Discovery Box2 Kings 21:6 
Context21:6 He passed his son 1 through the fire 2 and practiced divination and omen reading. He set up a ritual pit to conjure up underworld spirits, and appointed magicians to supervise it. 3 He did a great amount of evil in the sight of the Lord, provoking him to anger. 4
2 Kings 23:5
Context23:5 He eliminated 5 the pagan priests whom the kings of Judah had appointed to offer sacrifices 6 on the high places in the cities of Judah and in the area right around Jerusalem. (They offered sacrifices 7 to Baal, the sun god, the moon god, the constellations, and all the stars in the sky.)
2 Kings 25:23
Context25:23 All of the officers of the Judahite army 8 and their troops heard that the king of Babylon had appointed Gedaliah to govern. So they came to Gedaliah at Mizpah. The officers who came were Ishmael son of Nethaniah, Johanan son of Kareah, Seraiah son of Tanhumeth the Netophathite, and Jaazaniah son of the Maacathite.
1 tc The LXX has the plural “his sons” here.
2 sn See the note at 2 Kgs 16:3.
3 tn Heb “and he set up a ritual pit, along with conjurers.” The Hebrew אוֹב (’ov), “ritual pit,” refers to a pit used by a magician to conjure up underworld spirits. In 1 Sam 28:7 the witch of Endor is called a בַעֲלַת אוֹב (ba’alat ’ov), “owner of a ritual pit.” See H. Hoffner, “Second millennium Antecedents to the Hebrew ’OñBù,” JBL 86 (1967), 385-401.
4 tc Heb “and he multiplied doing what is evil in the eyes of the
5 tn Perhaps, “destroyed.”
6 tn Or “burn incense.”
7 tn Or “burned incense.”
8 tn Heb “of the army.” The word “Judahite” has been supplied in the translation for clarity.
