Verse Lens · Expanded explanation
2 Chronicles 34:19 Explained in Context
Use this verse as a doorway into the larger passage—not as an isolated saying.
Verse 19. 19And it came to pass, when the king had heard the words of the law, that he rent his clothes.
King James Version — public domain in the United States · Bible text and permissions
Quick Meaning
This verse advances the thought unit through its next action, speech, or consequence: “And it came to pass, when the king had heard the words of the law, that he rent….” Its responsible meaning belongs to the complete movement “The found law book brings Josiah to grief and inquiry.”
Read It With
- 2 Chronicles 34:14–21
Read 2 Chronicles 34:19 with 34:14–21. The selected wording supplies one step in the thought unit through its next action, speech, or consequence; the surrounding verses supply the causes, responses, and outcome summarized here: Hilkiah finds a book of the law, Shaphan reports the work and reads it, Josiah tears his clothes, and the king sends officials to inquire because the ancestors did not keep its words.
Why This Verse Appears Here
Within “The found law book brings Josiah to grief and inquiry,” 2 Chronicles 34:19 advances the thought unit through its next action, speech, or consequence through the wording “And it came to pass, when the king had heard the words of the law, that he rent….” Its placement is governed by this reviewed relationship: The repair unexpectedly exposes a deeper covenant failure and turns royal initiative into submission to a rediscovered text. 2 Chronicles 34:8–13 has just established this prior movement: In Josiah's eighteenth year officials deliver contributions from Judah and northern remnants to Hilkiah, then to faithful builders and Levite overseers, musicians, scribes, officers, and gatekeepers. Together those details explain why “The found law book brings Josiah to grief and inquiry” belongs here rather than merely following a database record.
Read 2 Chronicles 34:14–21 together
Why these verses belong together: 2 Chronicles 34:14–21 forms the complete movement “The found law book brings Josiah to grief and inquiry”: Hilkiah finds a book of the law, Shaphan reports the work and reads it, Josiah tears his clothes, and the king sends officials to inquire because the ancestors did not keep its words.
Verse 14. 14 And when they brought out the money that was brought into the house of the LORD, Hilkiah the priest found a book of the law of the LORD given by Moses.
Verse 15. 15 And Hilkiah answered and said to Shaphan the scribe, I have found the book of the law in the house of the LORD. And Hilkiah delivered the book to Shaphan.
Verse 16. 16 And Shaphan carried the book to the king, and brought the king word back again, saying, All that was committed to thy servants, they do it.
Verse 17. 17 And they have gathered together the money that was found in the house of the LORD, and have delivered it into the hand of the overseers, and to the hand of the workmen.
Verse 18. 18 Then Shaphan the scribe told the king, saying, Hilkiah the priest hath given me a book. And Shaphan read it before the king.
Verse 19. 19 And it came to pass, when the king had heard the words of the law, that he rent his clothes.
Verse 20. 20 And the king commanded Hilkiah, and Ahikam the son of Shaphan, and Abdon the son of Micah, and Shaphan the scribe, and Asaiah a servant of the king’s, saying,
Verse 21. 21 Go, enquire of the LORD for me, and for them that are left in Israel and in Judah, concerning the words of the book that is found: for great is the wrath of the LORD that is poured out upon us, because our fathers have not kept the word of the LORD, to do after all that is written in this book.
Follow the Context
- Hilkiah finds a book of the law, Shaphan reports the work and reads it, Josiah tears his clothes, and the king sends officials to inquire because the ancestors did not keep its words.
- The repair unexpectedly exposes a deeper covenant failure and turns royal initiative into submission to a rediscovered text.
What This Verse Is Not Saying
2 Chronicles 34:19 does not permit the wording “And it came to pass, when the king had heard the words of the law, that he rent…” to be read apart from the selected verse's context. The found book does not authorize bibliolatry, suppressing textual questions, or blaming present communities simplistically for ancestral wrongdoing.
What Remains True
Severe wrongdoing, humility, reform, authoritative interpretation, covenant renewal, celebration, and fatal error show that repentance matters while accountability and wise correction remain necessary. This unit tests that truth through the narrated movement: Hilkiah finds a book of the law, Shaphan reports the work and reads it, Josiah tears his clothes, and the king sends officials to inquire because the ancestors did not keep its words. In 2 Chronicles 34:19, the concrete line “And it came to pass, when the king had heard the words of the law, that he rent…” keeps that truth accountable to the narrated evidence.
How It Can Shape Life
- The evidence to keep visible in this verse is “And it came to pass, when the king had heard the words of the law, that he rent….” Treat repentance as sustained repair, hear qualified interpreters regardless of gender, protect those harmed by prior practice, and verify warnings before a respected leader takes a dangerous course. This response follows from the unit's own movement: Hilkiah finds a book of the law, Shaphan reports the work and reads it, Josiah tears his clothes, and the king sends officials to inquire because the ancestors did not keep its words.
Teach It Back
Explain why 2 Chronicles 34:19 shows the king tear his clothes upon hearing the law. Use 34:14–21, paraphrase “And it came to pass, when the king had heard the words of the law, that he rent…,” state one source or reconstruction limit, identify one person or group power can obscure, and reject one conclusion this verse does not authorize.
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Continue in Context
The full thought-unit study remains the final contextual authority for this Verse Lens.
Read 2 Chronicles 34:14–21 — The found law book brings Josiah to grief and inquirySources used for this Verse Lens
How certain is this explanation? probable
Where care is needed
The book's extent, relation to Deuteronomy, discovery history, and composition are debated; the narrative's effect on Josiah is clearer than a recoverable publication history.
These are the sources used directly for this lens. Language, grammar, disagreements, and the complete source shelf remain attached to the full thought-unit research record.
Biblical text
King James (Authorized) Version — eng-kjv2006
eBible.org and CrossWire Bible Society
USFM archive eng-kjv2006_usfm.zip; source files dated 2026-08-19; downloaded 2026-08-24; archive SHA-256 aec1b3b26c622fd3d963d2bbac963016b9513246ffbfa20da00bb100372ea007; normalized corpus SHA-256 09aef51d90488aa7b9722b3fd9a93f4b25f6bf2064c5fd798fb39673c300ddf2.
Supports: Exact KJV wording, paragraph metadata, supplied-word markup, and complete verse coverage for this thought unit.
Exact location: 2 Chronicles 34:14–21, pinned eng-kjv2006 USFM corpus
Open source ↗hebrew text and morphology
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible: 2 Chronicles
Open Scriptures
Open Scriptures, release 2.2
Supports: Hebrew wording, morphology, names, clauses, regnal formulas, temple vocabulary, older-English controls, and translation limits.
Exact location: Open Scriptures MorphHB v.2.2, commit 6a5db284c715c18b239422e57bb89684e6a19f00, wlc/2Chr.xml, Masoretic words and morphology for 34:14–21
Open source ↗translation and translator notes
NET Bible Full Notes: 2 Chronicles
Biblical Studies Press
Biblical Studies Press; STEP Bible presentation, 2019 edition; current web presentation
Supports: Unit-bounded translation comparisons and only those lexical, textual, grammatical, numerical, historical, and parallel-passage notes attached to these verses.
Exact location: STEP Bible NET2full, 2 Chronicles 34:14–21, verse-attached translation and translator notes
Open source ↗