2 Chronicles 34:8

Here, 1. Orders are given by the king for the repair of the temple, Ch2 34:8. When he had purged the house of the corruptions of it he began to fit it up for the services that were to be performed in it. Thus we must do by the spiritual temple of the heart, get it cleansed from the pollutions of sin, and then renewed, so as to be transformed into the image of God. Josiah, in this order, calls God the Lord his God. Those that truly love God will love the habitation of his house. 2. Care is taken about it, effectual care. The Levites went about the country and gathered money towards it, which was returned to the three trustees mentioned, Ch2 34:8. They brought it to Hilkiah the high priest (Ch2 34:9), and he and they put it into the hands of workmen, both overseers and labourers, who undertook to do it by the great, as we say, or in the gross, Ch2 34:10, Ch2 34:11. It is observed that the workmen were industrious and honest: They did the work faithfully (Ch2 34:12); and workmen are not completely faithful if they are not both careful and diligent, for a confidence is reposed in them that they will be so. It is also intimated that the overseers were ingenious; for it is said that all those were employed to inspect this work who were skilful in instruments of music; not that their skill in music could be of any use in architecture, but it was an evidence that they were men of sense and ingenuity, and particularly that their genius lay towards the mathematics, which qualified them very much for this trust. Witty men are then wise men when they employ their wit in doing good, in helping their friends, and, as they have opportunity, in serving the public. Observe, in this work, how God dispenses his gifts variously; here were some that were bearers of burdens, cut out for bodily labour and fit to work. Here were others (made meliori luto - of finer materials) that had skill in music, and they were overseers of those that laboured, and scribes and officers. The former were the hands: these were the heads. They had need of one another, and the work needed both. Let not the overseers of the work despise the bearers of burdens, nor let those that work in the service grudge at those whose office it is to direct; but let each esteem and serve the other in love, and let God have the glory and the church the benefit of the different gifts and dispositions of both.

Matthew Henry's Commentary on the Whole Bible (1708–1710) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

HE REPAIRS THE TEMPLE. (Ch2 34:8-18)

in the eighteenth year of his reign . . . he sent Shaphan--(See on Kg2 22:3-9).

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

2Ch 34:8 Now in the eighteenth year of his reign, when he had purged the land, and the house, he sent Shaphan the son of Azaliah, and Maaseiah the governor of the city, and Joah the son of Joahaz the recorder, to repair the house of the LORD his God.

Ver. 8. Now in the eighteenth year.] See on 2Ki 22:3.

To repair the house of the Lord.] This had been done before by Joash, {2Ki 12:5} but that was two hundred and thirty-four years since: so that now there was need of new reparations. Tempus edax rerum.

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 34:8-11. When he had purged the land and the house — The house of God, called the house, by way of eminence. And they returned to Jerusalem — That is, the Levites, who had gone abroad through all Josiah’s kingdom to gather money for this use, and now came with it to Jerusalem to lodge it in the treasuries of the Lord’s house. To floor the houses which the kings of Judah had destroyed — The chambers adjoining to the temple, or within the courts.

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

The cleansing and repairing of the temple, and the finding of the book of the law. Cf. Kg2 22:3-10. - In the eighteenth year of his reign, when he was purging the land and the house (of God), he sent. לטהר does not indeed signify "after the purging" (De Wette, with the older expositors), but still less is it a statement of the object, "to purge" (Berth.); for that is decisively disposed of both by its position at the beginning of the sentence, where no statement of the object would stand, but still more by the fact that a statement of the object follows, וגו לחזּק. ל used of time denotes "about," and so with the inf., e.g., Jer 46:13 : at (his) coming = when he came. Shaphan was סופר, state secretary, according to Kg2 22:3. With him the king sent the governor of the city Maaseiah, and the chancellor Joah. These two are not mentioned in Kg2 22:3, but have not been arbitrarily added by the chronicler, or invented by him, as Then. groundlessly supposes. "To repair the house of Jahve." What these high royal officials had to do with it we learn from what follows.

Ch2 34:9-12

They, together with the high priest, gave the money which had been received for the repair of the temple to the overseers of the building, who then gave it to workmen to procure building materials and for wages, just as was done when the temple was repaired by Joash, Ch2 24:11-13. The Keri ויּשׁבוּ is a correction resulting from a misinterpretation of the Keth. וישׁבי, "and of the dwellers in Jerusalem." The enumeration, "from the hand of Manasseh, Ephraim," etc., is rhetorical. In ויּתּנוּ, Ch2 34:10, the verb of Ch2 34:9 is again taken up: they handed it to the overseers of the building, and they to the workmen. הם עשׂה is a rare form of the plur. עשׁי; see on Ch1 23:24. The overseers of the building (המפקדים - עשׁי) are the subject of the second ויּתּנוּ; and before the following עשׂי ל, which stands in 2 Kings, is to be supplied. בדוק is a denom. from בּדק, and signifies to repair what has been damaged. The statement of Ch2 34:10 is made more definite by Ch2 34:11 : they gave it, namely, to the workers in stone and wood, and to the builders to buy hewn stones and timber for couplings, and for the beams of the houses (לקרות, to provide with beams; הבּתים are the various buildings of the temple and its courts), which the kings of Judah had allowed to decay (השׁחית, not of designed destroying, but of ruining by neglect). - In Ch2 34:12 we have still the remark that the people did the work with fidelity, and the money could consequently be given to them without reckoning, cf. Kg2 22:7; and then the names of the building inspectors follow. Two Levites of the family of Merari, and two of the family of Kohath, were overseers; לנצּח, i.e., to lead in the building, to preside over it as upper overseers; and besides them, the Levites, all who were skilled in instruments of song (cf. Ch1 25:6.). As men who by their office and their art occupied a conspicuous place among the Levites, the oversight of the workmen in the temple was committed to them, not "that they might incite and cheer the workmen by music and song" (Berth.).

Ch2 34:13

Ch2 34:13 is probably to be taken, along with Ch2 34:12, in the signification, "All the Levites who were skilled in music were over the bearers of burdens, and were overseers of all the workmen in reference to every work." The ו before הס על appears certainly to go against this interpretation, and Berth. would consequently erase it to connect הסּבּלים על with the preceding verse, and begin a new sentence with וּמנצּחים: "and they led all the workmen." But if we separate וּמנצּחים from הסּבּלים על, this mention of the bearers of burdens (סבלים) comes awkwardly in between the subject and the predicate, or the statement as to the subject. We hold the text to be correct, and make the w before הס על correspond to the ו before מנצחים, in the signification, et - et. The Levites, all who were skilled in instruments of song, were both over the bearers of burdens, and overseeing the workmen, or leading the workmen. Besides, of the Levites were, i.e., still other Levites were, scribes and officers and porters, i.e., were busied about the temple in the discharge of these functions.

Ch2 34:14-18

In bringing out the money that had been brought into the house of the Lord, the high priest found the book of Moses' law. It is not clearly implied in the words, that he found it in the place where the money was laid up. The book of the law which was found is merely characterized as the book of the Mosaic law by the words בּיד־משׁה, not necessarily as Moses' autograph. The communication of this discovery by the high priest to the state secretary Shaphan, and by him to the king, is narrated in Ch2 34:15-18, just as in Kg2 22:8-10. The statement, Ch2 34:16, "And Shaphan brought the book to the king," instead of the words, "and Shaphan the ספר came (went) to the king," involves no difference as to the facts; it rather makes the matter clear. For since in Kg2 22:10, immediately after the statement that Hilkiah gave him the book, it is said that Shaphan read from it to the king, he must have brought it to the king. With this elucidation, both the omission of ויּקראהוּ (Kg2 22:8), and the insertion of עוד after ויּשׁב, Ch2 34:16, is connected. The main thing, that which it concerned the author of the Chronicle to notice, was the fact that the book of the law which had been discovered was immediately brought and read to the king; while the circumstance that Shaphan, when the book was given him, also opened it and read in it, is omitted, as it had no further results. But since Shaphan did not go to the king merely to bring him the book, but rather, in the first place, to report upon the performance of the commission entrusted to him in respect of the money, this report required to be brought prominently forward by the עוד: He brought the book to the king, and besides, made his report to the king. All that has been committed to thy servants (בּיד נתן), that they do; they have poured out the money, etc. The עבדים are not Shaphan and the others mentioned in Ch2 34:8, but in general those who were entrusted with the oversight of the repair of the temple, among whom, indeed, the chief royal officials were not included. After this report there follows in Ch2 34:18 an account of the book which Shaphan had brought, and which, as we were informed in Ch2 34:16, in anticipation of the event, he gave to the king.

Keil & Delitzsch — Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament (1861–1891) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API. (Old Testament only.)

2 Kings 33:5

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

(8-13) The cleansing and repair of the Temple. (Comp. 2Ki_22:3-7; and the similar account of the restoration by Joash in 2Ch_24:11-13).

When he had purged.—Omit had. (Lĕtahçr is apparently co-ordinate with lĕmolkû, “in the eighteenth year to his reigning, to purging the land “; as if the work of purification had been co-extensive with the reign. The LXX., however, has, “in order to purge the land,” which may be right.)

He sent Shaphan.—Who was secretary of state (2Ki_22:3, “the scribe”).

Maaseiah . . . Joah.—Kings mentions Shaphan only.

The governor of the city.—Sar ha’îr; praefectus urois. (Conp. 1Ch_11:6.)

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

8–28 (= 2Ki_22:3-20). Repair of the Temple. Discovery of the Book of the Law

8. Shaphan] According to 2 Kin. he was Scribe. See 1Ch_18:16 (note).

the governor of the city] Render, a ruler of the city; cp. 2Ch_29:20.

the recorder] R.V. mg. the chronicler; cp. 1Ch_18:15 (note). Neither Maaseiah nor Joah is mentioned in 2 Kin.

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.

And when they came to Hilkiah the high priest,.... To whom they were sent to advise with about the repair of the temple:

they delivered the money that was brought into the house of God; that is, the high priest, and the Levites the doorkeepers, gave it to the king's ministers; which money was either brought to the temple voluntarily, as the free gifts of the people, for the repairs; or rather what was collected by the Levites, sent throughout the land for that purpose, or it may be both:

which the Levites that kept the doors; of the temple; and received the money as the people brought it:

and also had gathered of the hand of Manasseh and Ephraim, and of all the remnant of Israel, and of all Judah, and Benjamin; they went throughout all the land of Israel and Judah, and collected money for the above purpose:

and they returned to Jerusalem; with it, which the high priest took the sum of, see Kg2 22:4 of whom the king's ministers now received it.

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

Eselias, or Assia. This man is alone mentioned, 4 K. xxii. 3. 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 land and the house; the house of God, called the house by way of eminency.

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

It is in some sense as though the work of purification, atoning, penitence, must precede that of practical repentance, of repairing, restoring, rebuilding. The original, however, does not warrant the laying of any stress on the when, found again in the Authorized Version. Shaphau. In the parallel (2Ki_22:3) Shaphan is designated "the scribe." His descendants, to the second generation, at all events, did him honor. (Jer_26:24 Jer_29:3 Jer_36:10, Jer_36:12, Jer_36:25; Eze_8:11; see also 2Ki_25:22) The names of Masseiah (Jer_35:4) and Joah (2Ki_18:18) are known, but not marking the present persons.

Vers. 8-13.

The repairing of the temple by Josiah.

I THE COMMISSIONERS.

1. Their names. Shaphan the son of Azaliah, the king"s secretary (ver. 15); Maaseiah the governor of the city; and Josh the son of Joahaz, the recorder or chronicler.

2. Their business. To repair the house of the Lord. This had been done two centuries before by Joash, (2Ch_24:12) and nearly one century before by Hezekiah. (2Ch_29:12-19) During the reigns of Manasseh and Amon it had fallen into such disorder that it a third time demanded renovation. In this respect the temple was a melancholy symbol of all human institutions not excepting such as are religious which constantly exhibit a tendency as they grow old to become degenerate, and, as a consequence stand in need of periodic reformation and rejuvenescence.

3. Their procedure. Along with Hilkiah the priest as Joash had acted in concert with Jehoiada, and the king"s scribe had co-operated with the high priest"s officer (2Ch_24:11, 2Ch_24:12) they received the money which the Levites that kept the temple doors had collected from the people of Manasseh and Ephraim, and of all the remnant of Israel, and from the inhabitants of all Judah and Benjamin, who, following the plan in vogue since the days of Joash and Jehoiada, cast in their free-will offerings into a box placed in the temple court for the purpose of receiving the voluntary contributions of the faithful towards the good end the king had in view, the repairing of the temple. Having received this money, the three commissioners, along with the high priest, paid it over to the superintendents who had the oversight of the house of the Lord.

II THE OVERSEERS.

1. Their names.

(1) Jahath and Obadiah, two Levites of the family of Merari;

(2) Zechariah and Meshullam, two Levites of the house of Kohath: and

(3) others unnamed, but specified as "Levites, all that could skill of instruments of music" (ver. 12).

2. Their duties.

(1) To exercise supervision over the workmen, over the bearers of burdens, and all that wrought in any manner of service (ver. 13), over the carpenters, builders, and other artisans engaged in the undertaking (ver. 11).

(2) To set forward the work (ver. 12), or "to preside over it" (margin).

(3) Perhaps also to do both, i.e. incite and cheer the workmen, and so prosper the work, by music and song (Bertheau). "Orpheus and Amphion, by their music, moved the workmen to diligence and activity, and lessened and alleviated their toil. May we not suppose, then, that skilful musicians among the Levites did exercise their art among the workmen who were employed in the repairs of the house of the Lord? "(Adam Clarke).

(4) To distribute the moneys received from the commissioners to the different tradesmen that these might procure the necessary materials for the building (vers. 10, 11).

III THE ARTISANS.

1. Carpenters, or workers in wood, whose business was to prepare timber for couplings and to make beams for the houses, i.e. for the temple and its courts, which the kings of Judah had permitted to fall into decay.

2. Masons, or workers in stone; not to hew, since the stones were already hewn when purchased, but to build in this perhaps designedly following the example given in the building of the temple. (1Ki_6:7)

IV THE ASSISTANTS.

1. Scribes, who kept a record of the progress of, as well as the necessary accounts connected with, the work.

2. Officers, who served in different capacities under superiors.

3. Porters, who watched at the several gates of the temple while the work was going on.

LESSONS.

1. The beauty of order,

2. The efficiency secured by division of labour.

3. The value of co-operation. W.

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

The house - The house of God, called the house by way of eminency.

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

the eighteenth year

"year 18" (See: Ordinal Numbers)

Josiah had cleansed the land and the temple

This speaks of Josiah causing Judah and Jerusalem to be acceptable to Yahweh as if he made them physically clean. AT: "Josiah had caused the land and the temple to become acceptable again to Yahweh" (See: Metaphor)

Shaphan son of Azaliah, Maaseiah ... Joah son of Joahaz ... Hilkiah

These are the names of men. (See: How to Translate Names)

entrusted to him

"gave to him the responsibility of using the money"

that had been brought into the house of God, that the Levites, the guards of the doors, had gathered

This can be stated in active form. AT: "that the Levites who guarded the doors had brought into the house of God all that they had gathered" (See: Active or Passive)

translationWords

Josiah

temple

high priest

house of God

Levi

remnant

kingdom of Judah

Benjamin

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 recorder Wherever a scribe is mentioned, a recorder is mentioned in close proximity, for every king had a scribe to write everything that occurred in the kingdom, whether favorable or unfavorable, and he had a recorder sitting beside the scribe, to mention every incident, and the scribe would write according to what he told him.

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.