2 Chronicles 31:5

5 And when this was known in the ears of the multitude, the sons of Israel offered full many first fruits of wheat, of wine, of oil, and of honey; and of all things which the earth bringeth forth, they offered tithes. (And when this was heard by the multitude, the Israelites offered a great many first fruits of wheat, of wine, of oil, and of honey; and they offered tithes of all the things which the earth brought forth.)

2 Chronicles 31:5 Meaning and Commentary

2 Chronicles 31:5

And as soon as the commandment came abroad
Not only was published in the city of Jerusalem, but the report of it, or rather that itself, was spread throughout the cities of Judah:

the children of Israel brought in abundance the firstfruits of corn,
wine, and oil, and honey;
the three first of these are expressed in the law, ( Deuteronomy 18:4 ) but not honey; wherefore the Targum here, and the Jewish writers in general, interpret it of the "dubsa" of the palm tree, as they call it, the fruit and liquor of that, which is of a sweet taste, and which the Scenite Arabs called "dabusa", as Pliny ^F23 from Juba relates; for so it should be read, and not "dabulan" or "dablan", as in some copies: but though honey was forbid to be used in sacrifice, it was not forbidden to be eaten; and as the land of Judea abounded with honey, properly so called, the priests might have the firstfruits of that as of other liquors; (See Gill on Deuteronomy 8:8),

and of all the increase of the field;
of the trees of it, vines, fig trees, pomegranates as Kimchi;

and the tithe of all things;
even of herbs, as the same writer, and so the Talmud ^F24, which were free from tithes by the law, see ( Matthew 23:23 ) ,

brought they in abundantly;
even of all that their vineyards, oliveyards, and fields produced.

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FOOTNOTES:

F23 Nat. Hist. l. 13. c. 4.
F24 T. Bab. Nedarim, fol. 55. 1.

2 Chronicles 31:5 In-Context

3 And the part of the king's sacrifice was, that of his own substance, or chattel, burnt sacrifice should be offered evermore in the morrowtide and in the eventide, also in sabbaths, and calends, and in other solemnities, as it is written in the law of Moses. (And the king's portion of the sacrifice, out of his own substance, or chattel, provided the burnt sacrifice that was offered every morning and every evening, and also on the sabbaths, and the calends, and the other Feasts, as it is written in the Law of Moses.)

4 Also he commanded to the people of them that dwelled in Jerusalem, to give parts to the priests and deacons, that they might give attention to the law of the Lord. (And he commanded to the people who lived in Jerusalem, to give portions to the priests and the Levites, so that they would be able to devote their full attention to the Law of the Lord.)

5 And when this was known in the ears of the multitude, the sons of Israel offered full many first fruits of wheat, of wine, of oil, and of honey; and of all things which the earth bringeth forth, they offered tithes. (And when this was heard by the multitude, the Israelites offered a great many first fruits of wheat, of wine, of oil, and of honey; and they offered tithes of all the things which the earth brought forth.)

6 But also the sons of Israel and of Judah, that dwelled in the cities of Judah, offered tithes of oxen, and of sheep, and the tithes of holy things, which they avowed to their Lord God, and they brought all things, and made full many heaps. (And the Israelites and the people of Judah, who lived in the cities of Judah, offered their tithes of oxen, and of sheep, and of the holy things which they vowed to the Lord their God, and they brought all these things to the Temple, and made a large number of heaps.)

7 In the third month they began to lay the foundaments of the heaps, and in the seventh month they filled, or ended (or completed), those heaps.