Bible Strands
2 Kings 23:17
Then the king asked, “What is this monument I see?” And the men of the city replied, “It is the tomb of the man of God who came from Judah and proclaimed these things that you have done to the altar of Bethel.”
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — King Josiah, standing at Bethel after defiling the altar, asks city officials about a nearby structure, and the local men identify it as the tomb of the Judahite prophet who previously warned against that altar.
The words — The Hebrew term הַצִּיּוּן (ha.tziyun) denotes a "monument" or memorial marker, while מָה (mah) "what?" frames Josiah’s direct inquiry into its purpose.
The thread — This tomb connects to the prophet’s original appearance at Bethel in 1 Kings 13:1 and his burial in 1 Kings 13:30, where he was laid in his own tomb and mourned.
Why it lands — The text records Josiah’s recognition of the fulfilled prophecy and immediately prompts his command to leave the prophet’s bones undisturbed, treating the warning as historically and theologically authoritative.
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
Then he said, What title is that that I see? And the men of the city told him, It is the sepulchre of the man of God, which came from Judah, and proclaimed these things that thou hast done against the altar of Beth–el.
Cross-references
- 1 Kings 13:1 Suddenly, as Jeroboam was standing beside the altar to burn incense, there came a man of God from Judah to Bethel by the word of the LORD.
- 1 Kings 13:30 Then he laid the body in his own tomb, and they lamented over him, “Oh, my brother!”