Bible Strands
2 Kings 22:1
Josiah was eight years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem thirty-one years. His mother’s name was Jedidah daughter of Adaiah; she was from Bozkath.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — The narrator records the accession details of King Josiah at the opening of his royal biography. The account introduces his age, reign length, and maternal lineage before any evaluation of his conduct.
The words — בֶּן־שְׁמֹנֶה שָׁנָה (ben-shemonah shanah) literally translates to "son of eight years," a Hebrew idiom denoting age at accession. The text also identifies his mother as Jedidah, daughter of Adaiah, specifying her geographic origin as Bozkath.
The thread — The accession formula runs parallel to 2 Chronicles 34:1, while Bozkath appears in the territorial allotment of Joshua 15:39. The prophetic designation in 1 Kings 13:2 anticipates this king by name.
Why it lands — The verse establishes Josiah’s documented lineage and age at coronation before assessing his moral trajectory. It requires the reader to note that his reign begins with recorded credentials, framing the subsequent evaluation of his faithfulness.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
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.
Cross-references
- Joshua 15:39 Lachish, Bozkath, Eglon,
- 2 Chronicles 34:1 Josiah was eight years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem thirty-one years.
- 1 Kings 13:2 And he cried out against the altar by the word of the LORD, “O altar, O altar, this is what the LORD says: ‘A son named Josiah will be born to the house of David, and upon you he will sacrifice the priests of the high places who burn incense upon you, and human bones will be burned upon you.’”
- 2 Kings 11:21 Joash was seven years old when he became king.
- 2 Kings 21:1 Manasseh was twelve years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem fifty-five years. His mother’s name was Hephzibah.
- Psalms 8:2 From the mouths of children and infants You have ordained praise on account of Your adversaries, to silence the enemy and avenger.
- Ecclesiastes 10:16 Woe to you, O land whose king is a youth, and whose princes feast in the morning.
- Isaiah 3:4 “I will make mere lads their leaders, and children will rule over them.”
- Jeremiah 1:2 The word of the LORD came to Jeremiah in the thirteenth year of the reign of Josiah son of Amon king of Judah,
- Zephaniah 1:1 This is the word of the LORD that came to Zephaniah son of Cushi, the son of Gedaliah, the son of Amariah, the son of Hezekiah, in the days of Josiah son of Amon king of Judah: