2 Chronicles 30:13

ISRAEL AGAIN KEPT THE PASSOVER

"And there assembled at Jerusalem much people to keep the feast of unleavened bread in the second month, a very great assembly. And they arose and took away the altars that were in Jerusalem, and all the altars for incense took they away, and cast them into the brook Kidron. Then they killed the passover on the fourteenth day of the second month: and the priests and the Levites were ashamed, and sanctified themselves, and brought burnt-offerings into the house of Jehovah. And they stood in their place after their order, according to the Law of Moses the man of God: the priests sprinkled the blood which they received of the Levites. For there were many in the assembly that had not sanctified themselves: therefore the Levites had the charge of killing the passovers for every one that was not clean, to sanctify them unto Jehovah. For a multitude of the people, even many of Ephraim and Manasseh, Isaachar and Zebulun, had not cleansed themselves, yet did they eat the passover otherwise than it is written. For Hezekiah had prayed for them, saying, The good Jehovah pardon every one that setteth his heart to seek God, Jehovah, the God of his fathers, though he be not cleansed according to the purification of the sanctuary. And Jehovah hearkened to Hezekiah, and healed the people. And the children of Israel that were at Jerusalem kept the feast of unleavened bread seven days with great gladness; and the Levites and the priests praised Jehovah day by day, singing with loud instruments unto Jehovah. And Hezekiah spake comfortably unto all the Levites that had good understanding in the service of Jehovah. So they did eat throughout the feast for the seven days, offering sacrifices of peace-offerings, and making confession to Jehovah, the God of their fathers."

"They killed the passover on the fourteenth day of the second month" (2 Chronicles 30:15). Even in this Hezekiah followed closely the instructions of Moses in the Pentateuch (Numbers 9:11).

"The good Jehovah pardon" (2 Chronicles 30:19). The RSV very properly has the good Lord here which is a far better translation. "This expression is found only here in the O.T., but it has now become proverbial."[1]

This celebration of the passover two long generations prior to Josiah is an acute embarrassment to the radical critics and their fairy tale regarding that P Document discovered in the temple during Joisah's reign; and their knee-jerk response to everything in God's Word that contradicts their false allegations was clearly stated by Jacob M. Meyers who wrote that, "They hold that the Chronicler transferred to Hezekiah ... the religious celebrations of Josiah, notably this one."[2] Such a false allegation as that one, however, is only a rather timid and somewhat clever way of calling the Chronicler's report here a lie. We believe the lie is that of the radical critics, not that of the Chronicler.

We are very thankful that present-day scholars are turning away from the gross errors advocated by the International Critical Commentary. Jacob M. Meyers in The Anchor Bible makes the truthful observation that:

"THERE IS NO REASON TO BELIEVE THAT THE CHRONICLER INVENTED THE STORY."[3]

It is distressing to this writer that commentators who claim to be Christians will pose a snide question regarding this passover, asking, "Is this alleged event fact or fiction"?[4] and leave the question unanswered. More and more great scholars of the present day are beginning to see the truth regarding the accuracy of what we find in the Bible (all of it).