Born: 648 BC (NASB) at Boscath, Israel (Ussher: 649)
Father: Amon (Amos) 14th king of Judah, b665, assassinated Spouse: ?
Children: l: WWIB2 p254 r: WWIB p180 ===>> |
 Canterbury Cathedral |
 Grace Episcopal Church, Manchester, NH Gene Plaisted, OSC/The Crossiers |
The name Josiah occurs in the OT ? times (see BibHeb1K) and he was 49 generations from Adam (i.e. Adam's 36gson). Josiah was the 8th and last good king of Judah and also the last real king (his son ruled for only 3 months before a puppet king was installed by Pharaoh Neco of Egypt). He became king at age 8.
WWIB pp180-1: "During the 18th year of Josiah's reign, renovation work was being done in the temple. At the king's order, the high priest Hilkiah reviewed the temple treasury in preparation for this significant expense. During the review, a Book of the Law was found ... [and] was read to King Josiah, who listened intently to its descriptions of God's spiritual and moral standards. Josiah saw immediately how far the Hebrew people had strayed from God's ways and was horrified ... [the prophetess Huldah] confirmed ... God would destroy Juday, although not during [Josiah's] lifetime. Josiah ordered the entire nation to the temple and required everyone ... to listen to God's commandments. To underscore their importance, Josiah read the words himself and made a public promise to keep God's decrees ... began an era of radical reform ... even the celebration of Passover had been forgotten ... had not been observed 'since the days of the judges ... or during all the days of the kings of Israel or ... Judah' (2 Ki 23:21-2 [related to time to Jesus, see John MacArthur note in Israel.html]) ... When the Babylonians and Medes united against Assyria [cruel, hated, had long dominated the region, had brutally conquered Israel 722 BC, scattering 'the lost (10) tribes'], Pharaoh Neco of Egypt came to Assyria's aid ... Josiah was a good king, but a poor military strategist ... refused to [allow Neco to pass through, killed in battle w/Neco near Megiddo] ... His son, Jehoahaz, held Judah's throne for only 3mos before Pharoah Neco of Egypt [killed and?] replaced him w/his more compliant (and perhaps less principled) older brother, Jehoiakim."
WWIB2 p254: :Though Josiah probably remained an Assyrian vassal during most of his 31yr reign, he took advantage of civil unrest and Babylonian incursions in Assyria to pursue extensive religious and political reforms w/in his domain and in parts of N Israel as well ... 1rst 'began to seek the God of David his father' (2 Chr 34:3) at age 16 ... [law discovered] at age 26 ... "
Dates by Ussher:
665, Amon born to Manasseh and Meshullemeth, dau of Haruz of Jotbah
656, Judith beheads Holophernes [Assyrian General under King Nabuchodonosar]
649, Josiah born in Boscath to Amon and Jedidah, 8yo at accession
648, Kineladanos [Saraco] becomes king of both Assyrian and Babylonian kingdoms [Alexander Polyhistor called him Saracus or Saracen, which means robber or spoiler]
643, Manasseh dies, had partly restored true worship of God, Amon 22yo
641, Amon assasinated by his own servants, had reverted to full apostasy, Josiah 8yo
640, 35th Olympiad in Athens, Thales [philosopher of Miletus] born, Cimmerians driven from Europe into Asia
635, Josiah 16yo, son Jehoiakim born to Zebudah, dau of Pedaiah of Rumah, Josiah now began to seek the God of his father David (2 Chr 34:3), Jehoiakim 25yo at accession
633, Shallum [Jehoahaz] born to Hamutal, dau of Jeremiah of Libnah, 23yo at accession
630, 12th year of Josiah's reign, began to cleanse Judah of idolatry
629, Jeremiah called to be a prophet, he refused at first, later prophesied of coming calamity at the hands of king of Babylon
626, Babylonian General Nabopolassar [father of Nebuchadnezzar] allies w/Medes and destroys Ninevah (as prophesied by Nahum, Isaiah, Ezekiel), Saraco killed
624, book of the Law found in the Temple by HP Hilkiah, sent to king via scribe Shaphan
623, Monday 4 May Passover observed by Josiah's kingdom (1rst time in ~400yrs)
620, Mattaniah [later called Zedekiah] born to Hamutal, 21yo at accession
617, Jehoiakim [Jeconiah] born to Jehoiakim by Nehushta, dau of Elnathan of Jerusalem, 18yo at accession
616, Neco of Egypt comes to power, starts Nile-Red Sea canal (quit half way)
611, Anaximander of Miletus born in Ionia
610, Josiah killed by Neco near Megiddo trying to block Neco's march through Judah (against Jeremiah's advice), people enthrone Shallum, who did evil, deposed 3mo later by returning Neco and make Eliakim a puppet ruler, changing his name to Jehoiakim, Shallum imprisoned in Egypt where he eventually died
607, God tells Jeremiah of the coming fall to Nebuchadnezzar and 70yrs of captivity, and it happens 'in the [7th day of] 9th month called Chisleu' [annual fast observed by Jews, also commemorates Jehoiakim's detestable act of burning Baruch's scroll 1yr later], 70yrs begins, Jehoiakim stays on as puppet ruler [1rst deportation incl. Daniel, battle of Carchemish, at which Nebuchadnezzar's Babylon defeats allied Egypt and Assyria]
605, Nebuchadnezzar's father dies, son takes over, orders captives brought to Babylon
604, Jehoiakim rebels, Daniel interpret's the king's dream
600, Nebuchadnezzar attacks and destroys much of Judah, Darius the Mede born
599, Jehoiakim killed, no proper burial, his son Jehoiachin [Coniah, Jeconiah] 'reigned' [puppet] 3mo, 10days in Jerusalem, evil, later taken captive by Nebuchadnezzar along w/1000s others, incl. Mordecai, Ezekiel [2nd deportation c10K, cf 2 Kng 24:14], Temple robbed, but Cyrus born, who would eventually defeat Babylon, Jeremiah's letter sent to Babylon captives fortelling deliverance after 70yrs of captivity [and other future events]
597, future king Croesus born (35yo at accession)
595-4, Jeremiah and Ezekiel fortell more coming events
594, Zedekiah rebels against Nebuchadnezzar (after vacillating for awhile between pro-Egypt and pro-Babylon factions at his court, he eventually chose former; bad decision)
591, Nebuchadnezzar takes all Judah except Lachish, Azekah, Jerusalem
590, siege of Jerusalem begins Thu 30 Jan, com. by yearly fast by Jews, waylaid by Egyptians for a time
589, Nebuchadnezzar restarts siege of Jerusalem on 15th day of 3rd month, 390 days before he took the city, symbolizing the 390yrs of "iniquity of the house of Israel from the time of Jeroboam" (Ussher p101)
588, on 9th day of 4th month, the city walls were breached, Zedekiah brought to Riblah, forced to watch his children be killed, then had his eyes put out, taken to Babylon. Wed 24 Aug Nebuchadnezzar orders burning of city, fire started 3days later, burned 4days, since Solomon laid 1rst stone; 424yrs, 3mos, 8days. 3rd and final deportation, ~50K in all 3.
God's Shekinah Glory presence left the Temple during the final 588 (most sources say 586) BC destruction of Jerusalem, making Jews lo ammi. Ezekiel had been given a vision of this event (and many others) 6 years before (see br-400sy).
Hmmm, interesting: "With the destruction of the nation, the emphasis on national responsibility gave way to an emphasis on individual responsibility" (ZPEB v2 p456 'Ezekiel').
Cross reference events to ancient Greece.
Ussher mentions (p98) that Perseus is the 'father' of Persians. Hmmm.
Josiah is a key reference figure in the formula: Adam to Noah [#10] in 10 generations, Noah to Abraham [#21] 10g, Abraham to David [#33] 14g, David to Josiah [#49, i.e. Babylonian capitivity] 14g, Josiah to Jesus [#63/75] 14g, for a total of 62 generations from Adam to Jesus in around 4K yrs (see Bible.html, Matt 1:17).
The 8 covenants: Edenic, Adamic, Noahic, Abrahamic, Mosaic, Palestinian, Davidic, New [same as ? ZPEB v1] (Scofield Bible p1)
The 4 OT themes: election, covenant, law, exodus (EHB p122).
The 6 dispensations: infancy (creation to Noah), childhood (Noah to Moses), adolescence (Moses to Prophets) and youth (Prophets to Christ), manhood and old age (Christian era), renovation (millenium), 'fullness of time' (eternity) (ZPEB v2 p145).
Mat Staver of Liberty Counsel notes that what happened under King Josiah happened again later when Nehemiah called on Ezra the scribe to read from the book of the law of Moses, long neglected, which again sparked a revival among the people and a desire to rebuild Jerusalem, even in the face of local opposition (i.e. a shovel in one hand and a sword in the other!). They understood the law of blessings and curses set forth in Deut. 28: If you obey God, then blessings will come upon you and your people, but if you disobey, then curses will come. Staver advises us to do likewise, rekindling knowledge of God's Word in order to spark revival and renewed ardor and leading God's renewed blessings (and avoidance of His curses e.g. strong v. weak economy, families, morals).
 The law is found hidden in the Temple during Josiah's reign, by 19C English artist W H Bartlatt (ZPEB v2 p214) |
 Josiah reads the law, calls the people back to its observance (CIB p157) |
Capital: Babylon, fell to Cyrus the Persian 539 BC (Unger p271)
Capital: Susa (political), Persepolis (cultural) (Unger p212)
Alexander the Great's conquests (WWIB2 p36)
See also The 400 Silent Years.
