Josiah keeps a Passover to the LORD in Jerusalem, and they slaughter the Passover lamb on the fourteenth day of the first month. He sets the priests in their duties and encourages them in the service of the house of the LORD. He says to the Levites who teach all Israel and who are holy to the LORD, 'Put the holy ark in the house that Solomon son of David king of Israel built. You need not carry it on your shoulders any longer. Now serve the LORD your God and his people Israel. Prepare yourselves by your ancestral houses according to your divisions, following the written instructions of David king of Israel and the written instructions of Solomon his son. Stand in the holy place according to the divisions of the ancestral houses of your brothers, the lay people, and let there be for each a portion of an ancestral house of the Levites. Slaughter the Passover lamb, consecrate yourselves, and prepare for your brothers, to act according to the word of the LORD through Moses.' Josiah contributes to the lay people — to all who are present — flocks of lambs and young goats, all for the Passover offerings, numbering thirty thousand, along with three thousand bulls. These are from the king's own possessions. His officials contribute willingly to the people, the priests, and the Levites. Hilkiah, Zechariah, and Jehiel, the chief officers of the house of God, give to the priests for the Passover offerings two thousand six hundred small livestock and three hundred bulls. Conaniah and his brothers Shemaiah and Nethanel, and Hashabiah, Jeiel, and Jozabad, the chiefs of the Levites, contribute to the Levites for the Passover offerings five thousand small livestock and five hundred bulls. The service is prepared, the priests standing in their places and the Levites in their divisions according to the king's command. They slaughter the Passover lamb. The priests splash the blood received from their hand, while the Levites do the skinning. They set aside the burnt offerings to give them to the divisions of the ancestral houses of the lay people, to offer to the LORD, as written in the Book of Moses. They do the same with the bulls. They roast the Passover lamb with fire according to the regulation, and they boil the holy offerings in pots, caldrons, and pans, and carry them quickly to all the lay people. Afterward they prepare for themselves and for the priests — because the priests, the sons of Aaron, are engaged in offering the burnt offerings and the fat portions until night. So the Levites prepare for themselves and for the priests, the sons of Aaron. The singers, the sons of Asaph, are in their place according to the command of David, Asaph, Heman, and Jeduthun the king's seer. The gatekeepers are at each gate — they do not need to leave their service, for their brothers the Levites prepare for them. So all the service of the LORD is prepared that day, to keep the Passover and to offer burnt offerings on the altar of the LORD, according to the command of King Josiah. The people of Israel who are present keep the Passover at that time, and the Festival of Unleavened Bread for seven days. No Passover like it has been kept in Israel since the days of Samuel the prophet. None of the kings of Israel ever kept such a Passover as Josiah kept — with the priests, the Levites, all Judah and Israel who were present, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem. In the eighteenth year of Josiah's reign this Passover was kept. After all this, when Josiah has prepared the Temple, Neco king of Egypt comes up to fight at Carchemish on the Euphrates, and Josiah goes out to confront him. Neco sends messengers to him, saying, 'What have I to do with you, king of Judah? I am not coming against you today, but against the house with which I am at war. God has commanded me to hurry. Cease opposing God, who is with me, so that he does not destroy you.' But Josiah does not turn away from him; he disguises himself to fight him. He does not listen to the words of Neco from the mouth of God, and he comes to fight in the plain of Megiddo. The archers shoot King Josiah, and the king says to his servants, 'Take me away, for I am badly wounded.' His servants take him out of the chariot and carry him in his second chariot and bring him to Jerusalem, where he dies. He is buried in the tombs of his fathers, and all Judah and Jerusalem mourn for Josiah. Jeremiah composes a lament for Josiah, and all the male and female singers speak of Josiah in their laments to this day. They have made them an established practice in Israel, and they are recorded in the Laments.
What Makes This Chapter Remarkable
This chapter presents Josiah's Passover as the greatest in Israel's history — surpassing even Hezekiah's celebration (chapter 30), which was compared to Solomon. The Chronicler's superlative is striking: 've-lo na'asah fesach kamohu be-Yisra'el mi-yemei Shemu'el ha-navi' ('no Passover like it has been kept since the days of Samuel the prophet'). The organizational detail is extraordinary — a perfectly orchestrated liturgical event with exact divisions, proper sequence, and joyful efficiency. Then comes the devastating turn: the death of Josiah at Megiddo. Pharaoh Neco is marching to Carchemish to support the remnant of Assyria against Babylon (approximately 609 BCE). Josiah intercepts him, possibly to prevent an Egyptian-Assyrian alliance. The Chronicler introduces a stunning theological twist: Neco claims to speak with divine authority ('God has commanded me to hurry,' mi-pi Elohim, 'from the mouth of God'). The narrator confirms this: 'he did not listen to the words of Neco from the mouth of God' (mi-pi Elohim). A foreign pharaoh serves as God's mouthpiece, and the righteous Josiah fails to listen — a tragic reversal of his lifelong pattern of heeding divine words. His death at Megiddo ends the last great reform and effectively seals Judah's fate. Jeremiah's lament (verse 25) underscores the national trauma — the best king dies, and only decline follows.
Translation Friction
The claim that Neco spoke mi-pi Elohim ('from the mouth of God') is one of the most theologically challenging statements in Chronicles. How can a pagan king be a vehicle of divine communication? The Chronicler seems to employ this to explain why a righteous king died in battle — Josiah's failure was not apostasy but disobedience to a specific divine command communicated through an unexpected messenger. The reference to placing the ark 'in the house' (verse 3) raises questions: had the ark been removed during Manasseh's apostasy, or during Temple repairs? The text is ambiguous. The comparison to Samuel rather than Moses or Solomon as the benchmark for Passover (verse 18) is unusual — Samuel's era included no recorded Passover, making the reference point unclear. The lamentation tradition (verse 25) connecting Jeremiah to Josiah's funeral is not found in the canonical book of Jeremiah, and the 'Laments' (qinot) mentioned may be a separate collection now lost.
Connections
Josiah's Passover connects to the original Passover (Exodus 12), Hezekiah's Passover (2 Chronicles 30), and ultimately to the Passover of the exile community. The phrase 'according to the word of the LORD through Moses' (verse 6) grounds the celebration in Mosaic authority. The reference to the 'Book of Moses' (verse 12) connects to the discovered scroll (chapter 34). The death at Megiddo (Hebrew: Megiddo) connects to the apocalyptic tradition: Megiddo becomes Armageddon in Revelation 16:16 — the place of final battle. The mourning for Josiah connects to Zechariah 12:11, which references 'the mourning of Hadadrimmon in the plain of Megiddo' as a type of future lamentation. Jeremiah's lament (verse 25) connects to the book of Lamentations tradition. The death of Josiah effectively ends the Deuteronomic reform; within twenty-three years, Jerusalem will fall.
Josiah celebrated a Passover to the LORD in Jerusalem. They slaughtered the Passover lamb on the fourteenth day of the first month.
KJV Moreover Josiah kept a passover unto the LORD in Jerusalem: and they killed the passover on the fourteenth day of the first month.
Notes & Key Terms
1 term
Key Terms
פֶּסַחpesach
"Passover"—Passover, passing over, protection, festival of liberation
pesach ('Passover') — from the root meaning 'to pass over, to skip, to protect.' The festival commemorates God's protection of Israel during the tenth plague in Egypt, when the destroying angel 'passed over' the houses marked with lamb's blood. Josiah's Passover is presented as the greatest observance of this founding ritual in Israel's history.
Translator Notes
Unlike Hezekiah's Passover (celebrated in the second month due to delays), Josiah's is held on the proper date: be-arba'ah asar la-chodesh ha-rishon ('on the fourteenth of the first month'). This is the biblically prescribed date (Exodus 12:6, Numbers 9:3). The proper timing signals proper order — everything about this Passover will follow the exact prescription.
He appointed the priests to their duties and encouraged them in the service of the house of the LORD.
KJV And he set the priests in their charges, and encouraged them to the service of the house of the LORD,
Notes & Key Terms
Translator Notes
The verb va-yechazzeqem ('he strengthened/encouraged them') uses the root of Hezekiah's name, now applied to Josiah's pastoral leadership. The priests are set al mishmerotam ('in their watches/duties') — every priest knows his role and station.
He said to the Levites who taught all Israel and who were holy to the LORD, 'Put the holy ark in the house that Solomon son of David king of Israel built. You no longer need to carry it on your shoulders. Now serve the LORD your God and his people Israel.
KJV And said unto the Levites that taught all Israel, which were holy unto the LORD, Put the holy ark in the house which Solomon the son of David king of Israel did build; it shall not be a burden upon your shoulders: now serve the LORD your God, and his people Israel,
Notes & Key Terms
Translator Notes
The instruction tenu et aron ha-qodesh ba-bayit ('put the holy ark in the house') implies the ark had been removed — perhaps during Manasseh's placement of idols in the Temple (33:7) or during Temple repairs. The phrase ein lakhem massa ba-katef ('there is no burden on your shoulders') releases the Levites from the ancient carrying duty (Numbers 7:9) — the ark has a permanent home. They can now devote themselves to teaching and service.
Prepare yourselves by your ancestral houses according to your divisions, following the written instructions of David king of Israel and the written instructions of Solomon his son.
KJV And prepare yourselves by the houses of your fathers, after your courses, according to the writing of David king of Israel, and according to the writing of Solomon his son.
Notes & Key Terms
Translator Notes
The dual authority — bikhtav David ('according to the writing of David') and u-ve-mikhtav Shelomoh ('and the written document of Solomon') — indicates that both kings left written organizational plans for Temple service. The Levites are to follow these ancient protocols precisely. The emphasis on written authority (khtav, mikhtav) complements the newly discovered written law (sefer ha-torah).
Stand in the holy place according to the divisions of the ancestral houses of your brothers the lay people, with a portion of a Levitical ancestral house for each.
KJV And stand in the holy place according to the divisions of the families of the fathers of your brethren the people, and after the division of the families of the Levites.
Notes & Key Terms
Translator Notes
The organizational principle assigns Levitical groups to serve corresponding lay divisions: each group of lay worshipers (acheikhem benei ha-am, 'your brothers the people') has a designated Levitical unit (chaluqqat beit av la-Leviyyim). This ensures that every family unit has Levitical support during the Passover slaughter.
Slaughter the Passover lamb, consecrate yourselves, and prepare for your brothers, to act according to the word of the LORD through Moses.'
KJV So kill the passover, and sanctify yourselves, and prepare your brethren, that they may do according to the word of the LORD by the hand of Moses.
Notes & Key Terms
Translator Notes
Three imperatives: shachatu ('slaughter'), hitqaddeshu ('consecrate yourselves'), and hakhinu ('prepare'). The final phrase — kidvar YHWH be-yad Mosheh ('according to the word of the LORD through the hand of Moses') — anchors the entire celebration in Mosaic authority. The Passover is not a human invention but a divine command, and Josiah ensures it is performed exactly as prescribed.
Josiah contributed to the lay people from the flocks — lambs and young goats, all for the Passover offerings — numbering thirty thousand, along with three thousand bulls. These were from the king's own possessions.
KJV And Josiah gave to the people, of the flock, lambs and kids, all for the passover offerings, for all that were present, to the number of thirty thousand, and three thousand bullocks: these were of the king's substance.
Notes & Key Terms
Translator Notes
The royal contribution is staggering: sheloshim elef ('thirty thousand') lambs and young goats, plus sheloshet alafim ('three thousand') bulls. The phrase elleh me-rekhush ha-melekh ('these from the king's property') emphasizes personal royal generosity. Josiah funds the national celebration from his own resources, ensuring that no one is excluded from the Passover for lack of a lamb.
His officials contributed willingly to the people, the priests, and the Levites. Hilkiah, Zechariah, and Jehiel, the chief officers of the house of God, gave to the priests two thousand six hundred small livestock and three hundred bulls for the Passover offerings.
KJV And his princes gave willingly unto the people, to the priests, and to the Levites: Hilkiah and Zechariah and Jehiel, rulers of the house of God, gave unto the priests for the passover offerings two thousand and six hundred small cattle, and three hundred oxen.
Notes & Key Terms
Translator Notes
The officials (sarav) contribute li-ndavah ('as a freewill offering') — their generosity is voluntary, not commanded. The three chief officers of the Temple — Hilkiah, Zechariah, and Jehiel — provide specifically for the priests. The layered giving (king for the people, officials for priests and Levites, Temple officers for priests) ensures comprehensive provision.
Conaniah and his brothers Shemaiah and Nethanel, along with Hashabiah, Jeiel, and Jozabad, the Levitical chiefs, contributed five thousand small livestock and five hundred bulls to the Levites for the Passover offerings.
KJV Conaniah also, and Shemaiah and Nethaneel, his brethren, and Hashabiah and Jeiel and Jozabad, chief of the Levites, gave unto the Levites for passover offerings five thousand small cattle, and five hundred oxen.
Notes & Key Terms
Translator Notes
The Levitical chiefs provide for their own — five thousand small livestock and five hundred bulls for the Levites' own Passover. The total contributions from all sources (thirty thousand plus two thousand six hundred plus five thousand lambs/goats, and three thousand plus three hundred plus five hundred bulls) represent an enormous celebration involving tens of thousands of participants.
The service was prepared: the priests stood in their places and the Levites in their divisions, according to the king's command.
KJV So the service was prepared, and the priests stood in their place, and the Levites in their courses, according to the king's commandment.
Notes & Key Terms
Translator Notes
The phrase va-tikkon ha-avodah ('the service was established/prepared') signals that everything is properly arranged. The priests al omdam ('in their standing places') and the Levites al machlaqotam ('in their divisions') create a picture of liturgical perfection — every person in position, every role defined.
They slaughtered the Passover lamb. The priests splashed the blood received from the Levites' hands, while the Levites skinned the animals.
KJV And they killed the passover, and the priests sprinkled the blood from their hands, and the Levites flayed them.
Notes & Key Terms
Translator Notes
The division of labor is efficient: the Levites slaughter and skin, the priests handle the blood (va-yizrequ ha-kohanim mi-yadam, 'the priests splashed from their hand' — receiving the blood from the Levites). This arrangement, also used in Hezekiah's Passover (30:16), maximizes throughput for the enormous number of sacrifices.
They set aside the burnt offerings to distribute them to the divisions of the ancestral houses of the lay people, for offering to the LORD as written in the Book of Moses. They did the same with the bulls.
KJV And they removed the burnt offerings, that they might give according to the divisions of the families of the people, to offer unto the LORD, as it is written in the book of Moses. And so did they with the oxen.
Notes & Key Terms
Translator Notes
The ha-olah ('burnt offering') portions are separated and distributed to each family division for them to present at the altar. The phrase ka-katuv be-sefer Mosheh ('as written in the Book of Moses') — referring to the recently discovered book — governs the procedure. The discovered law is immediately put into practice.
They roasted the Passover lamb over fire according to the regulation, and boiled the holy offerings in pots, cauldrons, and pans, and carried them quickly to all the lay people.
KJV And they roasted the passover with fire according to the ordinance: but the other holy offerings sod they in pots, and in caldrons, and in pans, and divided them speedily among all the people.
Notes & Key Terms
Translator Notes
The Passover lamb is prepared ba-esh ka-mishpat ('with fire according to the regulation,' following Exodus 12:8-9, which forbids boiling). The other sacred offerings (ha-qodashim) are boiled — a different preparation method. The verb va-yaritsu ('they made them run, they hurried them') indicates rapid distribution: the hot food is served quickly to the thousands of participants. The logistics of feeding this many people require military-level organization.
Afterward they prepared for themselves and for the priests, because the priests — the sons of Aaron — were occupied with offering the burnt offerings and the fat portions until nightfall. So the Levites prepared for themselves and for the priests, the sons of Aaron.
KJV And afterward they made ready for themselves, and for the priests: because the priests the sons of Aaron were busied in offering of burnt offerings and the fat until night; therefore the Levites prepared for themselves, and for the priests the sons of Aaron.
Notes & Key Terms
Translator Notes
The Levites eat last — they serve everyone else first, then prepare for themselves and for the priests, who are occupied ad lailah ('until night') with the altar service. This selfless ordering — the people first, then the clergy, with the workers eating last — demonstrates the servant character of Levitical ministry.
The singers — the sons of Asaph — were in their place according to the command of David, Asaph, Heman, and Jeduthun the king's seer. The gatekeepers were at each gate — they did not need to leave their posts, for their brothers the Levites prepared food for them.
KJV And the singers the sons of Asaph were in their place, according to the commandment of David, and Asaph, and Heman, and Jeduthun the king's seer; and the porters waited at every gate; they might not depart from their service; for their brethren the Levites prepared for them.
Notes & Key Terms
Translator Notes
Every specialized group maintains its station: singers at their posts, gatekeepers at their gates. No one abandons their liturgical duty for personal need — the Levites handle logistics so that worship continues uninterrupted. The system functions as an integrated whole, each part serving the others.
The entire service of the LORD was organized that day for keeping the Passover and offering burnt offerings on the altar of the LORD, as King Josiah had commanded.
KJV So all the service of the LORD was prepared the same day, to keep the passover, and to offer burnt offerings upon the altar of the LORD, according to the commandment of king Josiah.
Notes & Key Terms
Translator Notes
The summary statement va-tikkon kol avodat YHWH ba-yom ha-hu ('all the service of the LORD was established that day') indicates perfection of execution. The dual purpose — Passover observance and burnt offerings — represents the complete sacrificial program. The phrase ke-mitsvat ha-melekh Yoshiyyahu ('according to the command of King Josiah') attributes the entire operation to royal initiative and authority.
The people of Israel who were present kept the Passover at that time, and the Festival of Unleavened Bread for seven days.
KJV And the children of Israel that were present kept the passover at that time, and the feast of unleavened bread seven days.
Notes & Key Terms
Translator Notes
The combination of ha-pesach ('the Passover') and chag ha-matstsot shiv'at yamim ('the Festival of Unleavened Bread seven days') represents the complete observance — the one-day Passover followed by the seven-day festival, as prescribed in Exodus 12:15-20 and Deuteronomy 16:1-8.
No Passover like it had been kept in Israel since the days of Samuel the prophet. None of the kings of Israel had ever kept such a Passover as Josiah kept — with the priests, the Levites, all Judah and Israel who were present, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem.
KJV And there was no passover like to that kept in Israel from the days of Samuel the prophet; neither did all the kings of Israel keep such a passover as Josiah kept, and the priests, and the Levites, and all Judah and Israel that were present, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem.
Notes & Key Terms
Translator Notes
The superlative is absolute: ve-lo na'asah pesach kamohu be-Yisra'el mi-yemei Shemu'el ha-navi ('no Passover like it was kept in Israel since the days of Samuel the prophet'). This surpasses even Hezekiah's Passover, which was compared to Solomon's era (30:26). The reference to Samuel rather than Moses or David as the benchmark is unusual and may indicate the pre-monarchic period as the last time all Israel celebrated together.
This Passover was observed in the eighteenth year of Josiah's reign.
KJV In the eighteenth year of the reign of Josiah was this passover kept.
Notes & Key Terms
Translator Notes
The date notation — bi-shmoneh esreh shanah ('in the eighteenth year,' approximately 622 BCE) — synchronizes the Passover with the discovery of the Book of the Law. The Passover is the liturgical culmination of the reform process that the book discovery confirmed and accelerated.
After all this, when Josiah had set the Temple in order, Neco king of Egypt came up to fight at Carchemish on the Euphrates, and Josiah went out to confront him.
KJV After all this, when Josiah had prepared the temple, Necho king of Egypt came up to fight against Charchemish by Euphrates: and Josiah went out against him.
Notes & Key Terms
Translator Notes
The phrase acharei kol zot ('after all this') signals a dramatic shift. Neco (Nekho, Pharaoh Neco II) marches to Carchemish (Karkemish) on the Euphrates to support the remnant of Assyria against Babylon (609 BCE). Josiah's interception is politically motivated — he likely opposes an Egyptian-Assyrian alliance that would threaten Judah's independence. The verb va-yetse liqrato ('he went out to meet him') indicates military confrontation.
Neco sent messengers to him, saying, 'What quarrel is there between us, king of Judah? I am not coming against you today but against the house with which I am at war. God has commanded me to hurry. Stop opposing God, who is with me, so that he does not destroy you.'
KJV But he sent ambassadors to him, saying, What have I to do with thee, thou king of Judah? I come not against thee this day, but against the house wherewith I have war: for God commanded me to make haste: forbear thee from meddling with God, who is with me, that he destroy thee not.
Notes & Key Terms
Translator Notes
Neco's message contains a stunning claim: Elohim amar levahaleini ('God commanded me to hurry'). The pharaoh claims divine authorization for his military campaign. The warning chadal lekha me-Elohim asher immi ('cease from God who is with me') urges Josiah to stand down. The phrase mah li va-lakh ('what is there between me and you?') denies any quarrel with Judah — Neco's fight is with someone else. Whether Neco genuinely received divine communication or simply used religious language diplomatically, the narrator will confirm that God was indeed speaking.
But Josiah would not turn away from him. He disguised himself to fight him and did not listen to the words of Neco, which were from the mouth of God. He came to fight in the plain of Megiddo.
KJV Nevertheless Josiah would not turn his face from him, but disguised himself, that he might fight with him, and hearkened not unto the words of Necho from the mouth of God, and came to fight in the valley of Megiddo.
Notes & Key Terms
Translator Notes
The Chronicler's confirmation that Neco spoke mi-pi Elohim is theologically radical: God can speak through a pagan king. This principle — that divine communication is not limited to Israelite prophets — appears elsewhere (Balaam in Numbers 22-24, Cyrus in Isaiah 45:1). Josiah's failure to listen is presented not as apostasy but as a specific act of disobedience with fatal consequences.
The archers shot King Josiah, and the king said to his servants, 'Take me away, for I am badly wounded.'
KJV And the archers shot at king Josiah; and the king said to his servants, Have me away; for I am sore wounded.
Notes & Key Terms
Translator Notes
The archers (ha-yorim) strike the king — va-yoru ('they shot'). Josiah's words — ha'aviruni ki hochleiti me'od ('remove me for I am greatly wounded') — are terse and urgent. The verb hochleiti ('I am wounded, I am made sick') describes a mortal wound. The brevity of the king's words contrasts with the lengthy preparations of the Passover — the end comes swiftly and with devastating economy.
His servants took him out of the chariot, placed him in his second chariot, and brought him to Jerusalem, where he died. He was buried in the tombs of his fathers, and all Judah and Jerusalem mourned for Josiah.
KJV His servants therefore took him out of that chariot, and put him in the second chariot that he had; and they brought him to Jerusalem, and he died, and was buried in one of the sepulchres of his fathers. And all Judah and Jerusalem mourned for Josiah.
Notes & Key Terms
Translator Notes
The transfer from the war chariot to the rekhev ha-mishneh ('the second chariot' — a lighter transport vehicle) and the journey to Jerusalem suggest Josiah lived long enough to be moved but died upon arrival or shortly after. The burial be-qivrot avotav ('in the tombs of his fathers') in the royal cemetery honors him appropriately. The mourning — kol Yehudah vi-Yerushalayim mit'abbelim al Yoshiyyahu ('all Judah and Jerusalem mourning for Josiah') — is national and profound.
Jeremiah composed a lament for Josiah. All the male and female singers speak of Josiah in their laments to this day. They established this as a tradition in Israel, and the laments are recorded in the Laments.
KJV And Jeremiah lamented for Josiah: and all the singing men and the singing women spake of Josiah in their lamentations to this day, and made them an ordinance in Israel: and, behold, they are written in the lamentations.
Notes & Key Terms
Translator Notes
The prophet Jeremiah (Yirmeyahu) composes a formal qinah ('lament') for Josiah — an expression of the profound bond between the last great king and the greatest prophet of that era. The professional singers (ha-sharim ve-ha-sharot, 'male and female singers') incorporate the lament into their ongoing repertoire ad ha-yom ('to this day'). The reference to ha-Qinot ('the Laments') indicates a now-lost collection of lamentation texts — not the canonical book of Lamentations, which concerns the fall of Jerusalem rather than Josiah.
The rest of the acts of Josiah and his faithful deeds, according to what is written in the law of the LORD,
KJV Now the rest of the acts of Josiah, and his goodness, according to that which was written in the law of the LORD,
Notes & Key Terms
Translator Notes
The word chasadav ('his faithful deeds, his acts of chesed') summarizes Josiah's reign with the same term used for Hezekiah (32:32). His acts are evaluated ka-katuv be-torat YHWH ('according to what is written in the law of the LORD') — the very law he discovered, read, and implemented. Josiah's life was shaped by the torah he found.
His acts, from first to last, are recorded in the Book of the Kings of Israel and Judah.
KJV And his deeds, first and last, behold, they are written in the book of the kings of Israel and Judah.
Notes & Key Terms
Translator Notes
The standard source citation closes the Josiah narrative. The phrase ha-rishonim ve-ha-acharonim ('the first and the last') encompasses his entire reign — from the eight-year-old boy who inherited a compromised kingdom to the thirty-nine-year-old king who died at Megiddo. With Josiah's death, the last hope for Judah's reform dies. The four kings who follow will reign a total of twenty-two years before Jerusalem falls.