Themes & lessons from Josiah

Biblical themes that run through the passages where Josiah appears.

Pharaoh8×Megiddo5×Kings4×Prophets4×Amon3×Calf3×Jehoahaz3×Zeal3×Baruch2×Egypt2×Genealogies2×Genealogy2×Human Nature of Christ, the2×Jehoiakim2×Judah, the Tribe Of2×Scribe2×Secretary2×Word of God2×

People they appear with

Jehoiakim13×
Jeremiah6×
Nebuchadnezzar3×
Zedekiah2×
Jehoiachin2×
David1×
Samuel1×
Baruch1×
Zephaniah1×
Hezekiah1×
Manasseh1×

Places in their story

Megiddo3×
Euphrates River3×
Carchemish2×
Bethel1×
Samaria1×

Scripture Appearances

50 verses in 8 books
1 Kings1 verse

1 Kings 13:2

And he cried against the altar in the word of the LORD, and said, O altar, altar, thus saith the LORD; Behold, a child shall be born unto the house of David, Josiah by name; and upon thee shall he offer the priests of the high places that burn incense upon thee, and men's bones shall be burnt upon thee.

2 Kings12 verses

2 Kings 21:24

And the people of the land slew all them that had conspired against king Amon; and the people of the land made Josiah his son king in his stead.

2 Kings 21:26

And he was buried in his sepulchre in the garden of Uzza: and Josiah his son reigned in his stead. Josiah: Gr. Josias

2 Kings 22:1

Josiah was eight years old when he began to reign, and he reigned thirty and one years in Jerusalem. And his mother's name was Jedidah, the daughter of Adaiah of Boscath.

2 Kings 22:3

And it came to pass in the eighteenth year of king Josiah, that the king sent Shaphan the son of Azaliah, the son of Meshullam, the scribe, to the house of the LORD, saying,

2 Kings 23:16

And as Josiah turned himself, he spied the sepulchres that were there in the mount, and sent, and took the bones out of the sepulchres, and burned them upon the altar, and polluted it, according to the word of the LORD which the man of God proclaimed, who proclaimed these words.

2 Kings 23:19

And all the houses also of the high places that were in the cities of Samaria, which the kings of Israel had made to provoke the LORD to anger, Josiah took away, and did to them according to all the acts that he had done in Bethel.

2 Kings 23:23

But in the eighteenth year of king Josiah, wherein this passover was holden to the LORD in Jerusalem.

2 Kings 23:24

Moreover the workers with familiar spirits, and the wizards, and the images, and the idols, and all the abominations that were spied in the land of Judah and in Jerusalem, did Josiah put away, that he might perform the words of the law which were written in the book that Hilkiah the priest found in the house of the LORD. images: or, teraphim

2 Kings 23:28

Now the rest of the acts of Josiah, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah?

2 Kings 23:29

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.

2 Kings 23:30

And his servants carried him in a chariot dead from Megiddo, and brought him to Jerusalem, and buried him in his own sepulchre. And the people of the land took Jehoahaz the son of Josiah, and anointed him, and made him king in his father's stead.

2 Kings 23:34

And Pharaohnechoh made Eliakim the son of Josiah king in the room of Josiah his father, and turned his name to Jehoiakim, and took Jehoahaz away: and he came to Egypt, and died there.

1 Chronicles2 verses

1 Chronicles 3:14

Amon his son, Josiah his son.

1 Chronicles 3:15

And the sons of Josiah were, the firstborn Johanan, the second Jehoiakim, the third Zedekiah, the fourth Shallum. Johanan: or, Jehochaz.kin.23.30. Jehoiakim: or, Eliakim.kin.23.34. Zedekiah: or, Mathaniah.2.kin.24.17.

2 Chronicles15 verses

2 Chronicles 33:25

But the people of the land slew all them that had conspired against king Amon; and the people of the land made Josiah his son king in his stead.

2 Chronicles 34:1

Josiah was eight years old when he began to reign, and he reigned in Jerusalem one and thirty years.

2 Chronicles 34:33

And Josiah took away all the abominations out of all the countries that pertained to the children of Israel, and made all that were present in Israel to serve, even to serve the LORD their God. And all his days they departed not from following the LORD, the God of their fathers. present: Heb. found from: Heb. from after

2 Chronicles 35:1

Moreover Josiah kept a passover unto the LORD in Jerusalem: and they killed the passover on the fourteenth day of the first month.

2 Chronicles 35:7

And Josiah gave to the people, of the flock, lambs and kids, all for the passover offerings, for all that were present, to the number of thirty thousand, and three thousand bullocks: these were of the king's substance. gave: Heb. offered

2 Chronicles 35:16

So all the service of the LORD was prepared the same day, to keep the passover, and to offer burnt offerings upon the altar of the LORD, according to the commandment of king Josiah.

2 Chronicles 35:18

And there was no passover like to that kept in Israel from the days of Samuel the prophet; neither did all the kings of Israel keep such a passover as Josiah kept, and the priests, and the Levites, and all Judah and Israel that were present, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem. present: Heb. found

2 Chronicles 35:19

In the eighteenth year of the reign of Josiah was this passover kept.

2 Chronicles 35:20

After all this, when Josiah had prepared the temple, Necho king of Egypt came up to fight against Carchemish by Euphrates: and Josiah went out against him. temple: Heb. house

2 Chronicles 35:22

Nevertheless Josiah would not turn his face from him, but disguised himself, that he might fight with him, and hearkened not unto the words of Necho from the mouth of God, and came to fight in the valley of Megiddo.

2 Chronicles 35:23

And the archers shot at king Josiah; and the king said to his servants, Have me away; for I am sore wounded. wounded: Heb. made sick

2 Chronicles 35:24

His servants therefore took him out of that chariot, and put him in the second chariot that he had; and they brought him to Jerusalem, and he died, and was buried in one of the sepulchres of his fathers. And all Judah and Jerusalem mourned for Josiah. in one: or, among the sepulchres

2 Chronicles 35:25

And Jeremiah lamented for Josiah: and all the singing men and the singing women spake of Josiah in their lamentations to this day, and made them an ordinance in Israel: and, behold, they are written in the lamentations.

2 Chronicles 35:26

Now the rest of the acts of Josiah, and his goodness, according to that which was written in the law of the LORD, goodness: Heb. kindnesses

2 Chronicles 36:1

Then the people of the land took Jehoahaz the son of Josiah, and made him king in his father's stead in Jerusalem.

Jeremiah16 verses

Jeremiah 1:2

To whom the word of the LORD came in the days of Josiah the son of Amon king of Judah, in the thirteenth year of his reign.

Jeremiah 1:3

It came also in the days of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah, unto the end of the eleventh year of Zedekiah the son of Josiah king of Judah, unto the carrying away of Jerusalem captive in the fifth month.

Jeremiah 3:6

The LORD said also unto me in the days of Josiah the king, Hast thou seen that which backsliding Israel hath done? she is gone up upon every high mountain and under every green tree, and there hath played the harlot.

Jeremiah 22:11

For thus saith the LORD touching Shallum the son of Josiah king of Judah, which reigned instead of Josiah his father, which went forth out of this place; He shall not return thither any more:

Jeremiah 22:18

Therefore thus saith the LORD concerning Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah; They shall not lament for him, saying, Ah my brother! or, Ah sister! they shall not lament for him, saying, Ah lord! or, Ah his glory!

Jeremiah 25:1

The word that came to Jeremiah concerning all the people of Judah in the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah, that was the first year of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon;

Jeremiah 25:3

From the thirteenth year of Josiah the son of Amon king of Judah, even unto this day, that is the three and twentieth year, the word of the LORD hath come unto me, and I have spoken unto you, rising early and speaking; but ye have not hearkened.

Jeremiah 26:1

In the beginning of the reign of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah came this word from the LORD, saying,

Jeremiah 27:1

In the beginning of the reign of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah came this word unto Jeremiah from the LORD, saying,

Jeremiah 35:1

The word which came unto Jeremiah from the LORD in the days of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah, saying,

Jeremiah 36:1

And it came to pass in the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah, that this word came unto Jeremiah from the LORD, saying,

Jeremiah 36:2

Take thee a roll of a book, and write therein all the words that I have spoken unto thee against Israel, and against Judah, and against all the nations, from the day I spake unto thee, from the days of Josiah, even unto this day.

Jeremiah 36:9

And it came to pass in the fifth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah, in the ninth month, that they proclaimed a fast before the LORD to all the people in Jerusalem, and to all the people that came from the cities of Judah unto Jerusalem.

Jeremiah 37:1

And king Zedekiah the son of Josiah reigned instead of Coniah the son of Jehoiakim, whom Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon made king in the land of Judah.

Jeremiah 45:1

The word that Jeremiah the prophet spake unto Baruch the son of Neriah, when he had written these words in a book at the mouth of Jeremiah, in the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah, saying,

Jeremiah 46:2

Against Egypt, against the army of Pharaohnecho king of Egypt, which was by the river Euphrates in Carchemish, which Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon smote in the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah.

Zephaniah1 verse

Zephaniah 1:1

The word of the LORD which came unto Zephaniah the son of Cushi, the son of Gedaliah, the son of Amariah, the son of Hizkiah, in the days of Josiah the son of Amon, king of Judah.

Zechariah1 verse

Zechariah 6:10

Take of them of the captivity, even of Heldai, of Tobijah, and of Jedaiah, which are come from Babylon, and come thou the same day, and go into the house of Josiah the son of Zephaniah;

Matthew2 verses

Matthew 1:10

And Ezekias begat Manasses; and Manasses begat Amon; and Amon begat Josias;

Matthew 1:11

And Josias begat Jechonias and his brethren, about the time they were carried away to Babylon: Josias: some read, Josias begat Jakim, and Jakim begat Jechonias

Frequently asked about Josiah

Who was Josiah in the Bible?

The boy-king of Judah who led the nation’s last great revival after the lost Book of the Law was found, purging idolatry before dying in battle at Megiddo.

What does the name Josiah mean?

The name Josiah means “The LORD supports / heals”.

What did Josiah do in the Bible?

Josiah served as king of judah, of the tribe of Judah.

Who were Josiah's children?

Josiah's children include Jehoahaz, Jehoiakim, Zedekiah.

Where does Josiah appear in the Bible?

Josiah is mentioned 50 times across 8 books: 1 Kings, 2 Kings, 1 Chronicles, 2 Chronicles, Jeremiah, Zephaniah, Zechariah, Matthew.

What can we learn from Josiah?

The story of Josiah touches on themes of pharaoh, megiddo, kings, prophets — explore each to study the lessons drawn from Josiah's life.

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