2 Chronicles 35:9

Cononiah also, and Shemaiah and Nathaneel his brethren,.... See 2 Chronicles 31:12 . and Hashabiah, and Jehiel, and Jozabad, chief of the Levites; men of considerable substance, and in good posts and offices: gave unto the Levites; their poor brethren of that order: for passover offerings five thousand small cattle; lambs, or kids, or both: and five hundred oxen; for the feast that followed the passover.

35:1-19 The destruction Josiah made of idolatry, was more largely related in the book of Kings. His solemnizing the passover is related here. The Lord's supper resembles the passover more than any other of the Jewish festivals; and the due observance of that ordinance, is a proof of growing piety and devotion. God alone can truly make our hearts holy, and prepare them for his holy services; but there are duties belonging to us, in doing which we obtain this blessing from the Lord.

9 . Conaniah … and Shemaiah ] Perhaps the “Conaniah and Shimei his brother” of 2 Chronicles 31:12 , and so Jozabad may be the “Jozabad” of 2 Chronicles 31:13 . If this be so, the names represent families rather than individuals, for nearly sixty years separate the reigns of Hezekiah and Josiah. chief ] R.V. the chiefs .

{e} Conaniah also, and Shemaiah and Nethaneel, his brethren, and Hashabiah and Jeiel and Jozabad, chief of the Levites, gave unto the Levites for passover offerings five thousand small cattle, and five hundred oxen. (e) So that every one and of all sorts gave of what they had, a liberal portion to the service of God.

His princes - i. e. his ecclesiastical princes, the chief men of the priests and Levites. For the poor families of their own order the leading priests furnished both Passover-cattle and cattle for thank-offerings. The chief Levites acted similarly toward the poor Levitical families.

8, 9. his princes—These gave to the priests and Levites; as those of Hezekiah's princes (2Ch 30:24). They were ecclesiastical princes; namely, Hilkiah the high priest (2Ch 34:9). Zechariah, probably the second priest of the Eleazar (2Ki 16:18), and Jehiel, of the Ithamar line. And as the Levitical tribes were not yet sufficiently provided (2Ch 35:9), some of their eminent brethren who had been distinguished in Hezekiah's time (2Ch 31:12-15), gave a large additional contribution for the use of the Levites exclusively.

And his princes (the king's princes, i.e., the princes of the kingdom) presented for a free-will offering to the people, the priests, and the Levites. לנדבה is not to be taken adverbially, as Berth. thinks: according to goodwill, but corresponds to the לפּסחים, i.e., for free-will offerings, Leviticus 7:16 . The number of these gifts is not stated. From the princes of the king we must distinguish the prefects of the house of God and the princes of the Levites, who are mentioned by name in 2 Chronicles 35:8 , 2 Chronicles 35:9 . Of these the first presented sheep and cattle for passover-sacrifices to the priests, the latter to the Levites. Of the three נגידים of the house of God named in 2 Chronicles 35:8 , Hilkiah is the high priest ( 2 Chronicles 34:9 ), Zechariah perhaps the next to him (משׁנה כּהן, 2 Kings 25:18 ; Jeremiah 52:24 ), and Jehiel is probably, as Berth. conjectures, the chief of the line of Ithamar, which continued to exist even after the exile ( Ezra 8:2 ). Of the Levite princes ( 2 Chronicles 35:9 ) six names are mentioned, three of which, Conaniah, Shemaiah, and Jozabad, are met with under Hezekiah in 2 Chronicles 31:12-15 , since in the priestly and Levitic families the same names recur in different generations. The Conaniah in Hezekiah's time was chief overseer of the temple revenues; the two others were under overseers.

Besides the פּסהים for which the king and the princes of the priests and of the Levites gave צאן, i.e., lambs and young goats, בּקר, oxen, in considerable numbers, are mentioned as presents; 3000 from the king, 300 from the princes of the priests, and 500 from the princes of the Levites. Nothing is said as to the purpose of these, but from 2 Chronicles 35:13 we learn that the flesh of them was cooked in pots and caldrons, and consequently that they were intended for the sacrificial meals during the seven days of the Mazzoth-feast; see on 2 Chronicles 35:12 and 2 Chronicles 35:13 .