This page gives you ready-to-use study questions for 2 Kings 22, the chapter where King Josiah orders repairs to the temple and a lost book of the law is found and read aloud. It is written for a small group leader, a Sunday school class, or anyone studying the chapter alone. Each question comes with a discussion note so you can move straight from reading to conversation.
2 Kings 22 at a Glance
The chapter opens by introducing Josiah, a boy king who reigns in Jerusalem and does what is right in the LORD’s eyes. In his eighteenth year he sends his secretary Shaphan to the temple to check on the money collected for repairs, and the workers are trusted to handle it honestly. During the work, the high priest Hilkiah reports finding the book of the law, Shaphan reads it to the king, and Josiah tears his clothes in grief.
Josiah sends a delegation to the prophetess Huldah, who confirms that judgment is coming on the land because of its idolatry. She also tells them that because Josiah humbled himself and wept, he will die in peace before the disaster falls. The chapter turns on the moment a forgotten word is heard again and a leader responds with humility rather than pride.
Observation Questions
Use these questions first to make sure everyone has actually seen what the text says. Ask the group to point to specific verses before anyone offers an interpretation, and let quieter members answer first.
2 Kings 22:2
He did that which was right in the LORD’s eyes, and walked in all the way of David his father, and didn’t turn away to the right hand or to the left.
(WEB)
This verse sums up Josiah’s character in a single line and sets the standard for the whole chapter. Reading it early gives the group a lens for everything that follows.
2 Kings 22:8
Hilkiah the high priest said to Shaphan the scribe, “I have found the book of the law in the LORD’s house.” Hilkiah delivered the book to Shaphan, and he read it.
(WEB)
The moment the book is found is the turning point of the story. Reading it aloud helps the group feel the surprise and weight of rediscovering God’s word.
2 Kings 22:11
When the king had heard the words of the book of the law, he tore his clothes.
(WEB)
This short verse captures the king’s immediate, visible grief. It invites the group to consider how they respond when they first hear God’s truth.
2 Kings 22:13
“Go inquire of the LORD for me, and for the people, and for all Judah, concerning the words of this book that is found; for great is the LORD’s wrath that is kindled against us, because our fathers have not listened to the words of this book, to do according to all that which is written concerning us.”
(WEB)
Here Josiah names the national stakes of ignoring God’s word. Reading it aloud shows that his concern reaches beyond his own household to the whole people.
2 Kings 22:19
Because your heart was tender, and you humbled yourself before the LORD, when you heard what I spoke against this place, and against its inhabitants, that they should become a desolation and a curse, and have torn your clothes, and wept before me; I also have heard you,’ says the LORD.
(WEB)
This verse gives the LORD’s explanation of why he listens to Josiah. Reading it closes the message from Huldah on the note of humility and response.
Memory Verse for 2 Kings 22
A Closing Prayer for the Group
Father, we thank you for preserving your word and for bringing it back into the light when people had forgotten it. We confess that we too can drift from Scripture, busy with other concerns and slow to listen. Give us tender hearts like Josiah’s, quick to grieve over our failures and quick to turn toward you. Make us faithful with what you have entrusted to us, and help us read your word together with openness and courage. Lead us in the way of humility, and let what we study today take root in how we live this week. Amen.
