Study Taanit folio 22B with parallel Hebrew-English text, traditional commentary, and modern study tools. Free access to Babylonian Talmud online.
Text Excerpt
״וישלח אליו מלאכים לאמר מה לי ולך מלך יהודה לא עליך אתה היום כי אל בית מלחמתי ואלהים אמר לבהלני חדל לך מאלהים אשר עמי ואל ישחיתך״.
“But he sent ambassadors to him saying: What have I to do with you, king of Judea? I do not come against you this day, but against the house with which I am at war; and God has commanded me to make haste. Forbear from meddling with God, Who is with me, so that He will not destroy you” (II Chronicles 35:21). This clearly shows that Pharaoh Neco had no intention of engaging Josiah in battle.
מאי: ״אלהים אשר עמי״? אמר רב יהודה אמר רב: זו עבודה זרה. אמר: הואיל וקא בטח בעבודה זרה — יכילנא ליה.
The Talmud asks: What is the meaning of the phrase “God, Who is with me”? Rav Yehuda said that Rav said: This is referring to Neco’s idolatry, which he brought for assistance. In other words, it is a secular reference and should be read as: The god that is with me, in my possession. Josiah said: Since he trusts in idolatry, I will be able to defeat him.
״וירו הירים למלך יאשיהו ויאמר המלך לעבדיו העבירוני כי החליתי מאד״, מאי ״כי החליתי מאד״? אמר רב יהודה אמר רב: מלמד שעשו כל גופו ככברה.
With regard to Josiah’s battle with Pharaoh Neco, the verse states: “And the archers shot at King Josiah and the king said to his servants: Move me away, for I am seriously wounded” (II Chronicles 35:23). What is the meaning of the phrase: “For I am seriously wounded”? Rav Yehuda said that Rav said: This teaches that the Egyptian archers made his entire body like a sieve from the many arrows they shot at him.
אמר רבי שמואל בר נחמני אמר רבי יונתן: מפני מה נענש יאשיהו — מפני שהיה לו לימלך בירמיהו ולא נמלך. מאי דרש: ״וחרב לא תעבר בארצכם״,
R' Shmuel bar Naḥmani said that R' Yoḥanan said: For what reason was Josiah punished? Because he should have consulted with the prophet Jeremiah to find out if he should go to war, but he did not consult with him. How did Josiah interpret the verses of the Torah? How did they lead him to go to war? The verse states: “Neither should a sword go through your land” (Leviticus 26:6).