Charles Ellicott Commentary 2 Chronicles 35
Charles Ellicott Commentary
2 Chronicles 35
Charles Ellicott Commentary
2 Chronicles 35
"And Josiah kept a passover unto Jehovah in Jerusalem: and they killed the passover on the fourteenth [day] of the first month." — 2 Chronicles 35:1 (ASV)
Moreover. — And. The form of the Hebrew verb implies that this Passover was held after the renewal of the covenant; and 2 Kings 23:23 fixes the date precisely as the eighteenth year of king Josiah.
Kept. — Made (2 Chronicles 30:1).
On the fourteenth day of the first month. — In strict accordance with the law. Hezekiah’s Passover was irregular in point of time (2 Chronicles 30:2; 2 Chronicles 30:13).
"And he set the priests in their offices, and encouraged them to the service of the house of Jehovah." — 2 Chronicles 35:2 (ASV)
Set the priests in their charges. —Literally, over their wards (2 Chronicles 8:14). The king appointed them to discharge their proper duties in connection with the rite.
Encouraged them. —By exhortation and instruction. (See an instance in 2 Chronicles 29:5 and following).
"And he said unto the Levites that taught all Israel, that were holy unto Jehovah, Put the holy ark in the house which Solomon the son of David king of Israel did build; there shall no more be a burden upon your shoulders: now serve Jehovah your God, and his people Israel." — 2 Chronicles 35:3 (ASV)
The Levites that taught all Israel. —In the law (Nehemiah 8:7; compare also 2 Chronicles 17:8–9).
Which were holy to the Lord. —Separated to His service (Exodus 28:36, Holiness to the Lord, the inscription on Aaron’s mitre).
Put the holy ark in the house. —This command implies that the ark had been removed from its place in the inner sanctuary. The removal probably took place under Manasseh or his son, with the object of saving the sacred symbol from profanation. Or perhaps the repair of the Temple under Josiah had necessitated such a step. A third explanation takes the words in the sense of “Let the ark be, where it stands, in its proper place. Do not give a thought to your ancient function of bearing it about; but set your minds upon present duties.” This, however, is too artificial.
It shall not be a burden. —Literally, hearing on the shoulder is not for you. (Compare a similar statement in 1 Chronicles 23:26; Numbers 7:9; 1 Chronicles 15:2).
Serve now the Lord ... and his people. —In the manner indicated in 2 Chronicles 35:4–6.
"And he said unto the Levites that taught all Israel, that were holy unto Jehovah, Put the holy ark in the house which Solomon the son of David king of Israel did build; there shall no more be a burden upon your shoulders: now serve Jehovah your God, and his people Israel. And prepare yourselves after your fathers` houses by your courses, according to the writing of David king of Israel, and according to the writing of Solomon his son. And stand in the holy place according to the divisions of the fathers` houses of your brethren the children of the people, and [let there be for each] a portion of a fathers` house of the Levites. And kill the passover, and sanctify yourselves, and prepare for your brethren, to do according to the word of Jehovah by Moses." — 2 Chronicles 35:3-6 (ASV)
The king’s charge to the Levites.
"And prepare yourselves after your fathers` houses by your courses, according to the writing of David king of Israel, and according to the writing of Solomon his son." — 2 Chronicles 35:4 (ASV)
And prepare yourselves. — The pronoun should not be italicized, for the verb is niphal or reflexive, and not hiphil or causative, as the Hebrew vowel points wrongly suggest.
By the houses of your fathers. — According to your father-houses.
After your courses. — In your divisions, (See 1 Chronicles 13-26).
According to the writing of David ... Solomon his son. — Compare 1 Chronicles 28:19, where David refers to such a writing. The words seem to imply the existence of written memorials of the regulations of public worship, which David and Solomon instituted.
(“Writing of David” is k ĕthâb, a word only found in Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, Daniel and Esther. “Writing of Solomon” is miktab; see Exodus 32:16).
Jump to: