a thouſand bullocks, and ten thouſand ſheep: and a |
great number of prieſts ſan&ified themſelves.
' g Firſt ro-GoJ, to whom the parts appointed were offered in way of Thankſgiving 3 and then to the People, who feaFeJ upon the Relicks, as the Offerer uſed to do in the Peace offerings : ad Hezekiah, who was the Offerer. gave away his Right in the Re- mains ef . lie Sacrifices to the People. bþ wh-ch Generolity is the more conſide:able, becauſe it was in the beginning of his Reign, when he found the Royal Exchequer exhauſted and empty ; ana when he had been ar grear Exp:nce about th- clernliag and refiiting of che Temple} and making Preparations for this great Feaſt. i Having
now both more Time and further Need of tancefying themſelves |
to offer theſe numerous Sacrifices.
25-Arid all the congregation of J udah, with the prieſts
out of Iſrael, and the ſtrangers that came our of the land of Iſrael, and that dwelt in Judah, rejoyced.
26 So there was great joy in Jeruſalem: for ſince the time that Solomon the Son of David king of 1frael, there was not the like in Jeruſalem.
27 Then che prieſts the Levites & aroſe, and * bleſſed the people / and their voice was heard, and their pray-
* Er came wp to | his holy dwelling place, even unto
heaven.
k Thoſe of the Levites who were Prieſts aiſo; for to them only this Work belonged, 1 Chron: 23+ 13. Or, the Prieſt and the Levites: For as the Levites did ſome other part of che Pri:ſts Work at this time, it is not ſtrange if they did this alſo. Or the Pricſts mighe bleſs by ſolemn pronunciation of the Bleſſing, and the Levites by cheir Acclamarions, or withrheir Muſical Inſtruments / Either commended them for their great Zea'and D:ligcnee in Gods Service. Or ratier, lolemaly prayed ro God to bleſs them 3 and their Pray- er Was not in vain, as the following words ſhew.
CH AP.- XXXI,
The People forward in deftroying Idolatry : Hezekiah ordereth the Courſes
of the Prieſts and Levites : and provideth for their work and main-
fexance, 1 4. The People forward in Offerings and Tithes
g —— 10: Heezthiah appointeth Officers to diſpoſe of the Tithes, 11 <= ig, bis fincerity, 20, 21.
Ow when all this was fini/hed, all Iſrael that were
+ preſent, went out to the cities of Judah, and *
brake the + Images in pieces, and cut down the groves,
and threw down the high places, and the altars out of
2 Kings 41] Judah and Benjamin, in Ephraim alſo and Manaſ-
ſeh 2, + until they had utterly deſtroyed them all. 'Then all the children of Iſrael returned every man to his poſſeſſion into their own cities,
I 1. CARONICLES.
Chap. XXXI offerings, and for yarns” gray to miniſter, ard to
give thanks, and to praiſe in the gates of the
the LORD 5. 4 - _—
6 1. e. Within the Gates of. the Houſe of the Lord : which is here called Tents, partly-becauſe all Houſes are oft ſo called, as Judges
19. 9: and 20. 8. Pſal. 69. 25. And partly becauſe the Lord, to wit, the eg Formal wm ſo 4k praghang ed there, and kept their Statiens and Orders there by courſe,
3 He appointed alſo the kings portion of his ſubſtance, for the burnt-offerings c 50 wit, for the morning and evening burnt-offerings, and the burnt-offerings of the
fabbaths, and for the new moons, and for the ſet-feafts,
as it 5s written in the * law of the LORD. * Numb c Which had hitherto been, and were to be taken out of the 38, & 20
Treaſures of the Temple which were colle&ed from the People "
I Chron. 26420. Nehem. 10. 32,33: but that he mighr eaſe them in
their preſent poverty, which his Predeceſſors had brought upon
them, and engage th2m to a more chearful attendance upon Gods
Service, he took the Burden upon himſef.
4 Moreover, he commanded the people that dwelt
in Jeruſalem, to give the portion of the prieſts, and the Levires, that they might be encouraged in the law of
the LORD 4,
,41, e. Freed from worldly Cares and Diſtrations, and enab!ed to
give up themſelves entirely to the ſerious Srudy of Gods Law,in
which many of them were ignorant, and tothe Inſtruction, and Di.
recti2n, aad quickning of the People in their ſeveral Duties,
5 And as ſoon as thecommandment + came abroad e, + yy,, the children of 1rael brought in abundance the firſt- brake fry fruits of corn, wine, and oil, and || honey f, and of all ||Or,day the increaſe of the field, and the tithe of all hinge brought they in abundantly. | |
e Either 1, as ſoon as the Report of this Command of the King,
V. 4 was got abroad into other parts. Or, 2+ as ſdon as the King
enlarged 1d extended that Command to all the parts of his King
dom, which v. 4» Was confined fo them that dwell in Feruſalem.
f Or, Dares, as the Hebrew Writers generally, and mariy other learn-
ed Hebrecians underſtand this word, which is given to them, be« cauſe of the Sweetnefs of theirTaſte in ſame ſort reſembling Honey. tor the Law requires no Tithes buc of the-Fruits of Trees, or of the Earth, or of Beaſts,
6 And concerning the children of Iſrael and Judah, chat dwelt in the cities of Judah, they alſo brought in
che tithe of oxen and ſheep g, and the * tithe of holy » x,,. 1
'G 11s and the Levites, and all the congregation that came : od b, and laid them + by heaps.
s Either 1+ In thoſe Cirizs belonging to Ephraim and Manaſſeh, which the Kings of Judah had formerly taken from the Kings of 7- rael, Or, 2. In the Tribes of Ephraim and Manaſſh. For although theſe were a part of Hoſbes's Kingdomy yet Hezekiah preſumed to do this partly by virtue of the Law of God, to which both [ſrael and Judah owed Subje&ion, which commanded the extirpation of theſe things out ef the whole Land of Canaan : Partly by the ſpecial Impulſe and Dire&ion of Gods Spirit, which ſometimes did put perſons upon Heroical and Extraordinary Attions, not ro be drawn into Imitation; And partly becauſe he knew that Heſbea con- rented himſelf wirh the Worſhip of the Calves, and did not pra- criſe that great Idolatry which his Predeceflors had uſed, and there- fore would patiently ſuffer the breaking of theſe Images of Baa!, and the things belonging to them ; which is all that was done ar this time-
h 2 And Hezekiah appointed the courſes of the priefts and the Levites, after their courfes, every man accor- ding to his Service, the prieſts and Levites for burnt-
things, which were conſecrated unto the LORD their 430. + Devr, 14 £ They brought innot only the ſame Tithes which the Dwel- 28. ,