Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of 2 Chronicles 29:12
Then the Levites arose, Mahath the son of Amasai, and Joel the son of Azariah, of the sons of the Kohathites: and of the sons of Merari, Kish the son of Abdi, and Azariah the son of Jehalelel: and of the Gershonites; Joah the son of Zimmah, and Eden the son of Joah:
12. the Levites ] The fourteen persons mentioned in these three verses comprise ( a) two representatives each of the three great branches of Levi, namely, Kohath, Merari, and Gershon, ( b) two representatives of the great Kohathite family of Elizaphan (cp. Num 3:30 and 1Ch 15:8), ( c) two representatives each of the three divisions of the singers, Asaph, Heman, and Jeduthun (1Ch 25:1).
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
12 19 (not in 2 Kin.). The Cleansing of the Temple
With this passage cp. 1Ma 4:36-51 (the cleansing of the Temple by Judas Maccabaeus).
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
On the triple division of the Levites, see 1Ch 23:6; and on the musical Levites, see 1Ch 25:1-6.
2Ch 29:13
The descendants of Elizaphan – a grandson of Kohath Exo 6:22, and chief of the Kohathites at the time of the census in the wilderness Num 3:30 – appear at all times to have formed a distinct branch of the Kohathites with special privileges 1Ch 15:8.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
12-19. Then the LevitesaroseFourteen chiefs undertook the duty of collecting andpreparing their brethren for the important work of cleansing theLord’s house. Beginning with the outer courtsthat of the priestsand that of the peoplethe cleansing of these occupied eight days,after which they set themselves to purify the interior; but as theLevites were not allowed to enter within the walls of the temple, thepriest brought all the sweepings out to the porch, where they werereceived by the Levites and thrown into the brook Kedron. This tookeight days more. At the end of this period they repaired to thepalace and announced that not only had the whole of the sacrededifice, within and without, undergone a thorough purification, butall the vessels which the late king had taken away and applied to acommon use in his palace, had been restored, “and sanctified.”
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
Ver. 12-14. Then the Levites arose,…. Whose names are mentioned; of the Kohathites two, Mahath the son of Amashai, and Joel the son of Azariah; of the Merarites two, Kish the son of Abdi, and Azariah the son of Jehalelel; of the Gershonites two, Joah the son of Zimmah, and Eden the son of Joah; and of the family of Elizaphan, a Kohathite, two, Shimri and Jehiel; and of the family of Asaph, one of the chief singers in the times of David, two, Zechariah and Mattaniah; and of the family of Heman, another principal singer in the same times, two, Jehiel and Shimei; and of the family of Jeduthun, the third principal singer, the same with Ethan, two, Shemaiah and Uzziel, in all fourteen.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
| The Temple Cleansed. | B. C. 726. |
12 Then the Levites arose, Mahath the son of Amasai, and Joel the son of Azariah, of the sons of the Kohathites: and of the sons of Merari, Kish the son of Abdi, and Azariah the son of Jehalelel: and of the Gershonites; Joah the son of Zimmah, and Eden the son of Joah: 13 And of the sons of Elizaphan; Shimri, and Jeiel: and of the sons of Asaph; Zechariah, and Mattaniah: 14 And of the sons of Heman; Jehiel, and Shimei: and of the sons of Jeduthun; Shemaiah, and Uzziel. 15 And they gathered their brethren, and sanctified themselves, and came, according to the commandment of the king, by the words of the LORD, to cleanse the house of the LORD. 16 And the priests went into the inner part of the house of the LORD, to cleanse it, and brought out all the uncleanness that they found in the temple of the LORD into the court of the house of the LORD. And the Levites took it, to carry it out abroad into the brook Kidron. 17 Now they began on the first day of the first month to sanctify, and on the eighth day of the month came they to the porch of the LORD: so they sanctified the house of the LORD in eight days; and in the sixteenth day of the first month they made an end. 18 Then they went in to Hezekiah the king, and said, We have cleansed all the house of the LORD, and the altar of burnt offering, with all the vessels thereof, and the showbread table, with all the vessels thereof. 19 Moreover all the vessels, which king Ahaz in his reign did cast away in his transgression, have we prepared and sanctified, and, behold, they are before the altar of the LORD.
We have here busy work, good work, and needful work, the cleansing of the house of the Lord.
I. The persons employed in this work were the priests and Levites, who should have kept the temple clean, but, not having done that, were concerned to make it clean. Several of the Levites are here named, two of each of the three principal houses, Kohath, Gershon, and Merari (v. 12), and two of each of the three families of singers, Asaph, Heman, and Jeduthun, 2Ch 29:13; 2Ch 29:14. We cannot think these are named merely because they were chief in place (for then surely the high priest, or some of the heads of the courses of the priests, would have been mentioned), but because they were more zealous and active than the rest. When God has work to do he will raise up leading men to preside in it. And it is not always that the first in place and rank are most fit for service or most forward to it. These Levites not only bestirred themselves, but gathered their brethren, and quickened them to do according to the commandment of the king by the word of the Lord. Observe, They did according to the king’s command, but with an eye to God’s word. The king commanded them what was already their duty by the word of God, and, in doing it, they regarded God’s word as a rule to them and the king’s commandment as a spur to them.
II. The work was cleansing the house of God, 1. From the common dirt it had contracted while it was shut up-dust, and cobwebs, and the rust of the vessels. 2. From the idols and idolatrous altars that were set up in it, which, though kept ever so neat, were a greater pollution to it than if it had been made the common sewer of the city. The priests were none of them mentioned as leading men in this work, yet none but they durst go into the inner part of the house, no, not to cleanse it, which they did, and perhaps the high priest into the holy of holies, to cleanse that. And, though the Levites had the honour to be the leaders in the work, they did not disdain to be servitors to the priests according to their office; for what filth the priests brought into the court the Levites carried to the brook Kidron. Let not men’s usefulness, be it ever so eminent, make them forget their place.
III. The expedition with which they did this work was very remarkable. They began on the first day of the first month, a happy beginning of the new-year, and one that promised a good year. Thus should every year begin with the reformation of what is amiss, and the purging away, by true repentance, of all the defilements contracted the foregoing year. In eight days they cleared and cleansed the temple, and in eight days more the courts of the temple, v. 17. Let those that do good work learn to rid work and get it done. Let what is amiss be amended quickly.
IV. The report they made of it to Hezekiah was very agreeable, 2Ch 29:18; 2Ch 29:19. They gave him an account of what they had done, because it was he that set them on work, boasted not of their own care and pains, nor did they come to him to be paid, but to let him know that all things that had been profaned were now sanctified according to law, and were ready to be used again whenever he pleased. They knew the good king had set his heart upon God’s altar, and longed to be attending that, and therefore they insisted most upon the readiness they had put that into–that the vessels for the altar were scoured and brightened. Those vessels which Ahaz, in his transgression, had cast away as vessels in which there was no pleasure, they gathered together, sanctified them, and laid them in their place before the altar. Though the vessels of the sanctuary may be profaned for a while, God will find a time and a way to sanctify them. Neither his ordinances nor his people shall be suffered to fail for ever.
Fuente: Matthew Henry’s Whole Bible Commentary
2Ch 29:12
Temple Cleansed – 2Ch 29:12-19
The Levites responded to the king’s challenge at once and set about to cleanse themselves. None of those named are otherwise notable in the Scriptures, but each of the major Levitical families are named, implying unanimous approval of the covenant renewal. These were the three chief families of the tribe of Levi; Kohath, Merari, and Gershon. Also represented in the effort were the families of the musicians and singers, Asaph, Heman, and Jeduthun. These sanctified themselves and presented themselves at the temple to assist the priests in disposal of the filth and trash from the sanctuary.
The priests went into the sacrosanct areas of the temple where they alone were permitted to go and began the clean-up there. This they brought out to the court where the Levites could take it and dump it into the brook Kidron. This cleansing of the inner sanctuary of the temple was begun by the priests on the first day of the month and was completed from the holy of holies out to the porch in a period of a week, that task being completed on the eighth day. By the sixteenth day of the month the job of cleansing the Lord’s house was done. They reported to Hezekiah the cleansing of the house, the altar and its vessels, and the shewbred table and its vessels. All the vessels which wicked King Ahaz had discarded in his pagan worship were restored and sanctified and put in their place before the altar.
The Lord cannot be worshipped acceptably when there is fifth in His house, and a cleansed house necessitates the cleansing of the heart and life. The New Testament contains many admonitions to believers to cleanse their temples (1Co 3:16). Only thus can they be acceptable in His service ( Jas 4:8).
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
(12) Mahath the son of Amasai.The verse enumerates two members of each of the three great Levitical subtribesKohath, Merari, and Gershon. Mahath and Eden recur (2Ch. 31:13; 2Ch. 31:15). Kish ben Abdi and Joah ben Zimmah occurred (1Ch. 6:21; 1Ch. 6:44). They appear to be family rather than personal names.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
(12-14) The names of the Levites who received the royal charge.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
The purification of the house of the Lord may serve to remind us of the yet more infinitely important work of God the Holy Ghost in his cleansing work of the heart by his power. – What a sweet scripture that is to this effect; When the Lord shall have washed away the filth of the daughter of Zion with the spirit of judgment and the spirit of burning. Isa 4:4 . Reader! seek for those precious effects in your own soul. Have you the spirit of judgment to enlighten the understanding in the knowledge of Jesus? And have you the spirit of burning, to make your heart burn within you while Jesus draweth nigh in making himself known by the way and opening the soul to the apprehension of the scriptures?
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
2Ch 29:12 Then the Levites arose, Mahath the son of Amasai, and Joel the son of Azariah, of the sons of the Kohathites: and of the sons of Merari, Kish the son of Abdi, and Azariah the son of Jehalelel: and of the Gershonites; Joah the son of Zimmah, and Eden the son of Joah:
Ver. 12. Then the Levite, arose. ] How could they do less? The Popish clergy, pressed by their prince to a reformation, would have boasted of their immunities, and have given out that the king had not to do in matters of religion, &c. In the colloquy at Possiacum, a Spanish Jesuit told the queen-mother of France to her face that she did ill to meddle in matters that belonged not to her, but to the Pope, cardinals, and bishops: the zeal of which Jesuit pleased the Pope, who said he might be compared to the ancient saints, having, without respect of the young king and princes there present, maintained God’s cause, and upbraided the queen to her face. a
Mahath the son of Amasai, &c.
a Hist. of Coun. of Trent, 455.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Then the Levites arose. They were from each of the three leading families (Gershorn, Kohath, and Merari); two from the family of Elizaphan (Kohath’s grandson. Exo 6:18, Exo 6:22. Num 3:30); two from the posterity of Asaph (of Gershom); two of Heman (of Kohath); two of Jeduthun (of Merari). Fourteen in all. See App-10.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
2Ch 29:12-19
2Ch 29:12-19
WITHIN SIXTEEN DAYS THE LEVITES CLEANSE THE TEMPLE
“Then the Levites arose, Mahath, the son of Amasai, of the sons of the Kohathites; and of the sons of Merari, Kish the son of Abdi, and Azariah the son of Jehallelel; and of the Gershonites, Joah the son of Zimmah, and Eden the son of Joah; and of the sons of Elizaphan, Shemri and Jeuel; and of the sons of Asaph, Zechariah and Mattaniah; and of the sons of Heman, Jehuel and Shimei; and of the sons of Jeduthun, Shemaiah and Uzziel. And they gathered their brethren, and sanctified themselves, and went in, according to the commandment of the king by the words of Jehovah, to cleanse the house of Jehovah. And the priests went in unto the inner part of the house of Jehovah, to cleanse it, and brought out all the uncleanness that they found in the temple of Jehovah into the court of the house of Jehovah. And the Levites took it to carry it out abroad to the brook Kidron. Now they began on the first day of the first month to sanctify, and on the eighth day of the month came they to the porch of Jehovah; and they sanctified the house of Jehovah in eight days: and on the sixteenth day of the first month they made an end. Then they went in to Hezekiah the king within the palace, and said, We have cleansed all the house of Jehovah, and the altar of burnt-offering, with all the vessels thereof, and the table of showbread, with all the vessels thereof. Moreover all the vessels which king Ahaz in his reign did cast away when he trespassed, have we prepared and sanctified; and, behold, they are before the altar of Jehovah.”
E.M. Zerr:
2Ch 29:12-14. Among this list of names the reader should distinguish the three sons of Levi; Kohath, Merari and Gershon. These men personally had been dead for many years, but their individual lines of descendants had been registered and their proper assignments of work carefully observed.
2Ch 29:15. These men responded favorably to the exhortation of the king. A general definition was offered at 2Ch 29:5 for sanctified, but I shall give the information found in Strong’s lexicon or dictionary. The word is from QADASH and defined, “a primitive root; to be (causatively make, pronounce or observe as) clean (ceremonially or morally).” From this the reader will see that the explanation given at verse 5 is about as.specific as we should make it. When a person divested himself of anything that might disqualify him for a particular task, then went to work at that task, it could be said that he had sanctified himself for the work.
2Ch 29:16. This verse indicates that there was some actual filth accumulated in the house besides the figurative uncleanness described at 2Ch 29:5. There is nothing said as to what that filth was nor how it got there. It would be natural for any place to become unclean if neglected, if said place had been used for serving various kinds of food and burning literal incense. So these Levites “cleaned house” by taking this accumulation out to a brook for disposal.
2Ch 29:17. The work of these Levites began on the first day of the year. 2Ch 29:3 says that was the day on which Hezekiah opened the doors of the house. The whole transaction, therefore, the work of the king, his speech to the Levites, and the beginning of their work of cleansing the house, all started at once, and that was right at the beginning of Hezekiah’s reign. Such punctuality in attending to the Lord’s business is worthy of imitation by all of us. The task was no little one, for after they had worked 8 days they had got to the porch only, but that constituted the major portion of the work. Then in 8 days more the whole job was done.
2Ch 29:18. The Levites did not merely make a general report, but specified the items of work they had done. Such a report indicated a sincere interest in the reform movement that Hezekiah was sponsoring. The altar of burnt offering was not in the temple proper, yet it was named in connection with the cleansing of the house of the Lord. That shows we cannot make too fine a distinction between the various parts of the divine structure. In some sense it was all the house of the Lord.
2Ch 29:19. Cast away means the vessels were tossed to one side as of little use or value. It was natural that such articles would be damaged by such treatment, so the Levites prepared or repaired and cleansed them and made them suitable for use again.
Fuente: Old and New Testaments Restoration Commentary
Removing Uncleanness
2Ch 29:12-24
The names of the assisting Levites are specially mentioned, because their obedient cooperation counted for so much in the national reconstruction. For eight days the priests and they wrought in the great work of cleansing the Temple of the filthiness which had accumulated through neglect. The drift of the sand-storm, the havoc of weeds, the multitudes of living things that come from the air and the earth to brood and breed in neglected buildings, had wrought sad disfigurement and dilapidation in the holy and beautiful house which David and Solomon had built for God.
Deterioration of heart and life, of Church and State, is the sure result of neglect. The garden of the sluggard could hardly be more useless or perilous to the ordered cultivation around, than is the heart of man, when it neglects the culture of its spiritual affinities. We were made for God and cannot be perfectly healthy or happy apart from Him. These sins must be expiated by blood. A deep lesson is contained in 2Ch 29:20-24. See Heb 9:22.
Fuente: F.B. Meyer’s Through the Bible Commentary
of the sons: 1Ch 6:19, 1Ch 6:44, 1Ch 15:6, 1Ch 23:21-23
Kohathites: Exo 6:16-25, Num 4:2-20, 1Ch 6:16-18, 1Ch 15:5, 1Ch 23:12-20
of the sons: 1Ch 6:16-18, 1Ch 15:5, 1Ch 23:12-20
of the Gershonites: 1Ch 6:17, 1Ch 6:20, 1Ch 6:21, 1Ch 15:7, 1Ch 23:7-11