Глава 34

Josiah, 16th King of Judah, and His Religious Reform 1–7. The time of Josiah's reign, the duration of his reign and his godly character. 8–13. Renewal of the church in the 18th year of his reign. 14–28. The opening of the ancient book of the law in the church, its reading before the king, the embassy to the prophetess Oldana regarding the book’s prohibitions and the prophetess’s response. 29–33. The public reading of the book of the law and the conclusion of a covenant on the exact fulfillment of Jehovah’s commandments. 2 Chronicles 34:1 . Josiah was eight years old when he began to reign, and he reigned thirty-one years in Jerusalem. 2 Chronicles 34:2. and he did that which was right in the sight of the Lord, and walked in the ways of David his father, and turned neither to the right nor to the left. 2 Chronicles 34:3. In the eighth year of his reign, while still a youth, he began to resort to the God of David his father, and in the twelfth year he began to cleanse Judea and Jerusalem from high places and sacred trees and from carved and cast images. 2 Chronicles 34:4. And they destroyed before him the altars of Baal and the statues that stood above them; and he cut down the sacred trees, and broke the carved and cast idols and smashed them into dust, and scattered them on the tombs of those who offered sacrifices to them, 2 Chronicles 34:5. and he burned the bones of the priests on their altars, and cleansed Judah and Jerusalem, 2 Chronicles 34:6. and in the cities of Manasseh, and Ephraim, and Simeon, even to the tribe of Naphtali, and in their desolate surroundings 2 Chronicles 34:7. He destroyed the altars and dedicated trees, and smashed the idols to dust, and smashed all the statues throughout the land of Israel, and returned to Jerusalem. Unlike 2 Kings, 2 Chronicles at the very beginning of the narrative about the reign of Josiah speaks, although not in as much detail as in (2 Kings 23:4-20), about the purification of the cult undertaken by Josiah by removing all accessories and remnants of idolatry. For the unequal sequence of the story of Josiah in 2 Kings and 2 Chronicles, see the comments on (2 Kings 22:1–2), The Expository Bible, vol. II, p. 563–564. 2 Chronicles 34:8. In the eighteenth year of his reign, after the cleansing of the land and the house of God, he sent Shaphan the son of Azaliah, and Maaseiah the mayor, and Joah the son of Joahaz, the recorder, to restore the house of the Lord his God. 2 Chronicles 34:9. And they came to Hilkiah the high priest, and gave the money that they had brought into the house of God, which the Levites who stood guard at the threshold had collected from the hands of Manasseh and Ephraim and all the rest of Israel, and from all Judah and Benjamin, and from the inhabitants of Jerusalem, 2 Chronicles 34:10. and they gave it into the hands of the workmen assigned to the house of the Lord, so that they would distribute it to the workers who worked in the house of the Lord, in repairing and rebuilding the house. 2 Chronicles 34:11. And they gave to the carpenters and builders to buy hewn stones and wood for ties and for covering the buildings which the kings of Judah had destroyed. 2 Chronicles 34:12. These men acted honestly in their work, and Jahath and Obadiah, the Levites from the sons of Merari, and Zechariah and Meshullam from the sons of Kohath, and all the Levites who knew how to play musical instruments, were appointed to supervise them. 2 Chronicles 34:13. They were the supervisors of the porters and supervised all the workers at every job; And of the Levites there were scribes, and overseers, and gatekeepers. 2 Chronicles 34:14. When they took out the silver that had been brought into the house of the Lord, then Hilkiah the priest found the book of the law of the Lord, given by the hand of Moses. What is said here about the circumstances of the opening of “the book of the law of the Lord, given by the hand of Moses” (v. 14), about the impression made by reading it on the king, has an almost literal similarity with (2 Kings 22: 3–13). For the meaning of the event itself, see the commentary to the last place in the Explanatory Bible, vol. II, p. 564–567. Particular differences between the story of 2 Chronicles and the story of 2 Kings in this section characterize the greater documentary nature of the first. So, in (2 Chronicles 34:8) and the king sends to the church with silver not only the scribe Shaphan (2 Kings 22:3), but also the mayor (Heb. sar-gair) Maaseiah and the scribe (reporter, Heb. mazkir) Joah, which, apparently, was required by the importance of the assignment. In Art. 12 the overseers of the work carried out in the church are named. In Art. 14, with all specific accuracy, it is reported that the book of the law was found “when they took out the money that was brought into the house of the Lord” (in (2 Kings 22:8) it is said generally: “I (Hilkiah) found the book of the law in the house of the Lord”). 2 Chronicles 34:15. And Hilkiah began and said to Shaphan the scribe, “I have found the book of the law in the house of the Lord.” And Hilkiah gave that book to Shaphan. 2 Chronicles 34:16. And Shaphan took the book to the king, and at the same time brought the news to the king: everything that is entrusted to your servants, they do; 2 Chronicles 34:17. and they poured out the silver that was found in the house of the Lord, and delivered it into the hands of the officers and into the hands of the workmen. Verses 15–17 are almost word for word similar to (2 Kings 22:8–9); only in Art. 16 added: “Everything that your servants are assigned to do, they do.” (LXX unsuccessful: πᾶν τὸ δοθὲν ἀργύριον χειπὶ τῶν παίδων σου τῶν ποιούντων ; glory: “all the money has been given into the hands of your servants who do the work”). 2 Chronicles 34:18. And Shaphan the scribe also reported to the king, saying: Hilkiah the priest gave me the book. And Shaphan read it before the king. 2 Chronicles 34:19. When the king heard the words of the law, he tore his clothes. 2 Chronicles 34:20. And the king commanded Hilkiah, and Ahikam the son of Shaphan, and Abdon the son of Micah, and Shaphan the scribe, and Asaiah the king's servant, saying: 2 Chronicles 34:21. Go, ask the Lord for me and for those who remain among Israel and for Judah about the words of this book that has been found, because the wrath of the Lord is great, which has kindled against us because our fathers did not keep the words of the Lord, to do according to everything written in this book. Verses 18–21 are also almost word for word similar to (2 Kings 22:10–13); only in Art. 20 in the number of the embassy to Oldana it is named “Abdon”, in (2 Kings 22:12) - “Akhbor” (in both reviews: “son of Micah”); undoubtedly the name of the same person. In verse 21: “they did not observe” (lo-shamera) instead of what stands in (2 Kings 22:13): “they did not listen” (lo-shameu). 2 Chronicles 34:22. And Hilkiah and those who were from the king went to Huldana the prophetess, the wife of Shallum, the son of Tavkegath, the son of Hasra, the keeper of the robes - and she lived in the second part of Jerusalem - and talked with her about this. 2 Chronicles 34:23. And she said to them, Thus says the Lord God of Israel: Tell the man who sent you to me: 2 Chronicles 34:24. Thus says the Lord: Behold, I will bring disaster on this place and on its inhabitants, all the curses written in the book that was read before the king of Judah, 2 Chronicles 34:25. because they forsook Me and burned incense to other gods, in order to provoke Me to anger with all the works of their hands. And My anger will burn over this place and will not be quenched. Verses 22-25 are likewise perfectly consistent (2 Kings 22:14-17); there are only stylistic differences, for example, in Art. 25 (as in 21): “wrath was poured out (Heb. tittah)” instead of what is in (2 Kings 22:17) – “wrath was kindled (niceta).” The appeal of the venerable embassy led by the high priest to Oldana (Heb. Gould), in addition to the prophets, among whom the prophets Jeremiah (Jer. 1:1-2) and Zephaniah (Zeph. 1:1) had already begun their activities, speaks of the high authority of this female prophetess, who actually uttered a remarkable prophecy about the fate of the people of God (vv. 23-28). Enjoying high respect during her life, Oldana was awarded a special honor even in death: according to rabbinic tradition, she was buried within the walls of Jerusalem itself (see Archimandrite Nikephoros in the Biblical Encyclopedia, Issue III, Moscow, 1892, p. 88). 2 Chronicles 34:26. And to the king of Judah, who sent you to inquire of the Lord, say this: This is what the Lord God of Israel says about the words that you heard: 2 Chronicles 34:27. because your heart softened, and you humbled yourself before God, having heard His words about this place and about its inhabitants, and you humbled yourself before Me, and tore your clothes, and wept before Me, then I also heard you, says the Lord. 2 Chronicles 34:28. Behold, I will add you to your fathers, and you will be laid in your tomb in peace, and your eyes will not see all the disaster that I will bring on this place and on its inhabitants. And they brought the answer to the king. Wed. (2 Kings 22:18–20). The promise of the prophetess Josiah: “You will be laid in your tomb in peace” (verse 28; (2 Kings 22:20)) cannot be considered unfulfilled due to the violent death of Josiah in a clash with Pharaoh Necho (2 Chronicles 35:23–24; 2 Kings 23:29), cannot be because in the words of Huldana it is certainly not the personal peace of the king, and peace and (at least relative) prosperity of the entire kingdom of Judah under Josiah until the last days of his life: the political complications that led the kingdom of Judah to a fatal end began after the death of Josiah. 2 Chronicles 34:29. And the king sent and gathered all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem, 2 Chronicles 34:30. and the king went to the house of the Lord, and with him all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and the priests and Levites, and all the people, from great to small; and he read aloud to them all the words of the book of the covenant, which was found in the house of the Lord. 2 Chronicles 34:31. And the king stood in his place, and made a covenant before the Lord to follow the Lord and keep His commandments and His testimonies and His statutes, with all his heart and with all his soul, to fulfill the words of the covenant written in this book. 2 Chronicles 34:32. And the king ordered this to be confirmed to all who were in Jerusalem and in the land of Benjamin; and the inhabitants of Jerusalem began to act according to the covenant of God, the God of their fathers. 2 Chronicles 34:33. And Josiah cast out all the abominations out of all the lands that were among the children of Israel, and commanded all who were in the land of Israel to serve the Lord their God. And all the days of his life they did not depart from the Lord God of their fathers. Verse 33 concisely repeats once again (cf. above verses 3-7) the message about the reform of the cult carried out by Josiah by completely removing all the paraphernalia of idolatry (2 Kings 23:4-20). You might be interested in: