The Pulpit Commentary — 2 Chronicles — Section 346

Yer. 30.-With the word■ of David, and of the generic idert, 11.9 e.g. the fonst of l!l\cri• Asaph. ·we <'"n ec1trcely exclude from our :flee; agnin, tho ar.t of slnying e.nd sncrillciug thongbt the impre~sion that loving bumrtn a victim; again, the victim itself; ngn.in, reverence for their own pn.st religious helpers those kinds of sacrifices that wero expiatory of eoni;: and music, and enthusiasm for the or eucharistia, but not holooaustio (Lev. 'Demory of them, were here glanced at. The vii. 12). Thank offerings; Hebrew, n,,1n. king's and the prinoes' supplementary (more- Thie word occurs about thirty-two times; in over) injunction 1tnd instruction to the about two-thirds of that number denoting Levites &e to what words they should put the spiritual acts of giving of thanks, even on their lips. Aaaph the seer. This is the when accompanied by the :figurative ideo. of only place in which Aeaph is thus distinctly "sacrifices" (Ps. lvi. 13; ovii. 22; cxvi. 17), named Beef', but it is contained virtually in the genuine adoring praise or thanksgiving 1 Chron. u:v. 2; &nd for the substantive constituting the sacrifice; and in the other title gi van to two oolleagues, see l Chron. third denoting strictly sacrificial offerings, as :uv. 5; eh. xxxv. 15. The princes (see their several times in Leviticus (vii. 12; xxii. 29) growing prominence in eh. xxiv. 17; xxviii. and here. Our eh. xxxiii. 16 clo.ssif!es these 21; xxx. 2, 6, 12, 24; u:xii. 3). with "peace offerings" (n•p~~. as do many Ver. 31.-Ye have oonsecrated yourselves. other passages with "burnt offerings" gene- The Hebrew text is (with the margin of rally (Judg. xx. 26; xxi. 4; 1 Sam. xiii. 9; both Authorized &nd Revised Versions), 2 Sam. ri. 17; 1 (Jhron. xvi. I ; xxi. 26). "have filled your hands to Jehovah." Our Ver. 32.-Tbis verse manifestly purports somewhat awkward and somewhat mislead- to gauge in some degree the amount of free- ing reproduction in English of the Hebrew heartedness present in the nation. text is, nevertheless, on the whole defensible. Ver. 33.-The oonseorated things; Hebrew. Tb e phrase occurs some seventeen times c•~:ipn. Not the word just discussed in (Exod. xxviii. 41; xxix. 9, 29, 33, 35; mii. 29; Le~. nii. 33; xvi. 32: xxi. 10: Numb. ver. 31 ; these a.re the thank offering sacrifices. iii. 3; Judg. xvii. 5, 12; 1 Kin~ xiii. 33; Ver. 34.-Originally, the worshipper who 1 Cbron. xxix. 5; eh. xiii. 9; Ezck. xliii. wo.s moved to sacrifice was enjoined to slay, 26), and in some of these instances is most flay, and cut in pieces the victim (Lev. i. 2 conveniently represented by the rendering -6). Later the Levites performed these duties, and on great public occasions, at any "consecrate." The plural noun c•~~lfiJ, or rate, the priests themselves. The simple Cl't1ilm:i, is found thirteen times, in three tale of this verse speaks volumes of the or'whi~h places it is spoken of" stones to be state of the ecclesiastical profession and of set," as e.g. "for'' or "in the ephod" (Exod. the ecclesiastical heart at this very time. xxv. 7; mv. 9, 27; l Chron. xxix. 2); Into the dishonoured sepulchre already two and in the other ten, of "consecration," as or three unsuspected and apparently un- e.g. "a ram of consecration," "the ram of 0 acknowledged chinks had let in reproving .A nron's consecration" (Exod. xxiL 22, 26, ]iaht as to this, and very lately the almost 27, 31, 34; Lev. vii. 37; viii 22, 28, 29, 31, ui'.:avoidable inferences respecting Urijah 33). Some think our text, "Now ye have (see note on our ver. 1, and on eh. xxviii. consecrated yourselves," glances at the ea.cri- 24, compared with 2 Kings xvi. 10-16) fi.cee of a propitiatory sort, which had just served the same purpose. How true to been completed; others, that tbe reference nature and to history, both secular and is by anticipation,-to the f~ct that the people ecclesiastical also, the superiority, in sincerity invited to draw near had, in e.n honourable, and life and preparation for work, of the holy, e.nd sincerely devot~d we.y, arme? subordinates (the Levites), to those who fed themselves with worthyoffermgs. These.on- on diaaity rather than maintained it, in the :6.ces and thank offerings were sacrifices " of highe°';it sense, by religious life and con- thank offerings," in the nature of the peace scientious practice I offerings (Lev. vii. 11-21, 29-36). The Ver. 35.-And the drink offerings for burnt offerings marked the •_•free heart," every burnt offering, The " dri~k offer- ine.smuch e.s there was nothmg of them ings" (c•:;ir;,~) have not been me~tio~ed be- reserved from the consuming of the altar fore in this chapter. Of these libations of for use. As many a& were of a free hee.rt ; wine and oil, the most particular account is Hebrew, :i,7 :i•:,i-,~1- Among some sixty given in Numb. xv. 5-10, 24). '!'.he first occurrences of this word, in its verb, noun, scriptural mention of them occu!s m Gen. or (ae here) adjective ~orm, perhap~ t~e xxxv. 14; followed by Exod. xx1x. 40, 41; most touching and beautifully expressive 1B xxx. 9; Lev. uiii. 13, 18, 37; Numb. vi, that of Ps. Ix. 12, "Uphold me with tby fr~e 15, 17, etc. Spirit." Se.criflcea; Hebrew, c•,;i:.J• This Ver, 36.-(Comp. Prov, xvi. 1.) ill the plural of M?J-• word that expresse• CH, xxix.1-36.] THE SECOND BOOK OF THE OHRONICLES. 349