1 Kings 13:2

Hebrew Bible

1 Just then a prophet arrived from Judah with the Lord’s message for Bethel, as Jeroboam was standing near the altar ready to offer a sacrifice. 2 He cried out against the altar with the Lord’s message, “O altar, altar! This is what the Lord has said, ‘Look, a son named Josiah will be born to the Davidic dynasty. He will sacrifice on you the priests of the high places who offer sacrifices on you. Human bones will be burned on you.’” 3 That day he had also given a sign, saying, “This is the sign that the Lord has declared: The altar will split open and the ashes on it will pour out.”

2 Kings 23:16

Hebrew Bible

14 He smashed the sacred pillars to bits, cut down the Asherah poles, and filled those shrines with human bones. 15 He also tore down the altar in Bethel at the high place made by Jeroboam son of Nebat, who encouraged Israel to sin. He burned all the combustible items at that high place and crushed them to dust, including the Asherah pole. 16 When Josiah turned around, he saw the tombs there on the hill. So he ordered the bones from the tombs to be brought; he burned them on the altar and defiled it, just as in the Lord’s message that was announced by the prophet while Jeroboam stood by the altar during a festival. Then the king turned and saw the grave of the prophet who had foretold this.

 Notes and References

"... There is another piece of evidence that the Deuteronomistic writer had a particular interest in King Josiah. The text itself points to him by name early in the history. 1 Kings 13 tells a story about King Jeroboam. He has recently set up the golden calves at Dan and Beth-El. He goes to Beth-El to celebrate a festival, and he goes up to the altar to burn incense. And then something strange happens ... The reference to 'Josiah by name' in a story that takes place three hundred years before he is born is remarkable even in a book filled with prophecies and miracles. No other case of such explicit prediction of a person by name so far in advance occurs in biblical narrative. Also, the Deuteronomistic writer made a special point of this reference later in the history. In describing the events of Josiah's religious reform, the Deuteronomist reported that Josiah goes to Beth-El and destroys the high place and altar that have been there since Jeroboam's days ... It is not just that the Deuteronomistic historian has put a prediction of Josiah near the beginning of the story and a fulfillment near the end. This writer rates every one of the kings in between, both of Israel and of Judah, throughout the history, below Josiah. He rates every king as good or bad. Most are bad. The good are still imperfect. Even David is criticized for adultery with Bathsheba and causing her husband's death so that he could have her for himself. Even Hezekiah is criticized through the prophet Isaiah. 9 The Deuteronomistic historian rates Josiah, and Josiah alone, as unqualifiedly good ..."

Friedman, Richard Elliott Who Wrote the Bible? (pp. 109-110) Harper San Francisco, 1997

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