A common misinterpretation views this verse as Josiah fully reinstating or legitimizing the high place priests by allowing them unrestricted priestly privileges, ignoring the explicit restriction from altar service which underscores the reforms' intent to purify worship; others might see it as divine approval of syncretistic or decentralized religion, overlooking the broader narrative of Josiah's zeal for covenant fidelity and the centralization mandated in Deuteronomy, or mistakenly apply it to justify modern ecclesiastical compromises with error rather than recognizing its historical specificity to Judah's restoration efforts.
II Kings 23:9
King James Version (1769)
9 Nevertheless the priests of the high places came not up to the altar of the Lord in Jerusalem, but they did eat of the unleavened bread among their brethren.
In the context of King Josiah's sweeping religious reforms to centralize worship at the Jerusalem temple and eradicate idolatry, this passage reveals a measure of mercy and practicality: the priests who had previously served at unauthorized high places were barred from officiating at the Lord's altar in Jerusalem due to their association with illicit worship, yet they were permitted to share in the unleavened bread allotted to their fellow priests, preserving their livelihood and integrating them partially into the priestly community without fully endorsing their past practices.