SEV Biblia, Chapter 34:3
A los ocho años de su reinado, siendo aún joven, comenzó a buscar al Dios de David su padre; y a los doce años comenzó a limpiar a Judá y a Jerusalén de los altos, bosques, esculturas, e imágenes de fundición.
John Gill's Bible Commentary
Ver. 3. For in the eighth year of his reign, while he was yet young , etc.] Being in the sixteenth year of his age; though Kimchi thinks it was the very year he began to reign, which was the eighth of his age; and Jarchi observes, it may be interpreted, “though he was young, he began to seek after the God of David his father”; to pray unto him, to seek after the knowledge of him, and the true manner of worshipping him, what were his will, commands, and ordinances; the Targum is, “to seek instruction or doctrine of the Lord God of David his father,” to be taught his ways, such as David his great ancestor walked in, and whom he chose to follow: and in the twelfth year he began to purge Judah and Jerusalem from the high places, and the groves and the carved images, and the molten images ; which were made in the times of Manasseh; and though removed by him when humbled, were restored in the reign of Amon. Now Josiah purged the land from these, by putting them down, and destroying them; and this he did when he was twenty years of age, having now more authority, being out of his minority, and from under guardians, and one year before Jeremiah began to prophesy, ( Jeremiah 1:1-2:37).
Matthew Henry Commentary
Josiah's good reign in Judah. --As the years of infancy cannot be useful to our fellow-creatures, ou earliest youth should be dedicated to God, that we may not waste any of the remaining short space of life. Happy and wise are those who see the Lord and prepare for usefulness at an early age, when others ar pursuing sinful pleasures, contracting bad habits, and forming ruinou connexions. Who can express the anguish prevented by early piety, an its blessed effects? Diligent self-examination and watchfulness wil convince us of the deceitfulness and wickedness of our own hearts, an the sinfulness of our lives. We are here encouraged to humble ourselve before God, and to seek unto him, as Josiah did. And believers are her taught, not to fear death, but to welcome it, when it takes them awa from the evil to come. Nothing hastens the ruin of a people, nor ripen them for it, more than their disregard of the attempts made for their reformation. Be not deceived, God is not mocked. The current and tid of affections only turns at the command of Him who raises up those tha are dead in trespasses and sins. We behold peculiar loveliness, in the grace the Lord bestows on those, who in tender years seek to know an to love the Saviour. Hath Jesus, the Day-spring from on high, visite you? Can you trace your knowledge of this light and life of man, lik Josiah, from your youth? Oh the unspeakable happiness of becomin acquainted with Jesus from our earliest years __________________________________________________________________
Original Hebrew
ובשׁמונה 8083 שׁנים 8141 למלכו 4427 והוא 1931 עודנו 5750 נער 5288 החל 2490 לדרושׁ 1875 לאלהי 430 דויד 1732 אביו 1 ובשׁתים 8147 עשׂרה 6240 שׁנה 8141 החל 2490 לטהר 2891 את 853 יהודה 3063 וירושׁלם 3389 מן 4480 הבמות 1116 והאשׁרים 842 והפסלים 6456 והמסכות׃ 4541
