The Meaning of 2 Chronicles 34:4 Explained

2 Chronicles 34:4

KJV: And they brake down the altars of Baalim in his presence; and the images, that were on high above them, he cut down; and the groves, and the carved images, and the molten images, he brake in pieces, and made dust of them, and strowed it upon the graves of them that had sacrificed unto them.

YLT: And they break down before him the altars of the Baalim, and the images that are on high above them he hath cut down, and the shrines, and the graven images, and the molten images, he hath broken and beaten small, and streweth on the surface of the graves of those sacrificing to them,

Darby: And they broke down the altars of the Baals in his presence; and the sun-pillars that were on high above them he cut down; and the Asherahs and the graven images and the molten images he broke in pieces, and made dust of them and strewed it upon the graves of those that had sacrificed to them;

ASV: And they brake down the altars of the Baalim in his presence; and the sun-images that were on high above them he hewed down; and the Asherim, and the graven images, and the molten images, he brake in pieces, and made dust of them, and strewed it upon the graves of them that had sacrificed unto them.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And they brake down  the altars  of Baalim  in his presence;  and the images,  that [were] on high above them,  he cut down;  and the groves,  and the carved images,  and the molten images,  he brake in pieces,  and made dust  [of them], and strowed  [it] upon  the graves  of them that had sacrificed  unto them. 

What does 2 Chronicles 34:4 Mean?

Context Summary

2 Chronicles 34:1-11 - A Toting King's Noble Leadership
Josiah was as much better than his father Amon, as Manasseh had been worse than Hezekiah. How strange to find such a pure young soul in the heart of Amon's court! What led the boy to such moral and religious attainments? Perhaps his grandfather, Manasseh, unable to change his son, focused his prayers and influence on his grandson. It is probable, also, that considerable influence for good resulted from the discovery that he had been the subject of prophecy. See 1 Kings 13:2. He felt encouraged to apprehend that for which he had been apprehended years before. Though no prophet's voice has predicted the program and attainments of our lives, they are well known in heaven, and we are summoned to realize God's great ideals for us.
The call of Jeremiah, also so nearly coincides with the commencement of Josiah's reforms that we can scarcely regard the two facts as unconnected. At any rate the king's earlier efforts seem to have been coincident with the first appearance of the prophet-statesman in the king's court at Jerusalem. [source]

Chapter Summary: 2 Chronicles 34

1  Josiah's good reign
3  He destroys idolatry
8  He takes order for the repair of the temple
14  Hilkiah, having found a book of the law,
21  Josiah sends to Huldah to enquire of the Lord
23  Huldah prophesies the destruction of Jerusalem, but respite thereof in Josiah's time
29  Josiah, causing it to be read in a solemn assembly, renews the covenant with God

What do the individual words in 2 Chronicles 34:4 mean?

And they broke down in his presence - the altars of the Baals and the incense altars that [were] on high above them he cut down and the wooden images and the carved images and the molded images he broke in pieces and made dust of them and scattered [it] on on the graves of those who had sacrificed to them
וַיְנַתְּצ֣וּ לְפָנָ֗יו אֵ֚ת מִזְבְּח֣וֹת הַבְּעָלִ֔ים וְהַֽחַמָּנִ֛ים אֲשֶׁר־ לְמַ֥עְלָה מֵעֲלֵיהֶ֖ם גִּדֵּ֑עַ וְ֠הָאֲשֵׁרִים וְהַפְּסִלִ֤ים וְהַמַּסֵּכוֹת֙ שִׁבַּ֣ר וְהֵדַ֔ק וַיִּזְרֹק֙ עַל־ פְּנֵ֣י הַקְּבָרִ֔ים הַזֹּבְחִ֖ים לָהֶֽם

וַיְנַתְּצ֣וּ  And  they  broke  down 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Piel, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: נָתַץ  
Sense: to pull down, break down, cast down, throw down, beat down, destroy, overthrow, break out (teeth).
לְפָנָ֗יו  in  his  presence 
Parse: Preposition-l, Noun, common plural construct, third person masculine singular
Root: לִפְנֵי 
Sense: face.
אֵ֚ת  - 
Parse: Direct object marker
Root: אֹות 
Sense: sign of the definite direct object, not translated in English but generally preceding and indicating the accusative.
מִזְבְּח֣וֹת  the  altars 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct
Root: מִזְבֵּחַ  
Sense: altar.
הַבְּעָלִ֔ים  of  the  Baals 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine plural
Root: בַּעַל  
Sense: supreme male divinity of the Phoenicians or Canaanites.
וְהַֽחַמָּנִ֛ים  and  the  incense  altars 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Article, Noun, masculine plural
Root: חַמָּן  
Sense: incense altar, sun-pillar, idol, image.
אֲשֶׁר־  that  [were] 
Parse: Pronoun, relative
Root: אֲשֶׁר 
Sense: (relative part.).
לְמַ֥עְלָה  on  high 
Parse: Preposition-l, Adverb, third person feminine singular
Root: מַעַל 
Sense: higher part, upper part adv.
מֵעֲלֵיהֶ֖ם  above  them 
Parse: Preposition-m, third person masculine plural
Root: עַל 
Sense: upon, on the ground of, according to, on account of, on behalf of, concerning, beside, in addition to, together with, beyond, above, over, by, on to, towards, to, against.
גִּדֵּ֑עַ  he  cut  down 
Parse: Verb, Piel, Perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: גָּדַע  
Sense: to cut, hew, chop, cut down, hew down, hew off, cut off, cut in two, shave off.
וְ֠הָאֲשֵׁרִים  and  the  wooden  images 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Article, Noun, feminine plural
Root: אֲשֵׁרָה  
Sense: a Babylonian (Astarte)-Canaanite goddess (of fortune and happiness), the supposed consort of Baal, her images.
וְהַפְּסִלִ֤ים  and  the  carved  images 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Article, Noun, masculine plural
Root: פָּסִיל  
Sense: image, idol, graven image.
וְהַמַּסֵּכוֹת֙  and  the  molded  images 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Article, Noun, feminine plural
Root: מַסֵּכָה 
Sense: a pouring, libation, molten metal, cast image, drink offering.
שִׁבַּ֣ר  he  broke  in  pieces 
Parse: Verb, Piel, Perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: שָׁבוּר 
Sense: to break, break in pieces.
וְהֵדַ֔ק  and  made  dust  of  them 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Hifil, Conjunctive perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: דָּקַק  
Sense: to crush, pulverise, thresh.
וַיִּזְרֹק֙  and  scattered  [it] 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: זָרַק 
Sense: to scatter, sprinkle, toss, throw, scatter abundantly, strew.
הַקְּבָרִ֔ים  the  graves 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine plural
Root: קֶבֶר  
Sense: grave, sepulchre, tomb.
הַזֹּבְחִ֖ים  of  those  who  had  sacrificed 
Parse: Article, Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine plural
Root: זָבַח  
Sense: to slaughter, kill, sacrifice, slaughter for sacrifice.
לָהֶֽם  to  them 
Parse: Preposition, third person masculine plural