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Commentaries and Other Bible Study Helps - Prayer Tents - Prayer Tents
29:1-32:33 Hezekiah. The Chronicler devotes more attention to Hezekiah's reign () than to that of any other king since David and Solomon. His account has little in common with 2 Kings 18-20, which concentrates mainly on Hezekiah's role in the Assyrian crisis of The Chronicler, by contrast, is primarily interested in presenting Hezekiah as a restorer and reformer of Judah's worship. Most of his account is devoted to describing the cleansing of the temple and the restoration of worship after Ahaz's apostasy, followed by a national celebration of Passover (2 Chronicles 29-31). For the Chronicler, Hezekiah's successful resistance to Sennacherib and the prosperity of his kingdom (ch. 32) are a consequence of his religious reforms. The Chronicler's presentation of Hezekiah combines traits of both David and Solomon, especially in organizing the priests and Levites for their work and worship, and in presiding over the great rededication of the temple.
29:4-5 The appeal to the Levites to consecrate themselves recalls David's summons to the priests and Levites in the sacred mission to retrieve the ark (1 Chron. 15:11-15). The filth denotes pagan cult objects that had been installed in the sanctuary, which were to be removed and burned in the Kidron Valley (2 Chron. 29:16).
29:6 Unfaithful (Hb. ma‘al) and forsaken are key terms in the Chronicler's theological vocabulary, accounting for punishment and exile.
29:8 an object of horror, of astonishment, and of hissing. See Jer. 29:18.
29:9-10 Hezekiah recalls the terrible consequences of Ahaz's apostasy and announces his intention to make a covenant with the Lord to avert his fierce anger. No ceremony of covenant renewal is described (see 15:12; 23:16), but it is clear by their response that the people took this appeal to heart.
29:12-14 The list of Levites who lead the work of purification closely parallels the list in 1 Chron. 15:5-10, except that representatives of the Levitical singers (Asaph, Heman, and Jeduthun) have replaced Hebron and Uzziel.
29:16-17 the brook Kidron. See 15:16; 30:14. The work of cleansing the temple took , until the sixteenth day of the first month, past the proper date of Passover (see Num. 9:1-11 and note on 2 Chron. 30:2-4).
29:18-19 All the utensils that King Ahaz discarded in his reign . . . we have made ready and consecrated. See note on 1 Chron. 28:11-19.
29:20-22 The restoration of worship following the cleansing of the temple begins with a sin offering for all Israel as the appointed means in the Law of Moses for removing every kind of evil and defilement from the people (see Lev. 4:1-5:13).
29:23 Laid their hands on them calls to mind the scapegoat ritual of the Day of Atonement (Lev. 16:20-22).
29:25-30 The burnt offering that is accompanied by the Levites' singing and music signifies the people's act of consecrating themselves afresh to Yahweh (v. 31). the song to the Lord. See 1 Chron. 16:7.
29:31-36 The sacrifices and thank offerings that the people bring to the temple are individual (rather than regular, communal) expressions of worship and thanksgiving.
30:1-27 The account of Hezekiah's Passover is not mentioned in 2 Kings. Hezekiah demonstrates his commitment to the Law of Moses by pressing on to this celebration immediately after the reconsecration of the temple. At the same time, the ceremony is unorthodox in its date (cf. note on 2 Chron. 30:2-4) and in the participation of the ceremonially unclean (vv. 18-20). The Passover is also the occasion in which people from the north and south are reunited (at least in principle) in true worship at the temple, in contrast to earlier attempts to secure a false unity through force of arms (see 11:1-4; 13:8) or ungodly alliances (see 18:1; 19:2; 20:35).
30:1 all Israel and Judah. The destruction of the northern kingdom in by Assyria and the deportation of much of its population (2 Kings 17:5-6) allowed Hezekiah to make this invitation at the beginning of his reign ().
30:2-4 The Passover was delayed until the second month, in an application of the principle in Num. 9:9-13 providing for those who were ceremonially unclean or absent on a journey. This is an early example of the Law of Moses' being interpreted to cover new situations. Hezekiah's consultation of the assembly in decision making aligns him with David (1 Chron. 13:1-5) and Solomon (2 Chron. 1:2-5).
30:6-9 The letters of invitation are similar in content and language to Hezekiah's speech to the priests and Levites (29:5-11). More than an invitation to participate in a festival (30:8b), they are really a summons to repentance (return to the Lord), so that God will avert his anger and the captives of the Assyrians will be returned (v. 9).
30:17 the Levites had to slaughter the Passover lamb for everyone. A new, permanent change in their duties (see 35:5-6). It had previously been the responsibility of the elders to slaughter the Passover lamb (Ex. 12:21).
30:18-20 Although the northerners who ate the Passover were ceremonially unclean and thus deficient according to the letter of the law, their genuine repentance and Hezekiah's intercession were enough to override this deficiency. And the Lord heard Hezekiah and healed the people in fulfillment of the promise in 7:14. "Healing" here is probably a metaphor for forgiveness and spiritual cleansing so that the people could come before God in keeping with Hezekiah's prayer (see Ps. 41:4; Jer. 30:17).
30:23-27 The feast was extended for another , just as the temple dedication had been, and the great joy of this occasion recalls the time of Solomon (7:9-10).
31:1 all Israel. The festival united the Israelites of the north and south and sparked a popular movement to eradicate pagan worship from Ephraim and Manasseh, as well as Judah and Benjamin.
31:2-21 The final stage in Hezekiah's reforms is the restoration of the temple services, which had evidently lapsed when Ahaz closed the temple (28:24). This requires the reorganization of the priests and Levites for the offering of sacrifices and praise (31:2) and the reinstatement of tithes and offerings to support the temple personnel (vv. 4-19). The Chronicler is at pains to demonstrate that the people support the temple generously (v. 5) and that Hezekiah makes effective provisions for the faithful collection and distribution of the gifts (vv. 11-19). The consequence of Hezekiah's faithful leadership is blessing on the people and his own reign (vv. 10, 21). The account stands as an evident example and encouragement to the Chronicler's own community (see Neh. 10:35-39).
31:3 Hezekiah leads with the example of his own generosity, as David had done before (1 Chron. 29:2-5).
31:5-6 The firstfruits were for the priests (Num. 18:12-13) and the tithes were for the Levites (Num. 18:21, 24).
31:7 The amassing of food lasts from the grain harvest in the third month (May-June, the Feast of Weeks or Pentecost) until the fruit and vine harvest in the seventh month (September-October, the Feast of Ingathering or Tabernacles). On these occasions and at Passover, all Israelite men were to come to the temple (Ex. 23:16-17).
31:11-15 Hezekiah's provision of storerooms and appointing of Levites to be in charge of them recalls David's arrangements (1 Chron. 23:28; 28:12). Conaniah and Shimei, with their
31:16-18 Distribution was made to priests and their families, including provision for males from three years old, i.e., the age by which all of them had been weaned.
31:20-21 The summarizing evaluation of Hezekiah echoes the praise of the king in 2 Kings 18:3, 5-7a but reflects the Chronicler's characteristic vocabulary and concept of the exemplary king: seeking his God, with all his heart, and prospered. This recalls David's exhortation of Solomon (see 1 Chron. 22:13, 19; 28:9).
32:1-23 The Chronicler's account of Sennacherib's invasion () greatly condenses and simplifies the record given in 2 Kings 18-19 (see note on 2 Kings 18:13). That earlier account depicts a rather more ambivalent (but still fundamentally positive) portrait of Hezekiah (see 2 Kings 18:14-16, 21, 23). The Chronicler omits these details to present Hezekiah at his faithful best, but his principal concern is to highlight the uniqueness and supremacy of Israel's God, and his ability to deliver his people from their enemies (note Sennacherib's constant taunting use of this verb in 2 Chron. 32:11, 13, 14, 15, 17).
32:1-8 After these things. Like Jehoshaphat (20:1), Hezekiah's faithful acts are followed by an aggressive invasion, an event that becomes an occasion for testing the king's faith and resourcefulness. Hezekiah's response includes taking practical measures for the defense of Jerusalem (32:2-6a) and encouraging the people not to fear the strength of men (arm of flesh; see Jer. 17:5) but to have confidence in God's help (see 2 Chron. 14:11). Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid echoes David's charge to Solomon (1 Chron. 22:13), based in turn on Moses' words to Joshua (Deut. 31:6; Josh. 1:9).
32:1-4, 30 Toward the end of the , Hezekiah built a new water system for Jerusalem, which incorporated part of the earlier system. A tunnel was constructed that brought water directly from the Gihon Spring to the Pool of Siloam. Two teams cut toward each other, one from the spring and one from the pool. The Siloam Inscription, which was discovered in the tunnel in , describes the final moments of the meeting of the two teams.
32:5 he built another wall. In the excavation of Jerusalem in the Jewish Quarter of the Old City, archaeologist Nahman Avigad discovered a wall
32:9-16 Sennacherib . . . was besieging Lachish. See note on 2 Kings 18:17. See 2 Kings 18:19-25, 27-35; 19:9-13 (and notes), which the address of Sennacherib's servants summarizes. The speech follows the familiar pattern of psychological warfare, attempting to separate a people from their leader and to intimidate them into submission. Moreover, the people are constantly challenged on their confidence in the Lord, whom the Assyrians consider no more able to deliver than the gods of the lands they had conquered. The blasphemy and hubris of Sennacherib and his officers (2 Chron. 32:17, 19) are an affront to Yahweh's honor and invite his reply.
32:18 The language of Judah was Hebrew; Aramaic was then the international language of the Near East (see 2 Kings 18:26-35).
32:20 Hezekiah the king and Isaiah the prophet. The Chronicler omits the details of Hezekiah's prayer and Isaiah's prophecy of salvation (see 2 Kings 19:15-34) to focus on his familiar point that God has promised to hear his people's prayer in times of distress (cf. 2 Chron. 6:24-25). cried to heaven. Cf. note on 2 Kings 19:1-2.
32:21 See 2 Kings 19:35-37. with shame of face. The Chronicler's addition, highlighting the element of confrontation between the arrogant Assyrian king and God himself (see Ps. 34:4-7; 35:4-5). Although Sennacherib's army withdrew shortly afterward, his murder did not occur until , in (see notes on 2 Kings 19:35-36; 19:37).
32:24-33 The conclusion to the Chronicler's account of Hezekiah's reign mentions his other achievements and his prayers, as well as his lapse into sinful pride.
32:24-26, 31 See 2 Kings 20:1-19. These events preceded Sennacherib's invasion by a few years. The sign was the miraculous backward movement of the shadow, signifying the extension of Hezekiah's life in answer to prayer. Related to this incident was the king's proud display of his wealth before the Babylonian envoys. This incurred God's wrath, but Hezekiah and the people's humble repentance (see 2 Chron. 7:14) is said to have spared Jerusalem in the days of Hezekiah (see 2 Kings 20:16-18). Even a good king such as Hezekiah could contribute to Judah's fate; like Josiah (2 Chron. 34:28), however, he was spared from seeing it in his days.
32:24 In those days. See note on 2 Kings 20:1.
32:27-30a Riches and honor are standard signs of divine blessing on faithful reigns (see 1 Chron. 29:28; 2 Chron. 1:11; 17:5). Hezekiah's tunnel with the renowned Siloam Inscription (discovered in ) was part of the engineering work referred to in 32:30a (see vv. 3-4).
32:31 the envoys of the princes of Babylon. See note on 2 Kings 20:12.
32:32-33 the acts of Hezekiah and his good deeds. See note on 2 Kings 20:20. the vision of Isaiah the prophet . . . in the Book of the Kings of Judah and Israel. Not the canonical book of Isaiah's prophecy but a historical work now lost (see notes on 1 Kings 14:19; 2 Chron. 26:22).
