1 Iosiah was eight yeeres old when hee beganne to reigne, and hee reigned thirtie and one yeeres in Ierusalem: and his mothers name was Iedidah, the daughter of Adaiah of Boscath.
2 And he did that which was right in the sight of the Lord, and walked in all the wayes of Dauid his father, and turned not aside to the right hand, or to the left.
3 ¶ And it came to passe in the eighteenth yeere of king Iosiah, that the king sent Shaphan the sonne of Azaliah, the sonne of Meshullam the Scribe to the house of the Lord, saying,
4 Goe vp to Hilkiah the high priest, that he may summe the siluer which is brought into the house of the Lord, which the keepers of the doore haue gathered of the people.
5 And let them deliuer it into the hand of the doers of the worke, that haue the ouersight of the house of the Lord: and let them giue it to the doers of the worke, which is in the house of the Lord, to repaire the breaches of the house,
6 Unto carpenters, and builders, and masons, and to buy timber and hewen stone, to repaire the house.
7 Howbeit, there was no reckoning made with them, of the money that was deliuered into their hand, because they dealt faithfully.
8 ¶ And Hilkiah the high Priest said vnto Shaphan the Scribe, I haue found the booke of the Law in the house of the Lord. And Hilkiah gaue the booke to Shaphan, and he read it.
9 And Shaphan the Scribe came to the king, and brought the king word againe, and said, Thy seruants haue gathered the money that was found in the house, and haue deliuered it into the hand of them that doe the worke, that haue the ouersight of the house of the Lord.
10 And Shaphan the Scribe shewed the king, saying, Hilkiah the Priest hath deliuered mee a booke: and Shaphan read it before the king.
11 And it came to passe when the king had heard the words of the booke of the Law, that he rent his clothes.
12 And the king commanded Hilkiah the Priest, and Ahikam the sonne of Shaphan, and Achbor the sonne of Michaiah, and Shaphan the Scribe, and Asahiah a seruant of the Kings, saying,
13 Goe yee, enquire of the Lord for me, and for the people, and for all Iudah, concerning the wordes of this booke that is found: for great is the wrath of the Lord that is kindled against vs, because our fathers haue not hearkened vnto the woordes of this booke, to doe according vnto all that which is written concerning vs.
14 So Hilkiah the Priest, and Ahikam, and Achbor, and Shaphan, and Asahiah, went vnto Huldah the Prophetesse, the wife of Shallum the sonne of Tikuah, the sonne of Harhas, keeper of the wardrobe: now she dwelt in Ierusalem in the colledge: And they communed with her.
15 ¶ And she said vnto them, Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, Tell the man that sent you to me;
16 Thus saith the Lord, Behold, I will bring euill vpon this place, and vpon the inhabitants thereof, euen all the words of the booke which the king of Iudah hath read.
17 Because they haue forsaken me, and haue burnt incense vnto other gods, that they might prouoke mee to anger with all the woorkes of their handes: therefore my wrath shall bee kindled against this place, and shall not be quenched.
18 But to the king of Iudah which sent you to enquire of the Lord, Thus shall yee say to him, Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, as touching the woordes which thou hast heard:
19 Because thine heart was tender, and thou hast humbled thy selfe before the Lord, when thou heardest what I spake against this place, and against the inhabitants thereof, that they should become a desolation and a curse, and hast rent thy cloathes, and wept before me; I also haue heard thee, saith the Lord.
20 Behold therefore, I will gather thee vnto thy fathers, and thou shalt be gathered into thy graue in peace, and thine eyes shal not see all the euil which I will bring vpon this place. And they brought the king word againe.
Josiah's good reign, His care for repairing the temple, The book of the law found. (1-10) Josiah consults Huldah the prophetess. (11-20)1-10 The different event of Josiah's early succession from that of Manasseh, must be ascribed to the distinguishing grace of God; yet probably the persons that trained him up were instruments in producing this difference. His character was most excellent. Had the people joined in the reformation as heartily as he persevered in it, blessed effects would have followed. But they were wicked, and had become fools in idolatry. We do not obtain full knowledge of the state of Judah from the historical records, unless we refer to the writings of the prophets who lived at the time. In repairing the temple, the book of the law was found, and brought to the king. It seems, this book of the law was lost and missing; carelessly mislaid and neglected, as some throw their Bibles into corners, or maliciously concealed by some of the idolaters. God's care of the Bible plainly shows his interest in it. Whether this was the only copy in being or not, the things contained in it were new, both to the king and to the high priest. No summaries, extracts, or collections out of the Bible, can convey and preserve the knowledge of God and his will, like the Bible itself. It was no marvel that the people were so corrupt, when the book of the law was so scarce; they that corrupted them, no doubt, used arts to get that book out of their hands. The abundance of Bibles we possess aggravates our national sins; for what greater contempt of God can we show, than to refuse to read his word when put into our hands, or, reading it, not to believe and obey it? By the holy law is the knowledge of sin, and by the blessed gospel is the knowledge of salvation. When the former is understood in its strictness and excellence, the sinner begins to inquire, What must I do to be saved? And the ministers of the gospel point out to him Jesus Christ, as the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth.
11-20 The book of the law is read before the king. Those best honour their Bibles, who study them; daily feed on that bread, and walk by that light. Convictions of sin and wrath should put us upon this inquiry, What shall we do to be saved? Also, what we may expect, and must provide for. Those who are truly apprehensive of the weight of God's wrath, cannot but be very anxious how they may be saved. Huldah let Josiah know what judgments God had in store for Judah and Jerusalem. The generality of the people were hardened, and their hearts unhumbled, but Josiah's heart was tender. This is tenderness of heart, and thus he humbled himself before the Lord. Those who most fear God's wrath, are least likely to feel it. Though Josiah was mortally wounded in battle, yet he died in peace with God, and went to glory. Whatever such persons suffer or witness, they are gathered to the grave in peace, and shall enter into the rest which remaineth for the people of God.
Commentary by Matthew Henry, 1710.