John Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible.
John Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible.
2 Chronicles 30:1
INTRODUCTION TO 2 CHRONICLES 30
Hezekiah having consulted his nobles about keeping the passover the second month, and determined upon it, sent messengers throughout Israel and Judah, to acquaint them with it, at which some mocked, and others seriously attended to it, 2Ch 30:1 so it was celebrated in a solemn manner, though some were not qualified for it according to the law, and for whose pardon Hezekiah prayed, and it was granted, 2Ch 30:13, also the feast of unleavened bread was kept seven days, and a festival of seven days more was likewise observed with great joy and gladness, 2Ch 30:21.
Ver. 1. And Hezekiah sent to all Israel and Judah,.... Sent messengers to them, not only to the subjects of his own kingdom, Judah, but to all the Israelites that dwelt in it, who were come thither for the sake of religion, and the worship of God:
and wrote letters also to Ephraim and Manasseh; which are put for all the ten tribes, as appears from 2Ch 30:10 and are distinguished from Israel in the preceding clause:
that they should come to the house of the Lord at Jerusalem; not that he laid his commands upon them to come, they not being his subjects, namely, those of the ten tribes; but he hereby admonished them of their duty, and gave them a kind invitation, signifying the doors of the temple were open for them, and they were welcome to come thither:
to keep the passover unto the Lord God of Israel; to the glory of his name, who was the common Lord of them all, and whose command it was to keep the passover, and that at Jerusalem, and nowhere else, see
De 16:1.
2 Chronicles 30:2
Ver. 2. For the king had taken counsel, and his princes, and all the congregation in Jerusalem,.... He and his nobles, and the great sanhedrim or senate of the nation, had consulted together:
to keep the passover in the second month; in the month Ijar, as the Targum, because they could not keep it in the first month, as it should have been kept, according to the law of God, for the reasons following.
2 Chronicles 30:3
Ver. 3. For they could not keep it at the time,.... In the month Nisan, as the Targum adds, on the fourteenth day of the month, as the law enjoined, because the cleansing of the temple was not finished until the sixteenth day, see 2Ch 29:17 and, besides this, two other reasons follow:
because the priests had not sanctified themselves sufficiently; that is, a sufficient number of them were not sanctified, to slay all the passover lambs the people that came to the feast would want:
neither had the people gathered themselves together to Jerusalem; they had no notice of it, nor summons for it; and it was required that, at such a time, all the males in the land should appear at Jerusalem; but this custom having been long disused, it required time to acquaint them of the revival of it.
2 Chronicles 30:4
Ver. 4. And the thing pleased the king, and all the congregation. They all unanimously agreed to it, and determined it should be done.
2 Chronicles 30:5
Ver. 5. So they established a decree, to make proclamation throughout all Israel,.... Passed a vote, that heralds should be appointed and sent to proclaim it throughout the land, that all might know it, and none plead ignorance:
from Beersheba even to Dan; the one being the southern and the other the northern boundary of the whole land of Israel:
that they should come to keep the passover unto the Lord God of Israel at Jerusalem: the only proper place where it was to be kept:
for they had not done it of a long time in such sort as it was written; as prescribed in the law those of the ten tribes had not observed it from the time of the schism of Jeroboam, and many in the kingdom of Judah had neglected it, at least had not kept it as the law required; for the phrase which we render "of a long time" rather respects a multitude of persons than length of time, who had been very deficient in their observance of this ordinance; the Targum is, that
"many had not done it in its time, in Nisan,''
and suggests that it was kept twice this year, first in Nisan by a few, and now again in the second month Ijar, and which is the sense of some Talmudic writers {p}, but has no foundation in the text.
{p} T. Bab. Sanhedrin, fol. 12. 2.
2 Chronicles 30:6
Ver. 6. So the posts went with the letters from the king and his princes throughout all Israel and Judah,.... Both through the kingdoms of the ten tribes of Israel, and the kingdom of the two tribes of Judah and Benjamin:
and according to the commandment of the king, saying; so they were ordered by the king to say, when they delivered the letters which by the king's commandment they carried; or this was the purport of them, as follows, especially of those that were sent to the ten tribes:
ye children of Israel, turn again unto the Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel; from whom they had revolted, and from whose worship they had departed, by setting up and serving the calves at Dan and Bethel:
and he will return to the remnant of you that are escaped out of the hand of the king of Assyria; Pul and Tiglathpileser, who had both invaded their land, and the latter had taken many of their cities, and carried the inhabitants captive, 2Ki 15:19.
2 Chronicles 30:7
Ver. 7. And be not ye like your fathers, and like your brethren, which trespassed against the Lord God of their fathers,.... By worshipping the calves, and neglecting the service of God in the temple at Jerusalem; the Targum is,
"which acted deceitfully with the Word of the Lord their God:''
who therefore gave them up to desolation, as ye see; some part of the land of Israel being already made desolate by the kings of Assyria, which was very visible.
2 Chronicles 30:8
Ver. 8. Now be ye not stiffnecked, as your fathers were,.... Obstinate and refractory, like heifers unaccustomed to the yoke, which draw back from it, and will not submit to it:
but yield yourselves unto the Lord; be subject unto him, or "give the hand" {q} to him, as a token of subjection and homage, or of entering into covenant with him, promising for the future to serve and obey him:
and enter into his sanctuary, which he hath sanctified for ever; set apart for worship and service, until the Messiah should come:
and serve the Lord your God; there, in the temple, according to his prescribed will:
that the fierceness of his wrath may turn away from you; which had already broke out, in suffering the Assyrians to invade their land, and distress them.
{q} dy wnt "date manum", Pagninus, Montanus, &c.
2 Chronicles 30:9
Ver. 9. For if ye turn again unto the Lord,.... To the fear or worship of the Lord, as the Targum:
your brethren and your children shall find compassion before them that lead them captive, so that they shall come again into this land; who had been carried away by Tiglathpileser, see Ps 106:46,
for the Lord your God is gracious and merciful; so he had proclaimed his name, as they must know, Ex 34:6,
and will not turn away his face from you; in wrath and anger; or withdraw his Shecaniah from you, as the Targum; his gracious and glorious presence:
if ye return unto him; his fear and worship, as the same paraphrase.
2 Chronicles 30:10
Ver. 10. So the posts passed from city to city, through the country of Ephraim and Manasseh, even unto Zebulun,.... Through all the ten tribes, not being hindered or forbid by Hoshea king of Israel, who was one of the best of their kings, and was very willing his people should go and worship at Jerusalem if they thought fit; so that they had no excuse to make, as before, that they were forbid by their king going thither; and which it is very probable Hezekiah knew, and therefore took the freedom to send posts throughout his kingdom:
but they laughed them to scorn, and mocked them; the messengers that brought the letters, the contents of which they despised, and paid no regard to; this was the behaviour of many, and probably of the greater part, but not of all, as follows.
2 Chronicles 30:11
Ver. 11. Nevertheless, divers of Asher, and Manasseh, and of Zebulun, humbled themselves,.... Confessed their idolatries and impieties, and expressed sorrow and repentance for them, and were willing to obey the commands of God, and attend his worship and ordinances:
and came to Jerusalem; to keep the passover.
2 Chronicles 30:12
Ver. 12. Also in Judah the hand of God was to give them one heart,.... To make them unanimous in this service, hearty and willing to it, to a man, which was owing to the power and efficacy of divine grace:
to do the commandment of the king and of the princes, by the word of the Lord; to keep the passover, which they did not only in obedience to their superiors, and their orders, but considering these as agreeable to the word and will of God.
2 Chronicles 30:13
Ver. 13. And there assembled at Jerusalem much people,.... Out of the several tribes:
to keep the feast of unleavened bread: the passover, which was eaten with unleavened bread:
in the second month: the month Ijar:
a very great congregation; such as had not been seen on such an occasion for many years.
2 Chronicles 30:14
Ver. 14. And they arose,.... Before they slew and ate the passover:
and took away the altars that were in Jerusalem; which Ahaz had set up in every corner of Jerusalem, to offer sacrifices upon, 2Ch 28:24
and all the altars for incense took they away; for as there were some to offer sacrifices on, there were others to burn incense upon, not to the Lord, but to idols, as the Targum adds:
and cast them into the brook Kidron; having reduced them to dust and ashes, see 2Ch 29:16.
2 Chronicles 30:15
Ver. 15. Then they killed the passover on the fourteenth day of the second month,.... For though they could not keep it in the month in which it should have been kept, for the reasons before given, yet they kept it on the day of the month in which it was observed:
and the priests and the Levites were ashamed; of their negligence and backwardness to service, and to fit themselves for it, when they saw the people so forward and ready to attend to it:
and they sanctified themselves; by washing their bodies and their garments:
and brought in the burnt offerings into the house of the Lord; to be offered up on the altar of burnt offerings, to expiate their own sins, and the sins of the people; though some take these to be the passover offerings; but they were not offered until the fifteenth day, and besides were peace offerings, mentioned 2Ch 30:22, rather these were the daily sacrifices.
2 Chronicles 30:16
Ver. 16. And they stood in their place after their manner, according to the law of Moses the man of God,.... The priests in their place, and the Levites in theirs, in which they were ordered to stand when they offered sacrifice:
the priests sprinkled the blood, which they received of the hand of the Levites; the blood either of the burnt offerings before mentioned, or of the passover lambs, which the Levites slew, and received the blood of them in basins; and which the priests took of them, and sprinkled, not on the door posts of houses, as in Egypt, but on the altar round about, and which none but priests might do, Le 1:5.
2 Chronicles 30:17
Ver. 17. For there were many in the congregation that were not sanctified,.... Or purified from uncleanness, contracted either by idolatry, or through such things which, according to the ceremonial law, made them unclean, and from which they had not now time to cleanse themselves according to the law:
therefore the Levites had the charge of the killing of the passovers for everyone that was not clean, to sanctify them unto the Lord; this they did for the masters of families, who were ceremonially unclean, who otherwise might have killed their passover lambs themselves, see
Ex 12:6, but now the Levites did it for them, that their passovers might be sanctified and consecrated to the Lord; for, as Philo the Jew says {r}, one day in a year the whole sacrificed, everyone acted as a priest, and brought and slew his own sacrifice, meaning at the passover.
{r} De Vita Mosis, l. 3. p. 686. & de Decalogo, p. 766.
2 Chronicles 30:18
Ver. 18. For a multitude of the people, even many of Ephraim and Manasseh, Issachar and Zebulun,.... All which were of the ten tribes, where idolatry had prevailed for a long time:
had not cleansed themselves; from impurity contracted by idolatry and other things:
yet did they eat the passover otherwise than it was written; because they ate it in their uncleanness, which was not according to the law, that required that such should be clean that ate of any holy things, see Joh 18:28 but since these people came a great way off, and there was no deferring it to another month, the king chose rather they should be admitted to eat of it, though in their uncleanness:
but Hezekiah prayed for them, saying, the good Lord pardon everyone; God, who is gracious and merciful, and of his goodness, grace, and mercy, forgive such who, though ceremonially unclean, ate of the passover, and especially since they were sincere and cordial in their services; and therefore he hoped that this breach of the ceremonial law would not be laid to their charge. Goodness is such a well known attribute of God, that the very Heathens ascribe it to their deities; hence we read of a temple of the "good god", the gods being the givers of good things to men; Jupiter, or Jove, the supreme god, is supposed to be meant {s}.
{s} Pausan. Arcadica, sive, l. 8. p. 513. Vid. Ciceronem de Nat. Deor. l. 3. prope finem.
2 Chronicles 30:19
Ver. 19. That prepareth his heart to seek God, the Lord God of his fathers,.... Who was heartily desirous of worshipping God, and observing his ordinances, which had been enjoined their fathers, and they had kept; though Aben Ezra, as Kimchi observes, refers this to Hezekiah,
whose whole heart he directed, or prepared to seek the Lord, &c. by prayer and supplication for everyone of the said persons:
though he be not cleansed according to the purification of the sanctuary: according to the ceremonial law, which the service of the temple required; since, though they were attended with a ceremonial impurity, had a moral purity, and their hearts were right with God.
2 Chronicles 30:20
Ver. 20. And the Lord hearkened to Hezekiah,.... Heard his prayer, and accepted of it, and granted what he desired:
and healed his people; that is, forgave their sins, as Kimchi interprets it; forgiveness being expressed by healing, for which he refers to Ps 41:4 to which may be added Ps 103:3 and which was known either by a prophet sent to declare it, or by not punishing them for their offence.
2 Chronicles 30:21
Ver. 21. And the children of Israel that were present at Jerusalem kept the feast of unleavened bread seven days with great gladness,.... Which, according to the law of Moses, were always to follow the passover, Ex 12:18
and the Levites and the priests praised the Lord day by day, singing with loud instruments unto the Lord; or instruments of strength {t}; so called not from the matter of them, or manner in which they were made, but either from the sound of them, as our version, or from the strength and power of God, which they set forth in praise; the Targum is,
"with instruments of praise,''
and so the word is sometimes used, see Ps 8:2 compared with
Mt 21:16, the priests blew with trumpets, and the Levites played on harps, psalteries, &c. and this they did every day when the sacrifices were offered, during the seven days of unleavened bread.
{t} ze ylkb "cum instrumentis fortitudinis", Vatablus.
2 Chronicles 30:22
Ver. 22. And Hezekiah spake comfortably to all the Levites,.... Or "to the heart" {u} of them, such things as were very encouraging to them to go on in the work and worship of God, commending their singing, exhorting them to diligence in instructing the people, promising them his favour and protection:
even those that taught the good knowledge of the Lord; who instructed the people well in his word, worship, and ordinances; though some restrain this to their skill in singing the praises of God, both vocally and instrumentally, and their abilities and diligence in teaching others:
and they did eat throughout the feast: or did eat the feast; that is, the sacrifices of it; not the Levites only, but the king, and all the congregation:
offering peace offerings; part of which belonged to the Lord, another part to the priests, and a third to the offerers, on which they feasted with their friends; and this they did throughout all the seven days of the feast:
and making confession to the Lord God of their fathers; confessing their sins of omission and commission they had been guilty of; owning the goodness, grace, and mercy of God towards them; blessing and praising his name for the restoration of his worship and ordinances among them.
{u} bl le "ad cor", Pagninus, Montanus, &c.
2 Chronicles 30:23
Ver. 23. And the whole assembly took counsel to keep other seven days,.... They consulted among themselves, and with the king and his nobles about it, who all agreed to it:
and they kept other seven days with gladness; not altogether in the same manner they had kept the preceding seven days; they did not slay and eat passover lambs, nor did they eat unleavened bread, but offered peace offerings, and feasted upon them; and sung the praises of God, and attended to the instructions of the priests and Levites, being in a very agreeable frame of mind for religious exercises.
2 Chronicles 30:24
Ver. 24. For Hezekiah king of Judah did give to the congregation one thousand bullocks, and seven thousand sheep,.... He separated them, as Kimchi interprets it, from his own herds and flocks; or out of his own substance, at his own expense purchased them; or lifted them up, as the word signifies, as heave offerings to the Lord; and gave them to the people for thank offerings to feast upon:
and the princes gave to the congregation one thousand bullocks, and ten thousand sheep: for the same purposes, following the king's example:
and a great number of priests sanctified themselves; besides those who had before, that they might be fit to offer this great number of sacrifices.
2 Chronicles 30:25
Ver. 25. And all the congregation of Judah, with the priests and Levites,.... The people that were gathered together out of the several cities of Judah, which no doubt was the largest congregation, with whom the priests and Levites are joined, as being of that kingdom, and dwellers in Jerusalem, where their office lay:
and all the congregation that came out of Israel; out of the ten tribes, particularly Ephraim, Manasseh, Issachar, and Zebulun, 2Ch 30:18, and the strangers that came out of the land of Israel, and that dwelt in Judah, rejoiced; the proselytes, even such as were circumcised, who ate of the passover, and kept the feast of unleavened bread, as well as the other days of rejoicing, the former of which none might partake of but circumcised persons; and it can hardly be thought that any other would come out of Israel on such an occasion, see
Ex 12:48.
2 Chronicles 30:26
Ver. 26. So there was great joy in Jerusalem,.... Not merely carnal, expressed in eating and drinking, and making merry with one another, but spiritual, on account of the restoration of temple service, and the feasts of the Lord:
for since the time of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel, there was not the like in Jerusalem; not the like joy, so spiritual, sincere, and hearty; nor such a number of persons rejoicing together on such an occasion; nor for so many days together, which were as many as at the dedication of the temple by Solomon.
2 Chronicles 30:27
Ver. 27. Then the priests the Levites arose,.... The priests who were of the tribe of Levi; for there were some in Israel that were not, but were made of any of the people, as in the times of Jeroboam; though some supply the copulative "and"; so the Targum: "and blessed the people"; which was the proper work and business of the priests to do; though, while they were blessing, the Levites might be singing:
and their voice was heard; meaning not by the people, though undoubtedly it was, but by the Lord; the Targum is,
"their prayer was heard or received;''
for the blessing was delivered in a petitionary way, Nu 6:24, and was no other than a request that God would bless them, which he did:
and their prayer came up to his holy dwellingplace, even unto heaven; see Ps 3:4 by what means it was known their prayer was heard and accepted cannot be said; there might be some visible token of it, as the people were dismissed, and departed.
John Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible.
2 Chronicles 31:1
INTRODUCTION TO 2 CHRONICLES 31
This chapter begins with the destruction of idolatrous worship, the appointment of the courses of the priests and Levites, and the royal bounty for sacrifices, 2Ch 31:1, next follows the order Hezekiah gave, that the people at Jerusalem, and throughout the land, should make the proper provision for the priests and Levites, as the law directed; and which was cheerfully complied with, and the firstfruits and tithes were brought in, in great abundance, insomuch that there was enough, and plenty left, 2Ch 31:4, wherefore chambers were prepared in the temple to lay it up in, and persons appointed to be the overseers of it, and to distribute it faithfully to their brethren and their families, to small and great, 2Ch 31:11, and the chapter is closed in praise of the works of Hezekiah, and the success that attended him, 2Ch 31:20.
Ver. 1. Now when all this was finished,.... The temple cleansed, the priests and Levites sanctified, the passover and feast of unleavened bread observed, and other seven days of rejoicing kept:
all Israel that were present went out to the cities of Judah, and brake the images in pieces, and cut down the groves, and threw down the high places and the altars out of all Judah and Benjamin; which had been erected by Ahaz, 2Ch 28:2 at or about this time also the brasen serpent was broke to pieces, 2Ki 18:4,
in Ephraim also and Manasseh, until they had utterly destroyed them all; which must be understood of such cities in those tribes that had been taken in former times by the kings of Judah from the kings of Israel; or such as were now in the hands of the Assyrians, who might not concern themselves in matters of religion; or this might be done at the connivance of Hoshea king of Israel, who had no regard to any other idolatry than the worship of the calves; and besides, having met with trouble from the Assyrians, and fearing more, might be willing to have his kingdom cleared of idolatry, in hope the divine displeasure would be removed:
then all the children of Israel returned every man to his possession into their own cities; and not till then, when all monuments of idolatry were removed.
2 Chronicles 31:2
Ver. 2. And Hezekiah appointed the courses of the priests, and the Levites after their courses,.... As they were fixed by David, and were in the times of Jehoshaphat, and had been since interrupted, and which Hezekiah now restored, and placed them in their regular order:
every man according to his service, the priests and Levites for burnt offerings, and for peace offerings, to minister and to give thanks, and to praise in the gates of the tents of the Lord; or camp of the Lord, where they were posted, and lay as an host encamped, to keep the watch of the house of the Lord; the priests, they were appointed to offer the sacrifices of every sort; the Levites to minister to them in what they needed and required of them, and others of them to be singers in time of service, and others to be porters at the gate.
2 Chronicles 31:3
Ver. 3. He appointed also the king's portion of his substance,.... Out of his own treasury, of his royal bounty, over and above what was usual for kings to give for their own sacrifices, the treasury of the temple being exhausted, and the people being brought into low circumstances in the last reign:
for the burnt offerings, [to wit], for the morning and evening burnt offerings; the daily sacrifice offered morning and evening, which had been neglected, but now revived:
and the burnt offerings for the sabbaths, and for the new moons, and for the set feasts; when beside the daily sacrifice there were additional ones: as it is written in the law of the Lord; in
Nu 28:9.
2 Chronicles 31:4
Ver. 4. Moreover, he commanded the people that dwelt in Jerusalem to give the portion of the priests and the Levites,.... What was assigned unto them by the law of God by tithes, firstfruits, &c.
that they might be encouraged in the law of the Lord; in the study of it; that they might gain greater knowledge of it themselves, and be better able to instruct the people, which of late had been much neglected; and that they might be more at leisure for such service, and be free from all worldly business, care, and distraction of mind, was the design of this edict.
2 Chronicles 31:5
Ver. 5. And as soon as the commandment came abroad,.... Not only was published in the city of Jerusalem, but the report of it, or rather that itself, was spread throughout the cities of Judah:
the children of Israel brought in abundance the firstfruits of corn, wine, and oil, and honey; the three first of these are expressed in the law, De 18:4 but not honey; wherefore the Targum here, and the Jewish writers in general, interpret it of the "dubsa" of the palm tree, as they call it, the fruit and liquor of that, which is of a sweet taste, and which the Scenite Arabs called "dabusa", as Pliny {w} from Juba relates; for so it should be read, and not "dabulan" or "dablan", as in some copies: but though honey was forbid to be used in sacrifice, it was not forbidden to be eaten; and as the land of Judea abounded with honey, properly so called, the priests might have the firstfruits of that as of other liquors; See Gill on "De 8:8",
and of all the increase of the field; of the trees of it, vines, fig trees, pomegranates, &c. as Kimchi;
and the tithe of all things; even of herbs, as the same writer, and so the Talmud {x}, which were free from tithes by the law, see Mt 23:23,
brought they in abundantly; even of all that their vineyards, oliveyards, and fields produced.
{w} Nat. Hist. l. 13. c. 4. {x} T. Bab. Nedarim, fol. 55. 1.
2 Chronicles 31:6
Ver. 6. And concerning the children of Israel and Judah, that dwelt in the cities of Judah,.... As for the supplement "concerning", I see no need of it; the sense is, that when the king's edict was known by the inhabitants of the cities in the country, as well as at Jerusalem:
they also brought in the tithes of oxen, and sheep; according to the law in Le 27:32
and the tithe of holy things, which were consecrated unto the Lord their God; which Jarchi understands of the second tithe the Levites were to give to the priests; but Kimchi of things consecrated to sacred uses, and no longer for their own, and which were even free from tithing:
and laid them by heaps: heaps upon heaps, such large quantities were brought in.
2 Chronicles 31:7
Ver. 7. In the third month they began to lay the foundation of the heaps..... The month Sivan, as the Targum, in which month was the feast of Pentecost, called the feast of the harvest, Ex 23:16, for then barley harvest was ended, and wheat harvest began, and the firstfruits were brought:
and finished them in the seventh month; the month Tisri, as the Targum, in which was the feast of tabernacles, sometimes called the feast of ingathering, of the fruits of the earth, the wine, oil, &c. and so a proper time for bringing the tithes of all.
2 Chronicles 31:8
Ver. 8. And when Hezekiah and the princes came and saw the heaps,.... Of the tithes and firstfruits:
they blessed the Lord; for the great increase of the fruits of the earth, and for making the people so willing to bring in the dues to the priests and Levites:
and his people Israel; wished all happiness and prosperity to them, being found in the way of their duty.
2 Chronicles 31:9
Ver. 9. Then Hezekiah questioned with the priests and the Levites concerning the heaps. How they came to be so large, or why they let them lie where they did.
2 Chronicles 31:10
Ver. 10. And Azariah the chief priest of the house of Zadok answered him,.... Who was the high priest of the family of Eleazar, in the line of Zadok, made high priest in Solomon's time, when Abiathar was thrust out; Jarchi takes him to be the same Azariah that was in the days of Uzziah, 2Ch 26:17,
and said, since the people began to bring the offerings into the house of the Lord we have had enough to eat, and have left plenty; which were now four mouths since; and the priests and Levites, and their families, had partaken of them, and eat to satiety, and yet there was great plenty remaining:
for the Lord hath blessed his people: the Targum is,
"the Word of the Lord has blessed them,''
given them large crops this year, and a ready willing mind to bring in what is due for the service of the temple:
and that which is left is this great store; the heaps the king and princes saw, and inquired about; or what is left is for the great multitude of the priests and Levites, and their families, both at Jerusalem, and in the cities in the country; so Kimchi interprets it.
2 Chronicles 31:11
Ver. 11. Then Hezekiah commanded to prepare chambers in the house of the Lord,.... Either to build new ones, or fit up those that were built:
and they prepared [them]; got them ready to lay up the stores in.
2 Chronicles 31:12
Ver. 12. And brought in the offerings, and the tithes, and the dedicated things, faithfully,.... Kept nothing back for their own private use, but faithfully delivered in and laid up the whole that was brought which remained; this was done by the priests and Levites, in whose hands and care they were:
over which Cononiah the Levite was ruler, and Shimei his brother was the next; these two had the charge and care of the whole, the one as deputy to the other.
2 Chronicles 31:13
Ver. 13. And Jehiel, and Azaziah, and Nahath, and Asahel, and Jerimoth, and Jozabad, and Eliel, and Ismachiah, and Mahath, and Benaiah, were overseers under the hand of Cononiah and Shimei his brother,.... These ten were assistants to the other two, were under them, and at their command, and were to be ready at hand to do what they should order and direct them:
at the commandment of Hezekiah the king, and Azariah the ruler of the house of God; these were fixed in their post under the other two by the king and the high priest, to whom also the other two were accountable.
2 Chronicles 31:14
Ver. 14. And Kore the son of Imnah the Levite, the porter towards the east,.... At the east gate of the temple; see 1Ch 26:17
was over the freewill offerings of God, to distribute the oblations of the Lord; to the priests and Levites, for whose use they were; or to deliver out the fine flour, oil, and wine, and frankincense, for the meat and drink offerings:
and the most holy things; which belonged to the priests only to eat of, as the remainder of the meat offerings, the sin and trespass offerings, and the shewbread.
2 Chronicles 31:15
Ver. 15. And next to him were Eden and Mijamin, and Jeshua, and Shemaiah, Amariah, and Shecaniah,.... As Kore was the principal, and his business lay chiefly with the priests in the temple, and in Jerusalem, these men under him were employed in distributing to the priests,
in the cities of the priests; in the several parts of the country:
in their set office; or faithfully:
to give to their brethren by courses, as well to the great as to the small; to communicate of the stores under their hands, according to their several courses, both priests and Levites, and to all in their families, small and great.
2 Chronicles 31:16
Ver. 16. Beside their genealogy of males, from three years old and upwards,.... Their office was not only to give to the priests, but to those of their males in their genealogy, who were three years old and upwards; for under that age, according to Kimchi, they were not fit to come into the temple; nor have they knowledge to keep what is put into their hands; nor fit to handle offerings, lest they should defile them; but at that age they might be taught how to hold them, and be used to it; but as for females, he says, they were not admitted at any age:
even unto everyone that entereth into the house of the Lord; of the said age, and in the genealogy and register of the priests:
his daily portion for their service in their charges, according to their courses; food for every day, in consideration of their service in their several wards, according to their courses in turn.
2 Chronicles 31:17
Ver. 17. Both to the genealogy of the priests by the house of their fathers,.... As to the priests registered according to their families from the age before observed, a portion was given: so to the Levites,
from twenty years old and upward, in their charges, by their courses; for though originally they were not admitted into the tabernacle till twenty five years of age, nor to officiate till thirty, but in David's time they were allowed at twenty years of age and upwards, 1Ch 23:24.
2 Chronicles 31:18
Ver. 18. And to the genealogy of all their little ones, their wives, and their sons, and their daughters, through all the congregation,.... These were all genealogized and registered, wives and children, sons and daughters, whether small or grown up; and a portion was distributed to them according to their number, greater or lesser:
for in their set office they sanctified themselves in holiness; which is to be understood either of the overseers, who, in their set office, faithfully distributed the holy things to the persons before described; or else to the priests, and Levites, to whom, and to whose families, the distribution was made, because they wholly devoted themselves to the holy service of God.
2 Chronicles 31:19
Ver. 19. Also of the sons of Aaron the priests, which were in the fields of the suburbs of their cities, in every several city,.... Which were allowed to them out of the several tribes, and where they dwelt, when it was not the turn of their course to officiate in the temple; now to these, as well as to those in Jerusalem, a portion was distributed for the support of them and their families:
the men that were expressed by name; before mentioned, 2Ch 31:13, though some understand it of such as were nominated and appointed by them, and to act under them in the country:
to give portions to all the males among the priests, and to all that were reckoned by genealogies among the Levites: as before declared.
2 Chronicles 31:20
Ver. 20. And thus did Hezekiah throughout all Judah,.... Settled the courses of the priests and Levites, and made a provision for them and their families:
and wrought that which was good and right and truth before the Lord his God: or did that which was truly right and good, according to the law and will of God, in the sincerity and uprightness of his soul, and as in the presence of the omniscient God, he approving and accepting it for Christ's sake.
2 Chronicles 31:21
Ver. 21. And in every work that he began in the service of the house of God,.... In cleansing the temple, providing sacrifices, placing the priests and Levites order, taking care of the maintenance of them,
and in the law and in the commandments; in the observation of all the laws, statutes, and judgments of God, moral, ceremonial, and judicial:
to seek his God; and serve and worship him, and therein his honour and glory:
he did it with all his heart; in the most cordial, sincere, and upright manner:
and prospered; he succeeded in all he undertook, God being with him, and blessing him in his civil and religious concerns.
John Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible.
2 Chronicles 32:1
INTRODUCTION TO 2 CHRONICLES 32
This chapter relates Sennacherib's invasion of the land of Judah, the preparations Hezekiah made to resist him, and the encouragement he gave his people to trust in the Lord, 2Ch 32:1 the messages and letters Sennacherib sent to Hezekiah and his subjects, full of arrogance and blasphemy, to solicit them to deliver up Jerusalem to him, 2Ch 32:9 the destruction of his army by an angel, and the deliverance of the Jews at the prayers of Hezekiah and Isaiah, 2Ch 32:20 the sin Hezekiah fell into after this, and his recovery from a fit of illness; but, upon his humiliation for it, wrath was averted, 2Ch 32:24 and the chapter is concluded with an account of his honours, riches, and exploits, and of his death and burial, 2Ch 32:27.
Ver. 1. After these things, and the establishment thereof,.... What are recorded in the preceding chapters, when matters were well settled, especially with respect to religion and temple service, and when Hezekiah was well established in the throne of his kingdom, had fought with and defeated the Philistines, and cast off the Assyrian yoke, and was in very prosperous circumstances; for it was in the fourteenth year of his reign that what follows was done:
Sennacherib king of Assyria came and entered into Judah, and encamped against the fenced cities, and thought to win them for himself; or to break them, or into them; or through them {y} to break down the walls to take them, and join them to himself, as the Targum, and he did take them, see 2Ki 18:13.
{y} Meqbl "ad perrumpendum eas", Montanus; "diffindere illas", Piscator; "abscindere", Schmidt.
2 Chronicles 32:2
Ver. 2. And when Hezekiah saw that Sennacherib was come,.... Into the land of Judah, which he perceived and understood by reports brought to him: and that he was purposed to fight against Jerusalem; to besiege it and take it, if possible; this he saw was his design, by taking the fenced cities in his way, and coming forward with his forces.
2 Chronicles 32:3
Ver. 3. He took counsel with his princes, and his mighty men,.... With his nobles, and the officers of his army, what steps should be taken to resist, retard, and distress the enemy, and among the rest what follows was proposed:
to stop the waters of the fountains which were without the city; that so the Assyrian army would find it difficult to supply themselves with water, which was an article of great importance:
and they did help him; to stop the fountains, not only with their advice how to do it, but with their men, their servants, who assisted those that Hezekiah employed in this work.
2 Chronicles 32:4
Ver. 4. So there was gathered much people together,.... At the instance of Hezekiah, his nobles and officers:
who stopped all the fountains; perhaps by laying planks over them, and earth upon them, so that it could not be discerned there were any fountains there:
and the brook that ran through the midst of the land; which, according to Kimchi, was Gihon, 2Ch 32:30, which was near Jerusalem; the stream of this very probably they turned into channels under ground, whereby it was brought into the city into reservoirs there provided, that that might have a supply during the siege, while the enemy was distressed for want of it:
saying, why should the kings of Assyria come and find much water? by which means they would be able to carry on the siege to a great length, when otherwise they would be obliged to raise it quickly: mention is made of kings of Assyria, though there was but one, with whom there might be petty kings, or tributary ones; and, besides, as he boasted, his princes were altogether kings, Isa 10:8.
2 Chronicles 32:5
Ver. 5. Also he strengthened himself,.... In the Lord his God, and fortified his city, and put it in the best manner of defence he could:
and built up all the wall that was broken; which was broken from the gate of Ephraim to the corner gate by Joash king of Israel; and though it might have been repaired by Uzziah, it might again be broken down in the times of Ahaz, by Pekah, king of Israel, or some other enemy, see
2Ch 25:3
and raised it up to the towers; from the corner tower to the tower of the gate of Ephraim, which, as before observed, had been broken down:
and another wall without; a second wall, either all around the city, or at such a part of it which was weakest; Josephus {z} says the city of Jerusalem had three walls about it:
and repaired Millo in the city of David; a wall on the north side of the city:
and made darts and shields in abundance; darts to cast from the walls of the city, to annoy the enemy with, and shields to defend them from those of the enemy.
{z} De Bello Jud. l. 5. c. 4. sect. 3.
2 Chronicles 32:6
Ver. 6. And he set captains of war over the people,.... To teach them the exercises of war, to lead them on against the enemy, to direct them where to stand, and what to do in defence of the city:
and gathered them together to him in the street of the gate of the city; the street which led to the gate, and was large and commodious to assemble the people in:
and spake comfortably to them; to animate and encourage them to hold out the siege, and do all they could to repel the enemy;
saying; as follows.
2 Chronicles 32:7
Ver. 7. Be strong and courageous,.... Be of good heart and spirit, and quit yourselves like men:
be not afraid nor dismayed for the king of Assyria, nor for all the multitude that is with him; which was very large; for no less than 185,000 were slain of them by an angel in one night, 2Ki 19:35
for there be more with us than with him; though not in number, yet in power and might; and if angels are meant, they are more in number; but it seems, by what follows, that Hezekiah had only the Lord his God in his thoughts and view.
2 Chronicles 32:8
Ver. 8. With him is an arm of flesh,.... Only weak, frail, mortal men, not at all to be feared; nothing in comparison of the Lord:
but with us is the Lord our God, to help us, and to fight our battles; who is the Lord God Almighty, who has the host of heaven at his command, and with whom all the inhabitants of the earth are as nothing; the Targum is,
"the Word of the Lord our God is for us to help us, and fight our battles:''
and the people rested themselves upon the words of Hezekiah king of Judah; not upon his bare words, but on what was contained in them, on the strength and power of the Lord God he assured them was on their side; they believed what he said to be true, and trusted in the Lord that he would save them.
2 Chronicles 32:9
Ver. 9. After this did Sennacherib king of Assyria send his servants to Jerusalem,.... Who are mentioned by name, 2Ki 18:17 this was after Hezekiah had given him a large quantity of silver and gold to depart, and he did depart from him, 2Ki 18:14
but he himself laid siege against Lachish, and all his power with him; one of the cities of Judah, see Isa 36:2, from hence he dispatched them
unto Hezekiah king of Judah, and unto all Judah that were at Jerusalem; who had retired thither for safety, upon the invasion of their country by the king of Assyria.
2 Chronicles 32:10
Ver. 10. Thus saith Sennacherib king of Assyria, whereon do ye trust,.... On what power in heaven or on earth?
that ye abide in the siege in Jerusalem? hold out against the siege of it, and do not deliver it up.
2 Chronicles 32:11
Ver. 11. Doth not Hezekiah persuade you to give over yourselves to die by famine, and by thirst,.... Suggesting that would be their case if they did not surrender:
saying, the Lord our God shall deliver us out of the hand of the king of Assyria? See Gill on "Isa 36:15".
2 Chronicles 32:12
Ver. 12-15. Hath not the same Hezekiah taken away his high places,.... For the sense of this and the three following verses, see the notes on
See Gill on "Isa 36:17" See Gill on "Isa 36:18" See Gill on "Isa 36:19" See Gill on "Isa 36:20"
2 Chronicles 32:13
Ver. 13. See Gill on "2Ch 32:12"
2 Chronicles 32:14
Ver. 14. See Gill on "2Ch 32:12"
2 Chronicles 32:15
Ver. 15. See Gill on "2Ch 32:12"
2 Chronicles 32:16
Ver. 16. And his servants spake yet more against the Lord God, and against his servant Hezekiah. Than what is here recorded, as may be read in 2Ki 18:1, and Isa 36:1.
2 Chronicles 32:17
Ver. 17. He wrote also letters to rail on the Lord God of Israel,.... See 2Ki 19:9.
2 Chronicles 32:18
Ver. 18. Then they cried with a loud voice in the Jews' speech unto the people of Jerusalem that were on the wall,.... The messengers of Sennacherib, particularly Rabshakeh the chief speaker; though they were desired to speak in the Syrian language, Isa 36:11,
but this they did to affright them, and to trouble them, that they might take the city; to throw them into terror and confusion, that they might prevail upon them to deliver up the city to them.
2 Chronicles 32:19
Ver. 19. And they spake against the God of Jerusalem,.... The only living and true God, whom the inhabitants of Jerusalem professed to be their God, and who was worshipped by them in the temple there:
as against the gods of the people of the earth, which were the work of the hands of man; they made no difference between the one and the other, but spoke as freely and as contemptibly of the one as of the other, see Isa 36:19.
2 Chronicles 32:20
Ver. 20. And for this cause Hezekiah the king, and the prophet Isaiah, the son of Amoz, prayed and cried to heaven. To God in heaven; of the prayer of Hezekiah on this account, see Isa 37:15, and the notes there; See Gill on "Isa 37:15" See Gill on "Isa 37:16" See Gill on "Isa 37:17" See Gill on "Isa 37:18" See Gill on "Isa 37:19" See Gill on "Isa 37:20"
and though we read not of the prayer of Isaiah, no doubt he made one, as Hezekiah desired, and since he received a message from the Lord, which he sent to Hezekiah, Isa 37:4.
2 Chronicles 32:21
Ver. 21. And the Lord sent an angel,.... The Targum is,
"the Word of the Lord sent Gabriel;''
Josephus {a} takes this angel, or messenger sent of God, to be the pestilence; and others suppose it to be a hot pestilential wind, common in the eastern countries, called "Samiel", or the poison wind, by which multitudes are sometimes destroyed at once; of which Thevenot and other travellers make mention, See Gill on "Job 27:21",
See Gill on "Ps 91:6", but be it as it may, it was sent of God, was under his direction, and by his power and providence did the execution according to his prediction:
which cut off all the mighty men of valour, and the leaders and captains in the camp of the king of Assyria; the generals and officers of his army, with the common soldiers, to the number of 185,000, Isa 36:1, among these, no doubt, were the three generals sent with railing letters to Hezekiah, particularly Rabshakeh,
See Gill on "Isa 37:36"
so he returned with shame of face to his own land; Assyria, particularly to Nineveh, the metropolis of it, Isa 37:37
and when he was come into the house of his god; the temple of his idol, whose name was Nisroch:
they that came forth of his own bowels slew him there with the sword; his sons Adrammelech and Sharezer, Isa 37:38.
{a} Antiqu. l. 10. c. 1. sect. 5.
2 Chronicles 32:22
Ver. 22. Thus the Lord saved Hezekiah, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, from the hand of Sennacherib the king of Assyria,.... As most clearly appeared; for no stroke was struck but by him:
and from the hand of all other; the Arabic version adds,
"who were round about them;''
who by this defeat were deterred from attacking them:
and guided them on every side: and guarded them all around, as a shepherd leads his flock, where they may be secure from all dangers.
2 Chronicles 32:23
Ver. 23. And many brought gifts unto the Lord to Jerusalem,.... Even out of neighbouring nations, things which they devoted to the service of God in the temple, being convinced that this wonderful deliverance was wrought by the Lord God of Israel, and by him only:
and presents to Hezekiah king of Judah; being desirous of living in friendship with him, who appeared to be the favourite of the God of heaven:
so that he was magnified in the sight of all nations from thenceforth; from the time of the destruction of the Assyrian army in such a wonderful manner, he was highly esteemed, and his name and fame spread abroad among all the neighbouring nations round about him.
2 Chronicles 32:24
Ver. 24. In those days Hezekiah was sick,.... Of which sickness, and of his prayer, and of the sign given him, see Isa 38:1 and the notes there.
2 Chronicles 32:25
Ver. 25. But Hezekiah rendered not again according to the benefit done unto him,.... Both in the deliverance of him and his people from the king of Assyria, and the recovery of him from his sickness:
for his heart was lifted up; with pride, because of the wonderful defeat of the Assyrian army in his favour, the miracle wrought at his recovery from illness, the riches and honour conferred upon him, the presents brought him from his neighbours, and especially the embassy of the king of Babylon to him:
therefore there was wrath upon him, and upon Judah and Jerusalem; who, in imitation of him, fell into the same sin of pride, with many others; and therefore both he and they were threatened with some tokens of the divine displeasure.
2 Chronicles 32:26
Ver. 26. Notwithstanding, Hezekiah humbled himself for the pride of his heart, both he and the inhabitants of Jerusalem,.... In what manner is not said; perhaps by putting on sackcloth, and by fasting and prayer, and making confession of sin, and declaring repentance for it:
so that the wrath of the Lord came not upon them in the days of Hezekiah; but in the days of his son's sons, Isa 39:7.
2 Chronicles 32:27
Ver. 27. And Hezekiah had exceeding much riches,.... Increased by the spoil of the Assyrian camp, and the presents sent him after that by neighbouring nations, 2Ch 32:21
and honour; both from his subjects, and the nations around him:
and he made himself treasuries for silver, and for gold, and for precious stones, and for spices, and for shields, and for all manner of pleasant jewels: which were houses both for rich and curious things, and for armour, he showed to the ambassadors of Babylon,
See Gill on "Isa 39:2".
2 Chronicles 32:28
Ver. 28. Storehouses also for the increase of corn, and wine, and oil,.... The produce of his fields, vineyards, and oliveyards, such as David had, with persons over them, see 1Ch 27:25
and stands for all manner of beasts; as oxen, horses, camels, and asses, see 2Ch 9:25
and cotes for flocks; folds for sheep.
2 Chronicles 32:29
Ver. 29. Moreover, he provided him cities,.... Where he had the above storehouses and stalls, and convenient dwellings for those that looked after them, and were over his cattle, small and great, as follows; the Vulgate Latin version reads six cities in some copies {b}:
and possessions of flocks and herds in abundance; in which the riches of men, and even of kings, lay in those times:
for God had given him substance very much; for all was owing to his disposing providence, let it come which way it might.
{b} So the Edition of Sixtus V. Lovain, and MSS. in James's Contrariety of the Popish Bibles, p. 295.
2 Chronicles 32:30
Ver. 30. This same Hezekiah also stopped the upper water course of Gihon,.... Which Procopius Gazeus says was the same with Siloam, and which it seems had two streams, and this was the upper one; Mr. Maundrell says {c}, the pool of Gihon
"lies about two furlongs without Bethlehem gate westward; it is a stately pool, one hundred and six paces long, and sixty seven broad, and lined with wall and plaster, and was, when we were there, well stored with water:''
and brought it straight down to the west side of the city of David; through canals under the plain of the city of David; as the Targum, by a subterraneous passage; and Siloam, as Dr. Lightfoot {d} observes from Josephus, was behind the west wall, not far from the corner that pointed toward the southwest:
and Hezekiah prospered in all his works; natural, civil, and religious, 2Ch 31:21.
{c} Journey from Aleppo, &c. p. 108. {d} Chorograph. in John, c. 5. sect. 2.
2 Chronicles 32:31
Ver. 31. Howbeit, [in the business of] the ambassadors of the princes of Babylon, who sent unto him to inquire the wonder that was [done] in the land,.... Not to see the two tables of stone which were in the ark, with the other two that were broken because of the sin of the calf, as the Targum; nor to ask about the destruction of the Assyrian army, and the manner of it, as Grotius; but to be informed of the miracle of the sun's going back ten degrees, when Hezekiah was recovered from his sickness; the Chaldeans being a people much given to astrology, and curious in their observations of that kind:
God left him to try him; by showing him all his treasures:
that he might know all that was in his heart; not that God might know, who knows all things, unless spoken of him after the manner of men; but rather that Hezekiah might know the pride lurking in his heart, and other sins which escaped his notice, Jer 17:9 or that it might be known by others; that the children of men might know it, as Kimchi; and take warning by it, and observe the frailty and infirmity of the best of men.
2 Chronicles 32:32
Ver. 32. Now the rest of the acts of Hezekiah, and his goodness,.... His acts of piety and liberality:
behold, they are written in the vision of Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz; in the prophecy of Isaiah, Isa 36:1, whose book is called the Vision of Isaiah, Isa 1:1
and in the book of the kings of Judah and Israel; in
2Ki 18:1.
2 Chronicles 32:33
Ver. 33. And Hezekiah slept with his fathers,.... Died, as they did:
and they buried him in the chiefest of the sepulchres of the sons of David; in the more honourable and principal of them; there are still to be seen, on the north of Jerusalem, some grottos, called the sepulchres of the kings, though it is certain none of the kings of Israel or Judah were buried there; unless it may be thought, as Mr. Maundrell {e} conjectures, that Hezekiah was here inferred, and that these are the sepulchres of the sons of David here mentioned; however, he observes, whoever was buried here, this is certain, that the place itself discovers so great an expense both of labour and treasure, that we may well suppose it to be the work of kings:
and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem did him honour at his death; by attending his funeral in great numbers, by burning spices for him, and by mourning for him many days:
and Manasseh his son reigned in his stead; of whom a further account is given in the next chapter.
{e} Journey from Aleppo, &c. p. 76.
John Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible.
2 Chronicles 33:1
INTRODUCTION TO 2 CHRONICLES 33
This chapter gives an account of the reign of Manasseh, of his idolatries and impieties, 2Ch 33:1, of his captivity, humiliation, repentance, and reformation, 2Ch 33:11 of his last end, death, and burial, 2Ch 33:18 and of the wicked reign of Amon his son, and of his death by his servants, 2Ch 33:21.
Ver. 1. Manasseh was twelve years old,.... From hence to the end of 2Ch 33:9 the same things are recorded, almost word for word, as in 2Ki 21:1, see the notes there.
See Gill on "2Ki 21:1".
2 Chronicles 33:2
Ver. 2. See Gill on "2Ki 21:2"
2 Chronicles 33:3
Ver. 3. See Gill on "2Ki 21:3"
2 Chronicles 33:4
Ver. 4. See Gill on "2Ki 21:4"
2 Chronicles 33:5
Ver. 5. See Gill on "2Ki 21:5"
2 Chronicles 33:6
Ver. 6. See Gill on "2Ki 21:6"
2 Chronicles 33:7
Ver. 7. See Gill on "2Ki 21:7"
2 Chronicles 33:8
Ver. 8. See Gill on "2Ki 21:8"
2 Chronicles 33:9
Ver. 9. See Gill on "2Ki 21:9"
2 Chronicles 33:10
Ver. 10. And the Lord spake to Manasseh, and to his people,.... By his servants the prophets, see 2Ki 21:10, where what was said to them is recorded:
but they would not hearken; to what was said, to reproofs, admonitions, and exhortations to repent and reform.
2 Chronicles 33:11
Ver. 11. Wherefore the Lord brought upon them the captains of the host of the king of Assyria,.... Who was Esarhaddon, the son and successor of Sennacherib; this, according to the Jewish chronology {f}, was in the twenty second year of Manasseh's reign:
which took Manasseh among the thorns; in a thicket of briers and thorns, where, upon his defeat, he had hid himself; a fit emblem of the afflictions and troubles his sins brought him into:
and bound him with fetters; hands and feet; with chains of brass, as the Targum, such as Zedekiah was bound with, 2Ki 25:7, not chains of gold, with which Mark Antony bound a king of Armenia, for the sake of honour {g}:
and carried him to Babylon; for now the king of Assyria was become master of that city, and added it to his monarchy, and made it the seat of his residence; at least some times that and sometimes Nineveh, Merodachbaladan being dead, or conquered; though, according to Suidas {h}, it was he that took Manasseh; and by an Arabic writer {i}, he is said to be carried to Nineveh.
{f} Seder Olam Rabba, c. 24. p. 67. {g} Vell. Patercul. Hist. Roman. l. 2. {h} In voce manasshv. {i} Abulpharag. Hist. Dynast. Dyn. 3. p. 67. So Suidas, ib.
2 Chronicles 33:12
Ver. 12. And when he was in affliction,.... In prison; however, in fetters; according to the Targum, the Chaldeans made an instrument of brass with holes in it, and put him in it, and fire about it, something like the brasen bull of Perillus; and the above Arabian writer {k} calls it a tower of brass:
he besought the Lord his God; by prayer and supplication:
and humbled himself greatly before the Lord God of his fathers; confessing his sins, expressing great sorrow and repentance for them.
{k} Abulph. & Suidas, ib. (Hist. Dynast. Dyn. 3. p. 67.)
2 Chronicles 33:13
Ver. 13. And prayed unto him,.... To have mercy on him, and forgive him his sins:
and he was entreated of him, and heard his supplication; and granted his request, showed favour to him, and forgave him his sins:
and brought him again to Jerusalem into his kingdom; so wrought upon the heart of the king of Assyria, as to give him his liberty, and restore him to his dominions; it is very probable his captivity was not long; for, being soon brought by his affliction to a sense and confession of his sins, by the overruling providence of God, he was quickly released:
then Manasseh knew that the Lord he was God; and not the idols he had served; that he was a holy God, and hated sin, and a just God in afflicting him for it, and gracious and merciful in forgiving his sins, and bringing him out of his troubles.
2 Chronicles 33:14
Ver. 14. Now after this he built a wall without the city of David,.... Which perhaps had been broken down by the Assyrian army, when it came and took him; Vitringa {l} thinks this is the wall of the pool of Siloah, Ne 3:15 which seems to be the first and oldest wall, as Josephus {m}; for that turning to the north bent towards the pool of Siloam; an Arabic writer {n} calls it the southern wall:
on the west side of Gihon; on the west side of the city, towards Gihon; for that was to the west of it, 2Ch 32:30,
in the valley, even to the entering in at the fish gate; through which the fish were brought from Joppa, and where, according to the Targum, they were sold:
and compassed about Ophel; the eastern part of Mount Zion; some say it was the holy of holies, 2Ch 27:3,
and raised it up a very great height; built the wall very high there:
and put captains of war in all the fenced cities of Judah; this he did to put his kingdom in a posture of defence, should it be attacked by the Assyrian army again.
{l} Comment. in Jesaiam, c. 22. 9. {m} De Bello Jud. l. 5. c. 4. sect. 9. {n} Abulpharag. Hist. Dynast. Dyn. 3. p. 67.
2 Chronicles 33:15
Ver. 15. And he took away the strange gods, and the idol out of the house of the Lord,.... Which he had set there, 2Ch 33:7
and all the altars that he had built in the mount of the house of the Lord, and in Jerusalem; see 2Ch 33:4,
and cast them out of the city; perhaps into the brook Kidron; all this he did to show the sincerity of his repentance for his idolatry, and his abhorrence of it.
2 Chronicles 33:16
Ver. 16. And he repaired the altar of the Lord,.... Which was fallen to ruin, being neglected and disused in his times of idolatry: or, according to the Keri, or marginal reading, and so the Targum, "he built it"; which perhaps he had before pulled down and destroyed:
and sacrificed thereon peace offerings and thank offerings; to the Lord, for bringing him out of captivity, and restoring him to his kingdom; and especially for converting him from his idolatries, giving him repentance for them, and forgiveness of sins:
and commanded Judah to serve the Lord God of Israel; and him only; another instance of the truth of his repentance, in endeavouring to reform those whom he had misled, and restore the true worship of God among them, and bring them back to that.
2 Chronicles 33:17
Ver. 17. Nevertheless, the people did sacrifice still in the high places,.... Not in those that were built for idols, at least did not sacrifice to them; for it follows:
yet unto the Lord their God only; the Targum is,
"to the name of the Word of the Lord their God.''
2 Chronicles 33:18
Ver. 18. Now the rest of the acts of Manasseh,.... Good and bad, what were done by him both before and after his conversion:
and his prayer unto his God; which it seems was taken and recorded, but now lost; for as for that which is among the apocryphal writings, there is no reason to believe it to be his, though it is thought to be so by many {o}:
and the words of the seers; or the prophets, as the Targum; and the prophets in his days, according to the Jewish chronology {p}, were Joel, Nahum, and Habakkuk:
that spake to him in the name of the Lord God of Israel; words of admonition and reproof before his humiliation, and words of comfort, advice, and instruction, after it; the Targum is,
"that spake to him in the name of the Word of the Lord God of Israel:''
behold, they are written in the book of the kings of Israel; not in the canonical book so called, where none of the above things, namely, his prayer, and the speeches of the prophets, are to be found, at least not all; but in the annals of the kings of Israel, now lost.
{o} Vid. Fabritii Bibliothec. Graec. l. 3. c. 31. p. 738, 739. {p} Seder Olam Rabba, c. 20.
2 Chronicles 33:19
Ver. 19. His prayer also,.... Was not only recorded in the above annals, but in the writings of another person after mentioned:
and how God was entreated of him; heard his prayer, and showed him favour both in a temporal and spiritual way; for though the Jews would not allow that he was saved, or had a part in the world to come, eternal life {q}, yet there appears no just reason why it should be so thought:
and all his sin, and his trespass; his impieties, idolatries, and murders: and the places wherein he built high places; see 2Ch 33:3
and set up groves; statues in groves:
and graven images, before he was humbled; see 2Ch 33:7,
behold, they are written among the sayings of the seers; or of Hosea, the name of a prophet who wrote the history of his own times; so the Targrim and Vulgate Latin version; and, according to the Jewish chronology {r}, there was a prophet of this name in the times of Amon the son of Manasseh.
{q} Misn. Sanhedrin, c. 11. sect. 2. {r} Seder Olam Zuta, p. 105. Ed. Meyer.
2 Chronicles 33:20
Ver. 20-25. So Manasseh slept with his fathers, and they buried him in his own house,.... That is, in the garden of his house,
See Gill on "2Ki 21:18"; there; to which may be added, that the Jews {s} in later times buried in a garden; though it was the custom of the ancients, both Greeks {t} and Romans {u}, to bury the dead in their own houses; hence sprung the worship of the Lares and Penates, the household gods: from hence to the end of the chapter is the same with
2Ki 21:18.
See Gill on "2Ki 21:18" See Gill on "2Ki 21:19" See Gill on "2Ki 21:20" See Gill on "2Ki 21:21" See Gill on "2Ki 21:22" See Gill on "2Ki 21:23" See Gill on "2Ki 21:24" See Gill on "2Ki 21:25" See Gill on "2Ki 21:26"
{s} Cippi Heb. p. 43. {t} Plato in Minoe. {u} Servius in Virgil. Aeneid. 5. "praeterea si nova", & in l. 6. "sedibus hunc refer", &c.
2 Chronicles 33:21
Ver. 21. See Gill on "2Ch 33:20"
2 Chronicles 33:22
Ver. 22. See Gill on "2Ch 33:20"
2 Chronicles 33:23
Ver. 23. See Gill on "2Ch 33:20"
2 Chronicles 33:24
Ver. 24. See Gill on "2Ch 33:20"
2 Chronicles 33:25
Ver. 25. See Gill on "2Ch 33:20"
John Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible.