Commentators unanimously note that the text presents Pharaoh Neco's warning as genuinely 'from the mouth of God.' This highlights a key theological point: God is not limited in how He communicates His will. As Albert Barnes notes, God can use anyone, even a pagan king like Neco, to deliver a crucial message, similar to how He used Caiaphas in the New Testament. Josiah's tragedy was failing to recognize God's voice from an unexpected source.