2 Kings 23:20 - Exposition

And he slew all the priests of the high places that were there upon the altars. It is not directly said that he had done this at Bethel, though it had been prophesied that he would do so ( 1 Kings 13:2 ). Possibly there were no priests at Bethel at the time, since the "calf" set up by Jeroboam had been carried off ( Hosea 10:6 ) by the Assyrians. The difference between the treatment of the high-place priests in Israel and in Judah ( 2 Kings 23:9 ) clearly implies that the former were attached to the worship of false gods, while the latter were priests of Jehovah who worshipped him with superstitious and unauthorized rites and ceremonies. And burned men's bones upon them , and returned to Jerusalem.