2 Chronicles 34:12

_AND WHEN THEY CAME TO HILKIAH THE HIGH PRIEST, THEY DELIVERED THE MONEY THAT WAS BROUGHT INTO THE HOUSE OF GOD, WHICH THE LEVITES THAT KEPT THE DOORS HAD GATHERED OF THE HAND OF MANASSEH AND EPHRAIM, AND OF ALL THE REMNANT OF ISRAEL, AND OF ALL JUDAH AND BENJAMIN; AND THEY RETURNED TO JERUSALEM._ No JFB commentary on these verses....

Verse 2 Chronicles 34:12. _ALL THAT COULD SKILL OF INSTRUMENTS OF MUSIC_] Did the musicians play on their several instruments to encourage and enliven the workmen? Is not this a probable case from their mention here? If this were really the case, _instrumental music_ was never better applied in any thing that refers to the worship of God. It is fabled of _Orpheus_, a most celebrated musician, that such was the enchanting _harmony_ of his _lyre_, that he _built the_ _city of Thebes_ by it: the _stones_ and _timbers danced_ to his _melody_; and by the power of his _harmony rose up_, and _took_ their respective places in the different parts of the wall that was to defend the city! This is _fable_; but as all fable is a representation of _truth_, where is the _truth_ and _fact_ to which this refers? How...

EXPOSITION This chapter, with the following, embraces the entire of the beneficent reign of Josiah, son of Amon—the son an illustrious contrast to the father. The parallel (2 Kings 22-23:30) is less full, and also, so far as chronology goes, less clear in the earlier verses. For once the writer of Kings spends his strength more largely than our compiler on the moral and religious aspects of Josiah's work, and is rather scantier in the detail of his external works for his nation, city of Jerusalem, and temple. He, however, gives very much less prominence to the matter of the celebration of the Passover. 2 CHRONICLES 34:1 Again the name of the mother is omitted. From the parallel we learn she was "Jedidah, the daughter of Adaiah of Boscath....

AND THE MEN DID THAT WORK FAITHFULLY,.... The labouring men, as also their inspectors, see 2 Kings 22:7 AND THE OVERSEERS OF THEM WERE JAHATH AND OBADIAH, THE LEVITES, OF THE SONS OF MERARI; the third son of Levi: AND ZECHARIAH AND MESHULLAM, OF THE SONS OF THE KOHATHITES; who had their name from Kohath, the second son of Levi: TO SET IT FORWARD; to urge and animate the men to their work, to keep them constant to it, and see that they did it well: AND OTHER OF THE LEVITES, ALL THAT COULD SKILL OF INSTRUMENTS OF MUSIC; these, when they were not employed in singing in the temple, attended this service, to look after the workmen at the repairs of it; and perhaps they might play, as some think, on their instruments of music, while the men were at work, that they might go on in it the more pleasantly and cheerfully.

8. REFORMATION UNDER JOSIAH CHAPTER 34 The Reign of Josiah and the Reformation _ 1. The record of his reign (2 Chronicles 34:1)_ 2. The beginning of the reformation (2 Chronicles 34:3) 3. The house of the LORD repaired (2 Chronicles 34:8) 4. The law of Moses found and read (2 Chronicles 34:14) 5. Hulda, the prophetess (2 Chronicles 34:22) 6. The law read and the covenant ...

2 Chronicles 34:1 to 2 Chronicles 35:27. THE REIGN OF JOSIAH. See notes on 2 Kings 22, 2 Kings 23:1, which form the basis of the Chronicler's account; but he has made many alterations in accordance with his general tendencies. One important difference between the two accounts is that, according to the Chronicler, Josiah's Reformation takes place before the finding of the book of the Law, an obviously illogical sequence; but the Chronicler desires to emphasize Josiah's piety even in his tender years. The description of the celebration of the Passover (2 Chronicles 35:1) is far fuller than that given in...

ALL THAT COULD SKILL. all that had understanding, or ability....

_the overseers_ There is no parallel in 2 Kin. for the rest of this verse and for 2 Chronicles 34:13. _to set_it _forward_ The same Heb. word is used in 1 Chronicles 23:4. _could skill_ "Skill" is used as a verb also in 2 Chronicles 2:7-8. _skill of instruments_= "play skilfully upon instruments....

LESSON TWENTY-FOUR 34-36 JOSIAH'S REFORMATION THE LAST DAYS OF THE SOUTHERN KINGDOM BABYLONIAN CAPTIVITY. THE DECREE OF CYRUS 17. THE REIGN OF JOSIAH (Chapter 34-35) INTRODUCTION Josiah and Hilkiah led Judah in a wonderful revival of faith in God. The passover was a time of great rejoicing. Josiah's untimely death shortened Judah's time as a kingdom. Babylon came. Jerusalem was ruined. Captivity followed. At the end of the captivity Cyrus released the Jews for their return to Jerusalem. TEXT 2 Chronicles 34:1. Josiah was eight years old when he began to reign; and he reigned thirty and one years in Jerusalem. 2. And he did that which was right in the eyes of Jehovah, and walked in the ways of David his father, and turned not aside to the right hand or to the left. 3. For in the eighth year of his reign, while he was yet young, he began

REIGN OF JOSIAH The chapter narrates how Josiah suppressed idolatry and repaired the Temple; how a book of the Law, found in the Temple, was read to the king and the people; and how the nation's covenant with the Lord was renewed. This chapter and the following are, in general, parallel to 2 Kings 22; 2 Kings 23:1 with some unimportant variants; but the Chronicler gives more prominence than the writer of 2 Kings to the passover celebrated by Josiah....