15 Furthermore , the altar that was at Bethel and the high place which Jeroboam the son of Nebat , who made Israel sin , had made , even that altar and the high place he broke down . Then he demolished its stones, ground them to dust , and burned the Asherah . 16 Now when Josiah turned , he saw the graves that were there on the mountain , and he sent and took the bones from the graves and burned them on the altar and defiled it according to the word of the Lord which the man of God proclaimed , who proclaimed these things . 17 Then he said , "What is this monument that I see ?" And the men of the city told him, " It is the grave of the man of God who came from Judah and proclaimed these things which you have done against the altar of Bethel ." 18 He said , "Let him alone ; let no one disturb his bones ." So they left his bones undisturbed with the bones of the prophet who came from Samaria .
Matthew Henry's Commentary on 2 Kings 23:15-18
Commentary on 2 Kings 23:15-24
(Read 2 Kings 23:15-24)
Josiah's zeal extended to the cities of Israel within his reach. He carefully preserved the sepulchre of that man of God, who came from Judah to foretell the throwing down of Jeroboam's altar. When they had cleared the country of the old leaven of idolatry, then they applied themselves to the keeping of the feast. There was not holden such a passover in any of the foregoing reigns. The revival of a long-neglected ordinance, filled them with holy joy; and God recompensed their zeal in destroying idolatry with uncommon tokens of his presence and favour. We have reason to think that during the remainder of Josiah's reign, religion flourished.