2 Chronicles 30:16

2Ch 30:16 And they stood in their place after their manner, according to the law of Moses the man of God: the priests sprinkled the blood, [which they received] of the hand of the Levites.

Ver. 16. The blood which they received of the hands of the Levites.] Part of the blood they sprinkled as a type of that "blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things" for us; and part to be poured out by the priest upon the earth, to show that the best have deserved to be destroyed, and that God is the Lord of life and of death.

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 30:16-17. The priests sprinkled the blood — Of the sacrifices upon the altar; which they received of the hand of the Levites — Who killed and flayed the sacrifices, which the priests, if they had been sanctified, should have done, as was observed on 2Ch 29:34. For there were many in the congregation that were not sanctified — Abundance of people that came to keep this passover were not clean according to the law, and therefore many more sacrifices were to be offered for their cleansing than would otherwise have been necessary: which was one reason why the Levites were employed in the work, for the priests were not of a number sufficient to perform this duty. The reader must observe that besides the paschal-lamb, the offering of all the sacrifices, which were appointed to accompany it, are included in keeping the passover.

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

To wit, of the lamb of the Passover.

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

the priests sprinkled the blood, which they received of the hand of the Levites--This was a deviation from the established rules and practices in presenting the offerings of the temple. The reason was, that many present on the occasion having not sanctified themselves, the Levites slaughtered the paschal victims (see on Ch2 35:5) for everyone that was unclean. At other times the heads of families killed the lambs themselves, the priests receiving the blood from their hands and presenting it on the altar. Multitudes of the Israelites, especially from certain tribes (Ch2 30:18), were in this unsanctified state, and yet they ate the passover--an exceptional feature and one opposed to the law (Num 9:6); but this exception was allowed in answer to Hezekiah's prayer (Ch2 30:18-20).

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

(16) In their place.—‘Omdâm. This word is used in this sense only in Daniel, Chronicles, Nehemiah. (Comp. 2Ch_34:31; 2Ch_35:10.)

After their manner—i.e., “according to their order” (1Ch_6:31).

According to the law . . . of God.—Another reference to the Pentateuchal legislation. (See 2Ch_23:18; 2Ch_24:6; 2Ch_14:4; 2Ch_17:9.)

Sprinkled . . . Levites.—Rather, sprinkling the blood from the hand of the Levites. On this occasion the Levites, and not the laymen who presented the victims, slew the lambs and handed the blood to the priests to be dashed against the altar. The reason of this breach of the ordinary rule is given in next verse.

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

16. after their manner] R.V. after their order.

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 there were many in the congregation that were not sanctified,.... Or purified from uncleanness, contracted either by idolatry, or through such things which, according to the ceremonial law, made them unclean, and from which they had not now time to cleanse themselves according to the law:

therefore the Levites had the charge of the killing of the passovers for everyone that was not clean, to sanctify them unto the Lord; this they did for the masters of families, who were ceremonially unclean, who otherwise might have killed their passover lambs themselves, see Exo 12:6, but now the Levites did it for them, that their passovers might be sanctified and consecrated to the Lord; for, as Philo the Jew says (r), one day in a year the whole sacrificed, everyone acted as a priest, and brought and slew his own sacrifice, meaning at the passover.

(r) De Vita Mosis, l. 3. p. 686. & de Decalogo, p. 766.

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

After their manner - According to the Mishna, the custom was for the priests to stand in two rows extending from the altar to the outer court, where the people were assembled. As each offerer killed his lamb the blood was caught in a basin, which was handed to the nearest priest, who passed it on to his neighbor, and he to the next; the blood was thus conveyed to the altar, at the base of which it was thrown by the last priest in the row. While basins full of blood were thus passed up, empty basins were passed down in a constant succession, so that there was no pause or delay.

Which they received of the hand of the Levites - Ordinarily, the blood was received at the hand of the offerer. But the greater number of the Israelites 2Ch 30:17 who had come to keep the feast were involved in some ceremonial or moral defilement, from which there had not been time for them to purify themselves. On account of this uncleanness, they did not slay their own lambs, but delegated the office to the Levites.

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

Levites, who received the paschal lambs from the unsanctified. M. --- The law does not require the ministry of the tribe of Levi for this purpose, as each one might kill the paschal victim at home. But the people were not sufficiently purified on this occasion. Lyranus --- At other times, laics killed the victims, if they were clean, Ex. xii. 6. After the tabernacle was set up, the priests poured out the blood on the altar; and, in latter ages, they slew the victim according to Grotius. But the texts of Josephus (x. 5., and Jewish Wars vi. 45. Lat. vii. 17.; H.) are inconclusive; and Philo repeatedly assert that, on one day, the law authorizes all the people to sacrifice: and, though he lived at Alexandria, his testimony respecting a fact of public notoriety, is not to be rejected. Only the unclean applied to the Levites on this occasion, and the latter had no more right to sacrifice than the rest. 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).

The priests sprinkled the blood of the sacrifices upon the altar, Lev 1:5. Which they received of the hand of the Levites, who flayed and killed the sacrifices which the priests, if they had been sanctified, should have done, as it was observed before, 2Ch 29:34.

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

16. They stood in their place after their manner — Priest and Levite occupied each his prescribed place, and performed each his prescribed work according to the law — the priests to sprinkle the blood, (see Lev_1:5; Lev_3:2,) the Levites to assist in any work that might be required. In the present instance the Levites killed the paschal victims. 2Ch_30:17. “According to the Mishna, the custom was for the priests to stand in two rows extending from the altar to the outer court, where the people were assembled. As each offerer slew his lamb the blood was caught in a basin, which was handed to the nearest priest, who passed it on to his neighbour, and he to the next; the blood was thus conveyed to the altar, at the base of which it was thrown by the last priest in the row. While basins full of blood were thus passed up, empty basins were passed down in a constant succession, so that there was no pause or delay.” — Rawlinson.

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

They stood in their place after their manner. (see Lev_1:11-13, and many other references in Leviticus)

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

They stood in their place by their divisions

"They stood in their appointed places"

the blood that they received from the hand of the Levites

This refers to the blood of the lambs that the Levites killed. Here "received from the hand of the Levites" is a metonym for the Levites giving the blood to the priests. AT: "the blood that they received from the Levites" or "the lambs' blood that the Levites gave to them" (See: Assumed Knowledge and Implicit Information and Metonymy)

the Passover lambs

"the lambs for the Passover"

translationWords

law

God

blood

receive

Levi

consecrate

slaughter

pure

lamb

unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.

the priests sprinkled For [the rituals] from the reception [of the blood] and onwards are the commandments of the priests, and do not wonder why the owners themselves did not slaughter [the sacrifices], as is explained further: for there were many among the congregation who had not consecrated themselves and the Levites presided over the slaughter of their Passover sacrifices.

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.