2 Kings 22:20

2Ki 22:20 Behold therefore, I will gather thee unto thy fathers, and thou shalt be gathered into thy grave in peace; and thine eyes shall not see all the evil which I will bring upon this place. And they brought the king word again.

Ver. 20. And thou shalt be gathered unto thy grave in peace.] And yet he died in battle; but (1.) He died before the general deluge of desolation on the land: and so the next words expound these: "And thine eyes shall not see all the evil that I will bring upon this place." So he died "in peace," comparatively with a worse state of life; {Isa 57:1} or, (2.) He was gathered to the spirits of his fathers who enjoyed peace; or, (3.) He died in God’s favour, though by the hand of an enemy. His weeping and humiliation had altered the very nature of trouble, and made war to be peace to him. Hereupon one crieth out, Oh, the safe condition of God’s children, whom very pain easeth, whom death reviveth, whom dissolution uniteth, whom, lastly, their sin and temptation glorifieth!

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

2Ki 22:20. Behold, therefore, I will gather thee to thy fathers — It is justly observed here by Henry, that the saints in those days had doubtless a comfortable prospect of happiness on the other side of death, otherwise the being gathered to their fathers would not have been so often made the matter of a promise as we find it was. Josiah could not prevail to prevent the judgment itself, but God promised him he should not live to see it; which, especially considering that he died in the midst of his days, before he was forty years of age, would have been but a small reward for his eminent piety, if there had not been another world, in which he should be abundantly recompensed, Heb 11:16. When the righteous is taken away from the evil to come, he enters into peace, Isa 58:1-2. This is promised to Josiah here, Thou shalt go to thy grave in peace — Which refers not to the manner of his death, for he was killed in battle, but to the time of it; it was a little time before the captivity in Babylon, that great trouble, in comparison with which other troubles were as nothing: so that he might be truly said to die in peace, that did not live to share in that. He died in the love and favour of God, which secures such a peace as no circumstances of dying, no, not dying in the field of war, could alter the nature of, or break in upon. They may well be said to die in peace, who, after their dissolution here, are numbered among the children of God, and have their lot among the saints.

Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Whereupon we may gather that the anger of God is ready against the wicked, when God taketh his servants out of this world.

Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain. Text via Bolls.life.

Verse 20. Thou shalt be gathered into thy grave in peace] During thy life none of these calamities shall fall upon the people, and no adversary shall be permitted to disturb the peace of Judea, and thou shalt die in peace with God. But was Josiah gathered to the grave in peace? Is it not said, 2Kg 23:29, that Pharaoh-nechoh slew him at Megiddo? On this we may remark, that the Assyrians and the Jews were at peace; that Josiah might feel it his duty to oppose the Egyptian king going against his friend and ally, and endeavour to prevent him from passing through his territories; and that in his endeavours to oppose him he was mortally wounded at Megiddo: but certainly was not killed there; for his servants put him in his second chariot and brought him to Jerusalem, where he died in peace. See 2Ch 35:24. So that, however we take the place here, we shall find that the words of Huldah were true: he did die in peace, and was gathered to his fathers in peace.

FROM the account in the above chapter, where we have this business detailed, we find that Josiah should not have meddled in the quarrel between the Egyptian and the Assyrian kings, for God had given a commission to the former against the latter; but he did it in error, and suffered for it. But this unfortunate end of this pious man does not at all impeach the credit of Huldah; he died in peace in his own kingdom. He died in peace with God, and there was neither war nor desolation in his land: nor did the king of Egypt proceed any farther against the Jews during his life; for he said, "What have I to do with thee, thou king of Judah? I come not against thee, but the house wherewith I have war; for God commanded me to make haste: forbear then from meddling with God, who is with me, that he destroy thee not. Nevertheless, Josiah would not turn his face from him, and hearkened not to the words of Nechoh, from the mouth of God. And the archers shot at King Josiah: and the king said, Bear me away, for I am sore wounded. And his servants took him out of that chariot, and put him in the second chariot, and they brought him to Jerusalem, and he died and was buried in the sepulchre of his fathers;" 2Ch 35:21-24.

It seems as if the Egyptian king had brought his troops by sea to Caesarea, and wished to cross the Jordan about the southern point of the sea of Tiberias, that he might get as speedily as possible into the Assyrian dependencies; and that he took this road, for God, as he said, had commanded him to make haste.

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

(20) Thy grave.—So some MSS. and the old versions. But the ordinary Hebrew text, thy graves, may be right, as referring to the burial-place formed by Manasseh, which would contain a number of chambers and niches (2Ki_21:18).

In peace.—These words are limited by those which follow: “thine eyes shall not see all the evil,” &c. Josiah was slain in battle, as the next chapter relates (2Ki_23:29); but he was spared the greater calamity of witnessing the ruin of his people.

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

20. into thy grave in peace] i. e. None of these evils denounced against the nation shall come to pass in thy days. As far as they are concerned thou shalt die in peace. The promise has no reference to the war with Egypt (2Ki_23:29) in which Josiah was slain at Megiddo.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Behold therefore, I will gather thee unto thy fathers,.... To his godly ancestors, to share with them in eternal life and happiness; otherwise it could be no peculiar favour to die in common, as his fathers did, and be buried in their sepulchres:

and thou shall be gathered into thy grave in peace; in a time of public peace and tranquillity; for though he was slain in battle with the king of Egypt, yet it was what he was personally concerned in, and it was not a public war between the two kingdoms, and his body was carried off by his servants, and was peaceably interred in the sepulchre of his ancestors, Kg2 23:29, as well as he died in spiritual peace, and entered into eternal peace, which is the end of the perfect and upright man, as he was, Psa 37:37 but this chiefly regards his not living to be distressed with the calamities of his nation and people, as follows:

and thine eyes shall not see all the evil which I will bring upon this place: he being removed first, though it came upon it in the days of his sons:

and they brought the king word again; of what Huldah the prophetess had said unto them.

Next: 2 Kings Chapter 23

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

In peace - The death of Josiah in battle 2Ki 23:29 is in verbal contradiction to this prophecy, but not in real opposition to its spirit, which is simply that the pious prince who has sent to inquire of the Lord, shall be gathered to his fathers before the troubles come upon the land which are to result in her utter desolation. Now those troubles were to come, not from Egypt, but from Babylon; and their commencement was not the invasion of Necho in 608 B.C., but that of Nebuchadnezzar three years later. Thus was Josiah “taken away from the evil to come,” and died “in peace” before his city had suffered attack from the really formidable enemy.

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

CHAPTER XXII.

Peace, before these horrors overtake the city. Josias was interred with all the usual honours, have[having?] fallen in battle, chap. xxiii. 29. (Calmet) --- Instead of peace, the Alexandrian Septuagint reads, "in Jerusalem," to which city Josias was brought from Mageddo, where he had perhaps rashly attacked the king of Egypt, with whom he had not been engaged in war. (Haydock) --- This last good king was given to Juda, that he people might not pretend that they were forced to embrace idolatry by the royal power. (St. Jerome) (Du Hamel)

George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).

In peace, i.e. in a time of public peace, and the tranquility of thy kingdom; or so as

thou shalt not see all the evil which I will bring upon this place, as the following words explain it; for otherwise he died in battle, 2Ki 23:29. Besides, he died in peace with God, and was by death translated to everlasting peace.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

20. Gathered into thy grave in peace — For although slain by the king of Egypt, he was brought to Jerusalem, and peacefully buried in his own family tomb, (2 Kings 23:39, 40,) mourned by all the people. And he was spared the bitter woe of living to see all the evil which subsequently befel his people, and of which the law gave warning and the prophets spoke.

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Behold therefore, I will gather thee unto thy fathers, and thou shalt be gathered into thy grave in peace. There is a seeming contradiction between these words and the fact of Josiah"s violent death in battle against Pharaoh-Nechoh. (2Ki_23:29) But the contradiction is not a real one. Huldah was commissioned to assure Josiah that, though the destruction of his kingdom and the desolation of Judaea and Jerusalem, threatened in the Law, were at hand, yet they would not come in his day. He would not see the evil time. Before it came he would be "gathered to his fathers" i.e. , in Jerusalem, as his predecessors had been, (2Ki_23:30) and not hurried off into captivity, to die in a foreign land, or given "the burial of an ass, drawn and east forth before the gates of Jerusalem". (Jer_22:19) The promise given him was fulfilled. He died in battle; but he was buried in peace; (2Ch_35:24, 2Ch_35:25) and the fated enemy who was to destroy Jerusalem, and carry the Jewish nation into captivity, did not make any attack upon the land until three years later, when he was departed to his rest, and the throne was occupied by Jehoiakim. (see 2Ki_24:1) And thine eyes shall not see all the evil which I will bring upon this place; e.g. the three sieges of Nebuchadnezzar, the destruction of the temple and city by Nebuzaradan, (2Ki_25:9, 2Ki_25:10) the deportation of the bulk of the inhabitants, (2Ki_25:11) and the calamities which happened to the remnant left. (2Ki_25:22-26) Josiah did not witness any of this. He was "taken away from the evil to come." And they brought the king word again; i.e. Hilkiah, Shaphan, and their companions (ver. 14) reported to Josiah the message which Huldah had sent by them.

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

In peace - That is, in a time of public peace: for otherwise he died in battle. Besides, he died in peace with God, and was by death translated to everlasting peace.

John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.

To gather to his fathers means merely to let him die, and is generally applied to a peaceful death upon a sick-bed, like the synonymous phrase, to lie with one's fathers; but it is also applied to a violent death by being slain in battle (Kg1 22:40 and Kg1 22:34), so that there is no difficulty in reconciling this comforting assurance with the slaying of Josiah in battle (Kg2 23:29). בּשׁלום, in peace, i.e., without living to witness the devastation of Jerusalem, as is evident from the words, "thine eyes will not see," etc.

Keil & Delitzsch — Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament (1861–1891) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API. (Old Testament only.)

General Information:

This is the end of the message from Yahweh to King Josiah through the prophetess Huldah.

See, I will gather you to your ancestors, and you will be gathered to your grave in peace

Both statements mean basically the same thing. They are polite ways of saying he will die. AT: "So I will allow you to die and be buried peacefully" (See: Parallelism and Euphemism)

Your eyes will not see

Here "will not see" represents not experiencing something. AT: "You will not experience" (See: Metonymy)

Your eyes

Here "eyes" represents the whole person. (See: Synecdoche)

the disaster that I will bring upon this place

Yahweh causing terrible things to happen is spoken of as if disaster were an object that Yahweh would bring to a place. AT: "the terrible things I will cause to happen in this place" (See: Metaphor)

translationWords

grave

peace

king

unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.

And you will be gathered into your grave in peace. And what is the peace? "Your eyes will not see," the destruction of the Beis [Hamikdosh].

Rashi on the Tanakh — English translations: “The Judaica Press complete Tanach with Rashi, translated by A. J. Rosenberg” (CC BY 4.0); “Pentateuch with Rashi's commentary by M. Rosenbaum and A.M. Silbermann, 1929-1934” (public domain); “The Metsudah Tanach series, Lakewood, N.J” (CC BY 4.0); and “The Book of Joshua, Metsudah Publications, 1997” (CC BY 4.0). Text via Sefaria.