Bible Commentaries
Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible
2 Chronicles 30
In the second month - Hezekiah and his counselors considered that the permission of the Law (see the marginal reference) might, under the circumstances, be extended to the whole people. It had been found impossible to complete the cleansing of the temple until the fourteenth day of the first month was past 2 Chronicles 29:17. It was, therefore, determined to defer it to the 14th of the second month, which allowed time for the priests generally to purify themselves, and for proclamation of the festival to be made throughout all Israel.
At that time - i. e. in the first month, at the time of the events mentioned in 2 Chronicles 29.
They had not done it … - Some prefer, “they had not kept it in full numbers, as it was written” - i. e. “they (the Israelites of the northern kingdom) had not (for some while) kept the Passover in full numbers, as the Law required.”
The posts went - The bearers of the letters were probably the “runners” who formed a portion of the king‘s body-guard (2 Kings 10:25 note).
The kings of Assyria - Pul, Tiglath-pileser, and Shalmaneser may all be referred to in this passage (compare the marginal reference and 2 Kings 17:3). The passage by no means implies that the fall of Samaria and final captivity of the Israelites had as yet taken place.
Ephraim and Manasseh are mentioned as the two tribes nearest to Judah, Zebulun as one of the furthest off.
Compare 2 Chronicles 30:18. Hence, five of the ten tribes certainly sent representatives. Two - Reuben and Gad - were in captivity. One - Dan - was absorbed into Judah. Simeon and Naphtali, which alone remained, seem to have been more than ordinarily idolatrous 2 Chronicles 34:6.
The continuance of the idolatrous altars to this time shows that Hezekiah had been more anxious to construct than to destroy, to establish the Yahweh-worship than to root out idolatry. Now, however, that the more important work was done, the temple open, and the daily service restored, attention could be turned to the secondary object of removing from the city all traces of the late apostasy.
The laggart priests and Levites, who from want of zeal for the Yahweh-worship, or from actual inclination to idolatry, had neglected to purify themselves (2 Chronicles 30:3 and marginal reference), were now shamed by the general ardor, and sanctified themselves for the Paschal festival.
And brought in the burnt offerings - Received them, i. e. from the offerers at the doors of the inner court, and took them up to the brass altar in front of the porch. No part of the burnt offerings was ever taken inside the temple building.
After their manner - According to the Mishna, the custom was for the priests to stand in two rows extending from the altar to the outer court, where the people were assembled. As each offerer killed his lamb the blood was caught in a basin, which was handed to the nearest priest, who passed it on to his neighbor, and he to the next; the blood was thus conveyed to the altar, at the base of which it was thrown by the last priest in the row. While basins full of blood were thus passed up, empty basins were passed down in a constant succession, so that there was no pause or delay.
Which they received of the hand of the Levites - Ordinarily, the blood was received at the hand of the offerer. But the greater number of the Israelites 2 Chronicles 30:17 who had come to keep the feast were involved in some ceremonial or moral defilement, from which there had not been time for them to purify themselves. On account of this uncleanness, they did not slay their own lambs, but delegated the office to the Levites.
The “knowledge” intended is perhaps chiefly ritualistic and musical - such knowledge as enabled them to conduct the service of the sanctuary satisfactorily.
They did eat throughout the feast - literally, “they did eat the feast;” i. e. “they kept the feast,” which was essentially kept by the eating of unleavened bread. The Levites kept the feast during the full term appointed for it, never failing in their duties, but taking their part day after day, both in the sacrifice of the victims and in singing praises to God.
To keep other seven days - This was a voluntary addition to the requirements of the Law - the fruit and sign of the abounding zeal which characterized the time. Hezekiah and the princes probably proposed it to the people, and presented them with sacrificial animals.
Since the time of Solomon - Compare 2 Chronicles 7:8-10.
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