2 Chronicles 29:5

2Ch 29:5 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].

Ver. 5. And he said unto them, Hear me.] He makes a speech to them, full of faith and piety in every passage.

Ye Levites.] He beginneth his reformation at the ministry. Incipiendum a Minoritis, said one of the council of Basil; Imo vero a Maioritis, said another. The priests are here comprised under the name of Levites.

Sanctify now yourselves.] By legal rites, but especially by repentance, faith, and new obedience, fit yourselves for your respective employments.

And carry forth the filthiness.] The idols, and all their trinkets and trash. Nothing must be left behind that might make idolaters hope for a desired day.

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

2Ch_29:5

Sanctify now yourselves and sanctify the house of the Lord God of your fathers.

Personal consecration

I. What is involved in this personal dedication? Thomas Aquinas made three kinds of baptism: Sanguinis, fluminis, fiaminis--the blood, the flood, the fire! By repentance and faith in Christs atonement the sinner is saved, and by water-baptism received into the visible Church. But, to be wholly prepared for the Masters work, there must be the baptism of the Holy Ghost and of fire. The aim of Christianity is to lead us from the material to the spiritual; from the instrumental and accidental to the absolute and eternal. This house is an instrument in the service of God. Its best consecration is the consecration of its occupants, and this is accomplished by the radical work of the Holy Spirit. The tongue of the preacher, the pen of the author, the lips of the singer, the fingers of the musician, and the brush of the painter, are servants of a governing purpose--channels through which thought and feeling, genius and culture, express themselves. If the soul that controls these instruments be consecrated, then they are hallowed. As the wondrous river we read of in ancient fable turned to gold the very sand its currents washed, so does the fountain of a holy heart, pouring forth its enriching flood in speech and effort, dignify the humblest employment or surroundings. With this spirit of consecration enter and occupy this sanctuary, and you will make the place, indeed, holy.

II. What are the fruits of this radical, hearty, and permanent consecration? The people by this spirit of high consecration, are set free from the bondage of low and false views, prevalent in worldly circles. And, finally, if the pure and holy spirit of self-dedication, thus outlined, prevails, genuine revivals of religion will surely follow, healthful growth in activity, love, and liberality will be seen, and true Christian unity will be fostered among all who really love our Lord Jesus Christ. (Prof. E. P. Thwing.)

Reformation must be thorough

A reformation to be worth much must be thorough. Half-way work in this line is of little value. Again and again the kings of Judah, when they swept away all idol worship, left untouched the high places where Jehovah was sacrificed to irregularly; and, because of their failure at completeness, their people went quickly back to gross idolatry. So in all partial attempts at reform. The man who proposes to give up drinking, or gambling, or profanity, or dishonest courses, without surrendering himself wholly to the Lord, is not likely to succeed even to the extent of his attempts. And it is with the house of the Lord as it is with persons. Unless it is wholly the Lords, it does little honour to Him. H it is in use for religious purposes on Sunday, and for concerts and fairs and lectures and shows during the week; or if part of it is for a house of worship, and part for shops of trade--it is at the best a much abused sanctuary. Carry forth the filthiness out of the holy place. (H. Clay Trumbull.)

The Biblical Illustrator, edited by Joseph S. Exell (c. 1880s–1900s) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

2Ch 29:5. Hear me, ye Levites; carry forth the filthiness — That filthy altar which Ahaz had put in the place of God’s altar, (2Ki 16:11,) and the idols, or other abominable things, which were there; out of the holy place — The temple, or the priests’ court, which also is often called a holy place.

Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

29:5-11 Hezekiah’s speech used vocabulary typical of exile to describe the failure of the nation. As in the days of the separation under Rehoboam (12:1; see 13:10), the people had been unfaithful when they abandoned the Lord.

Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Meaning, all the idols, altars, groves and whatsoever was occupied in their service, and wherewith the Temple was polluted.

Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain. Text via Bolls.life.

(5) Hear me.—2Ch_15:2; 2Ch_20:15.

Sanctify now yourselves.—See Note on 1Ch_15:12; 1Ch_15:14.

Sanctify the house.—By removing all symbols of idolatry.

Carry forth the filthiness.—Niddah denotes personal impurity (Lev_12:2; Eze_18:6); and so anything loathsome (Eze_7:19); here probably idols, and things connected with their worship.

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

5. sanctify now yourselves] Cp. Exo_19:10-15.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

For our fathers have transgressed, and done that which was evil in the eyes of the Lord our God,.... Meaning their more immediate ancestors, his father and theirs, who had committed idolatry; which is a great trespass, and than which there is not a greater evil in the sight of God, nor more provoking to him:

and have forsaken him; his word, worship, and ordinances:

and have turned away their faces from the habitation of the Lord; the temple, by neglecting that, and the service of it, and attending the high places: and turned their backs; upon it; though some think this refers to a rite or custom, introduced by Ahaz before he shut up the temple, that instead of looking to the west, when they worshipped, where was the ark of the Lord, he ordered them to turn their faces to the east, where his altar stood.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Sanctify now yourselves - Compare the marginal reference. Hezekiah follows David’s example, knowing, probably, that the priests had in the preceding time of idolatry contracted many defilements.

The “filthiness,” or “uncleanness” 2Ch 29:16, might consist, in part, of mere dust and dirt, in part, of idolatrous objects introduced by Ahaz before he finally shut up the temple 2Ki 16:10-16.

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

Sanctuary, or temple, v. 7. The Jews suppose that idols had been placed in the very sanctuary: (Lyranus) but why then were the doors shut? C.

George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).

That filthy altar, which Ahaz had put in the place of God’s altar, 2Ki 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, Lev 6:16; 10:13; Num 28:7.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

5. Sanctify now yourselves — That is, ceremonially, by purifying yourselves from all legal defilement. This was necessary in order that they might properly sanctify the house of the Lord by removing from it all its defilements. Comp. 1Ch_15:12-14.

Carry forth the filthiness — The abominations of idolatry which Ahaz had introduced, and also the dust and dirt that had accumulated there. Comp. 2Ch_29:16, note.

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Sanctify yourselves; Hebrew, WvDqthi. Note the absence of any such direction in 1Ch 13, and see 2Ch_15:11-14, with our note on ver. 12 in particular. The filthiness; Hebrew, hDiGhAta,. This word occurs twenty-seven times, and is rendered "separation" fifteen times, "flowers" twice, "put apart" three times, "uncleanness" or "filthiness" six times, and "menstruous" once. The term, therefore, is among the strongest that could be used, and glances probably at the abominations, of whatsoever sort, that Ahaz"s idolatries had entailed (comp. ver. 16).

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Filthiness - That filthy altar, which Ahaz had put in the place of God's altar, 2 Kings xvi, 11, and the idols, or other abominable things which were there.

John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.

and remove the ‘menstruant’ The Midrash Aggadah (source unknown) states: ‘The corpse’ is not stated here, but ‘the menstruant,’ which is more repugnant than the corpse. It is compared to the uncleanness of the menstruant, because menstrual blood is repugnant.

Rashi on the Tanakh — English translations: “The Judaica Press complete Tanach with Rashi, translated by A. J. Rosenberg” (CC BY 4.0); “Pentateuch with Rashi's commentary by M. Rosenbaum and A.M. Silbermann, 1929-1934” (public domain); “The Metsudah Tanach series, Lakewood, N.J” (CC BY 4.0); and “The Book of Joshua, Metsudah Publications, 1997” (CC BY 4.0). Text via Sefaria.