XXIX. HEZEKIAH (chaps, 29-32.; 2 Kings 18-20); Chap. 29. LENGTH AND SPIRIT OF THE REIGN. THE SOLEMN PURGATION AND HALLOWING OF THE TEMPLE. (1) HEZEKIAH. — Heb., _Yĕhizqîyâhu,_ as if “Strong is Iahu.” 2 Kings writes _Hizkîyâh,_ “My strength is Iah;” Isaiah 27, _sqq., Hizkîyâhu._ The annals of Senn... [ Continue Reading ]
AND HE DID. — The verse is identical with 2 Kings 18:3.... [ Continue Reading ]
THE KING CHARGES THE LÉVITES, AND THEY CLEANSE THE HOUSE OF GOD (2 Chronicles 29:3). (3) IN THE FIRST MONTH — _i.e.,_ in the month Nisan, the first month of the sacred year; not in the first month of his reign. (Comp. 2 Chronicles 29:17 and 2 Chronicles 30:23.) OPENED THE DOORS. — Which his fathe... [ Continue Reading ]
BROUGHT IN. — _Caused to come._ THE EAST STREET. — _The eastern square_ or _open space of the East._ (Comp. Ezra 10:9; Nehemiah 8:1; Nehemiah 8:3; Nehemiah 8:16.) The place of meeting was probably an open area in front of the eastern gate of the sacred enclosure.... [ Continue Reading ]
HEAR ME. — 2 Chronicles 15:2; 2 Chronicles 20:15. SANCTIFY NOW YOURSELVES. — See Note on 1 Chronicles 15:12; 1 Chronicles 15:14. SANCTIFY THE HOUSE. — By removing all symbols of idolatry. CARRY FORTH THE FILTHINESS. — _Niddah_ denotes personal impurity (Leviticus 12:2; Ezekiel 18:6); and so anythi... [ Continue Reading ]
TRESPASSED. — _Dealt unfaithfully._ TURNED AWAY THEIR FACES FROM THE HABITATION OF THE LORD. — Comp. Jeremiah 2:27 : “They have turned their backs unto me, and not their faces.” (Comp. also Ezekiel 8:16.) TURNED THEIR BACKS. — Literally, _gave neck_ (_nathan ‘ôreph_)_;_ a phrase here used as equiv... [ Continue Reading ]
THE PORCH. — Of the holy place, or nave of the Temple; the only entrance to the two holy chambers. PUT OUT THE LAMPS. — Of the great golden stand, in the holy place. HAVE NOT BURNED INCENSE. — On the golden altar. Literally, _And incense they have not burned, and burnt offering they have not offer... [ Continue Reading ]
THE WRATH ... WAS (_i.e., fell_) UPON JUDAH. — The phrase of 2 Chronicles 24:18. (Comp. 2 Chronicles 19:2; 2 Chronicles 19:10.) DELIVERED THEM TO TROUBLE ... — Rather, _made them a horror, an astonishment, and a hissing._ The language is Deuteronomic. (Comp. Deuteronomy 28:25; Deuteronomy 28:37 : “T... [ Continue Reading ]
FOR. — _And._ (See 2 Chronicles 28:5; 2 Chronicles 28:8; 2 Chronicles 28:17 for what is here stated.)... [ Continue Reading ]
NOW IT IS IN MINE HEART. — See for this phrase and construction 1 Chronicles 22:7; 1 Chronicles 28:2; 2 Chronicles 6:7. TO MAKE A COVENANT WITH. — The preposition is _for._ (See Note on 2 Chronicles 21:7.) TURN AWAY. — Literally, _return_ (Isaiah 5:25). “That his fierce wrath may turn away from Is... [ Continue Reading ]
MY SONS. — A condescending term from the king; just as _my father_ was a term of respect (2 Kings 2:12; 2 Kings 5:13; 2 Kings 13:14). BE NOT NOW NEGLIGENT. — The _Niphal_ form of the verb _shalah_ (“to be at ease”) occurs nowhere else. The margin is incorrect. THE LORD HATH CHOSEN YOU. — _You hath... [ Continue Reading ]
MAHATH THE SON OF AMASAI. — The verse enumerates two members of each of the three great Levitical subtribes — Kohath, Merari, and Gershon. Mahath and Eden recur (2 Chronicles 31:13; 2 Chronicles 31:15). Kish ben Abdi and Joah ben Zimmah occurred (1 Chronicles 6:21; 1 Chronicles 6:44). They appear to... [ Continue Reading ]
(12-14) The names of the Levites who received the royal charge.... [ Continue Reading ]
THE SONS OF ELIZAPHAN. — Or, _Elzaphan,_ ben Uzziel ben Kohath (Exodus 6:18), who was prince of the bnê Kohath in the time of Moses (Numbers 3:30). Two of this leading house and two of the Gershonite Asaphites were also present.... [ Continue Reading ]
AND OF THE SONS OF HEMAN. — Two Levites of each of the remaining musical guilds — the Kohathite Hemanites and the Merarite bnê Jeduthun (Ethan) — are finally named, making up, with the preceding pairs, a total of seven pairs, or fourteen principal men of the Levitical order. (Comp. 1 Chronicles 6:18... [ Continue Reading ]
THEY GATHERED THEIR BRETHREN. — As chiefs, or heads of houses, they had the requisite authority. The families mostly concerned would naturally be those residing in Jerusalem. ACCORDING TO THE COMMANDMENT OF THE KING, BY THE WORDS OF THE LORD — _i.e.,_ through the words of Jehovah; a mandate based o... [ Continue Reading ]
THE PRIESTS WENT INTO THE INNER PART. — Ezekiel 41:3. The interior of the Temple proper is meant, which the Levites might not enter, but only the priests, according to the legal rule. BROUGHT OUT ALL THE UNCLEANNESS. — _Tum’ah_ (Leviticus 5:3; Judges 13:7). See the Note on the synonymous expression... [ Continue Reading ]
The time the work took. Beginning on the 1st of Nisan with the purification of the courts, they had cleansed them by the 8th of the month, and “came to the porch of the Lord,” _i.e.,_ to the entry of the holy place. The following eight days were spent in cleansing the two holy chambers, and by the 1... [ Continue Reading ]
THEY WENT IN. — Heb., _into the interior_ (_pĕnîmah, “_inner part” 2 Chronicles 29:16) of the palace. HEZEKIAH. — _Hizkiyahu._ So also in 2 Chronicles 29:27; but in 2 Chronicles 29:30, _Yehizkiyahu._ (See Note on 2 Chronicles 29:1.) THE ALTAR OF BURNT OFFERING. — Which Ahaz appears to have superse... [ Continue Reading ]
CAST AWAY. — The same word as “cast off” in 2 Chronicles 11:14. The vessels so treated were the brazer altar, the brazen sea, and the lavers on the stands (2 Kings 16:14; 2 Kings 16:17). IN HIS TRANSGRESSION. — _Unfaithfulness,_ or _apostasy._ HAVE WE PREPARED. — _Ordered aright,_ put to rights. ... [ Continue Reading ]
THE CONSECRATION SACRIFICES (2 Chronicles 29:20). (20) ROSE EARLY. — Comp. Psalms 5:3 : “Early in the j morning will I direct my prayer unto Thee.” GATHERED THE RULERS OF THE CITY. — Hezekiah assembled the chief men of Jerusalem, because there was no time to send out a general summons to the count... [ Continue Reading ]
SEVEN BULLOCKS... RAMS... LAMBS. — For a burnt offering (_‘ôlah_). See the legal prescriptions respecting the sin offering (Leviticus 4). On the present extraordinary occasion, an extraordinary sacrifice was offered. Balak and Balaam offered seven bullocks and seven rams as a burnt offering (Numbers... [ Continue Reading ]
RECEIVED THE BLOOD. — Caught it in bowls of sprinkling (Numbers 8:14). AND SPRINKLED IT ON THE ALTAR. — _Threw it against_ (literally, _towards_)_ the altar_ (Leviticus 8:19; Leviticus 8:24). LIKEWISE, WHEN. — _And they slaughtered the rams_... _and they slaughtered the lambs._ The three clauses o... [ Continue Reading ]
BROUGHT FORTH. — Rather, _brought near — viz.,_ to the altar. HE GOATS. — _Se ‘îrîm_ (“hairy ones”). A different term — _çëphîrê ‘izzîm, “_spring-bucks of goats” — was used in 2 Chronicles 29:21. This latter is properly an Aramean word, and only found in late Heb., _se ’îrîm_ being the classical te... [ Continue Reading ]
MADE RECONCILIATION WITH THEIR BLOOD UPON THE ALTAR. — Literally, _made sin offering of their blood._ (Comp. Leviticus 9:15.) The meaning may be seen by reference to Leviticus 4:30, _seq._ The priest dipped his finger in the blood of the victim and touched the horns of the altar with it, and then po... [ Continue Reading ]
HE SET. — _Stationed, appointed._ Hezekiah restored the ancient choral worship as established by David (1 Chronicles 23:5; 1 Chronicles 23:25). PSALTERIES. — _Nĕbâlîm,_ a kind of harp; Greek, νάβλα. νάβλίον. HARPS. — _Kinnôrôth._ Greek, κινύρα_,_ a sort of lyre, or cittern, or guitar. GAD ... NATH... [ Continue Reading ]
THE INSTRUMENTS OF DAVID. — See on 1 Chronicles 23:5. The writer’s interest in the musical portion of the Temple ritual receives one more illustration in these verses.... [ Continue Reading ]
COMMANDED TO OFFER THE BURNT OFFERING... ALTAR. — These words are repeated from 2 Chronicles 29:21, because all that comes between is descriptive of the preparations made for the due performance of the sacrifice. When the victims had been slain, flayed, and cut up, and the altar had been sprinkled w... [ Continue Reading ]
WORSHIPPED. — _Were worshipping._ LXX. προσεκύνει. THE SINGERS. — Heb., _the song._ So we might say “_the music_ was playing;” or even “the song was singing,” _i.e.,_ being sung. THE TRUMPETERS SOUNDED. — _And the clarions were blowing_ (literally, _clarioning_). The participle is masculine, altho... [ Continue Reading ]
OF OFFERING. — Scil., _the burnt offering,_ as the verb implies. BOWED THEMSELVES. — Rather, _bowed the knee_ (_kara’_). (Isaiah 45:23; 1 Kings 19:18.)... [ Continue Reading ]
WITH THE WORDS OF DAVID, AND OF ASAPH. — Heb., _in the words._ This appears to mean that the singing (2 Chronicles 29:28) consisted in chanting Davidic and Asaphite psalms, and it is usually so explained. But the expression “in the words of David and of Asaph” may be compared with “in the words of J... [ Continue Reading ]
THE CONSECRATION COMPLETED BY ADDITIONAL SACRIFICES (2 Chronicles 29:31). (31) ANSWERED AND SAID. — See 1 Chronicles 12:17. The phrase is used as we should use it in Exodus 4:1; 2 Kings 7:13. YE HAVE CONSECRATED... — Literally, _ye have filled your hand for Jehovah,_ a phrase used of the consecrat... [ Continue Reading ]
THE CONSECRATED THINGS. — That is, the victims for the thank-offerings. (2 Chronicles 35:13.)... [ Continue Reading ]
FLAY ALL THE BURNT OFFERINGS. — In private offerings this was done by the worshipper himself (Leviticus 1:6). In national sacrifices it appears to have been the duty of the priests. DID HELP THEM. — See margin; and Ezra 6:22. UNTIL THE OTHER PRIESTS HAD SANCTIFIED. — _Began to sanctify themselves,... [ Continue Reading ]
AND ALSO THE BURNT OFFERINGS WERE IN ABUNDANCE. — Another reason why the Levites helped the priests: the latter were so much occupied with the actual service of the altar. THE FAT OF THE PEACE (_thank_) OFFERINGS — which had to be burned upon the burnt offerings (Leviticus 3:5; Leviticus 6:5). AND... [ Continue Reading ]
AND HEZEKIAH REJOICED. — So of David and his people (1 Chronicles 29:9; 1 Chronicles 29:22). (Comp. also 2 Chronicles 7:10.) THAT GOD HAD PREPARED. — In the Hebrew the _article_ is used instead of the _relative:_ a construction characteristic of the chronicler (1 Chronicles 26:28). Render: “And Heze... [ Continue Reading ]