Definition: And the king commanded Hilkiah the high priest, and the priests of the second order, and the keepers of the door, to bring forth out of the temple of the LORD all the vessels that were made for Baal, and for the grove, and for all the host of heaven: and he burned them without Jerusalem in the fields of Kidron, and carried the ashes of them unto Bethel.

Explanation: Okay, let’s break down this Bible verse together. It's a really important and unsettling passage from the Book of 2 Kings. Here’s what it means, explained simply: The Basic Story: This verse describes a terrible act of rebellion against God – the destruction of a temple and its offerings. Let’s unpack it step-by-step: “And the king commanded…” : This tells us that King Josiah, who ruled before this event, gave an order to do something very serious. “…Hilkiah the high priest, and the priests of the second order, and the keepers of the door…” : These were important officials in the temple – priests, high priests, and people responsible for protecting the sacred space. They were essentially in charge of rituals and offerings to God. “…to bring forth out of the temple of the LORD all the vessels that were made for Baal…” : This is the core of the problem. “Vessels” refers to idols – figures made by humans to worship. The "Lord" here is referring to Yahweh, the God of Israel. The verse says they were making offerings to these idols. “…and for the grove, and for all the host of heaven…” : This shows how dedicated these officials were to worshipping these false gods. They were making offerings to everything – including a ‘grove’ (likely a place of worship) and even to “the host of heaven” (which was considered part of God). “…and he burned them without Jerusalem in the fields of Kidron…” : This is where it gets really shocking. The king ordered these idols to be completely destroyed . They were set on fire, likely in a large area called Kidron, which was a special place used for temple rituals. The burning happened outside of Jerusalem! “…and carried the ashes of them unto Bethel.” : Finally, they didn't just burn the idols; they collected the ashes and carried them to a small village called Bethel. What’s the Big Picture? This event was a major turning point in Israel's history. It demonstrated that the people had turned away from God and were now embracing false worship – worshipping idols instead of Him. It shows a significant loss of faith and trust. Why is this important? It’s a Warning: The verse warns about the dangers of idolatry - worshipping anything other than God. It's a Turning Point: It marks the beginning of Josiah’s reforms, which aimed to return Israel to the ways of worship that had been practiced before. He was trying to restore the covenant relationship with God. In short, this verse describes a terrible act of rebellion against God and shows how it led to a loss of faith and trust. --- Do you want me to: Explain any part of this verse in more detail? Provide context about the time period when this happened? Talk about the significance of the location (Kidron)?