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Commentaries and Other Bible Study Helps - Prayer Tents - Prayer Tents
34:1-35:27 Josiah. See 2 Kings 22:1-23:30a. The considerable space that the Chronicler devotes to Josiah's reign () is a mark of his importance as an example of godly leadership. From his youth (2 Chron. 34:3), Josiah demonstrates faithfulness to God. Like the other great kings before him, he promotes reform according to the Law of Moses and instructions of David, eliminating idolatry and restoring the temple (34:3-13, 33). Although the inexorable shadow of exile hangs over his reign (34:23-28), Josiah persists in leading his people into a renewal of their relationship with God and in reestablishing the Law of Moses as the basis of the nation's future life (34:29-32). The climax of his reformation (as it was for Hezekiah) is the celebration of a Passover unexcelled in its inclusive breadth and faithfulness (35:18). Josiah is evidently a model for faithful living for the Chronicler's own restoration community, centered on the temple and governed by the same law (see Neh. 8:1-8).
34:2 did not turn aside to the right hand or to the left. See note on 2 Kings 22:2.
34:3-7 Josiah's decisive move against pagan worship is made as soon as he has come of age by turning
34:6-7 A fortress at Mesad Havashyahu on the Mediterranean Sea has been discovered that dates to the Several Hebrew ostraca found there indicate that the site was under Judean control. Josiah's control thus extended not only to the north, as far as Naphtali, but also westward to the coast.
34:8-13 When he had cleansed (v. 8) or "in order to cleanse." The repair of the temple in was part of the continuing process of reform that Josiah had initiated. he sent Shaphan. See note on 2 Kings 22:3-7. The Chronicler adds that contributions came from Manasseh and Ephraim and from all the remnant of Israel, as well as Judah, pointing to the unity that now existed among the people and their shared interest in the temple (see 1 Chron. 9:3). The Chronicler further states that the repair work was done under Levitical supervision (see 2 Chron. 24:8-12; 29:12-19).
34:14 the Book of the Law. This is usually understood to be a scroll of Deuteronomy or a portion of it. Its discovery in the course of temple repair is itself a reward for faithfulness because it becomes the springboard of further reform (2 Chron. 34:29-33; cf. note on 2 Kings 22:8).
34:19-21 those who are left in Israel and in Judah. Another added reference to the northern kingdom to stress the unity of Israel (see v. 9). great is the wrath of the Lord . . . because our fathers have not kept the word of the Lord. See note on 2 Kings 22:11-13.
34:22-24 Huldah. See note on 2 Kings 22:14-16. all the curses. An allusion to the covenant curses in Deuteronomy 27-29 (cf. 2 Kings 22:16, "all the words").
34:27 humbled yourself before me. This is the Chronicler's addition, alluding to 7:14, emphasizing Josiah's exemplary spiritual character (see 34:1-3).
34:28 gathered to your grave in peace. The promise is not negated by Josiah's death in battle; Huldah's prophecy means that the destruction and exile will not occur during Josiah's lifetime (cf. note on 2 Kings 22:20).
34:30-31 the king went up to the house of the Lord. See note on 2 Kings 23:2-3.
34:32-33 Josiah imposes on the people a pledge of obedience to the Mosaic covenant, which they maintain in all the territory . . . of Israel (i.e., in both the north and south)--but only while Josiah lives (all his days they did not turn away). When Josiah dies, so too does the people's commitment to their covenant (see notes on ch. 36).
35:1-19 See 2 Kings 23:21-23. Just as Josiah encouraged and instructed the priests and Levites "in the service of the house of the Lord," the detailed account of his Passover serves as an encouragement and model to the Chronicler's own generation in their use of the temple for worship and spiritual renewal. The Passover was the most significant pilgrimage festival in the postexilic community for reaffirming their identity and vocation as Yahweh's people (see Ezra 6:19-22; cf. note on 2 Kings 23:22).
35:1 the first month. The regular month for celebration (Num. 28:16), in contrast to Hezekiah's delayed observance (2 Chron. 30:2).
35:3-6 Put the holy ark in the house that Solomon . . . built (v. 3). The ark may have been removed during the reigns of Manasseh and Amon, or in the course of Josiah's renovation works. Josiah directs the Levites in their new duties of slaughtering and skinning the Passover lambs (see v. 11).
35:7-9 Josiah and his officials emulate David (1 Chron. 29:2-5) and Solomon (2 Chron. 7:5) in their generosity.
35:18 No Passover like it. Josiah's Passover surpassed all other centralized celebrations (including Hezekiah's unorthodox Passover; 30:2-4, 18-20) in its faithful commitment to worship as authorized by Moses and David, and in its broad inclusion of all Judah and Israel (cf. note on 2 Kings 23:22).
35:20-27 Josiah's death occurred in the course of confronting Pharaoh Neco II at Megiddo in , when the Egyptian king was bringing his army north to help the Assyrians against Babylon. Apparently Josiah decided to seek favor with Babylon by opposing the Egyptians (see note on 2 Kings 23:28-30), but this indicated a turning away from trust in the Lord. Josiah's failure to listen to the words of Neco from the mouth of God (2 Chron. 35:22) contrasts with his attention to God's words from the Book of the Law and from Huldah the prophetess (34:19, 26-27). Here God spoke even through an Egyptian king, warning Josiah against meddling in a war between Babylon and Egypt (cf. Prov. 26:17). The manner of his death is also uncomfortably like Ahab's (2 Chron. 18:29-34). Nevertheless, Josiah's reign is judged very positively, as his burial and the mourning for him attest. the Laments. Not the biblical book of Lamentations.
