2 Chronicles 35:12

And they removed the burnt offerings, that they might give according to the divisions of the families of the people, to offer unto the LORD, as it is written in the book of Moses. And so did they with the oxen.

EXPOSITORY (ENGLISH BIBLE)

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(12) They removed.—Cut off those parts of the victims which had to be consumed on the altar of burnt offering. (Comp. Leviticus 3:9; Leviticus 4:31.) These parts are naturally called “the burnt offering,” although no special burnt offering was appointed for the evening of the Passover.

That they might give . . . people.—To give them to the sections of the father-houses of the sons of the people. After separating the proper pieces, the Levites gave them to the sections which they were serving, to be presented in turn to the priests for burning on the altar.

To Offer.—Haqrîb; as in Leviticus 3:9; Leviticus 3:14.

As it is written.—Referring to the rule that “all the fat is the Lord’s” (Leviticus 3:16).

And so did they.—And so for the oxen. The proper portions of these also were separated for consumption on the brazen altar; the rest of the carcases furnished food for the sacrificial festivities.

Benson Commentary

2 Chronicles 35:12. And they removed the burnt-offerings — That part of the paschal lambs which was to be burned, which they despatched as soon as possible, that they might give that part which was to be eaten to each family. And so they did with the oxen — All of which were not given for peace-offerings, but some for burnt-offerings: which they also offered as fast as they could, that they might give to each family a portion sufficient for them to feast on.

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary

35:1-19 The destruction Josiah made of idolatry, was more largely related in the book of Kings. His solemnizing the passover is related here. The Lord's supper resembles the passover more than any other of the Jewish festivals; and the due observance of that ordinance, is a proof of growing piety and devotion. God alone can truly make our hearts holy, and prepare them for his holy services; but there are duties belonging to us, in doing which we obtain this blessing from the Lord.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

They removed the burnt offerings - They separated from the Paschal lambs those parts which were to be burned on the altar. These parts they gave to the offerers, who took them up to the altar and handed them to the officiating priests.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

12. they removed the burnt offerings—Some of the small cattle being designed for burnt offerings were put apart by themselves, that they might not be intermingled with the paschal lambs, which were carefully selected according to certain rules, and intended to be sacramentally eaten; and the manner in which those burnt offerings were presented seems to have been the following: "All the subdivisions of the different fathers' houses came one after another to the altar in solemn procession to bring to the priests the portions which had been cut off, and the priests laid these pieces upon the fire of the altar of burnt offering."

Matthew Poole's Commentary

They removed the burnt-offerings, i.e. those cattle which were to be offered for burnt-offerings, to wit, some of the lesser cattle; for these also might be offered as burnt-offerings, Leviticus 1:10. And hence it may seem that all these small cattle were not given to the people to be eaten by them for their paschal lambs, but that some of them were to be offered as burnt-offerings for the people. And these they put apart by themselves, partly lest they should be confounded with them which were for another use; and partly that they might not be hindered from that which was their present and more immediate work, as it follows,

that they might give, to wit, the paschal lambs or kids.

To offer unto the Lord: these words may belong either,

1. To the more remote words, the burnt-offerings, the other words being to be put within a parenthesis, or there being a trajection in the words, which is frequent in Scripture, and which is here observed by some learned interpreters. Or,

2. To the last words, and to the paschal lambs, which they were first to offer to the Lord, by killing them and sprinkling the blood, as was noted before, and then to be given to the people; though the giving be here mentioned before the offering, such transpositions being usual in Scripture and other authors. So did they with the oxen, to wit, as they did with the lesser cattle, of which see the first note on this verse. They removed those oxen which were to be offered as burnt-offerings, from those which were to be offered as peace-offerings.

Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

And they removed the burnt offerings,.... Either such of the lambs and kids as were designed for burnt offerings for the people; these they separated from those that were for the passover; or they removed from them what was to be burnt, the fat of the inwards, of the kidneys, and the caul on the liver:

that they might give; the rest for the passover:

according to the divisions of the families of the people, to offer unto the Lord; according to the number of them:

as it is written in the book of Moses; see Leviticus 3:3,

and so did they with the oxen; such of them as were appointed for burnt offerings were set apart by themselves, and such as were for peace offerings; what of them were to be burnt, as those before mentioned, were taken from them.

Geneva Study Bible

And they removed the {g} burnt offerings, that they might give according to the divisions of the families of the people, to offer unto the LORD, as it is written in the book of Moses. And so did they with the oxen.

(g) They reserved for the people that which was not expedient to be offered, that every man might offer peace offerings, and so have his portion.

EXEGETICAL (ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)

Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

12. that they might give according to the divisions of the families of the people] R.V. that they might give them according to the divisions of the fathers’ houses of the children of the people.

Pulpit Commentary

Verse 12. - Removed; i.e. cut off; the verso purporting that those who officiated cut off those portions of the animals slain which were of the nature of burnt offering, that they might be taken by the offering worshippers to the priests at the altars, there to be entirely consumed. Of the people; probably better, literally, to the children of the people, i.e. "to the people" (Leviticus 3:3-16). 2 Chronicles 35:12

Keil and Delitzsch Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament

"And they took away the burnt-offerings, to give them to the divisions of the fathers'-houses of the sons of the people, to offer unto the Lord, as it is written in the book of Moses; and so also in regard to the oxen." הסיר signifies the taking off or separating of the pieces intended to be burnt upon the altar from the beasts slain for sacrifice, as in Leviticus 3:9., Leviticus 4:31. העלה, in this connection, can only signify the parts of the paschal lamb which were to be burnt upon the altar, viz., the same parts which were separated from sheep and goats when they were brought as thank-offerings and burnt upon the altar (Leviticus 3:6-16). These pieces are here called העלה, because they not only were wholly burnt like the burnt-offering, but also were burnt upon the flesh of the evening burnt-offering to God, for a savour of good pleasure; cf. Leviticus 3:11, Leviticus 3:16, with Leviticus 1:13. They cannot have been special burnt-offerings, which were burnt along with or at the same time with the fat of the paschal lambs; for there were no special festal burnt-offerings, besides the daily evening sacrifice, prescribed for the passover on the evening of the 14th Nisan; and the oxen given by the king and the princes for the passover are specially mentioned in the concluding clause of the verse, לבּקר וכן, so that they cannot have been included in העלה. The suffix in לתתּם might be referred to הפּסח: to give the paschal lambs, after the עלה had been separated from them, to the divisions of the people. But the following ליהוה להקריב does not harmonize with that interpretation; and the statement in 2 Chronicles 35:13, that the Levites gave the roasted and boiled flesh to the sons of the people, is still more inconsistent with it. We must consequently refer לתתּם to the immediately preceding noun, העלה: to give the parts separated from the paschal lambs to be burnt upon the altar to the divisions of the people, that they might offer them to the Lord. This can only mean that each division of the fathers'-houses of the people approached the altar in turn to give the portions set apart from the עלה to the priests, who then offered them on the fire of the altar to the Lord. On בס כּכּתוּב Gusset. has already rightly remarked: Lex Mosis hic allegatur non quasi omnia illa quae praecedunt, exprimerentur in ipsa, sed respective seu respectu eorum quae mandata erant; quibus salvis adjungi potuerunt quidam modi agendi innocui et commodi ad legis jussa exsequenda. לבּקר וכן, and so was it done also with the oxen, which consequently were not offered as burnt-offerings, but as thank-offerings, only the fat being burnt upon the altar, and the flesh being used for sacrificial meals.