Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of 2 Chronicles 34:6
And [so did he] in the cities of Manasseh, and Ephraim, and Simeon, even unto Naphtali, with their mattocks round about.
6. Simeon ] Here as in 2Ch 15:9 regarded as belonging to the Northern tribes, but their cities were in the south; cp. 1Ch 4:28 ff.
with their mattocks ] R.V. in their ruins (with marginal note, “The text is probably corrupt”). LXX. i.e. “in their places.” Pesh. reads, in their broad places, and this is probably correct.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
The power of Assyria being now (629-624 B.C.) greatly weakened, if not completely broken, Josiah aimed not merely at a religious reformation, but at a restoration of the kingdom to its ancient limits (see the 2Ki 23:19 note).
With their mattocks … – Or in their desolate places (compare Psa 109:10). Another reading gives the sense, he proved their house round about.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 6. The cities of Manasseh] Even those who were under the government of the Israelitish king permitted their idols and places of idolatry to be hewn down and destroyed: after the truth was declared and acknowledged, the spade and the axe were employed to complete the reformation.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
Even unto Naphtali; which was in the utmost and northern borders of the kingdom of Israel. For it must be remembered that the ten tribes were now gone into captivity; and those who were come in their stead were weak and few, and not able to withstand the power of Josiah.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
6. with their mattocksor, “intheir deserts”so that the verse will stand thus: “And sodid [namely, break the altars and burn the bones of priests] he inthe cities of Manasseh, and Ephraim, and Simeon, even unto Naphtali,in their deserted suburbs.” The reader is apt to be surprised onfinding that Josiah, whose hereditary possessions were confined tothe kingdom of Judah, exercised as much authority among the tribes ofEphraim, Manasseh, Simeon, and others as far as Naphtali, as he didwithin his own dominion. Therefore, it is necessary to observe that,after the destruction of Samaria by Shalmaneser, the remnant thatcontinued on the mountains of Israel maintained a close intercoursewith Judah, and looked to the sovereigns of that kingdom as theirnatural protectors. Those kings acquired great influence over them,which Josiah exercised in removing every vestige of idolatry from theland. He could not have done this without the acquiescence of thepeople in the propriety of this proceeding, conscious that this wasconformable to their ancient laws and institutions. The Assyriankings, who were now masters of the country, might have beendispleased at the liberties Josiah took beyond his own territories.But either they were not informed of his doings, or they did nottrouble themselves about his religious proceedings, relating, as theywould think, to the god of the land, especially as he did not attemptto seize upon any place or to disturb the allegiance of the people[CALMET].
2Ch34:8-18. HE REPAIRSTHE TEMPLE.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
And so did he in the cities of Manasseh, and Ephraim, and Simeon, even unto Naphtali,…. Which though they belonged to the ten tribes, yet these being carried captive by the king of Assyria, they that were left became subject to the kings of Judah,
[See comments on 2Ki 23:19],
with their mattocks round about; or hammers or mauls, as Kimchi, or pick axes, such sort of instruments as were used in demolishing altars and images: the Targum is,
“in the house of their desolation;”
and so other versions, “in their desolate places” x, which were become such, the inhabitants being carried captive, and few left behind.
x “in desolatis locis suis, [vel] eorum”, Montanus, Tigurine version, Rambachius.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
2Ch 34:6 and 2Ch 34:7 form a connected sentence: And in the cities of Manasseh …, in their ruins round about, there he pulled down the altars, etc. The tribe of Simeon is here, as in 2Ch 15:9, reckoned among the tribes of the kingdom of Israel, because the Simeonites, although they belonged geographically to the kingdom of Judah, yet in religion remained attached to the worship on the high places practised by the ten tribes; see on 2Ch 15:9. “And unto Naphtali” is added, to designate the kingdom of Israel in its whole extent to the northern frontier of Canaan. The form (in the Keth. divided into two words) gives no suitable sense. R. Sal. explains, timentes in planitie habitare, sed fixerunt in monte domicilia, rendering it “in their mountain-dwellings.” This the words cannot mean.
(Note: The lxx translate , expressing merely the . The Targ. has , in domo ( s. loco) desolationis eorum .)
The Keri , “with their swords,” is suggested by Eze 26:9, and is accepted by D. Kimchi, Abu Melech, and others, and understood to denote instruments with which the altars, groves, and images were cut down. But this interpretation also is certainly incorrect. The word is rather to be pointed , in their wastes (ruins) (cf. Psa 109:10), and to be taken as an explanatory apposition to : in the cities of Manasseh …, namely, in their ruins round about; for the land had been deserted since the times of Shalmaneser, and its cities were in great part in ruins. The statement as to the locality precedes in the form of an absolute sentence, and that which is predicated of it follows in the form of an apodosis with consec. ( ). , he dashed to pieces to crush; the form is not a perfect after , but an infinitive which has retained the vowel of the perfect; cf. Ew. 238, d.
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
(6) And so did he in the cities . . . unto Naphtali.Sec 2Ki. 23:15; 2Ki. 23:19, according to which Josiah destroyed the sanctuary of Bethel, and the high places in the cities of Samaria, i.e., the northern kingdom.
Simeon is again mentioned somewhat strangely, as in 2Ch. 15:9, no doubt because Beersheba, a famous sanctuary within its territory, was a place of pilgrimage for the northern tribes.
Manasseh and Ephraim, i.e., the northern kingdom, as in 2Ch. 31:1; Isa. 9:21.
With their mattocks.Rather, in their ruins; reading behorbuthhem, instead of behorbthhem, which means with their swords. (Comp. Eze. 26:9.) The phrase qualifies the word cities. The cities of Israel had been ruined by the Assyrians, Sargon. and Shalmaneser, the latter of whom took Samaria, after a three years siege, and carried the people captive to Assyria, in 721 B.C., replacing them by foreign colonists. This explains how it was that Josiah was able to desecrate the northern sanctuaries, and slay their priests (2Ki. 23:20). The ordinary Hebrew text divides the word thus: behar btthhem, so as to suggest the reading behar btthhem, in the hill of their houses. The LXX. has in their places round about; the Vulg. omits the phrase; and the Syriac reads in their streets around. The whole verse should be connected with 2Ch. 34:7, thus: And in the cities of Manasseh and Ephraim and Simeon, even unto Naphtali, to wit, in their ruins round about, he pulled down the altars and the Asherim; and the carven images he dashed into pieces unto pulverising. Hedaq is an unusual form of the infinitive, not a perfect, as Bertheau supposes.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
6. Cities of Manasseh, and Ephraim, and Simeon, even unto Naphtali The northern kingdom having been long since broken up, and the new colonists from the East having no power or special care to hinder him, Josiah probably met with no great opposition in overthrowing “all the idols throughout all the land of Israel.” 2Ch 34:7.
With their mattocks Margin, with their mauls; others, with their swords. Furst connects the phrase with “burnt the bones” in the preceding verse, and then renders the phrase “in their palatial resting-places,” that is, their princely graves or mausoleums. Gesenius adopts the Kethib, and renders “he proved their houses,” that is, examined the houses of the idolaters. But we incline to the view of Bertheau, who adopts the Keri, and points it thus : the meaning then is, as the same word is translated in Psa 109:10, in their desolate places, or, in their ruins. Josiah overthrew idolatry in the cities named, which were many of them in ruins, and all of them, perhaps, might have been spoken of as desolate places. But notwithstanding their ruin, many signs of their old idolatry remained.
The remainder of the chapter (2Ch 34:8-33) is substantially identical with 2Ki 22:3-20; 2Ki 23:1-3, where see notes.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
2Ch 34:6 And [so did he] in the cities of Manasseh, and Ephraim, and Simeon, even unto Naphtali, with their mattocks round about.
Ver. 6. And so did he in the cities of Manasseh. ] Wherever he had to do; and in all places else where he could come; so great was his zeal, so diffusive his charity.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
with their mattocks: or, in their ruins.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
in: 2Ch 30:1, 2Ch 30:10, 2Ch 30:11, 2Ch 31:1, 2Ki 23:15-20
mattocks: or, mauls, 1Sa 13:20, 1Sa 13:21, Pro 25:18, Isa 7:25
Reciprocal: 2Ki 23:19 – the cities Isa 17:8 – he shall Hos 8:6 – shall Amo 3:14 – I will Mic 1:7 – all the graven
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
2Ch 34:6. Even unto Naphtali Which was in the utmost borders of the kingdom of Israel. For it must be remembered, that the ten tribes were now gone into captivity; and those who were come in their stead were weak and few, and not able to withstand the power of Josiah.