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Hezekiah began to reign when he was twenty-five years old, and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Abijah, the daughter of Zechariah.
Verse 1. Abia. The last syllable is neglected, 4 Kennicott. 18:2. Bible.—Some assert that she was a descendant of the high priest, who had been stoned. S. Jerom, Trad. Calmet. 24:20. Tirinus.
He did that which was right in the LORD’s eyes, according to all that David his father had done.
In the first year of his reign, in the first month, he opened the doors of the LORD’s house and repaired them.
Verse 3. Reign, in the assembly, which met to recognize his authority. Lyran.—Them, adorning them with plates of gold. 4 Kennicott. 18:16.
He brought in the priests and the Levites and gathered them together into the wide place on the east,
Verse 4. Street, or court, before the eastern gate. Calmet.
and said to them, “Listen to me, you Levites! Now sanctify yourselves, and sanctify the house of the LORD, the God of your fathers, and carry the filthiness out of the holy place.
Verse 5. Sanctuary, or temple, verse 7. The Jews suppose that idols had been placed in the very sanctuary: (Lyran) but why then were the doors shut? Calmet.
For our fathers were unfaithful, and have done that which was evil in the LORD our God’s sight, and have forsaken him, and have turned away their faces from the habitation of the LORD, and turned their backs.
Also they have shut up the doors of the porch, and put out the lamps, and have not burned incense nor offered burnt offerings in the holy place to the God of Israel.
Verse 7. Sanctuary, or court of the priests, where the victims were slain. The blood of some was taken into the most holy place, on the day of expiation. Calmet.
Therefore the LORD’s wrath was on Judah and Jerusalem, and he has delivered them to be tossed back and forth, to be an astonishment and a hissing, as you see with your eyes.
Verse 8. Trouble. Hebrew zuáe, ( Bible.) is rendered vexation. Isaiah 28:19. Septuagint “ecstasy.” The Jews were frequently driven from their homes. Menochius.—There were at a loss what to do, confounded and despised. Bible.
For behold, our fathers have fallen by the sword, and our sons and our daughters and our wives are in captivity for this.
Verse 9. Wives. Calmet. 28:8. Calmet.—So had the wives and family of king Joram been treated. Calmet. 21. Bible.
Now it is in my heart to make a covenant with the LORD, the God of Israel, that his fierce anger may turn away from us.
Verse 10. Covenant, swearing to observe the law given by Moses. Menochius.
My sons, don’t be negligent now; for the LORD has chosen you to stand before him, to minister to him, and that you should be his ministers and burn incense.”
Verse 11. Negligent. Hebrew adds, “now,” when every thing tends to open your eyes. Bible.
Then the Levites arose: Mahath, the son of Amasai, and Joel the son of Azariah, of the sons of the Kohathites; and of the sons of Merari, Kish the son of Abdi, and Azariah the son of Jehallelel; and of the Gershonites, Joah the son of Zimmah, and Eden the son of Joah;
and of the sons of Elizaphan, Shimri and Jeuel; and of the sons of Asaph, Zechariah and Mattaniah;
and of the sons of Heman, Jehuel and Shimei; and of the sons of Jeduthun, Shemaiah and Uzziel.
They gathered their brothers, sanctified themselves, and went in, according to the commandment of the king by the LORD’s words, to cleanse the LORD’s house.
The priests went into the inner part of the LORD’s house to cleanse it, and brought out all the uncleanness that they found in the LORD’s temple into the court of the LORD’s house. The Levites took it from there to carry it out to the brook Kidron.
Verse 16. Cedron, as Josias did with the idolatrous altars. 4 Kennicott. 23:12. The priests brought what was unclean from the inner temple into the porch. Bible.—This labour lasted eight days, as the cleansing of the porches had done. Calmet. D.
Now they began on the first day of the first month to sanctify, and on the eighth day of the month they came to the LORD’s porch. They sanctified the LORD’s house in eight days, and on the sixteenth day of the first month they finished.
Verse 17. Month, Nisan, corresponding with our March, ( Menochius.) when Ezechias began his reign. Salien, A. 3309.
Then they went in to Hezekiah the king within the palace and said, “We have cleansed all the LORD’s house, including the altar of burnt offering with all its vessels, and the table of show bread with all its vessels.
Moreover, we have prepared and sanctified all the vessels which King Ahaz threw away in his reign when he was unfaithful. Behold, they are before the LORD’s altar.”
Verse 19. Defiled. Hebrew “cast out ( Calmet.) in his.”—Forth. Hebrew and Septuagint “We have prepared and purified, behold they are,” and so forth Bible.
Then Hezekiah the king arose early, gathered the princes of the city, and went up to the LORD’s house.
They brought seven bulls, seven rams, seven lambs, and seven male goats, for a sin offering for the kingdom, for the sanctuary, and for Judah. He commanded the priests the sons of Aaron to offer them on the LORD’s altar.
Verse 21. Seven. Only one was prescribed for sins of ignorance. Leviticus 4:13. 22. Saint Jerome Trad.—But the late transgressions were of a different nature; and the king consults his zeal, rather than what he was absolutely obliged to do.—Juda, to expiate the sins of the royal family, of priests, and people.
So they killed the bulls, and the priests received the blood and sprinkled it on the altar. They killed the rams and sprinkled the blood on the altar. They also killed the lambs and sprinkled the blood on the altar.
They brought near the male goats for the sin offering before the king and the assembly; and they laid their hands on them.
Verse 23. They laid. The king and princes of the people confessed their sins. Leviticus 4:15.
Then the priests killed them, and they made a sin offering with their blood on the altar, to make atonement for all Israel; for the king commanded that the burnt offering and the sin offering should be made for all Israel.
He set the Levites in the LORD’s house with cymbals, with stringed instruments, and with harps, according to the commandment of David, of Gad the king’s seer, and Nathan the prophet; for the commandment was from the LORD by his prophets.
Verse 25. Prophet. Moses had not required music, except on some occasions. Numbers 10:10. But David acted by God’s authority. The institution was designed to promote piety, and a love for religious meetings. Such sacred ceremonies are not to be considered as human inventions, for it was, and so forth They command our utmost respect. Calmet.
The Levites stood with David’s instruments, and the priests with the trumpets.
Hezekiah commanded them to offer the burnt offering on the altar. When the burnt offering began, the LORD’s song also began, along with the trumpets and instruments of David king of Israel.
Verse 27. Prepared, or ordained. Menochius.—Hebrew “with the instruments, by David.”
All the assembly worshiped, the singers sang, and the trumpeters sounded. All this continued until the burnt offering was finished.
When they had finished offering, the king and all who were present with him bowed themselves and worshiped.
Moreover Hezekiah the king and the princes commanded the Levites to sing praises to the LORD with the words of David, and of Asaph the seer. They sang praises with gladness, and they bowed their heads and worshiped.
Verse 30. Princes of the priests. Bible.—Words; psalms. Tirinus.—Asaph, so famous for music. He had composed some psalms, ( Calmet.) and twelve bear his name. Tirinus.—But he might only have set them to music, ( Bible.) or his band sung them. D.—Knee. Prot. “head.” Septuagint “they prostrated themselves.”
Then Hezekiah answered, “Now you have consecrated yourselves to the LORD. Come near and bring sacrifices and thank offerings into the LORD’s house.” The assembly brought in sacrifices and thank offerings, and as many as were of a willing heart brought burnt offerings.
Verse 31. Added. Hebrew and Septuagint “answered,” a term used in Scripture, though no question had been proposed. Bible.—Filled. You are, in some sense, priests. Prot. “you have consecrated yourselves.” The people brought victims but the priests poured the blood round the altar, verse 34. Bible.
The number of the burnt offerings which the assembly brought was seventy bulls, one hundred rams, and two hundred lambs. All these were for a burnt offering to the LORD.
The consecrated things were six hundred head of cattle and three thousand sheep.
Verse 33. Sheep, for peace-offerings. Jun. Calmet.—They destined these victims for the use of the temple, ( Tirinus.) that none might be wanting afterwards. Calmet.
But the priests were too few, so that they could not skin all the burnt offerings. Therefore their brothers the Levites helped them until the work was ended, and until the priests had sanctified themselves, for the Levites were more upright in heart to sanctify themselves than the priests.
Verse 34. Holocausts, as the law required. Leviticus 1:6. See Calmet. 35:11. The skin might be taken off other victims, by laics.—Priests. Syr. “The Levites were more timid, or reserved than the priests, to purify themselves.” Calmet.—Both are indirectly accused of negligence. Calmet. 30:15. The Hebrew seems to give the preference to the latter, “for the Levites were more upright of heart, (Septuagint willing) to purify themselves than the priests.” But the Alex. Septuagint may well agree with the Vulg. The ceremonies attending the purification of both, may be seen Exodus 29:1. Numbers 8:6. Bible.—The priests had not sufficient time to collect themselves with the purity required, on such a short warning; and the paucity induced the king to put off the Passover till the next month. Calmet. 30:3. 15.
Also the burnt offerings were in abundance, with the fat of the peace offerings and with the drink offerings for every burnt offering. So the service of the LORD’s house was set in order.
Hezekiah and all the people rejoiced because of that which God had prepared for the people; for the thing was done suddenly.
Verse 36. Because. Hebrew and Septuagint “that the Lord had disposed his people, for the thing was done suddenly,” ( Bible.) to place no obstacle to this sudden change from one extreme to the other, at a time when the king was scarcely established on the throne. Calmet.—Thus the people of England rejoiced, when the Catholic religion was re-established by the means of queen Mary and cardinal Pole. Philips. 9.—But the minds of the people are very fickle. Regis ad exemplum totus componitur orbis. Still the joy may show, that all love for truth is “not extinct,” as the Cardinal argued from the people’s conduct. Poli. ep. Bible.