Lectionary Calendar
Sunday, April 12th, 2026
Second Sunday after Easter
Attention!
Tired of seeing ads while studying? Now you can enjoy an "Ads Free" version of the site for as little as 10¢ a day and support a great cause!
Click here to learn more!

Read the Bible

New Century Version

2 Kings 22:11

When the king heard the words of the Book of the Teachings, he tore his clothes to show how upset he was.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Josiah;   Mourning;   Rending;   Repentance;   Scribe (S);   Secretary (Recordist);   Shaphan;   Word of God;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Kings;  

Dictionaries:

- Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - King;   Zephaniah;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Deuteronomy, Theology of;   Kings, First and Second, Theology of;   Woman;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Josiah;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Hezekiah;   Jaazaniah;   Jehoiakim;   Pentateuch;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Ahikam;   Jeremiah;   Josiah;   Kings, 1 and 2;   Torah;   Zephaniah, Book of;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Canon of the Old Testament;   Deuteronomy;   Gedaliah;   Hexateuch;   Hilkiah;   Huldah;   Idolatry;   Israel;   Jerusalem;   Shaphan;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - Trial of Jesus;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Hilkiah ;   Josiah ;   Shaphan ;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Josiah;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - Moses, the Man of God;   Kingdom of Judah;  

Devotionals:

- Every Day Light - Devotion for February 22;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
When the king heard the words of the book of the law, he tore his clothes.
Hebrew Names Version
It happened, when the king had heard the words of the book of the law, that he tore his clothes.
King James Version
And it came to pass, when the king had heard the words of the book of the law, that he rent his clothes.
English Standard Version
When the king heard the words of the Book of the Law, he tore his clothes.
New English Translation
When the king heard the words of the law scroll, he tore his clothes.
Amplified Bible
Now when the king heard the words of the Book of the Law, he tore his clothes.
New American Standard Bible
When the king heard the words of the Book of the Law, he tore his clothes.
World English Bible
It happened, when the king had heard the words of the book of the law, that he tore his clothes.
Geneva Bible (1587)
And when the King had heard the wordes of the booke of the Law, he rent his clothes.
Legacy Standard Bible
Now it happened that when the king heard the words of the book of the law, he tore his clothes.
Berean Standard Bible
When the king heard the words of the Book of the Law, he tore his clothes
Contemporary English Version
When Josiah heard what was in The Book of God's Law, he tore his clothes in sorrow.
Complete Jewish Bible
After the king had heard what was written in the scroll of the Torah, he tore his clothes.
Darby Translation
And it came to pass when the king heard the words of the book of the law, that he rent his garments.
Easy-to-Read Version
When the king heard the words of the Book of the Law, he tore his clothes to show he was sad and upset.
George Lamsa Translation
And when the king had heard the words of the book of the law, he tore his clothes.
Good News Translation
When the king heard the book being read, he tore his clothes in dismay,
Lexham English Bible
When the king heard the words of the scroll of the Torah, he tore his clothes.
Literal Translation
And it happened when the king heard the Words of the Book of the Law, he tore his garments.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
But whan the kinge herde the wordes of the boke of lawe, he rente his clothes.
American Standard Version
And it came to pass, when the king had heard the words of the book of the law, that he rent his clothes.
Bible in Basic English
And the king, hearing the words of the book of the law, took his robe in his hands, violently parting it as a sign of his grief;
Bishop's Bible (1568)
And it fortuned, that when the king had hearde the wordes of the booke of the lawe, he rent his clothes.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
And it came to pass, when the king had heard the words of the book of the Law, that he rent his clothes.
King James Version (1611)
And it came to passe when the king had heard the words of the booke of the Law, that he rent his clothes.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And it came to pass, when the king heard the words of the book of the law, that he rent his garments.
English Revised Version
And it came to pass, when the king had heard the words of the book of the law, that he rent his clothes.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
and the kyng hadde herd the wordis of the book of the lawe of the Lord, he to-rente hise clothis.
Update Bible Version
And it came to pass, when the king had heard the words of the book of the law, that he rent his clothes.
Webster's Bible Translation
And it came to pass, when the king had heard the words of the book of the law, that he rent his clothes.
New King James Version
Now it happened, when the king heard the words of the Book of the Law, that he tore his clothes.
New Living Translation
When the king heard what was written in the Book of the Law, he tore his clothes in despair.
New Life Bible
When the king heard the words of the Book of the Law, he tore his clothes.
New Revised Standard
When the king heard the words of the book of the law, he tore his clothes.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And it came to pass, when the king heard the words of the book of the law, that he rent his clothes.
Douay-Rheims Bible
And the king had heard the words of the law of the Lord, he rent his garments.
Revised Standard Version
And when the king heard the words of the book of the law, he rent his clothes.
Young's Literal Translation
And it cometh to pass, at the king's hearing the words of the book of the law, that he rendeth his garments,
THE MESSAGE
When the king heard what was written in the book, God's Revelation, he ripped his robes in dismay. And then he called for Hilkiah the priest, Ahikam son of Shaphan, Acbor son of Micaiah, Shaphan the royal secretary, and Asaiah the king's personal aide. He ordered them all: "Go and pray to God for me and for this people—for all Judah! Find out what we must do in response to what is written in this book that has just been found! God 's anger must be burning furiously against us—our ancestors haven't obeyed a thing written in this book, followed none of the instructions directed to us."
New American Standard Bible (1995)
When the king heard the words of the book of the law, he tore his clothes.

Contextual Overview

11 When the king heard the words of the Book of the Teachings, he tore his clothes to show how upset he was. 12 He gave orders to Hilkiah the priest, Ahikam son of Shaphan, Acbor son of Micaiah, Shaphan the royal secretary, and Asaiah the king's servant. These were the orders: 13 "Go and ask the Lord about the words in the book that was found. Ask for me, for all the people, and for all Judah. The Lord 's anger is burning against us, because our ancestors did not obey the words of this book; they did not do all the things written for us to do." 14 So Hilkiah the priest, Ahikam, Acbor, Shaphan, and Asaiah went to talk to Huldah the prophetess. She was the wife of Shallum son of Tikvah, the son of Harhas, who took care of the king's clothes. Huldah lived in Jerusalem, in the new area of the city. 15 She said to them, "This is what the Lord , the God of Israel, says: Tell the man who sent you to me, 16 ‘This is what the Lord says: I will bring trouble to this place and to the people living here, as it is written in the book which the king of Judah has read. 17 The people of Judah have left me and have burned incense to other gods. They have made me angry by all that they have done. My anger burns against this place like a fire, and it will not be put out.' 18 Tell the king of Judah, who sent you to ask the Lord , ‘This is what the Lord , the God of Israel, says about the words you heard: 19 When you heard my words against this place and its people, you became sorry for what you had done and humbled yourself before me. I said they would be cursed and would be destroyed. You tore your clothes to show how upset you were, and you cried in my presence. This is why I have heard you, says the Lord . 20 So I will let you die, and you will be buried in peace. You won't see all the trouble I will bring to this place.'" So they took her message back to the king.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

that he rent: 2 Kings 22:19, 2 Chronicles 34:19, Jeremiah 36:24, Joel 2:13, Jonah 3:6, Jonah 3:7

Reciprocal: 2 Kings 18:37 - with their clothes rent Nehemiah 8:9 - all the people Isaiah 37:1 - he rent Amos 2:4 - because Micah 6:9 - and

Cross-References

Genesis 16:7
The angel of the Lord found Hagar beside a spring of water in the desert, by the road to Shur.
Genesis 21:17
God heard the boy crying, and God's angel called to Hagar from heaven. He said, "What is wrong, Hagar? Don't be afraid! God has heard the boy crying there.
Genesis 22:1
After these things God tested Abraham's faith. God said to him, "Abraham!" And he answered, "Here I am."
Genesis 22:9
and came to the place God had told him about. Abraham built an altar there. He laid the wood on it and then tied up his son Isaac and laid him on the wood on the altar.
Genesis 22:10
Then Abraham took his knife and was about to kill his son.
Genesis 22:12
The angel said, "Don't kill your son or hurt him in any way. Now I can see that you trust God and that you have not kept your son, your only son, from me."
Genesis 22:16
and said, "The Lord says, ‘Because you did not keep back your son, your only son, from me, I make you this promise by my own name:
Exodus 3:4
When the Lord saw Moses was coming to look at the bush, God called to him from the bush, "Moses, Moses!" And Moses said, "Here I am."
1 Samuel 3:10
The Lord came and stood there and called as he had before, "Samuel, Samuel!" Samuel said, "Speak, Lord . I am your servant and I am listening."
Acts 9:4
Saul fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, "Saul, Saul! Why are you persecuting me?"

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And it came to pass, when the king had heard the words of the book of the law,.... From whence it appears that he had never wrote out a copy of it, as the kings of Israel were ordered to do, when they came to the throne, Deuteronomy 17:18 nor had read it, at least not the whole of it; and yet it seems strange that he should be twenty six years of age, as he now was, and had proceeded far in the reformation of worship, and yet be without the book of the law, and the high priest also; it looks as if it was, as some have thought, that they had till now only some abstracts of the law, and not the whole: and perhaps the reformation hitherto carried on chiefly lay in abolishing idolatry, and not so much in restoring the ordinances of worship to their purity; for it was after this that the ordinance of the passover was ordered to be kept; and when the king observed, on hearing the law read, that it had not been kept as it should, that such severe threatenings were denounced against the transgressors of it;

that he rent his clothes; as expressive of the rending of his heart, and of his humiliation and sorrow for the sins he and his people were guilty of.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

He rent his clothes - Partly grief and horror, like Reuben Genesis 37:29 and Job Job 1:20, partly in repentance, like Ahab 1 Kings 21:27.


 
adsfree-icon
Ads FreeProfile