2 Chronicles 36

⁶ In verse 10, the term fear of the LORD does not mean a fear or awe based on faith; rather, it means a terror of the Lord arising from the knowledge that He has the power to punish those who oppose Him. For further discussion of the fear of the Lord, see footnote to comment on Genesis 20:8–13; Deuteronomy 6:1–3 and comment.

⁷ As God’s representative, the king was responsible not only for his people’s material welfare but also for their spiritual welfare. Therefore, it was appropriate for the king’s officials to assist the Levites in teaching the people about God’s law; God’s law, after all, was the law of the land. Unlike many modern nations, ancient Israel was a theocracy in which no distinction was made between “church” and “state.”

⁸ Jehu’s father, the seer Hanani, had earlier rebuked Jehoshaphat’s father Asa for a similar offense (2 Chronicles 16:7–9). Jehoshaphat would later commit the same sin again and suffer for it (2 Chronicles 20:35–37).

⁹ Ephraim was in the southern part of Israel (northern kingdom); some of its towns had been captured by Asa earlier (2 Chronicles 17:2).

¹⁰ We share responsibility for the sins we could have prevented others from committing. This is similar to a guard being punished for the crime of a prisoner he has allowed to escape (Acts 12:18–19; 16:27).

¹¹ The Moabites and Ammonites lived east of Israel and were descended from the two sons of Lot, Abraham’s nephew (Genesis 19:36–38). The Meunites were from Edom, also called the hill country of Seir, located south of the Dead Sea; it was inhabited by descendants of Jacob’s brother Esau (Genesis 25:24–26; 36:1,9).

¹² All the godly kings of the past had made it a practice to inquire of the LORD and seek His counsel; for an example, see 1 Samuel 23:1–2,9–12.

¹³ Uzziah was a throne name; this king’s personal name was Azariah (2 Kings 15:1–7).

¹⁴ Uzziah’s reign provides confirmation of the well known saying: “Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.”

¹⁵ In a similar incident, Moses’ sister Miriam was struck with leprosy for opposing her brother and thereby displeasing God (Numbers Chapter 12).

¹⁶ For the meaning of consecrate, see Exodus 29:1–9 and comment; Word List: Consecration.

¹⁷ The defilement was caused by objects associated with pagan worship that had been brought into the temple.

¹⁸ For a discussion of ceremonial uncleanness, see Leviticus 11:1; 15:1 and comments.

¹⁹ References for specific terms found in verses 20–36 are as follows: for the sin offering (verses 21,23–24), see Leviticus 4:1–35; for the burnt offering (verses 24,27–28), see Leviticus 1:1–17; for thank offerings (verse 31), see Leviticus 7:12–15; for fellowship offerings (verse 35), see Leviticus 3:1–17; for drink offerings (verse 35), see Numbers 15:5,7,10.

²⁰ The “spirit” of the law is more important than the “letter” of the law. But this cannot be used as an excuse for ignoring the “letter.” Occasionally circumstances do arise when one of the deeper commands of the Lord seems to be in conflict with a lesser command involving a ritual observance; in such cases, the deeper command should take precedence (see John 7:22–23). For further discussion on the subject of moral dilemmas, see comment on Exodus 20:16 and second footnote to comment.

²¹ For further discussion on the subject of worship, see Exodus 23:25–26 and comment.

²² References for various terms in verses 2–13 are as follows: for morning and evening burnt offerings (verse 3), see Exodus 29:38–43; for Sabbaths and New Moons (verse 3), see Numbers 10:10; 28:9–15; for appointed feasts (verse 3), see Leviticus 23:1–44; for the portion due to priests and Levites (verse 4), see Leviticus 7:28–36; Numbers 18:8–29; for firstfruits (verse 5), see Exodus 23:19; Leviticus 23:9–14; for the tithe (verse 5), see Leviticus 27:30–33.

²³ In verse 16, the writer says that males three years old or more would receive distributions; evidently priests allowed their sons over three years old to accompany them in some of the temple services. However, some scholars believe this is a copyist’s error, and that the correct reading should be “males thirty years old or more.”

²⁴ For further discussion on the subject of testing, see Exodus 15:25–27; Leviticus 26:3 and comments.

²⁵ Three details deserve mention. First, in verse 3, Josiah instructs the Levites to put the ark back in its place in the temple; evidently it had been removed during the reigns of Manasseh and Amon, the evil kings who preceded Josiah. Second, in verse 4, Josiah instructs the Levites to organize themselves according to the divisions into which David had divided them (1 Chronicles Chapter 24). And third, according to verse 15, the musicians also were in the places prescribed for them by David (1 Chronicles Chapter 25). In all these ways, Josiah sought to restore Israel’s worship to the way it was during the great days of Samuel, David and Solomon.