22 And Hilkiah, H2518 and they that the king H4428 had appointed, went H3212 to Huldah H2468 the prophetess, H5031 the wife H802 of Shallum H7967 the son H1121 of Tikvath, H8616 H8445 the son H1121 of Hasrah, H2641 keeper H8104 of the wardrobe; H899 (now she dwelt H3427 in Jerusalem H3389 in the college:) H4932 and they spake H1696 to her to that effect.
And Miriam H4813 the prophetess, H5031 the sister H269 of Aaron, H175 took H3947 a timbrel H8596 in her hand; H3027 and all the women H802 went out H3318 after H310 her with timbrels H8596 and with dances. H4246
And Deborah, H1683 a prophetess, H5031 the wife H802 of Lapidoth, H3941 she judged H8199 Israel H3478 at that time. H6256
So Hilkiah H2518 the priest, H3548 and Ahikam, H296 and Achbor, H5907 and Shaphan, H8227 and Asahiah, H6222 went H3212 unto Huldah H2468 the prophetess, H5031 the wife H802 of Shallum H7967 the son H1121 of Tikvah, H8616 the son H1121 of Harhas, H2745 keeper H8104 of the wardrobe; H899 (now she dwelt H3427 in Jerusalem H3389 in the college;) H4932 and they communed H1696 with her.
And G2532 it came to pass, G1096 that, when G5613 Elisabeth G1665 heard G191 the salutation G783 of Mary, G3137 the babe G1025 leaped G4640 in G1722 her G846 womb; G2836 and G2532 Elisabeth G1665 was filled G4130 with the Holy G40 Ghost: G4151 And G2532 she spake out G400 with a loud G3173 voice, G5456 and G2532 said, G2036 Blessed G2127 art thou G4771 among G1722 women, G1135 and G2532 blessed G2127 is the fruit G2590 of thy G4675 womb. G2836 And G2532 whence G4159 is this G5124 to me, G3427 that G2443 the mother G3384 of my G3450 Lord G2962 should come G2064 to G4314 me? G3165 For, G1063 lo, G2400 as soon as G5613 the voice G5456 of thy G4675 salutation G783 sounded G1096 in G1519 mine G3450 ears, G3775 the babe G1025 leaped G4640 in G1722 my G3450 womb G2836 for G1722 joy. G20 And G2532 blessed G3107 is she that believed: G4100 for G3754 there shall be G2071 a performance G5050 of those things which were told G2980 her G846 from G3844 the Lord. G2962
And G2532 there was G2258 one Anna, G451 a prophetess, G4398 the daughter G2364 of Phanuel, G5323 of G1537 the tribe G5443 of Aser: G768 she G3778 G846 was of a great G4183 G1722 age, G2250 G4260 and had lived G2198 with G3326 an husband G435 seven G2033 years G2094 from G575 her G846 virginity; G3932
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible » Commentary on 2 Chronicles 34
Commentary on 2 Chronicles 34 Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
CHAPTER 34
2Ch 34:1, 2. Josiah's Good Reign.
1. Josiah was eight years old—(See on 2Ki 22:1). The testimony borne to the undeviating steadfastness of his adherence to the cause of true religion places his character and reign in honorable contrast with those of many of his royal predecessors.
2Ch 34:3-7. He Destroys Idolatry.
3. in the eighth year of his reign—This was the sixteenth year of his age, and, as the kings of Judah were considered minors till they had completed their thirteenth year, it was three years after he had attained majority. He had very early manifested the piety and excellent dispositions of his character. In the twelfth year of his reign, but the twentieth of his age, he began to take a lively interest in the purgation of his kingdom from all the monuments of idolatry which, in his father's short reign, had been erected. At a later period, his increasing zeal for securing the purity of divine worship led him to superintend the work of demolition in various parts of his dominion. The course of the narrative in this passage is somewhat different from that followed in the Book of Kings. For the historian, having made allusion to the early manifestation of Josiah's zeal, goes on with a full detail of all the measures this good king adopted for the extirpation of idolatry; whereas the author of the Book of Kings sets out with the cleansing of the temple, immediately previous to the celebration of the passover, and embraces that occasion to give a general description of Josiah's policy for freeing the land from idolatrous pollution. The exact chronological order is not followed either in Kings or Chronicles. But it is clearly recorded in both that the abolition of idolatry began in the twelfth and was completed in the eighteenth year of Josiah's reign. Notwithstanding Josiah's undoubted sincerity and zeal and the people's apparent compliance with the king's orders, he could not extinguish a strongly rooted attachment to idolatries introduced in the early part of Manasseh's reign. This latent predilection appears unmistakably developed in the subsequent reigns, and the divine decree for the removal of Judah, as well as Israel, into captivity was irrevocably passed.
4. the graves of them that had sacrificed unto them—He treated the graves themselves as guilty of the crimes of those who were lying in them [Bertheau].
5. he burnt the bones of the priests upon their altars—A greater brand of infamy could not have been put on idolatrous priests than the disinterment of their bones, and a greater defilement could not have been done to the altars of idolatry than the burning upon them the bones of those who had there officiated in their lifetime.
6. with their mattocks—or, "in their deserts"—so that the verse will stand thus: "And so did [namely, break the altars and burn the bones of priests] he in the cities of Manasseh, and Ephraim, and Simeon, even unto Naphtali, in their deserted suburbs." The reader is apt to be surprised on finding that Josiah, whose hereditary possessions were confined to the kingdom of Judah, exercised as much authority among the tribes of Ephraim, Manasseh, Simeon, and others as far as Naphtali, as he did within his own dominion. Therefore, it is necessary to observe that, after the destruction of Samaria by Shalmaneser, the remnant that continued on the mountains of Israel maintained a close intercourse with Judah, and looked to the sovereigns of that kingdom as their natural protectors. Those kings acquired great influence over them, which Josiah exercised in removing every vestige of idolatry from the land. He could not have done this without the acquiescence of the people in the propriety of this proceeding, conscious that this was conformable to their ancient laws and institutions. The Assyrian kings, who were now masters of the country, might have been displeased at the liberties Josiah took beyond his own territories. But either they were not informed of his doings, or they did not trouble themselves about his religious proceedings, relating, as they would think, to the god of the land, especially as he did not attempt to seize upon any place or to disturb the allegiance of the people [Calmet].
2Ch 34:8-18. He Repairs the Temple.
8. in the eighteenth year of his reign … he sent Shaphan—(See on 2Ki 22:3-9).
2Ch 34:19-33. And, Causing the Law to Be Read, Renews the Covenant between God and the People.
19. when the king had heard the words of the law, &c.—(See on 2Ki 22:11-20; 23:1-3).