Bible Strands
2 Kings 23:25
Neither before nor after Josiah was there any king like him, who turned to the LORD with all his heart and with all his soul and with all his strength, according to all the Law of Moses.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The biblical narrator records Josiah’s final religious reforms, positioning him at the conclusion of Judah’s monarchical history as the benchmark for covenant loyalty. The account follows his systematic eradication of idolatry and precedes the declaration that God’s judgment on Judah remains unchanged.
The words — The Hebrew verb שָׁ֤ב (shav) literally means “he turned back,” describing Josiah’s decisive reorientation toward the LORD. Paired with אֶל־ (‘el, “to”), it frames his devotion as a complete return to the written Law of Moses rather than a superficial religious act.
The thread — This exclusive royal praise mirrors the description of Hezekiah in 2 Kings 18:5 and directly invokes the covenant standard of Deuteronomy 6:5. The language also aligns with the promise in Jeremiah 29:13 that seeking God with all one’s heart leads to finding Him.
Why it lands — The text requires an objective evaluation of leadership based on complete alignment with God’s written commands rather than religious performance. It demands that readers measure devotion against the full scope of the Law, not against partial or selective obedience.
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
And like unto him was there no king before him, that turned to the Lord with all his heart, and with all his soul, and with all his might, according to all the law of Moses; neither after him arose there any like him.
Cross-references
- 2 Kings 18:5 Hezekiah trusted in the LORD, the God of Israel. No king of Judah was like him, either before him or after him.
- Jeremiah 29:13 You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.
- Deuteronomy 6:5 And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.
- 1 Kings 8:48 and when they return to You with all their heart and soul in the land of the enemies who took them captive, and when they pray to You in the direction of the land that You gave to their fathers, the city You have chosen, and the house I have built for Your Name,
- 2 Kings 23:3 So the king stood by the pillar and made a covenant before the LORD to follow the LORD and to keep His commandments, decrees, and statutes with all his heart and all his soul, and to carry out the words of the covenant that were written in this book. And all the people entered into the covenant.
- John 1:17 For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.
- Deuteronomy 4:29 But if from there you will seek the LORD your God, you will find Him if you seek Him with all your heart and with all your soul.
- 1 Kings 2:4 and so that the LORD may fulfill His promise to me: ‘If your descendants take heed to walk faithfully before Me with all their heart and soul, you will never fail to have a man on the throne of Israel.’
- 1 Kings 15:5 For David had done what was right in the eyes of the LORD and had not turned aside from anything the LORD commanded all the days of his life, except in the matter of Uriah the Hittite.
- Nehemiah 10:29 hereby join with their noble brothers and commit themselves with a sworn oath to follow the Law of God given through His servant Moses and to obey carefully all the commandments, ordinances, and statutes of the LORD our Lord.