16 And the priests H3548 went H935 into the inner part H6441 of the house H1004 of the LORD, H3068 to cleanse H2891 it, and brought out H3318 all the uncleanness H2932 that they found H4672 in the temple H1964 of the LORD H3068 into the court H2691 of the house H1004 of the LORD. H3068 And the Levites H3881 took H6901 it, to carry it out H3318 abroad H2351 into the brook H5158 Kidron. H6939
And thou shalt hang up H5414 the vail H6532 under the taches, H7165 that thou mayest bring H935 in thither within H1004 the vail H6532 the ark H727 of the testimony: H5715 and the vail H6532 shall divide H914 unto you between the holy H6944 place and the most H6944 holy. H6944 And thou shalt put H5414 the mercy seat H3727 upon the ark H727 of the testimony H5715 in the most H6944 holy H6944 place.
And the oracle H1687 he prepared H3559 in H8432 the house H1004 within, H6441 to set H5414 there the ark H727 of the covenant H1285 of the LORD. H3068 And the oracle H1687 in the forepart H6440 was twenty H6242 cubits H520 in length, H753 and twenty H6242 cubits H520 in breadth, H7341 and twenty H6242 cubits H520 in the height H6967 thereof: and he overlaid H6823 it with pure H5462 gold; H2091 and so covered H6823 the altar H4196 which was of cedar. H730
And the king H4428 commanded H6680 Hilkiah H2518 the high H1419 priest, H3548 and the priests H3548 of the second order, H4932 and the keepers H8104 of the door, H5592 to bring forth H3318 out of the temple H1964 of the LORD H3068 all the vessels H3627 that were made H6213 for Baal, H1168 and for the grove, H842 and for all the host H6635 of heaven: H8064 and he burned H8313 them without H2351 Jerusalem H3389 in the fields H7709 of Kidron, H6939 and carried H5375 the ashes H6083 of them unto Bethel. H1008 And he put down H7673 the idolatrous priests, H3649 whom the kings H4428 of Judah H3063 had ordained H5414 to burn incense H6999 in the high places H1116 in the cities H5892 of Judah, H3063 and in the places round about H4524 Jerusalem; H3389 them also that burned incense H6999 unto Baal, H1168 to the sun, H8121 and to the moon, H3394 and to the planets, H4208 and to all the host H6635 of heaven. H8064 And he brought out H3318 the grove H842 from the house H1004 of the LORD, H3068 without H2351 Jerusalem, H3389 unto the brook H5158 Kidron, H6939 and burned H8313 it at the brook H5158 Kidron, H6939 and stamped it small H1854 to powder, H6083 and cast H7993 the powder H6083 thereof upon the graves H6913 of the children H1121 of the people. H5971
And G2532 Jesus G2424 went G1525 into G1519 the temple G2411 of God, G2316 and G2532 cast out G1544 all them G3956 that sold G4453 and G2532 bought G59 in G1722 the temple, G2411 and G2532 overthrew G2690 the tables G5132 of the moneychangers, G2855 and G2532 the seats G2515 of them that sold G4453 doves, G4058 And G2532 said G3004 unto them, G846 It is written, G1125 My G3450 house G3624 shall be called G2564 the house G3624 of prayer; G4335 but G1161 ye G5210 have made G4160 it G846 a den G4693 of thieves. G3027
For G1063 there was G2680 a tabernacle G4633 made; G2680 the first, G4413 wherein G1722 G3739 G5037 was the candlestick, G3087 and G2532 the table, G5132 and G2532 the shewbread; G4286 G740 which G3748 is called G3004 the sanctuary. G39 And G1161 after G3326 the second G1208 veil, G2665 the tabernacle G4633 which G3588 is called G3004 the Holiest of all; G39 G39 Which had G2192 the golden G5552 censer, G2369 and G2532 the ark G2787 of the covenant G1242 overlaid G4028 round about G3840 with gold, G5553 wherein G1722 G3739 was the golden G5552 pot G4713 that had G2192 manna, G3131 and G2532 Aaron's G2 rod G4464 that budded, G985 and G2532 the tables G4109 of the covenant; G1242 And G1161 over G5231 it G846 the cherubims G5502 of glory G1391 shadowing G2683 the mercyseat; G2435 of G4012 which G3739 we cannot G3756 G2076 now G3568 speak G3004 particularly. G2596 G3313 Now G1161 when these things G5130 were G2680 thus G3779 ordained, G2680 the priests G2409 went G1524 always G1275 into G1519 G3303 the first G4413 tabernacle, G4633 accomplishing G2005 the service G2999 of God. But G1161 into G1519 the second G1208 went the high priest G749 alone G3441 once G530 every year, G1763 not G3756 without G5565 blood, G129 which G3739 he offered G4374 for G5228 himself, G1438 and G2532 for the errors G51 of the people: G2992 The Holy G40 Ghost G4151 this G5124 signifying, G1213 that the way G3598 into the holiest of all G39 was G5319 not yet G3380 made manifest, G5319 while as the first G4413 tabernacle G4633 was G2192 yet G2089 standing: G4714
It was therefore G3767 necessary G318 that the patterns G5262 of things G3303 in G1722 the heavens G3772 should be purified G2511 with these; G5125 but G1161 the heavenly things G2032 themselves G846 with better G2909 sacrifices G2378 than G3844 these. G5025 For G1063 Christ G5547 is G1525 not G3756 entered G1525 into G1519 the holy places G39 made with hands, G5499 which are the figures G499 of the true; G228 but G235 into G1519 heaven G3772 itself, G846 now G3568 to appear G1718 in the presence G4383 of God G2316 for G5228 us: G2257
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible » Commentary on 2 Chronicles 29
Commentary on 2 Chronicles 29 Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
CHAPTER 29
2Ch 29:1, 2. Hezekiah's Good Reign.
1. Hezekiah began to reign, &c.—(see on 2Ki 18:1). His mother's name, which, in 2Ki 18:2, appears in an abridged form, is here given in full.
2Ch 29:3-11. He Restores Religion.
3. in the first year of his reign, in the first month—not the first month after his accession to the throne, but in Nisan, the first month of the sacred year, the season appointed for the celebration of the passover.
he opened the doors of the house of the Lord—which had been closed up by his father (2Ch 28:24).
and repaired them—or embellished them (compare 2Ki 18:16).
4, 5. the east street—the court of the priests, which fronted the eastern gate of the temple. Assembling the priests and Levites there, he enjoined them to set about the immediate purification of the temple. It does not appear that the order referred to the removal of idols, for objects of idolatrous homage could scarcely have been put there, seeing the doors had been shut up [2Ch 29:3]; but in its forsaken and desolate state the temple and its courts had been polluted by every kind of impurity.
6, 7. our fathers have trespassed—Ahaz and the generation contemporary with him were specially meant, for they "turned away their faces from the habitation of the Lord," and whether or not they turned east to the rising sun, they abandoned the worship of God. They "shut up the doors of the porch," so that the sacred ritual was entirely discontinued.
8, 9. Wherefore the wrath of the Lord was upon Judah and Jerusalem—This pious king had the discernment to ascribe all the national calamities that had befallen the kingdom to the true cause, namely, apostasy from God. The country had been laid waste by successive wars of invasion, and its resources drained. Many families mourned members of their household still suffering the miseries of foreign captivity; all their former prosperity and glory had fled; and to what was this painful and humiliating state of affairs to be traced, but to the manifest judgment of God upon the kingdom for its sins?
10, 11. Now it is in mine heart to make a covenant with the Lord God—Convinced of the sin and bitter fruits of idolatry, Hezekiah intended to reverse the policy of his father, and to restore, in all its ancient purity and glory, the worship of the true God. His commencement of this resolution at the beginning of his reign attests his sincere piety. It also proves the strength of his conviction that righteousness exalteth a nation; for, instead of waiting till his throne was consolidated, he devised measures of national reformation at the beginning of his reign and vigorously faced all the difficulties which, in such a course, he had to encounter, after the people's habits had so long been moulded to idolatry. His intentions were first disclosed to this meeting of the priests and Levites—for the agency of these officials was to be employed in carrying them into effect.
2Ch 29:12-36. The House of God Cleansed.
12-19. Then the Levites arose—Fourteen chiefs undertook the duty of collecting and preparing their brethren for the important work of cleansing the Lord's house. Beginning with the outer courts—that of the priests and that of the people—the cleansing of these occupied eight days, after which they set themselves to purify the interior; but as the Levites were not allowed to enter within the walls of the temple, the priest brought all the sweepings out to the porch, where they were received by the Levites and thrown into the brook Kedron. This took eight days more. At the end of this period they repaired to the palace and announced that not only had the whole of the sacred edifice, within and without, undergone a thorough purification, but all the vessels which the late king had taken away and applied to a common use in his palace, had been restored, "and sanctified."
20-30. Then Hezekiah the king rose early, and gathered the rulers of the city—His anxiety to enter upon the expiatory service with all possible despatch, now that the temple had been properly prepared for it, prevented his summoning all the representatives of Israel. The requisite number of victims having been provided, and the officers of the temple having sanctified themselves according to the directions of the law, the priests were appointed to offer sacrifices of atonement successively, for "the kingdom," that is, for the sins of the king and his predecessors; for "the sanctuary," that is, for the sins of the priests themselves and for the desecration of the temple; "and for Judah," that is, for the people who, by their voluntary consent, were involved in the guilt of the national apostasy. Animals of the kinds used in sacrifice were offered by sevens, that number indicating completeness. The Levites were ordered to praise God with musical instruments, which, although not originally used in the tabernacle, had been enlisted in the service of divine worship by David on the advice of the prophets Gad and Nathan, as well calculated to animate the devotions of the people. At the close of the special services of the occasion, namely, the offering of atonement sacrifices, the king and all civic rulers who were present joined in the worship. A grand anthem was sung (2Ch 29:30) by the choir, consisting of some of the psalms of David and Asaph, and a great number of thank offerings, praise offerings, and freewill burnt offerings were presented at the invitation of the king.
31. Hezekiah … said, Now ye have consecrated yourselves unto the Lord, come near—This address was made to the priests as being now, by the sacrifice of the expiation offerings, anew consecrated to the service of God and qualified to resume the functions of their sacred office (Ex 28:41; 29:32).
the congregation brought in—that is, the body of civic rulers present.
34-36. the priests were too few, … wherefore their brethren the Levites did help them—The skins of beasts intended as peace offerings might be taken off by the officers, because, in such cases, the carcass was not wholly laid upon the altar; but animals meant for burnt offerings which were wholly consumed by fire could be flayed by the priests alone, not even the Levites being allowed to touch them, except in cases of unavoidable necessity (2Ch 35:11). The duty being assigned by the law to the priests (Le 1:6), was construed by consuetudinary practice as an exclusion of all others not connected with the Aaronic family.
for the Levites were more upright in heart to sanctify themselves than the priests—that is, displayed greater alacrity than the priests. This service was hastened by the irrepressible solicitude of the king. Whether it was that many of the priests, being absent in the country, had not arrived in time—whether from the long interruption of the public duties, some of them had relaxed in their wonted attentions to personal cleanliness, and had many preparations to make—or whether from some having participated in the idolatrous services introduced by Ahaz, they were backward in repairing to the temple—a reflection does seem to be cast upon their order as dilatory and not universally ready for duty (compare 2Ch 30:15). Thus was the newly consecrated temple reopened to the no small joy of the pious king and all the people.