מלכים ב, פרק כ״ג, פסוק י״ח

King Josiah issues a strict order to leave the grave of the holy man of God completely undisturbed. Because of his profound respect for the holy man, the king commands his men not to move or touch the remains. This decisive instruction to protect a sacred resting place ultimately leads to the unintended rescue of other bones buried in the exact same location.

Along with the holy man, the remains of another prophet—one who originally came from Samaria—are also spared. The primary approach among commentators is that this second figure is the old, false prophet who resided in Bethel. Years earlier, this older prophet had lured the man of God from Judah and later requested to be buried right beside him in the same grave.

The false prophet's remains are preserved for one reason only: their close physical proximity to the holy man. Because the two men were buried together, King Josiah and his workers are unable to tell their bones apart. Afraid that they might mistakenly disturb the remains of the true man of God, the men choose to leave the adjacent bones alone as well. By doing so, they avoid making any contact with the grave entirely, leaving both sets of remains untouched.