The Pulpit Commentary — 2 Chronicles — Section 272

,111d srrond vcr~cs state the part that•• the jurisdiction of the account in tho parallel. «-Rptnins of hundreds" were celled to per- The ezpi-ess caution of this clauso shows form in collecti"[J the requisite number of that there were others about, and others Lentcs from the provincial cities of J udall. officiating, beside the Levites, who only And once more it may be noted that whereas, have been montioned hitherto in our text, while we abide close by our own text alone, except under the most generio designation nothing in the description of our vers. 4- (as before, so again iu last olause of this 10 ocrasions material difficulty, even when verse) of" all the people." The last clause the perplexity, which is considerable, does of this verse may cover the contents of ver. enter, on consulting and endeavouring to 7 in the parallel. The distinction between reconcile the parallel, it is with extreme " the courts of the house of the Lord" (ver. probability due to our not making sufficient 5), and "the house of the Lord" (ver. 6) is, allowance for the fact that the mo.tter of the of course, quite apparent. two accounts does not so much offer itself Ver. 7.-And the Levites shall oompass for reconciliation ns for concurrent accept- the king. The matter of ver. 8 in the ance. We have now to follow the descrip- parallel suggests nothing inconsistent with tion of onr own text. Of you entering on the express mention of the Levites here, but the sabbath; i.e. of you who enter on your rather that the word "Levites" is desiderated period of duty on such a sabbath. See ver. there, and its significance perhaps accident- 8. the " men that were to come in on the o.lly overlooked, when the writer of Kings eabbath, with them that were to go out on was using the original authorities and the sabbath." This alludes, as the next sources of his history. clause definitely savs, to the weekly courses Ver. 8.-All J'udah ; i.e. all those of of the Lentes, as described in 1 Chron. ix. Judah's provincial cities who had been 25; xxiv.; xxv.-the incoming and outgoing honoured with summons to join in this great companies. Porters of the doors; i.e." keepers and solemn enterprise. Dismissed not the of the doors of the temple" (1 Chron. ix. 19). courses ; i.e. the provincial Levites co- This may correspond with the middle clanse operated with the regulars of Jerusalem. of ver. 6 in the parallel. Ver. 9.-Shields . . . Xing David's . . . Ver. 5.-A third part . .. at the king's in the house of God. Some think these may house. It seems impossible to refer this to have been the shields of gold that King the royal palace, as some suppose from ver. David took from the servants of Hadadezer 19 in the parallel. It probably desiguates (2 Sam. viii. 7, 11 ). the place where the child had been living in Ver. 10.-All the people; i.e., again, all concee.lment. This portion of the description those, not being Levites and priests, who had appeal'!! to correspond with the last clause of been trusted to assist. The parallel (ver.11) ver. 5 in the par11Jlel. At the gate of the summarizes them under tbe name the guard. foundation. The Hebrew text here is "liD'. It may be just noted, in passing, that, while (Exod. x:x.i.x. 12; Lev. iv. 7; Hab. iii. 13); in the Hebrew text has in both places the parallel -ru:,, a name only found there, and "shoulder," i.e. for the "side" of this verse, unintelligible-probably a corruption of the and the " corner" of the parallel, the Re- other word. The gate of the foundation is vised Vel'l!ion has harmouized the rendering, supposed to have stood at that comer of the electing the rendering side. From the right area which was strengthened by additional side of the temple to the left side. This works, where was the ravine separating is equivalent to saying, those composing the Moriah and the hill to the south. All the guard were placed on the south and north people. Evidently the miscellaneous out- aides. Along by the altar. 'fhis was the 11ide people are not here intended, who were altar of burnt offerings in front of the porch, not entrusted with the secret and the surprise and close by which the young "king stood that was to be, but the same all the people at his pillar," or on his pedeslaZ (ver. 13), as are unmistakably designated in ver. 10; the rows of the guard bristling with weapons i.e. all who were appointed to officiate. The before and behind aud round about him. last clanse in each of vers. 5, 6, 7 in the Ver. 11.-Then they brought out. The parallel go strongly to confirm the position parallel (ver. 12) has," he brought out," etc. that" the kiug's house" so far does not intend The la.et clause of our verse harmonizes even the royal po.lace, but such part of the house this simple point, indicating that the" they" of the Lord as had been, and then still was, desiguates "Jehoiade. and his sons;" of .. about the king" (ver. 7, parallel); in order which group Jehoie.do. himself was, of course, to keep watch "about the king.'' they were the greatest part. It will be noted that it set to keep watch of a certain part of "the is not said from what exact place Joe.eh was house of the Lord." brought out. Put upon him the orown and Ver. 6.-But let none oome ... save the .. , the testimony. It is quite unnecessary, priests. Through this little chink we get at any rate, to suppose that the teBtimony, as tome light confirmatory of the concurrent well as the crown, was put l)n the head of on. xxm. 1-21.J THE SECOND BOOK OF THE CHRONICLES. 2i3