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Article: The high places (bamot) and the reforms of Hezekiah and Josiah: an archaeological investigation.
- Article from:
- The Journal of the American Oriental Society
- Article date:
- July 1, 2002
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2002 American Oriental Society. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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THE BIBLICAL TEXT castigates the people of Israel and Judah repeatedly for going to bamot to sacrifice and burn incense rather than to the great temple in Jerusalem (1 Kings 3:2, 3; 22:44; 2 Kings 12:4; 14:4; 15:4, 35). Hezekiah and Josiah receive praise, however, for removing them: "And [Hezekiab] did what was right in the eyes of YHWH in all that David his father did. He removed the bamot, he broke the massebot, and he cut down the [contains]aserot" (2 Kings 18:3,4). The bamot are described as a source of contention in pre-Exilic Judah. After the death of Hezekiah, Manasseh, his son, reportedly rebuilt them (2 Kings 2 1:3), and King Josiah, Manasseh's grandson, tore ...