“Because thine heart was tender, and thou didst humble thyself before God, when thou heardest his words against this place, and against the inhabitants thereof, and humbledst thyself before me, and didst rend thy clothes, and weep before me; I have even heard thee also, saith the LORD.”
My Notes
What Does 2 Chronicles 34:27 Mean?
God responds to King Josiah through the prophetess Huldah: because your heart was tender, because you humbled yourself, because you wept when you heard my word — I have heard you. The four actions God notices are all internal: tender heart, humility, tearing clothes, and weeping. All responses to hearing God's word.
Josiah had just discovered the Book of the Law during temple renovations — a scroll that had been lost and forgotten. When he heard its contents read aloud, he realized how far Judah had strayed. His response was visceral: he tore his clothes in grief. God noticed.
The phrase "I have even heard thee also" carries the "also" — implying that others before Josiah had NOT responded this way. Many kings heard God's word and didn't weep. Josiah's tender heart was exceptional, not typical. And God responded to the exception.
Reflection Questions
- 1.Is your heart still tender to God's word — can it still break you, or has familiarity hardened you?
- 2.When was the last time Scripture genuinely moved you to tears or grief?
- 3.What does it mean that God specifically responds to tenderness rather than strength?
- 4.How do you protect your heart's tenderness in a world that rewards toughness?
Devotional
God's entire response to Josiah hangs on one quality: a tender heart. Not a strong heart. Not a disciplined heart. A tender one.
Josiah heard the word of God and it broke him. He didn't debate it, analyze it, or file it for later consideration. He tore his clothes and wept. The gap between what God's word said and how Judah was living hit him so hard he couldn't maintain composure.
That's what God responded to. Not Josiah's reforms (those came later). Not his political achievements. His tears. His tenderness. The fact that God's word could still reach him — could still pierce him — when so many before him had heard the same words and felt nothing.
"Because thine heart was tender" — this is what God looks for. Not perfection. Not theological sophistication. Not impressive spiritual performance. A heart that's soft enough to break when it hears the truth.
Is your heart still tender? Can God's word still make you weep? Or have you heard it so many times that it bounces off a surface that used to be soft? Josiah's tears weren't weakness. They were the reason God heard him.
Protect your tenderness. It's the thing God responds to most.
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
Because thine heart was tender - "Because thy heart was melted, and thou hast humbled thyself in the sight of the Word…
This whole paragraph we had, just as it is here related, Kg2 22:8-20, and have nothing to add here to what was there…
humbledst … and didst rend … and weep R.V. hast humbled … and hast rent … and wept.
I have men heardthee also] R.V. I…
Cross References
Related passages throughout Scripture