The Meaning of 2 Chronicles 34:6 Explained

2 Chronicles 34:6

KJV: And so did he in the cities of Manasseh, and Ephraim, and Simeon, even unto Naphtali, with their mattocks round about.

YLT: and in the cities of Manasseh, and Ephraim, and Simeon, even unto Naphtali, with their tools, round about.

Darby: And so did he in the cities of Manasseh and Ephraim and Simeon, even to Naphtali, in their ruins round about;

ASV: And'so did he in the cities of Manasseh and Ephraim and Simeon, even unto Naphtali, in their ruins round about.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And [so did he] in the cities  of Manasseh,  and Ephraim,  and Simeon,  even unto Naphtali,  with their mattocks  round about. 

What does 2 Chronicles 34:6 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 34:6 mean?

And [so he did] in the cities of Manasseh and Ephraim and Simeon and as far as Naphtali with their mattocks - with axes all around
וּבְעָרֵ֨י מְנַשֶּׁ֧ה וְאֶפְרַ֛יִם וְשִׁמְע֖וֹן וְעַד־ נַפְתָּלִ֑י [בהר] [בתיהם] (בְּחַרְבֹתֵיהֶ֖ם) סָבִֽיב

וּבְעָרֵ֨י  And  [so  he  did]  in  the  cities 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Preposition-b, Noun, feminine plural construct
Root: עִיר 
Sense: excitement, anguish.
מְנַשֶּׁ֧ה  of  Manasseh 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: מְנַשֶּׁה  
Sense: the eldest son of Joseph and progenitor of the tribe of Manasseh.
וְאֶפְרַ֛יִם  and  Ephraim 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: אֶפְרַיִם  
Sense: second son of Joseph, blessed by him and given preference over first son, Manasseh.
וְשִׁמְע֖וֹן  and  Simeon 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: שִׁמְעֹון  
Sense: the 2nd son of Jacob by his wife Leah and progenitor of the tribe of Simeon.
וְעַד־  and  as  far  as 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Preposition
Root: עַד  
Sense: as far as, even to, until, up to, while, as far as.
נַפְתָּלִ֑י  Naphtali 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: נַפְתָּלִי  
Sense: the 5th son of Jacob and the 2nd by Bilhah the handmaid of Rachel.
[בהר]  with  their  mattocks 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: חֶרֶב  
Sense: sword, knife.
[בתיהם]  - 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct, third person masculine plural
(בְּחַרְבֹתֵיהֶ֖ם)  with  axes 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, feminine plural construct, third person masculine plural
Root: בַּיִת 
Sense: house.
סָבִֽיב  all  around 
Parse: Adverb
Root: מוּסָב 
Sense: places round about, circuit, round about adv.