Matthew Poole's Commentary Hezekiah began to reign when he was five and twenty years old, and he reigned nine and twenty years in Jerusalem. And his mother's name was Abijah, the daughter of Zechariah. Hezekiah’s good reign: he restoreth religion; exhorteth the Levites, 2 Chronicles 29:1-11. They sanctify themselves, and cleanse the house of God, 2 Chronicles 29:12-19. He offereth solemn sacrifices, with songs of praise, and the congregation add their offerings, 2 Chronicles 29:20-36. No text from Poole on this verse. And he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD, according to all that David his father had done. No text from Poole on this verse. He in the first year of his reign, in the first month, opened the doors of the house of the LORD, and repaired them. Which Ahaz his father had shut up, 2 Chronicles 28:24. And he brought in the priests and the Levites, and gathered them together into the east street, Which was before the eastern gate of the temple. And said unto them, Hear me, ye Levites, sanctify now yourselves, and sanctify the house of the LORD God of your fathers, and carry forth the filthiness out of the holy place. That filthy altar, which Ahaz had put in the place of God’s altar, 2 Kings 16:11, &c., and the idols or other abominable or polluting things which were there. Out of the holy place; the temple, or the priests’ court, which also is called a holy place, Leviticus 6:16 10:13 Numbers 28:7. For our fathers have trespassed, and done that which was evil in the eyes of the LORD our God, and have forsaken him, and have turned away their faces from the habitation of the LORD, and turned their backs. Either, 1. Metaphorically; they have wilfully, and obstinately, and contumeliously forsaken God, and his house and worship; that posture being a signification of contempt. Or, 2. Literally and properly. For Ahaz having removed the altar of God into a by-place, 2 Kings 16, and directing his worship towards the east, after the manner of the heathens, whom he designed to follow; and not to the west, as the Israelites did by God’s command, in which quarter the ark was; he must needs consequently turn his back upon the altar, and house, and ark of God. 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 unto the God of Israel. No text from Poole on this verse. Wherefore the wrath of the LORD was upon Judah and Jerusalem, and he hath delivered them to trouble, to astonishment, and to hissing, as ye see with your eyes. To astonishment and to hissing, i.e. to such calamities as all that see and hear of shall be astonished at, and hiss at those who by their own sin and folly have brought such miseries upon themselves. See Poole "1 Kings 9:8". For, lo, our fathers have fallen by the sword, and our sons and our daughters and our wives are in captivity for this. Or were, though they were presently released, 2 Chronicles 28:5,14,15. Now it is in mine heart to make a covenant with the LORD God of Israel, that his fierce wrath may turn away from us. No text from Poole on this verse. My sons, be not now negligent: for the LORD hath chosen you to stand before him, to serve him, and that ye should minister unto him, and burn incense. My sons; so he calls them indifferently, though many of them were elder than himself, because he was by his tender love and affection, as he was by his office obliged to be, a nursing-father to them. See Isaiah 49:23. Be not now negligent, in sanctifying yourselves and the temple, 2 Chronicles 29:5, and in quickening and preparing yourselves and the people to God’s service. 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 Jehalelel: and of the Gershonites; Joah the son of Zimmah, and Eden the son of Joah: No text from Poole on this verse. And of the sons of Elizaphan; Shimri, and Jeiel: and of the sons of Asaph; Zechariah, and Mattaniah: No text from Poole on this verse. And of the sons of Heman; Jehiel, and Shimei: and of the sons of Jeduthun; Shemaiah, and Uzziel. No text from Poole on this verse. And they gathered their brethren, and sanctified themselves, and came, according to the commandment of the king, by the words of the LORD, to cleanse the house of the LORD. No text from Poole on this verse. And the priests went into the inner part of the house of the LORD, to cleanse it, and brought out all the uncleanness that they found in the temple of the LORD into the court of the house of the LORD. And the Levites took it, to carry it out abroad into the brook Kidron. The inner part of the house of the Lord; not the holy of holies, into which only the high priest might enter, and that but once in a year; but the holy place. Into the court, to wit, the priests’ court, called here the court, by way of eminency. Now they began on the first day of the first month to sanctify, and on the eighth day of the month came they to the porch of the LORD: so they sanctified the house of the LORD in eight days; and in the sixteenth day of the first month they made an end. In sixteen days purging the house, and porch, and courts, and all the chambers belonging to the temple. This is noted to imply partly the universal abuse and defilement of all the parts of it by Ahaz, which required so much time to remove; and partly the diligence of the priests in this work. Then they went in to Hezekiah the king, and said, We have cleansed all the house of the LORD, and the altar of burnt offering, with all the vessels thereof, and the shewbread table, with all the vessels thereof. No text from Poole on this verse. Moreover all the vessels, which king Ahaz in his reign did cast away in his transgression, have we prepared and sanctified, and, behold, they are before the altar of the LORD. No text from Poole on this verse. Then Hezekiah the king rose early, and gathered the rulers of the city, and went up to the house of the LORD. No text from Poole on this verse. And they brought seven bullocks, and seven rams, and seven lambs, and seven he goats, for a sin offering for the kingdom, and for the sanctuary, and for Judah. And he commanded the priests the sons of Aaron to offer them on the altar of the LORD. The number of seven is famous and customary in sacred matters, and is here used in regard of the vast numbers and various kinds of sins, the guilt whereof yet lay upon the kingdom, which was now to be expiated. Indeed, in case of one particular sin of ignorance done by the people, there was but one bullock to be offered, Leviticus 4:13,14, but here the sins were many and presumptuous, &c. A sin-offering for the kingdom; to make atonement for the sins of the king, and the royal family, and the court. For the sanctuary; for all the idolatry and uncleanness wherewith the temple had been polluted, which, as it had been cleansed naturally by the priests’ hands, so now was to be purged morally by sacrifices. For Judah; for the sins of all the people of Judah. So they killed the bullocks, and the priests received the blood, and sprinkled it on the altar: likewise, when they had killed the rams, they sprinkled the blood upon the altar: they killed also the lambs, and they sprinkled the blood upon the altar. No text from Poole on this verse. And they brought forth the he goats for the sin offering before the king and the congregation; and they laid their hands upon them: i.e. The king and the elders of the congregation in the name of the whole congregation. And the priests killed them, and they made reconciliation with their blood upon the altar, to make an atonement for all Israel: for the king commanded that the burnt offering and the sin offering should be made for all Israel. For all Israel, i.e. for Judah and Benjamin, and all the rest of the tribes, whereof a considerable number were now in his dominions. And he set the Levites in the house of the LORD with cymbals, with psalteries, and with harps, according to the commandment of David, and of Gad the king's seer, and Nathan the prophet: for so was the commandment of the LORD by his prophets. No text from Poole on this verse. And the Levites stood with the instruments of David, and the priests with the trumpets. No text from Poole on this verse. And Hezekiah commanded to offer the burnt offering upon the altar. And when the burnt offering began, the song of the LORD began also with the trumpets, and with the instruments ordained by David king of Israel. No text from Poole on this verse. And all the congregation worshipped, and the singers sang, and the trumpeters sounded: and all this continued until the burnt offering was finished. No text from Poole on this verse. And when they had made an end of offering, the king and all that were present with him bowed themselves, and worshipped. No text from Poole on this verse. Moreover Hezekiah the king and the princes commanded the Levites to sing praise unto the LORD with the words of David, and of Asaph the seer. And they sang praises with gladness, and they bowed their heads and worshipped. No text from Poole on this verse. Then Hezekiah answered and said, Now ye have consecrated yourselves unto the LORD, come near and bring sacrifices and thank offerings into the house of the LORD. And the congregation brought in sacrifices and thank offerings; and as many as were of a free heart burnt offerings. Now ye have consecrated yourselves unto the Lord; now that you have reconciled yourselves and the house to God’s favour, and that he is willing and ready to accept your sacrifices. Burnt-offerings; wherein there was more generosity than in the ether sacrifices, because they were wholly burnt and offered to God, and the people had no share in them as they had in the rest. And the number of the burnt offerings, which the congregation brought, was threescore and ten bullocks, an hundred rams, and two hundred lambs: all these were for a burnt offering to the LORD. No text from Poole on this verse. And the consecrated things were six hundred oxen and three thousand sheep. i.e. All the offerings consecrated to God besides the burnt-offerings already mentioned. But the priests were too few, so that they could not flay all the burnt offerings: wherefore their brethren the Levites did help them, till the work was ended, and until the other priests had sanctified themselves: for the Levites were more upright in heart to sanctify themselves than the priests. The priests were too few, to wit, such as were sanctified and fit for their work, as the following words show; for otherwise the number of the priests was more than sufficient for this employment. They could not flay all the burnt-offerings; and much less all the other sacrifices, which were more numerous; the flaying whereof was the priest’s proper work, Leviticus 1:5,6. The Levites did help them; necessity excusing their deviation from the rule, as it hath excused others in like cases. And also the burnt offerings were in abundance, with the fat of the peace offerings, and the drink offerings for every burnt offering. So the service of the house of the LORD was set in order. And also the burnt-offerings were in abundance; or, for the burnt-offerings were to be offered also in abundance. So it is a reason why the priests could not flay all the burnt-offerings, as was said, 2 Chronicles 29:34, because there was so much other work for them; for the burnt-offerings were not only to be flayed, but also to be offered, to wit, wholly, and with them the fat of peace-offerings, & c. And Hezekiah rejoiced, and all the people, that God had prepared the people: for the thing was done suddenly. It was, as a very great, so a sudden change, that the people, who but the other day were so ready to comply with wicked Ahaz in his idolatrous and impious prescriptions, were now so free and forward in God’s service; whereby it plainly appeared to be the work of the Almighty God changing their hearts by his Holy Spirit. |
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