Bible Strands
2 Kings 23:9
Although the priests of the high places did not come up to the altar of the LORD in Jerusalem, they ate unleavened bread with their fellow priests.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Josiah enacts nationwide cultic reforms in Judah by dismantling local shrines and centralizing worship in Jerusalem.
The words — לֹא (lo') = not and יַעֲלוּ (ya.'a.Lu) = they went up directly structure the clause that limits the local clergy.
The thread — The restriction on non-centralized priests echoes Ezekiel 44:10 and 1 Samuel 2:36, which both address displaced or unauthorized clergy, while Ezekiel 44:29 outlines the proper provisions for legitimate ministers.
Why it lands — The text records that local priests lost Jerusalem altar access but retained communal meals with central clergy. It requires readers to recognize that Josiah's reform preserved basic priestly sustenance while enforcing cultic centralization.
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
Nevertheless the priests of the high places came not up to the altar of the Lord in Jerusalem, but they did eat of the unleavened bread among their brethren.
Cross-references
- Ezekiel 44:10 Surely the Levites who wandered away from Me when Israel went astray, and who wandered away from Me after their idols, will bear the consequences of their iniquity.
- 1 Samuel 2:36 And everyone left in your house will come and bow down to him for a piece of silver or a morsel of bread, pleading, “Please appoint me to some priestly office so that I can eat a piece of bread.”’”
- Ezekiel 44:29 They shall eat the grain offerings, the sin offerings, and the guilt offerings. Everything in Israel devoted to the LORD will belong to them.
- Malachi 2:8 But you have departed from the way, and your instruction has caused many to stumble. You have violated the covenant of Levi,” says the LORD of Hosts.