Ezra 3, Worship Renewed!

A large crowd of exiles are headed to Jerusalem to rebuild the temple and the city.

Ezra 3: 1-3, Altar rebuilt

When the seventh month came and the Israelites had settled in their towns, the people assembled as one man in Jerusalem.

Then Jeshua son of Jozadak and his fellow priests and Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel and his associates began to build the altar of the God of Israel to sacrifice burnt offerings on it, in accordance with what is written in the Law of Moses the man of God. Despite their fear of the peoples around them, they built the altar on its foundation and sacrificed burnt offerings on it to the LORD, both the morning and evening sacrifices.

 

The altar is rebuilt and sacrifices started, even before working on the temple. There is tension about the local inhabitants, descendants of pagan groups moved there seventy years prior, at the beginning of the captivity.

Yamauchi says that the "seventh month" is Tishri, in the fall (late September, early October.) It was an important month in the Jewish calendar. It was probably three months after the exiles returned to Judah.

Ezra 3: 4-7, Feast of Tabernacles and New Moon

Then in accordance with what is written, they celebrated the Feast of Tabernacles with the required number of burnt offerings prescribed for each day. After that, they presented the regular burnt offerings, the New Moon sacrifices and the sacrifices for all the appointed sacred feasts of the LORD, as well as those brought as freewill offerings to the LORD.

On the first day of the seventh month they began to offer burnt offerings to the LORD, though the foundation of the LORD's temple had not yet been laid. Then they gave money to the masons and carpenters, and gave food and drink and oil to the people of Sidon and Tyre, so that they would bring cedar logs by sea from Lebanon to Joppa, as authorized by Cyrus king of Persia.
 

The ancient feasts are being restored. They begin with the Feast of Tabernacles. This is followed by the "New Moon" sacrifices. 

Ezra 3: 8-11, Praise among the foundation

In the second month of the second year after their arrival at the house of God in Jerusalem, Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, Jeshua son of Jozadak and the rest of their brothers (the priests and the Levites and all who had returned from the captivity to Jerusalem) began the work, appointing Levites twenty years of age and older to supervise the building of the house of the LORD. Jeshua and his sons and brothers and Kadmiel and his sons (descendants of Hodaviah) and the sons of Henadad and their sons and brothers--all Levites--joined together in supervising those working on the house of God.

When the builders laid the foundation of the temple of the LORD, the priests in their vestments and with trumpets, and the Levites (the sons of Asaph) with cymbals, took their places to praise the LORD, as prescribed by David king of Israel. With praise and thanksgiving they sang to the LORD: 

"He is good; his love to Israel endures forever." 

And all the people gave a great shout of praise to the LORD, because the foundation of the house of the LORD was laid.

Worship in the temple begins long before it is built, even when just the foundations have been laid. The trumpets and cymbals are played by the priests. There is a deliberate attempt to repeat the practices of King David, from five centuries before; the sons of Asaph are mentioned.

Yamauchi dates the "second month of the second year" as the spring of 536 BC. He explains the drop in the age limit for Levites (from thirty, Numbers 4:3,  or twenty-five, Numbers 8: 24, down to twenty) as a result of the small number of Levites.

Ezra 3: 12-13, Weeping and cheering

But many of the older priests and Levites and family heads, who had seen the former temple, wept aloud when they saw the foundation of this temple being laid, while many others shouted for joy. No one could distinguish the sound of the shouts of joy from the sound of weeping, because the people made so much noise. And the sound was heard far away.

The people weep and cheer at the rebirth of the temple and the nation. The people were unable to sacrifice to YHWH in Babylon; there they were surrounded by the many Babylonian gods and idols. Now they are finally free to make sacrifices to YHWH alone. The renewal of sacrifices is significant and those who, as children had seen the old temple, now weep with joy.

Ezra 2, On to Jerusalem!

The Jews in Babylon have been given permission to rebuild the temple.

Ezra 2: 1-2a, Returnees

Now these are the people of the province who came up from the captivity of the exiles, whom Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had taken captive to Babylon (they returned to Jerusalem and Judah, each to his own town, in company with Zerubbabel, Jeshua, Nehemiah, Seraiah, Reelaiah, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispar, Bigvai, Rehum and Baanah): 

In typical Old Testament fashion, we will keep track of the details of this return. These lists are especially common in 1 & 2 Chronicles, Ezra and Nehemiah, possibly due to the same author, Ezra.

This material almost duplicates Nehemiah 7: 6-7. In Nehemiah, the names Seraiah, Reelaiah, 

Mispar and Rehum are replaced by Azariah, Raamiah,  Mispereth, and Nehum and the name Nahamani is added. Are these differences corrections and updates by the author of Nehemiah? Surely some differences are either the common used of different names (Judean vs. Babylonian?) for the same people or possibly a consonant change by a scribe, Rehum vs. Nehum, for example. (Yamauchi writes that "Rehum" means "God has been compassionate"  and that "Nehum" in Nehemiah's account represents a scribal error in copying the name "Rehum". (The name Rehum turns up in Ezra 4: 8 as an opponent of the Jews; that is probably a different person.)

Ezra also records the descendants who returned to Israel:

Ezra 2: 2b-35, Twenty thousand men

The list of the men of the people of Israel:
   the descendants of Parosh 2,172
   of Shephatiah 372
   of Arah 775
   of Pahath-Moab (through the line of Jeshua and Joab) 2,812
   of Elam 1,254
   of Zattu 945
   of Zaccai 760
   of Bani 642
   of Bebai 623
   of Azgad 1,222
   of Adonikam 666
   of Bigvai 2,056
   of Adin 454
   of Ater (through Hezekiah) 98
   of Bezai 323
   of Jorah 112
   of Hashum 223
   of Gibbar 95
   the men of Bethlehem 123
   of Netophah 56
   of Anathoth 128
   of Azmaveth 42
   of Kiriath Jearim, Kephirah and Beeroth 743
   of Ramah and Geba 621
   of Micmash 122
   of Bethel and Ai 223
   of Nebo 52
   of Magbish 156
   of the other Elam 1,254
   of Harim 320
   of Lod, Hadid and Ono 725
   of Jericho 345
   of Senaah 3,630

In excess of 20,000 men will return to Jerusalem.  Surely almost all of them were born in Babylon.

The parallel account in Nehemiah 7: 8-38, has numerous small changes from this one, both in names and numbers. The few name changes probably represent a person with different names or a variant spelling, for example, Jophar here becomes Hariph in Nehemiah, Gibbar becomes Gibeon.  Some of the conflicts in numbers are surely a result of a misprint: Azgad's 1222 becomes 2322. But the various number differences, along with a few swaps of lines, might suggest that Nehemiah has an updated list. I find the long list tedious -- it is not particularly relevant to a Gentile 2500 years later! -- but I find the differences interesting and so I list below the names and numbers in Nehemiah 7 that are different than those above. Nehemiah 7 gives the following (I've removed true duplicates):

Arah 652, Zattu 845, Binnui 648, Bebai 628, Azgad 2,322, Adonikam 667, Bigvai 2,067, Adin 655, Hashum 328, Bezai 324, Hariph 112, Gibeon 95, the men of Bethlehem and Netophah 188, Anathoth 128, Beth Azmaveth 42, Kiriath Jearim, Kephirah and Beeroth 743. Ramah and Geba 621, Mikmash 122, Bethel and Ai 123, the other Nebo 52, Lod, Hadid and Ono 721, Senaah 3,930.

These extensive lists indicate that numerous Jews living in Babylon have kept, for seventy years, a record of their genealogy along with the knowledge of their ancestral lands. This is impressive for a people dispersed throughout Babylon for seventy years.  One reason for these lists would be to document the peoples' right to return to this land.  The lists may have also been used (suggests Yamauchi) to demonstrate to Cyrus that there were enough people to make this renewal project feasible.

Yamauchi notes that many of these names have meaning, they represent a Hebrew phrase. For example, 

• Shephatiah means "YHWH has judged",
• Arah means "wild ox,
• Pahath-moab means "governor of Moab",
• Bani is short for Benaiah: "YHWH has built",
• Bebai means "pupil of the eye",
• Azgad means "Gad is strong",
• Adonikam means "my Lord has risen",
• Adin means means "voluptuous",
• Ater means means "lefty",
• Jorah means means "autumn rain",
• Hasum  means "broad nose",
• Gibbar means "strong man", etc.

Ezra 2: 36-39, Four thousand priests

  The priests: the descendants of Jedaiah (through the family of Jeshua) 973
   of Immer 1,052
   of Pashhur 1,247
   of Harim 1,017

There are people distinguished as priests, presumably the descendants of priests. Here the Nehemiah report agrees.

Ezra 2: 40-58, Hundreds of temple workers

The Levites: the descendants of Jeshua and Kadmiel (through the line of Hodaviah) 74

   

The singers: the descendants of Asaph 128
   

The gatekeepers of the temple: the descendants of Shallum, Ater, Talmon, Akkub, Hatita and Shobai 139

The temple servants: the descendants of Ziha, Hasupha, Tabbaoth, Keros, Siaha, Padon, Lebanah, Hagabah, Akkub, Hagab, Shalmai, Hanan, Giddel, Gahar, Reaiah, Rezin, Nekoda, Gazzam, Uzza, Paseah, Besai, Asnah, Meunim, Nephussim, Bakbuk, Hakupha, Harhur, Bazluth, Mehida, Harsha, Barkos, Sisera, Temah, Neziah and Hatipha.

The descendants of the servants of Solomon: the descendants of Sotai, Hassophereth, Peruda, Jaala, Darkon, Giddel, Shephatiah, Hattil, Pokereth-Hazzebaim and Ami. The temple servants and the descendants of the servants of Solomon 392

Along with the priests came hundreds of people identified as temple servants.

Ezra 2: 59-67, People without clear connections to Israel

The following came up from the towns of Tel Melah, Tel Harsha, Kerub, Addon and Immer, but they could not show that their families were descended from Israel:

    The descendants of Delaiah, Tobiah and Nekoda 652

    And from among the priests: The descendants of Hobaiah, Hakkoz and Barzillai (a man who had married a daughter of Barzillai the Gileadite and was called by that name). 

These searched for their family records, but they could not find them and so were excluded from the priesthood as unclean.

The governor ordered them not to eat any of the most sacred food until there was a priest ministering with the Urim and Thummim. 

The whole company numbered 42,360, besides their 7,337 menservants and maidservants; and they also had 200 men and women singers. They had 736 horses, 245 mules, 435 camels and 6,720 donkeys.

In addition to all those whose ancestry was clear, there were lots of Israelites whose ancestry was unclear or unproven.

The ancient use of the Urim and Thummim, from the high priest's robe, reappears here.

Ezra 2: 68-69, Freewill offerings

When they arrived at the house of the LORD in Jerusalem, some of the heads of the families gave freewill offerings toward the rebuilding of the house of God on its site. According to their ability they gave to the treasury for this work 61,000 drachmas of gold, 5,000 minas of silver and 100 priestly garments.

Those with some wealth donated to help support the rebuilding of the temple. This is an enthusiastic group of people!

Ezra 2: 70, Settling onto the land

The priests, the Levites, the singers, the gatekeepers and the temple servants settled in their own towns, along with some of the other people, and the rest of the Israelites settled in their towns.

We now have a large contingent ready to rebuild the land. This is the beginning of the Second Temple period. Of all the nations displaced by Assyria and Babylon, one nation has enthusiastically returned to its land and renewed its worship.

The Jews of Persia

In the days of Ezra and Nehemiah, not all the Jews returned to Palestine. Some stayed in Babylon and their descendants still live in Iran. (A friend of mine has a grandmother who is an Iranian Jew. He has family both in Israel and Iran and has two passports so that he can visit each country!)

For five centuries after the return of Jews to Jerusalem, there was some commerce and communication between the Jews of Palestine and the small remnant in Persia. After the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD, some Jews immigrated back to the Persian Empire.  For 1500 years after the exile, there were Talmudic academies in Babylon; after the destruction of Jerusalem, those academies created the Babylonian Talmud.

In the mid 7th Century, Islam invaded Persia. For the next twelve centuries, the population of Persian Jews varied depending on their treatment as a religious minority. (See this Wikipedia page for an article on Persian Jews.) It was probably not much more than ten to twenty thousand. During World War II, Jews emigrated from eastern Europe to Iran and the Jewish population in Iran reached approximately 150,000 by the creation of the nation of Israel in 1948.  After the creation of Israel, Jews emigrated from Iran to Israel and by 1979, the Jewish population in Iran had dropped to 100,000. The Islamic Revolution in Iran in 1979 led to ten of thousands of Jews fleeing the persecution that followed, emigrating to either Israel or the US.  Current estimates of Iranian Jews puts the population under 10,000.

Ezra 1, Rebuilding the Temple!

After 70 years of Babylonian exile and captivity, suddenly the temple in Jerusalem will be rebuilt!

This is probably in 538 BC.  

Ezra 1: 1-4, Rebuilding the temple in Jerusalem
In the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, in order to fulfill the word of the LORD spoken by Jeremiah, the LORD moved the heart of Cyrus king of Persia to make a proclamation throughout his realm and to put it in writing:
  

"This is what Cyrus king of Persia says: "`The LORD, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth and he has appointed me to build a temple for him at Jerusalem in Judah. Anyone of his people among you--may his God be with him, and let him go up to Jerusalem in Judah and build the temple of the LORD, the God of Israel, the God who is in Jerusalem. And the people of any place where survivors may now be living are to provide him with silver and gold, with goods and livestock, and with freewill offerings for the temple of God in Jerusalem.'"

The temple in Jerusalem is to be rebuilt! In Isaiah 44: 28, Isaiah quotes YHWH as saying of Cyrus, "He is my shepherd and will accomplish all that I please; he will say of Jerusalem, 'Let it be rebuilt,' and of the temple, 'Let its foundations be laid.'"

The prophecy of Jeremiah is in Jeremiah 29: 10-14. Yamauchi argues that the resettlement of Judah after seventy years is testimony to a common expectation among the exiles that this return was indeed promised to them.

The first few verses of Ezra are almost identical with the last few verses of 2 Chronicles (2 Chronicles 36: 22-23.) Some view this as evidence that Ezra wrote 1 & 2 Chronicles and in this way made it clear that the Ezra-Nehemiah scroll was the scroll that followed the scroll of Chronicles.

Is Cyrus genuinely supportive of the worship of YHWH? The Babylonians (like the Romans later) tended to allow conquered regions to practice their local religions as a political means to dissipate rebellion to their rule. (Yamauchi lists other example of Cyrus supporting temple repairs of other conquered nations.)

Ezra 1: 5-11, Many contributions to the rebuilding project

Then the family heads of Judah and Benjamin, and the priests and Levites--everyone whose heart God had moved--prepared to go up and build the house of the LORD in Jerusalem. All their neighbors assisted them with articles of silver and gold, with goods and livestock, and with valuable gifts, in addition to all the freewill offerings.

Moreover, King Cyrus brought out the articles belonging to the temple of the LORD, which Nebuchadnezzar had carried away from Jerusalem and had placed in the temple of his god. Cyrus king of Persia had them brought by Mithredath the treasurer, who counted them out to Sheshbazzar the prince of Judah.

This was the inventory: gold dishes 30 silver dishes 1,000 silver pans 29 gold bowls 30 matching silver bowls 410 other articles 1,000 In all, there were 5,400 articles of gold and of silver. Sheshbazzar brought all these along when the exiles came up from Babylon to Jerusalem.

Not only is the temple to be rebuilt, but the ancient treasury will be used to support it! Among the materials returned to Judah are the temple dishes, presumably some of the same treasures that an arrogant King Belshazzar used in Daniel 5.

We know very little about Sheshbazzar. He appears only here and in Ezra 5: 14-16 where he is appointed to lay the foundations of the temple in Jerusalem. Yamauchi believes that Sheshbazzar was quite elderly at this time and probably died in Jerusalem. 

II Chronicles 36, Chaos: Jehoahaz, Jehoiakim, Jehoiachin, Zedekiah

The kings of Judah, after Solomon, have been 

• Rehoboam, Abijah, Asa, Jehoshaphat (RAAJ),
• Jehoram, Ahaziah (& Attaliah), Joash (JAAJ),
• Amaziah, Uzziah,Jotham, Ahaz (AUJA),
• Hezekiah,Manasseh, Amon, Josiah (HMAJ),

and now 

• Jehoahaz, Jehoiakim, Jehoiachin, Zedekiah (J^3Z.)

The date is 609 BC. The northern kingdom has been gone for over a century. Babylon is a frightening power invading from the east and the southern kingdom has a little over thirty years before Nebuchadnezzar moves in, razes Jerusalem, destroys Solomon's beautiful temple and carries the Jews into exile.

The names that begin "Je-" usually involve some statement about "Jehovah" (YHWH.) We have a string of rulers with religious names whose only religious acts are to be rulers when the kingdom falls.

2 Chronicles 36: 1-4, Jehoahaz, three months

And the people of the land took Jehoahaz son of Josiah and made him king in Jerusalem in place of his father. Jehoahaz was twenty-three years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem three months. The king of Egypt dethroned him in Jerusalem and imposed on Judah a levy of a hundred talents of silver and a talent of gold. 

The king of Egypt made Eliakim, a brother of Jehoahaz, king over Judah and Jerusalem and changed Eliakim's name to Jehoiakim. But Neco took Eliakim's brother Jehoahaz and carried him off to Egypt.

Jehoahaz, son of Josiah, become king.  He is dethroned by the king of Egypt (invading from the west) and the younger brother, Eliakim/Jehoiakim is made king. This is the beginning of a carousel of final kings, forced on Judah from world powers both in  the west and the east.

Josiah had died in a battle with King Necho II three months earlier so it is not surprising that the Egyptian army continues that campaign through Judah.

The parallel passage in Kings is 2 Kings 23:31-35.

2 Chronicles 36:5-8, Eliakim/Jehoiakim

Jehoiakim was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem eleven years. He did evil in the eyes of the LORD his God. Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon attacked him and bound him with bronze shackles to take him to Babylon. Nebuchadnezzar also took to Babylon articles from the temple of the LORD and put them in his temple there.

The other events of Jehoiakim's reign, the detestable things he did and all that was found against him, are written in the book of the kings of Israel and Judah. And Jehoiachin his son succeeded him as king.

Jehoiakim manages to reign eleven years at the will of the king of Egypt (in the west.) But then Nebuchadnezzar moves in from the east. In 605 BC, Nebuchadnezzar defeats the Egyptian king Necho II in the Battle of Carchemish. Nebuchadnezzar then moves south to capture Jehoaikim, raid the temple, and take all of the treasures, both king and gold, off to Babylon. At this time many others, nobles like Daniel and his friends, were also deported to Babylon (Daniel 1:1-3.)

Jehoiakim is 25 years old when he succeeded his brother who had lasted only three months. Since his brother, Jehoahaz, began reign at 23, it was the younger brother that was first put on the throne.

The name "Eliakim" means "God raises up" while Jehoiakim means "Jehovah (YHWH) raises up." The two names are almost identical in meaning (says Payne); the reason for the imposed name change is unclear.

The life of Jehoiakim is also given in 2 Kings 23:36-24:7. His death occurs in 598 BC.

2 Chronicles 36:9-10, Jehoiachin

Jehoiachin was eighteen years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem three months and ten days. He did evil in the eyes of the LORD.

In the spring, King Nebuchadnezzar sent for him and brought him to Babylon, together with articles of value from the temple of the LORD, and he made Jehoiachin's uncle, Zedekiah, king over Judah and Jerusalem.

Jehoiachin, son of Jehoiakim, grandson of Josiah, replaces his father. Jehoiachin only lasts three months before Nebuchadnezzar shows up again. Zedekiah, probably another son of Josiah, then replaces his nephew Jehoiachin. (See also 2 Kings 24:8-17 for the reign of Jehoiachin.)

2 Chronicles 36:11-14, Zedekiah

Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem eleven years. He did evil in the eyes of the LORD his God and did not humble himself before Jeremiah the prophet, who spoke the word of the LORD. He also rebelled against King Nebuchadnezzar, who had made him take an oath in God's name. He became stiff-necked and hardened his heart and would not turn to the LORD, the God of Israel. Furthermore, all the leaders of the priests and the people became more and more unfaithful, following all the detestable practices of the nations and defiling the temple of the LORD, which he had consecrated in Jerusalem.

Judah has four kings in two decades. Zedekiah is the last. In Zedekiah's time, Jeremiah confronts the king (see Jeremiah 34:1-11, for example.) The idolatry in Judah is rampant. 

The story of Zedekiah in the scroll of Kings is in 2 Kings 24:18-25:7.

2 Chronicles 36:15-20, Final invasion

The LORD, the God of their fathers, sent word to them through his messengers again and again, because he had pity on his people and on his dwelling place. But they mocked God's messengers, despised his words and scoffed at his prophets until the wrath of the LORD was aroused against his people and there was no remedy. He brought up against them the king of the Babylonians, who killed their young men with the sword in the sanctuary, and spared neither young man nor young woman, old man or aged. God handed all of them over to Nebuchadnezzar.
 

He carried to Babylon all the articles from the temple of God, both large and small, and the treasures of the LORD's temple and the treasures of the king and his officials. They set fire to God's temple and broke down the wall of Jerusalem; they burned all the palaces and destroyed everything of value there. He carried into exile to Babylon the remnant, who escaped from the sword, and they became servants to him and his sons until the kingdom of Persia came to power.

 

The date if 586 BC. Nebuchadnezzar invades one more time and carries off to Babylon everything of importance: articles from the temple and young royalty. They burn down the temple. See the first few verses of Psalm 79 for the anguish of a psalmist walking through the destroyed temple.

2 Chronicles 36:21-23, A sabbath rest for the land

The land enjoyed its sabbath rests; all the time of its desolation it rested, until the seventy years were completed in fulfillment of the word of the LORD spoken by Jeremiah.

In the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, in order to fulfill the word of the LORD spoken by Jeremiah, the LORD moved the heart of Cyrus king of Persia to make a proclamation throughout his realm and to put it in writing: 

"This is what Cyrus king of Persia says: "`The LORD, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth and he has appointed me to build a temple for him at Jerusalem in Judah. Anyone of his people among you--may the LORD his God be with him, and let him go up.'"

After the desolation of the Babylonian captivity, the land has a "sabbatical rest" of seventy years. That length of "rest" is described by Jeremiah in Jeremiah 29:10. At the end of that time, God moves the heart of King Cyrus to allow the people of Israel to return to Judah.

The scroll of Chronicles ends, after the depressing collapse of Judah, with a promise that the people will return to Jerusalem. That story is in Ezra and Nehemiah, which we pick up next.

II Chronicles 35, Final Revival

Josiah is king in Judah. The priests have recovered the Book of the Law in the temple and the people have renewed their covenant with YHWH.

2 Chronicles 35:1-6, Passover!

Josiah celebrated the Passover to the LORD in Jerusalem, and the Passover lamb was slaughtered on the fourteenth day of the first month. He appointed the priests to their duties and encouraged them in the service of the LORD's temple. He said to the Levites, who instructed all Israel and who had been consecrated to the LORD: 

"Put the sacred ark in the temple that Solomon son of David king of Israel built. It is not to be carried about on your shoulders. Now serve the LORD your God and his people Israel. Prepare yourselves by families in your divisions, according to the directions written by David king of Israel and by his son Solomon.

"Stand in the holy place with a group of Levites for each subdivision of the families of your fellow countrymen, the lay people. Slaughter the Passover lambs, consecrate yourselves and prepare [the lambs] for your fellow countrymen, doing what the LORD commanded through Moses."

 

Josiah has the ark returned to the temple. (Presumably it had been hidden previously?) Josiah and the people celebrate the Passover (in the appropriate month!) The divisions and rituals of David's time are renewed.

2 Chronicles 35:7-9, A multitude of offerings

Josiah provided for all the lay people who were there a total of thirty thousand sheep and goats for the Passover offerings, and also three thousand cattle--all from the king's own possessions. His officials also contributed voluntarily to the people and the priests and Levites. Hilkiah, Zechariah and Jehiel, the administrators of God's temple, gave the priests twenty-six hundred Passover offerings and three hundred cattle. Also Conaniah along with Shemaiah and Nethanel, his brothers, and Hashabiah, Jeiel and Jozabad, the leaders of the Levites, provided five thousand Passover offerings and five hundred head of cattle for the Levites.
 

Numerous offerings are made for this initial Passover feast.

2 Chronicles 35:11-15, Details of this celebration

The service was arranged and the priests stood in their places with the Levites in their divisions as the king had ordered. The Passover lambs were slaughtered, and the priests sprinkled the blood handed to them, while the Levites skinned the animals. They set aside the burnt offerings to give them to the subdivisions of the families of the people to offer to the LORD, as is written in the Book of Moses. They did the same with the cattle. They roasted the Passover animals over the fire as prescribed, and boiled the holy offerings in pots, caldrons and pans and served them quickly to all the people.

After this, they made preparations for themselves and for the priests, because the priests, the descendants of Aaron, were sacrificing the burnt offerings and the fat portions until nightfall. So the Levites made preparations for themselves and for the Aaronic priests. 

The musicians, the descendants of Asaph, were in the places prescribed by David, Asaph, Heman and Jeduthun the king's seer. The gatekeepers at each gate did not need to leave their posts, because their fellow Levites made the preparations for them.

The Passover is observed, following, as close as possible, the instructions in "the Book of Moses" (the Pentateuch?) following divisions set up in David's day.

2 Chronicles 35:16-19, Feast of Unleavened Bread

So at that time the entire service of the LORD was carried out for the celebration of the Passover and the offering of burnt offerings on the altar of the LORD, as King Josiah had ordered. The Israelites who were present celebrated the Passover at that time and observed the Feast of Unleavened Bread for seven days.

The Passover had not been observed like this in Israel since the days of the prophet Samuel; and none of the kings of Israel had ever celebrated such a Passover as did Josiah, with the priests, the Levites and all Judah and Israel who were there with the people of Jerusalem. This Passover was celebrated in the eighteenth year of Josiah's reign.

The Passover had been celebrated during Hezekiah's time (2 Chronicles 30) but at that time the first celebration had been on the second month of the year, a month late due to the lack of consecrated priests. Here the Chronicler claims that this was an observation of the Passover that exceeded anything since Samuel. This seems to be a bit of hyperbole, given the sacrifices and services in the temple during Solomon's reign.

2 Chronicles 35:20-21, Neco of Egypt

After all this, when Josiah had set the temple in order, Neco king of Egypt went up to fight at Carchemish on the Euphrates, and Josiah marched out to meet him in battle. But Neco sent messengers to him, saying, "What quarrel is there between you and me, O king of Judah? It is not you I am attacking at this time, but the house with which I am at war. God has told me to hurry; so stop opposing God, who is with me, or he will destroy you."
 

Josiah inserts himself into an ill-fated quarrel with the king of Egypt. At this time (about 609 BC), the power in the east (Babylon/Assyria) and the power in the west (Egypt) are thrusting at each other, attempting to assert control of the Canaan and the Levant. The king of Egypt, Necho II, wants to get to the Euphrates to fight with Babylon and little Judah gets in the way. 

2 Chronicles 35:22-24, Fatally wounded

Josiah, however, would not turn away from him, but disguised himself to engage him in battle. He would not listen to what Neco had said at God's command but went to fight him on the plain of Megiddo.

Archers shot King Josiah, and he told his officers, "Take me away; I am badly wounded." 

So they took him out of his chariot, put him in the other chariot he had and brought him to Jerusalem, where he died. He was buried in the tombs of his fathers, and all Judah and Jerusalem mourned for him.
 

In the ensuing battle, Josiah is fatally wounded.  His soldiers carry him back to Jerusalem (in a second chariot) where he dies.

2 Chronicles 35:25-26, Lament

Jeremiah composed laments for Josiah, and to this day all the men and women singers commemorate Josiah in the laments. These became a tradition in Israel and are written in the Laments.

The other events of Josiah's reign and his acts of devotion, according to what is written in the Law of the LORD--all the events, from beginning to end, are written in the book of the kings of Israel and Judah.

There are songs and laments over Josiah.  These are most likely lost to us now, recorded in a document called "Laments." A very brief lament for Josiah survives in Jeremiah 22:11-17, as the fate of Josiah's son, Shallum/Jehoahaz, is described.

The parallel passage on the life of Josiah in 2 Kings is 2 Kings 22:1-23:30.

The renewal and reformation in Josiah's reign is the last revival before the destruction of the temple. However (as commentator Payne points out) this revival is remembered by the Jewish captives (like Daniel) that are taken to Babylon; it is this revival that provides enough history for the Jews to survive Babylon and eagerly return in the days of Ezra and Nehemiah and build the second temple.

II Chronicles 34, Josiah, Another Boy King

The kings of Judah, after Solomon, have been 

• Rehoboam, 
• Abijah, 
• Asa, 
• Jehoshaphat, 
• Jehoram, 
• Ahaziah, 
• Joash, 
• Amaziah, 
• Uzziah,
• Jotham, 
• Ahaz,
• Hezekiah,
• Manasseh,
• Amon, and now
• Josiah

The date is about 640 BC. The northern kingdom is gone, conquered by Assyria. Babylon is growing in power in the east.

2 Chronicles 34:1-2, Another good boy king

Josiah was eight years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem thirty-one years. He did what was right in the eyes of the LORD and walked in the ways of his father David, not turning aside to the right or to the left.

Josiah is only 8 when his father, who reigned two years, is assassinated.

2 Chronicles 34:3-7

In the eighth year of his reign, while he was still young, he began to seek the God of his father David. In his twelfth year he began to purge Judah and Jerusalem of high places, Asherah poles, carved idols and cast images. Under his direction the altars of the Baals were torn down; he cut to pieces the incense altars that were above them, and smashed the Asherah poles, the idols and the images. These he broke to pieces and scattered over the graves of those who had sacrificed to them. He burned the bones of the priests on their altars, and so he purged Judah and Jerusalem.

In the towns of Manasseh, Ephraim and Simeon, as far as Naphtali, and in the ruins around them, he tore down the altars and the Asherah poles and crushed the idols to powder and cut to pieces all the incense altars throughout Israel. Then he went back to Jerusalem.

The boy king Josiah, like the boy king Joash two centuries before, begins with enthusiasm for the worship of God and the removal of idols. Joash's influence reaches into the tribes to the north, now controlled by Assyria, with many foreign residents. 

The parallel passage in 2 Kings 22 does not include this young enthusiasm but instead begins Joash's account with the event that followed, below.

In comparison to the other tribes of Israel, little is said in the Old Testament records about the tribe of Simeon after the settlement in Canaan. The descendants of Simeon are described in 1 Chronicles 4:24-43, where some are identified as living during the time of Hezekiah, with descendants living in the hill country of Seir (Edom) in the days of the author.

2 Chronicles 34:8-11, Temple repairs

In the eighteenth year of Josiah's reign, to purify the land and the temple, he sent Shaphan son of Azaliah and Maaseiah the ruler of the city, with Joah son of Joahaz, the recorder, to repair the temple of the LORD his God. They went to Hilkiah the high priest and gave him the money that had been brought into the temple of God, which the Levites who were the doorkeepers had collected from the people of Manasseh, Ephraim and the entire remnant of Israel and from all the people of Judah and Benjamin and the inhabitants of Jerusalem.

Then they entrusted it to the men appointed to supervise the work on the LORD's temple. These men paid the workers who repaired and restored the temple. They also gave money to the carpenters and builders to purchase dressed stone, and timber for joists and beams for the buildings that the kings of Judah had allowed to fall into ruin.

Again, a devoted king recognizes that the temple must be repaired. It was last repaired by Hezekiah, before Manasseh, around 700 BC, sixty or more years before.

2 Chronicles 34:12-13, Faithful Levites

The men did the work faithfully. Over them to direct them were Jahath and Obadiah, Levites descended from Merari, and Zechariah and Meshullam, descended from Kohath. The Levites--all who were skilled in playing musical instruments--had charge of the laborers and supervised all the workers from job to job. Some of the Levites were secretaries, scribes and doorkeepers.

Levites descended from Merari and Kohath, two of the three sons of Levi (Genesis 46:11, 1 Chronicles 6.) Among the many gifted Levites are, of course, musicians.

2 Chronicles 34:14-17, The Book of the Law

While they were bringing out the money that had been taken into the temple of the LORD, Hilkiah the priest found the Book of the Law of the LORD that had been given through Moses. Hilkiah said to Shaphan the secretary, "I have found the Book of the Law in the temple of the LORD." He gave it to Shaphan. 

Then Shaphan took the book to the king and reported to him: "Your officials are doing everything that has been committed to them. They have paid out the money that was in the temple of the LORD and have entrusted it to the supervisors and workers."

 

The Book of the Law has been lost or hidden for many decades, likely from before the reign of Manasseh. This is either the Pentateuch (the Torah, the Five books of Moses) or a subset of that work, the book of Deuteronomy or possibly the Covenant Law as given in Exodus.

In the documents discovered at Elephantine Island in Egypt are Hebrew writings from the time of King Manasseh (see this blog post.) The Hebrew soldiers in Egypt seemed to have no knowledge of the Mosaic Law, an absence that some scholars claim is evident that the books of Moses were written after the Babylonian exile. Yet we might notice that this ignorance of the Law might be expected, considering the history here of Manasseh's idolatrous reign and the fact that this Book of Law was lost or hidden throughout those decades, possibly even a century or more.

2 Chronicles 34:18-21, The Book is read

Then Shaphan the secretary informed the king, "Hilkiah the priest has given me a book." And Shaphan read from it in the presence of the king. When the king heard the words of the Law, he tore his robes.

He gave these orders to Hilkiah, Ahikam son of Shaphan, Abdon son of Micah, Shaphan the secretary and Asaiah the king's attendant: "Go and inquire of the LORD for me and for the remnant in Israel and Judah about what is written in this book that has been found. Great is the LORD's anger that is poured out on us because our fathers have not kept the word of the LORD; they have not acted in accordance with all that is written in this book."

The book of Deuteronomy includes a series of blessings and curses, of consequences for the kingdom of Israel, depending on the faithfulness of the people. Surely the condemnations for idolatry led to Josiah's distress. Josiah pleads for an update on these curses; he has been active in reform but is also aware of a long history of idolatry during the fifty-five years of his grandfather Manasseh.

2 Chronicles 34:22-28, Huldah's message

Hilkiah and those the king had sent with him went to speak to the prophetess Huldah, who was the wife of Shallum son of Tokhath, the son of Hasrah, keeper of the wardrobe. She lived in Jerusalem, in the Second District.

She said to them, 

"This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: Tell the man who sent you to me, `This is what the LORD says: I am going to bring disaster on this place and its people--all the curses written in the book that has been read in the presence of the king of Judah. Because they have forsaken me and burned incense to other gods and provoked me to anger by all that their hands have made, my anger will be poured out on this place and will not be quenched.'

Tell the king of Judah, who sent you to inquire of the LORD, `This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says concerning the words you heard: Because your heart was responsive and you humbled yourself before God when you heard what he spoke against this place and its people, and because you humbled yourself before me and tore your robes and wept in my presence, I have heard you, declares the LORD.

Now I will gather you to your fathers, and you will be buried in peace. Your eyes will not see all the disaster I am going to bring on this place and on those who live here.'" 

So they took her answer back to the king.

The attendants of Josiah know of a prophetess, Huldah, wife of Shallum. (Shallum is described, as common in the ANE patriarchy, by his genealogy, but it is his wife who is the prophet.) Huldah brings to the attendants of Josiah a message from YHWH. She addresses these men who then quickly pass on the message to the king.

Huldah is one of many woman prophets in the Old Testament. There are at least four woman prophets mentioned favorably in Old Testament scripture. There is, in addition to Huldah, Miriam, sister of Moses (Exodus 15:20-21), Deborah (Judges 4:4-9) and a wife of Isaiah (Isaiah 8:1-4.) On the negative side, Noadiah (Nehemiah 6:14) was a woman among the "prophets" opposing Nehemiah's work after the return from Babylon. In the New Testament, there is Anna (Luke 2:36-38) and the daughters of Philip (Acts 21:8-9.)

Payne says that the location of the Second District, Huldah's home, is unknown.

Josiah will not see the impending doom descending on Jerusalem. (He will, however, die in battle in the next chapter.)

2 Chronicles 34:29-33, The king reads the Book

Then the king called together all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem. He went up to the temple of the LORD with the men of Judah, the people of Jerusalem, the priests and the Levites--all the people from the least to the greatest. He read in their hearing all the words of the Book of the Covenant, which had been found in the temple of the LORD. The king stood by his pillar and renewed the covenant in the presence of the LORD--to follow the LORD and keep his commands, regulations and decrees with all his heart and all his soul, and to obey the words of the covenant written in this book.

Then he had everyone in Jerusalem and Benjamin pledge themselves to it; the people of Jerusalem did this in accordance with the covenant of God, the God of their fathers.

Josiah removed all the detestable idols from all the territory belonging to the Israelites, and he had all who were present in Israel serve the LORD their God. As long as he lived, they did not fail to follow the LORD, the God of their fathers.

  

The Book of the Law, found in the temple, is here called the Book of the Covenant. The king reads it aloud to all the people and the people renew their commitment to that covenant.