18. for in their set office they sanctified themselves—This is the reason assigned for providing for the wives and children out of the revenues of the sanctuary, that priests, withdrawing from those secular pursuits by which they might have maintained their households, devoted themselves entirely to the functions of the ministry. 2 Chronicles 31:20; 2 Chronicles 31:21. HIS SINCERITY OF HEART. read more
3. Re-establishment of proper worship 31:2-21The king organized the priests and Levites again into the divisions David had specified. Evidently Hezekiah’s predecessors had not observed these divisions. He also instituted tithing again as the Mosaic Law commanded (cf. Leviticus 27:30; Numbers 18:8; Deuteronomy 14:28). Because the people responded obediently, there was an abundance of money for temple maintenance and for its servants (2 Chronicles 31:10). The principle these reforms illustrate is... read more
Reign of Hezekiah (continued)This chapter gives an account of Hezekiah’s reorganisation of the Temple service.2. Appointed the courses] The succession (see 1 Chronicles 23-26) had been suspended during the idolatry of the previous reigns, and required to be rearranged. The tents of the Lord] The phrase is borrowed from the conditions that prevailed in the wilderness.3. The king’s portion, etc.] The king set an example to his subjects by providing for the Sacrifices named, for which see Numbers... read more
(18) And to the genealogy.—After the parenthetic statements of 2 Chronicles 31:16-17 the thread of the narrative, broken off at 2 Chronicles 31:15, is taken up again at that point. The six Levites there named were in the priests’ cities “to give (their portions) to their brethren,” and further (2 Chronicles 31:18) “for the registering in the case of all their little ones, their wives and their sons and their daughters, of the whole corporation” (of priests). The board of Levites had to keep a... read more
HEZEKIAH: THE RELIGIOUS VALUE OF MUSIC2 Chronicles 29:1-36; 2 Chronicles 30:1-27; 2 Chronicles 31:1-21; 2 Chronicles 32:1-33THE bent of the chronicler’s mind is well illustrated by the proportion of space assigned to ritual by him and by the book of Kings respectively. In the latter a few lines only are devoted to ritual, and the bulk of the space is given to the invasion of Sennacherib, the embassy from Babylon, etc., while in Chronicles ritual occupies about three times as many verses as... read more
CHAPTER 31 The Results of the Revival 1. The destruction of the false worship (2 Chronicles 31:1 ) 2. The king’s appointments (2 Chronicles 31:2-21 ) All was done by Hezekiah for the orderly continuance of the service in the house of the LORD. The order of the courses of the priests, after David’s arrangement, which had been abandoned during the preceding apostasy, was once more settled. What was needed for the public sacrifices of the congregation was willingly given, as well as other... read more
31:18 And to the genealogy of all their little ones, their wives, and their sons, and their daughters, through all the congregation: for in their {l} set office they sanctified themselves in holiness:(l) Meaning, that either by the faithful distribution of the officers, everyone had their part in the things that were offered, or else that their wives and children were relieved, because the Levites were faithful in their office, and so depended on them. read more
HEZEKIAH'S WORK OF REFORMATION (vv.1-21) When Hezekiah had taken positive action to give God His true place of authority in the Passover feast, he rightly followed this up with the negative work of destroying the idolatrous pillars, images, high places and altars that had been introduced by earlier kings. The many people who had been present for the Passover carded out this destruction in the Cities of Judah, but also in Benjamin, Ephraim and Manasseh (v.1) before returning to their own... read more
MANASSEH TO THE CAPTIVITY MANASSEH AND AMON (2 Chronicles 33:0 ) The history of the first-named is divided into three parts: (1) the outline of his character and reign down to the crisis of his punishment (2 Chronicles 33:1-10 ); (2) his affliction and repentance in Babylon (2 Chronicles 33:11-13 ); and (3) his later career and death (2 Chronicles 33:14-20 ). The first part was considered in Kings. For the reference to “groves” and “the host of heaven,” compare Deuteronomy 16:21 ;... read more
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E.W. Bullinger's Companion Bible Notes - 2 Chronicles 31:18
congregation = assembly. See note on Genesis 28:3 . sanctified themselves in holiness: or, devoted themselves [as] a holy body. See note on Exodus 3:6 . read more