“And said unto the Levites that taught all Israel, which were holy unto the LORD, Put the holy ark in the house which Solomon the son of David king of Israel did build; it shall not be a burden upon your shoulders: serve now the LORD your God, and his people Israel,”
By whose. Septuagint, “the powerful in Israel, that they might be sanctified to the Lord; and they put,” &c. Hebrew, “who instructed all Israel, the holy people of the Lord: Put,” &c. (Haydock) — No more. Hebrew adds, “upon your shoulders;” (Haydock) whence it is inferred, that it had been carried about the cities of Juda, under the impious kings, who would not suffer it in the temple. (Calmet) — Some believe that it was kept in the house of Sellum, the uncle of Jeremias, and husband of Olda. (St. Jerome, Trad.) (Tirinus)
“And stand in the holy place according to the divisions of the families of the fathers of your brethren the people , and after the division of the families of the Levites. the families of the fathers: Heb. the house of the fathers the people: Heb. the sons of the people”
Families. Hebrew adds, “according to the divisions of the families of the fathers of your brethren, the people, (Haydock; or laics. Calmet) and the division of the families of the Levites.” All were placed, with great order, in the temple.
“So kill the passover, and sanctify yourselves, and prepare your brethren, that they may do according to the word of the LORD by the hand of Moses.”
Which. Hebrew, “of the Lord, by the hand of Moses,” which ordinances he has written down. (Menochius)
“And Josiah gave to the people , of the flock, lambs and kids , all for the passover offerings, for all that were present, to the number of thirty thousand, and three thousand bullocks: these were of the king's substance. gave: Heb. offered”
In. Hebrew, “for the Passover-offerings, from the flock, lambs and kids, in number 30,000.” Et reliqui pecoris, is not expressed. (Haydock) — The small cattle might be intended for other sacrifices. (Menochius)
“And his princes gave willingly unto the people, to the priests, and to the Levites: Hilkiah and Zechariah and Jehiel, rulers of the house of God, gave unto the priests for the passover offerings two thousand and six hundred small cattle, and three hundred oxen. gave willingly: Heb. offered, etc”
Offered. Hebrew, “gave to the people.” (Haydock) — Rulers: the first alone was high priest. (Calmet) — Small cattle: literally, cattle of different sorts;” commixtim. Protestants supply, “small cattle,” which is not now in Hebrew. (Haydock) — Syriac and Arabic have, “sheep;” but we had best follow (Calmet) the Septuagint, “sheep, both lambs and kids.” Either would suffice, Exodus xii. 5.
“Conaniah also, and Shemaiah and Nethaneel, his brethren, and Hashabiah and Jeiel and Jozabad, chief of the Levites, gave unto the Levites for passover offerings five thousand small cattle, and five hundred oxen. gave: Heb. offered”
Cattle. Protestants again supply these words. Septuagint have, “sheep.” (Haydock)
“And they killed the passover, and the priests sprinkled the blood from their hands, and the Levites flayed them.”
Blood is expressed in the Septuagint and understood in Hebrew. (Haydock) — With. Hebrew and Septuagint, “from their hands;” (Haydock) receiving it from the officers, who might slay their own victims, (Calmet) unless they were unclean, chap. xxx. 17. (Haydock) — Holocausts. Hebrew and Septuagint speak of the paschal lambs. (Haydock) — Holocausts were regularly to be flayed by priests, Leviticus i. 6. The hurry of the solemnity, (Calmet) and necessity, here excused the Levites, (Menochius) if we understand proper holocausts. (Haydock)
“And they removed the burnt offerings, that they might give according to the divisions of the families of the people , to offer unto the LORD, as it is written in the book of Moses. And so did they with the oxen.”
Separated. Septuagint, “prepared the holocaust to give; having taken notice to whom the victims belonged, before they took off the skin, (Menochius) or rather, separating these from the other peace-offerings. (Tournemine)
“And they roasted the passover with fire according to the ordinance: but the other holy offerings sod they in pots, and in caldrons, and in pans, and divided them speedily among all the people . divided: Heb. made them run”
Victims. Hebrew and Septuagint, “but the holy offerings they boiled.” See Exodus xii. 9. (Haydock)
“And the singers the sons of Asaph were in their place, according to the commandment of David, and Asaph, and Heman, and Jeduthun the king's seer; and the porters waited at every gate; they might not depart from their service; for their brethren the Levites prepared for them. place: Heb. station”
Prophets. Hebrew, “seer.” But Septuagint, &c., read in the plural. These were “prophets of the king,” (Haydock) or masters of music. (Calmet) — Vulgate might insinuate that these three gave orders, as well as David. But they were in office under him, as people of the same name were, probably, under Josias. (Haydock)
“And there was no passover like to that kept in Israel from the days of Samuel the prophet; neither did all the kings of Israel keep such a passover as Josiah kept, and the priests, and the Levites, and all Judah and Israel that were present, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem. present: Heb. found”
As Josias kept. He displayed greater liberality (Estius. See 4 Kings xxiii. 20.) and devotion; and the festival had also been neglected for some time. (Worthington)
“After all this, when Josiah had prepared the temple, Necho king of Egypt came up to fight against Carchemish by Euphrates: and Josiah went out against him. temple: Heb. house”
Charcamis belonged to the Assyrian monarch, (Isaias x. 9.) who subdued the empire of Babylon, chap. xxxiii. 11.
“But he sent ambassadors to him, saying, What have I to do with thee, thou king of Judah? I come not against thee this day, but against the house wherewith I have war: for God commanded me to make haste: forbear thee from meddling with God, who is with me, that he destroy thee not. the house: Heb. the house of my war”
With me. Grotius thinks that Jeremias had given the order; and the author of Hebrew Traditions, supposes that he forbade Josias to oppose Pharao, who, it seems, was assured of victory. (Calmet) — But this is uncertain; and Josias might justly suspect that the king of Egypt spoke without authority. (Haydock) — The augurs of the latter might declare the truth, (Menochius) though they could not dive into futurity. (Haydock) — Herodotus (i.) informs us, that Nechos fought against the Syrians, (or Israelites) in Magdelum, and took Cadythis, a city as large as Sardis, of Lydia; probably Jerusalem, (Du Hamel) or Cades. (Calmet)
“Nevertheless Josiah would not turn his face from him, but disguised himself, that he might fight with him, and hearkened not unto the words of Necho from the mouth of God, and came to fight in the valley of Megiddo.”
Prepared. Hebrew, “disguised himself,” like Achab; (Calmet) or set his army in array. Septuagint, “he was bent on fighting him.” (Haydock) — He supposed that Pharao intended to invade his dominions, and God would withdraw him from the world. (Worthington)
“His servants therefore took him out of that chariot, and put him in the second chariot that he had; and they brought him to Jerusalem, and he died, and was buried in one of the sepulchres of his fathers. And all Judah and Jerusalem mourned for Josiah. in one: or, among the sepulchres”
After the manner of kings, is not in Hebrew, &c. (Haydock) — Curtius (iv.) informs us, that the Persian monarch had always a horse behind his chariot, to be ready in case of any accident.
“And Jeremiah lamented for Josiah: and all the singing men and the singing women spake of Josiah in their lamentations to this day, and made them an ordinance in Israel: and, behold, they are written in the lamentations.”
Lamentations. Some think that we have them in the Bible. (Josephus, &c.) — Others believe that they are lost. (Salien, the year of the world 3425.) — Law, on the anniversary; (Menochius) or when any calamity occurs, the lamentations of Jeremias are used. (Tirinus) — There were collections of such poems, as well as of canticles, for victory and marriages. (Calmet)
“And his deeds, first and last, behold, they are written in the book of the kings of Israel and Judah.”
Israel is placed first in Hebrew and Septuagint. (Haydock) — The kings of Juda assumed the title, as the kingdom had been subverted above a century; and the wretched remains of Israel had retreated into the territories, (Calmet) or acknowledged their dominion. (Haydock)