Commentary on 2 Chronicles

“Commentary on 2 Chronicles” (36 chapters, after 453) is part of the essay “Questions on the Books of Kings and Chronicles.” Blzh. Theodoret of Cyrus dedicated it to his “beloved son Hypatius,” the chorebishop. The work is written in the form of a sequential commentary, in which only difficult passages of Holy Scripture are explained. The interpretation states that there is no disagreement between the 2nd book of Chronicles and the 3rd book of Kings on the issue of the size of the Jerusalem temple. Blzh. Theodoret draws attention to Abijah's speech to the people, points out places that were omitted in the book of Kings, etc. *The title of the work in Latin is Quaestiones in Libros regnorum et Paralipomenon; Quaestiones in Reges et Paralipomena. Contents Chapters 1 and 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 5 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 12 Chapter 13 Chapter 14 Chapter 15 Chapter 16 Chapter 17 Chapter 18 Chapter 19 Chapter 20 Chapter 21 Chapter 22 Chapter 23 Chapter 24 Chapter 25 Chapter 26 Chapter 27 Chapter 28 Chapter 29 Chapter 30 Chapter 31 Chapter 32 Chapter 33 Chapter 34 Chapter 35 Chapter 36 The second book of Chronicles shows that the tabernacle that the great Moses built stood in Gibeon, and the ark in the royal city was covered with another tabernacle. Solomon, having offered a thousand sacrifices on the altar of Moses, asked God for wisdom and understanding, and in his message to Hiram he revealed his knowledge of God. For he says: “And who can build a house for God? unless heaven and heaven cannot contain Him; and who am I who builds His house? but only burn incense before Him” (2 Chronicles 2:6), – i.e. I satisfy my own needs, because the highest heaven cannot contain the nature of God, but I, wanting to give God the honor that I can, create a house made with hands. How much benefit the friendship of the pious brings, Hiram makes clear in his answer. For he said this: “Blessed is the Lord God of Israel, who made the heavens and the earth, who gave king David a son who is wise and learned and intelligent and understanding, who will build the house of the Lord” (2 Chronicles 2:12). It is known that through his dealings with David, he learned that the God of Israel is the Creator of heaven and earth. Let no one think that this book disagrees with the book of Kings, because we find the length of the church shown here as sixty, and there as forty cubits; in addition to forty cubits he will find another twenty in the so-called Debir, i.e. to the Holy of Holies; by adding twenty to forty it will be sixty cubits. So, we also find the height of the church in the book of Kings shown to be twenty-five cubits, and here – one hundred and twenty. But the divine David, in the outline of the church, made it clear that the church of God was not of the same blood. For he says: “You will build the house and its upper rooms” (1 Chronicles 28:10, 20). And the history of the kingdoms shows that the house of God was not only two-blooded, but even three-blooded (1 Kings 6:8). The writer called Zion the city of David, for he says: “Solomon gathered together all the elders of Israel and all the rulers of the tribes, the leaders of the fatherlands of the children of Israel to Jerusalem, that they might lift up the ark of the covenant of the Lord from the city of David, which is Zion” (2 Chronicles 5:2). And he calls the upper city this because David, having fenced it with a wall as a safer place, built a royal palace in it. “And all the men of Israel were gathered together unto King Solomon for the feast, which is the seventh month” (2 Chronicles 5:3). He calls the Feast of Tabernacles a feast. For this was the third annual festival. “And the priests brought the ark into its place in the house of Debir, in the Holy of Holies, under the cherubim” (2 Chronicles 5:7). So, and from this it is clear that the writer called the inaccessible, inviolable and royal part of the church, which Divine Scripture is pleased to call the Holy of Holies, by David. When Solomon prayed and finished his prayer, fire came down from heaven and destroyed the sacrifices. And history also shows that the psalms belong to the all-praised David. He says this: “And the Levites sang in their organs the songs of the Lord, which King David made in confession before the Lord: for his mercy is good forever, in the songs of David by his hand” (2 Chronicles 7:6). Such was Solomon’s piety that he moved Pharaoh’s daughter to the newly built palace, saying: “Let not my wife dwell in the house of David, king of Israel, since she is sanctified, even if the ark of the Lord is in the ark” (2 Chronicles 8:11). He appointed the doorkeepers and singers according to David’s institutions. Joseph called the trees brought from Hiram tree-trees, and, according to the legend of the book of Kings, they were used to support the house of the Lord and the house of the king (1 Kings 10:12), and according to the legend of this book of life, for the purpose of the house of the Lord and the house of the kings (2 Chronicles 9:11). We also learn from this that the prophet Nathan, Ahijah the Silonite, and Joel, who pronounced the decree against Jeroboam, had books written by them. For it is said: “The rest of the words of Solomon, the first and the last, were not these written in the words of Nathan the prophet, and in the words of Ahijah the Silonite, and in the visions of Joel who saw against Jeroboam the son of Nebat” (2 Chronicles 9:29). And we also learned from here that the man of God, who commanded the altar in Bethel to be broken and who was torn to pieces by a lion for transgressing the commandment of God, was called Joel. Question . How should we understand what was said: “The king of the people did not listen, for it was a change from God, that the Lord might raise up His word, which was spoken by the hand of Ahijah the Silonite” (2 Chronicles 10:15)? Those who use Divine providence for them, being made wise by God, discern what they should do. And those deprived of this grace rush, not knowing where. This is what the word depicted here, namely, that the Lord God was pleased, for the iniquity of his father, to split the kingdom into two parts. When the division occurred and Jeroboam made golden youths, the priests and Levites who lived among the ten tribes moved to the kingdom of David, because there was God’s church there. But here history shows that even against their will “Jeroboam and his sons drove them out, so that they would not serve the Lord; and set up for yourself priests on high, and idols, and vanities, and the calf, which Jeroboam made” (2 Chronicles 11:14-15). All the pious from other tribes followed the priests and Levites. For it is said: “Send after them from all the tribes of Israel, who have given their hearts, that they may seek the Lord God of Israel; and he came to Jerusalem to devour his fathers to the Lord God; and strengthened the kingdom of Judah” (2 Chronicles 11:16–17). The philanthropic Lord, although he betrayed the ungodly Rehoboam 1 to Shusakim, nevertheless through the prophet Samei said to him and his leaders: “You will leave me, and I will leave you in the hand of Shusakim” (2 Chronicles 12:5), - as soon as he saw that they were ashamed and confessed their wickedness, he said to the prophet: “Having humbled myself, I will not ruin them, and I will give them salvation in the least" (2 Chronicles 12:7); and this means “I will preserve in them a spark of blessing of the universe.” “And my wrath will not come down on Jerusalem” by the hand of Shusakim, i.e. I will not now give them over to final destruction, but I will postpone their execution until last, and at the present time I will impose the yoke of slavery on them. For it is said: “They will both become slaves, so that they may know My work and the work of the kingdom of the earth” (2 Chronicles 12:8), - i.e. through comparison I will teach them how good is My yoke and how heavy is the yoke of man. But again we are given to know that there were other prophetic books. It is said: “Were not the words of Rehoboam the first and the last written in the words of Samei the prophet and Adda the seer, who set forth his genealogy and his deeds?” (2 Chronicles 12:15). Abijah’s speech to the people is worthy of surprise. For, seeing that eight hundred thousand soldiers from ten tribes had armed themselves against him and that Jeroboam was leading them, Abijah took up arms against them with four hundred thousand and said to his opponents: “Or do you not know that the Lord God of Israel has given the kingdom to David in Jerusalem forever and to his sons for an everlasting covenant of salt?” (2 Chronicles 13:5). Shouldn't you know that the kingdom of David, according to God's promise, is God-given and has no end? Therefore, how did you make my father’s servant ruler? He called the steadfastness of the kingdom the eternal covenant of salt, because often the barbarians, as soon as they tasted food with their enemies, remembering the salt, keep an inviolable peace. My father, says Abijah, out of youth and fear yielded to autocracy; and I blame you for daring to go against the kingdom of God, which the Lord of all gave to the Davidic family, and placing your hope in the multitude [of warriors] and in the golden youths, for whom, having expelled God’s priests, you put others in their place, acting like pagans, because they too appoint everyone indiscriminately as priests to non-existent gods. We place our trust in the true God and we honor His priests and Levites, we offer sacrifices to Him according to the Divine law and, according to His statutes, we take up arms, giving a sign to war with divine trumpets. Therefore, I confirm to you not to enter into warfare with the Lord God, Who leads our squad. For you will repent if you do this. Thus spoke Abijah, and although the ten tribes surrounded Judah, the soldiers of Judah cried out and called on Divine power for help. Called to help, God turned the insolence of the enemies into fear, they turned their rear and all gave themselves up to flight, and five hundred thousand of those fleeing were killed. The writer also tells the reason for the flight. “And the sons of Judah were strengthened, because their fathers trusted in the Lord God” (2 Chronicles 13:18). The sons of Judah also took the cities subject to the ten tribes. Jeroboam was put to death by the God of all. The writer also praises Asa's piety at the beginning of his reign. For he says: “Do Asa what is right with the Lord your God; and rejects the altars of strangers" (2 Chronicles 14:2-3), - i.e. idol altars. Then he added: “and high”; I think that this indicates the offering of sacrifices to God on the hills contrary to the law. “And shatter the idols and cut down the oak groves” (2 Chronicles 14:3). The writer continues his praise in the story that follows. With this piety, Asa took up arms, put the Ethiopians to flight and, chasing after them, destroyed them all. The writer says that the Ethiopians were neighbors of the Jews. It is said: “and the captivity of self-interest is many; and cut them off around Gerar 2: great was the fear of the Lord, which seized them, and having plundered their cities, there was much gain in them; and he cut down the tabernacles of the cattle and the Amazons, and took many sheep and cattle, and returned to Jerusalem” (2 Chronicles 14:13–15). I think no one will argue that Gerar is in Palestine, because near the so-called Eleutheropolis to this day there is a place called “Salton 3 Gerar”. Therefore, it is likely that this country was inhabited by immigrants from Ethiopians. Asa also completely destroyed another certain tribe, called the Amazons, which took up arms along with the Ethiopians. After the victory, this prophet Azariah, the son of Hadad, being filled with the Spirit of God and going out to meet the army, reminded them of Divine help and urged them to remain in piety. He said: “If you seek Him, it will be found for you; If you forsake Him, He will forsake you” (2 Chronicles 15:2). The prophet also shows them the wickedness of the ten tribes. For he says: “For many days in Israel, without the true God and without a teaching priest and without the law, they were in distress; and they will turn in sorrow to the Lord God of Israel and will seek Him, and He will be found by them” (2 Chronicles 15:3-4), - i.e. do not compete with the wickedness of your brothers - they serve not the true God, but false gods, deprived of priests and teachers who teach the law of God. But by experience they will learn what evil wickedness is, because they will fall into disasters of all kinds, and then they will seek Divine help and receive it through ineffable goodness. The prophet also predicts the invasion of the Assyrians. For he says: “at the time there will be no peace to those who come, for the terror of the Lord will be upon all who dwell on the earth, and tongue will fight against tongue and hail against hail, for the Lord will confuse them with all sorrow” (2 Chronicles 15:5-6). Then he instills in them to have unshakable hope in God and says: “And you shall be strong, and let not your waist fail, for there is a reward for your work” (2 Chronicles 15:7). The king, having heard this, destroyed all the idolatrous churches that still remained and cleansed the cities taken from the ten tribes. But history also shows that a great many from other tribes, having learned by experience the piety of the two tribes and the Divine care for them that they enjoyed, left their own cities, resorted to the cities of these tribes and considered it better for themselves to move to foreign countries than to live in their own. Asa, having gathered them together with the two tribes, celebrated a victorious feast and, having brought numerous sacrifices to God, forced everyone to swear an oath that they would not deviate from the way of life consistent with the law, but would serve the only God who saved. Asa loved the Divine laws with the same fervor that he excommunicated his mother from the kingdom when she wanted to serve Astarte, and, having crushed the idol, burned it by the stream of Cedars. But Asa was not perfect in everything. And, firstly, because it was not destroyed everywhere by the high, i.e. altars erected to the God of all in high places, while it was forbidden to make sacrifices in other places and worship was limited by law to one place. Then, when Baasha armed himself against him and began to fence Ramah with walls against Jerusalem, Asa had to call as a supporter the One who was the Giver of so many benefits to him, but he called the king of Syria as a supporter, sending him a very great amount of gold from the royal and Divine treasures. However, the man-loving God did not leave him unhealed and sent the prophet Ananias, denouncing unbelief, saying the following: “I had all my hope in the king of Sirsk, but you did not trust in the Lord your God, for this reason the strength of the king of Israel was saved” (2 Chronicles 16:7). Your unbelief was the reason for their salvation. And if you had believed, as you usually did, you would have completely destroyed everyone. The Prophet reminds Asa of the Ethiopians and Libyans, and the horsemen and chariots, and his faith, according to which he gave them all up for destruction, and says: “The eyes of the Lord watch over the whole earth, so that He may strengthen them with a perfect heart toward Him” (2 Chronicles 16:9). Anyone who sincerely calls on the Lord will receive salvation. Then he denounces more clearly: “You did not do this,” and after this he predicts future sorrows: “From now on there will be warfare against you” (2 Chronicles 16:9). From here we can find out that the Amazons were a Libyan people. For the writer here called those named above Amazons Libyans. Asa, who had to grieve, cry and appeal to God’s love for mankind, not only became angry with the prophet, but also imprisoned him. The people also suffered for this sin. For it is said: “kill Asa from many people at that time” (2 Chronicles 16:10). The writer also accuses Asa for the fact that, having become sick, “he sought not the Lord, but the physicians” (2 Chronicles 16:12). But having explained this in the Fourth Book of Kings, I move on to interpret what follows. History praises Jehoshaphat because at first he was jealous of David’s virtue. For this is expressed by the words “in the ways of the first” (2 Chronicles 17:3). He also talks about his praiseworthy merits, for he says: “I sought the Lord God of my father, and went in His commandments, and not according to the work of Israel” (2 Chronicles 17:4). He also shows the fruits of this: “And the Lord strengthened the kingdom in his hand, and he had much wealth and glory” (2 Chronicles 17:5). And this: “and his heart was lifted up,” the writer said, not as an accusation, but as a praise, because he added: “in the way of the Lord, and took away the oak forests from the land of Judah” (2 Chronicles 17:6). Jehoshaphat appointed teachers of the Divine Law, priests, Levites and rulers for all the people. And from the Lord God he received rewards for piety. It is said: “And there was fear on all the kingdoms of the earth around Judah, and you did not fight against Jehoshaphat” (2 Chronicles 17:10). Such fear attacked everyone that both foreigners and Arabians paid him tribute. With such abundance, Jehoshaphat created cities, built houses, and fortified unwalled villages. The writer calls a willing donor to the Lord (2 Chronicles 17:16) one who does not make a sacrifice for sins, but gives something to God as a gift. And he blames Jehoshaphat for having entered into a relationship with Ahab through marriage, because he took Athaliah, the daughter of Ahab, as a wife for his son. The writer also included a story about Micah and the false prophets, which we interpreted in the book of Kings. I recognize that it is necessary to say what was omitted by the writer of the book of Kings and placed here. When Jehoshaphat was returning from the battle described there, “Jehu the son of Ananias the prophet came out to meet him and said to him: King Jehoshaphat, do you give help to the wicked, or are you friends from the Lord to the hated? For this reason, the wrath of the Lord will be upon you; but when good words were found in you, you took away the oak groves from the land of Judah and corrected your heart to seek the Lord” (2 Chronicles 19:2-3). From this we know that previous good deeds reduce the punishment for sins, because the righteous Judge pronounces a sentence, proportioning the latter to the former. This is what I did in the present case. He was angry with Jehoshaphat for his kinship, but for another virtue he delivered him from the attackers and surrounding enemies. Therefore, having learned this, we must avoid kinship and friendship with those who hate God. The writer, leaving behind the censures, proceeds to count the praiseworthy deeds of Jehoshaphat and informs the readers that the king, having heeded the reproof, tried through pious labors to erase the stain imposed by kinship. For he says: “Jehoshaphat went out again among the people from Beersheba even to Mount Ephraim, and brought them back to the Lord their God” (2 Chronicles 19:4). He cared not only about piety, but also about justice. It is said: “Set judges in all the strong cities of Judah” (2 Chronicles 19:5). His speech to the judges is also worthy of astonishment: “You see,” he says, “what you are doing, it is not human judgment that you are committing, but the Lord’s, and the words of judgment are with you; and now let the fear of the Lord be on you, and keep and do, for in the Lord your God there is no iniquity, lower than wonder at one’s face, lower than the acceptance of a reward” (2 Chronicles 19:6-7). He pointed out to them the One who oversees all, and he inspired them to fear Him, and not to sell the truth either for the sake of gifts or for the sake of friendship. In the same way, he commanded the judges of Jerusalem not only to judge citizens, but also to solve difficulties legally and give them proper advice. 2 Chronicles 19:10). He appoints Amariah the priest over them, so that those judging, if they do not know how to pronounce a sentence, through him they will learn this from God. For he said: “Behold, Amariah the priest is ruler over you according to every word of the Lord; and Zabdiah the son of Ishmael was a leader in the house of Judah, according to every word of the king; and the scribes and the Levites were before you” (2 Chronicles 19:11). Therefore, if you want to ask God about something, let it be done through the priest, and if it is the king, ask through the ruler. If you want to find out what is determined by the law, find out from the Levites who teach the law, because he called the teachers of the law scribes. Then he added: “Be strong and do, and the Lord will do good” (2 Chronicles 19:11). He didn’t just say “with you,” but “with good,” i.e. with someone who has a good goal and strives for it. And when numerous enemies armed themselves against Jehoshaphat, he did not place his hope in a multitude of subjects or in weapons, but it is said: “Seek the Lord in your face, and preach a fast throughout all Judea” (2 Chronicles 20:3). Then, when everyone had gathered and began to propitiate God, he offered a prayer to God for everyone, calling Him both the Lord and God of the fathers, and the Creator of heaven and earth and the Ruler of all nations. After this, he recalls past blessings and miracles. For he says: “Thou art the Lord our God, who uprooted them that dwell in this land from the presence of Thy people Israel, and thou hast given unto the seed of Abraham, Thy beloved” (2 Chronicles 20:7). He mentioned the forefather in order to receive help for the sake of the promise given to him. He also spoke about how the church was built and how Solomon, praying, asked that God’s people, if during the invasion of enemies they came to the church and called on its God, would receive help from above. You know,” he says, “that our fathers, passing through the wilderness and coming to this land, on their way according to Your commandments did no harm to either the Edomites, or the Ammonites, or the Moabites, but they, having now gathered together, are trying to expel us from the inheritance given to us by You. Then, saying interrogatively: “Do you not judge them?” - He also confesses his own weakness: “We do not have the strength to resist this multitude that is attacking us, and we do not know what the imams will do; but our eyes are toward You” (2 Chronicles 20:12). After these words, all the people cried out, begging God; the wives offered prayers with screams and tears. And the generous God, using the Levite Joziel in his ministry, dispelled fear with the promise of good things. It is said: “And the Spirit of the Lord came upon him in the midst of the people, and he said, Hear, all Judah, and you that dwell in Jerusalem, and you, unto King Jehoshaphat” (2 Chronicles 20:14-15). He gives honor separately: he especially mentioned the king and especially those living in Jerusalem; but many from other tribes lived in this city. This is what the Lord says to you: “Do not be afraid, nor be dismayed at the presence of this many people, for it is not your army, but God’s” (2 Chronicles 20:15). Then he orders us to stand at some height and be spectators of the battle. “It’s not yours,” he says, “to fight on it; stand, understand and see the salvation of the Lord with you, Judah and Jerusalem; Do not fear nor be dismayed to go out against them in the morning, and the Lord is with you” (2 Chronicles 20:17). He also gave them a pledge of identification and drove away human fear from them. When Jaziel said this, everyone bowed down and the Levites began to sing songs to God. The next day, the king encouraged those who went to battle, saying: “Hear me, you sons of Judah and you who dwell in Jerusalem: believe in the Lord your God; Believe His prophets, and prosper will prosper you” (2 Chronicles 20:20). Then he ordered the singing Levites to go ahead of the army, not to armed warriors. And the One who “scatters the crowds of nations, sweeps away the thoughts of people and sweeps away the advice of princes” (Ps. 33:10), “turns back the wise and overcomes their advice” (Is. 44:25), has set enemies against each other. First, the Ammonites and Moabites began to destroy the Edomites, and then, coming together, they began to do the same to each other. The king and his subjects watched the slaughter of their enemies. And when they all fell and not a single one escaped death, in order to notify their own of what had befallen them, they fearlessly collected profit from the dead and took with them all the spoils and, having spent three days in this, on the fourth they glorified the Giver of victory. And this field received its name from blessing, for it is called “the field of blessing” (2 Chronicles 20:26). The extraordinary nature of the victory horrified all the neighboring kings. But even after this greatest miracle had been accomplished, the writer says, “the people did not direct their hearts to the Lord God their fathers” (2 Chronicles 20:33). This account of history also recalls the book of the prophets, written by Jehu, the son of Hanani, and says there: “And the rest of the acts of Jehoshaphat, the first and the last, were they not written in the words of Jehu the son of Hanani, who wrote the book of the kings of Israel” (2 Chronicles 20:34). And he again condemns Jehoshaphat for the fact that he was in communication with Ahaziah, the son of Ahab, and adds: “And this one is lawless, who created a hedgehog and went to Tarshish; and make ships in Gasion-geber" (2 Chronicles 20:35-36). I have already said that this city lay near the Indian Sea and was inhabited by Ethiopians; in Hellenic they call it Veronica. But the Physician of souls, having sent the prophet Eliezer, the son of Dodiev, to Jehoshaphat, condemned him for his friendship and predicted punishment, saying: “Before you had love with Ahaziah and had fellowship with him, the Lord crushed your works, and your ships were broken in pieces, and you were not able to go to Tarshish” (2 Chronicles 20:37). How many evils this wicked relationship was the cause of is shown by the continuation of history. For Jehoram the son of Jehoshaphat was jealous of the wickedness of his father-in-law Achaab. He killed all his brothers and committed all sorts of atrocities. For it is said: “And you walked in the way of the kings of Israel, just as the house of Ahaav did; For Ahaavl's daughter became his wife; and do evil before the Lord. And the Lord did not want to uproot the house of David, for the sake of the covenant he made with David, and as he said to him, to give him a lamp and his sons all the days" (2 Chronicles 21:6-7). From here we learn how useful the piety of our ancestors is, because the Lover of mankind tolerates the wicked, remembering the virtue of those who have departed. But Joram also reaped the fruits of wickedness. For Edomite cast off the yoke of slavery, and Domna also revolted, and the city of Judah pronounced judgment on Ahaziah through the great Elijah. But the prophet did not come himself, but informed him in writing of the Divine decree. It is said: “The scripture came from Elijah the prophet, saying: This saith the Lord God of thy father: Thou didst not walk in the way of Jehoshaphat of thy father, and in the ways of Asa the king of Judah, and thou walked in the ways of the kings of Israel, and thou didst commit fornication against Judah and them that dwell in Jerusalem, as thou didst fornicate the house of Achaavl, and thy brethren the sons of thy father. You have beaten your best, for this the Lord will strike you with a great plague along with your people and with your sons and with your wives and with all your property; But you will be in severe plagues, in sickness of the belly, until your inward wounds come out with plagues from day to day” (2 Chron. 21:12-15). From this we learn that both Asa and Jehoshaphat were not completely rejected by God, but if they sinned in any way, they pleased God in many ways. For Jehoram was charged with the guilt of leaving them to walk in their way. Iliino’s prediction came true. For not only foreigners waged war against Joram, but the Arabians and the tribes neighboring the Ethiopians, attacking him, won a decisive victory, took the city, took a great multitude into captivity, killed his sons and daughters and appropriated the royal wealth for themselves. Only Ahaziah, the youngest of the sons of Joram, escaped. Joram was also struck down by a stomach illness, as Elijah had predicted, and after his death he was not awarded a royal burial. For it is said: “And the people shall not carry him out and burn him, 4 according to the burning of his fathers, and bury him not in the king’s tombs” (2 Chronicles 21:19-20). It is truly scary to fall into the hands of the living God! For just as His mercy is inexpressible, so His punishment is unbearable. From this story we learn that the Amazons lived next door to the Ethiopians. For the above writer about the enemies who attacked Joram noted that they were adjacent to the Ethiopians. And here, having said that his youngest son Ahaziah was made king in his place, he added: “For all the elders were killed by the barbarian and Amazonian robbers who attacked them in the camp” (2 Chronicles 22:1). And Ahaziah competed with his father’s wickedness, because he had his evil mother herself as a mentor. Ahaziah, along with King Jehoram of Israel, was killed by Jehu. And he was honored with burial for his grandfather’s piety. For Jehu gave him up for burial, saying: “For he is the son of Jehoshaphat, who sought the Lord with all his heart” (2 Chronicles 22:9). After this, the writer talks about Joash, which we have already interpreted in the Fourth Book of Kings. Let's just talk about what we didn't find in that book. For Chronicles, who wrote the book, informs that the people, inflamed with jealousy by the wonderful bishop, overthrew and crushed the idol of Baal, destroyed the altars to the ground, smashed demonic images, and put Matthan, the priest of Baal, to death. The same bishop brought into force the decree on the daily orders of priests, the charter for the Levites - in a word, everything that King David established in worship. And what the bishop did was facilitated by the king, whom he enlightened. For it is said: “Now Joash shall do what is right before the Lord all the days of Jehoiada the priest” (2 Chronicles 24:2). He also took due care of the building of the church, because in the previous time it had been abandoned in negligence, “for Athaliah,” as it is said, “was wicked, and her sons destroyed the house of God, just as she made Baalim holy in the house of the Lord” (2 Chronicles 24:7). The main reason for all this was the venerable bishop, who, for his piety and great virtues, having lived one hundred and thirty years, was awarded the royal tomb. For the writer says: “Having buried him in the city of David with the kings, then do good to Israel and to God and to His house” (2 Chronicles 24:16). When Jehoiada died, Joash turned to wickedness, carried away by the leaders of the people. But the Doctor of Souls did not leave him without care. For it is said: “The Lord sent prophets to them, that they might turn to the Lord; and bore witness to them, and did not listen" (2 Chronicles 24:19). The writer mentioned one prophet by name. For he says: “And the Spirit of the Lord came upon Zechariah the son of the priest Jehoiada, and the hundred stood before the people, and said unto them, This saith the Lord: Why do ye transgress the commandments of the Lord? He will not hasten to you because you have abandoned the Lord, and will forsake you” (2 Chronicles 24:20). However, they not only opposed the words of God, but they also stoned the prophet by order of the king, and stoned him in the courtyard of the church. Joash suffered from such ingratitude both towards God, who saved him, and towards the helper of salvation. History also notices this. It is said: “And Joash the king will not remember the mercy that his father Jehoiada had done to him, but kill his son, who, when he was dying, said: Let the Lord see and judge” (2 Chronicles 24:22). And his request did not remain unfulfilled. For after a year, a small army of Syrians attacked them and the Lord, neglected by them, handed them over to him: some were killed, others were taken away captives. And Joash himself fell ill and was killed by his subjects. For the Master pronounced this sentence on him, as the writer said: “And execute judgment on Joash; and his servant attacked him for the blood of the priest the son of Jehoiada, and killed him on his bed, and died; and buried him in the city of David, but did not bury him in the king’s tomb” (2 Chronicles 24:24-25). Thus, the word spoken to Noah is true: “When you shed the blood of a man, he drinks it; instead of this his blood it will be shed, for he created man in the image of God” (Gen. 9:6). And those who killed Joash were put to death by the reigning Amaziah, the son of Joash, because they killed Joash, not inflamed with divine jealousy, but out of the bloodthirstiness of their hearts. Instead of Joash, his son Amaziah reigned. He, intending to go to war against the Edomites, hired one hundred thousand Israelites for one hundred talents. But the prophet sent to him from God said the following: “Oh, king! Let not the strength of Israel go with you, for the Lord is with Israel, and with all the children of Ephraim; for if you think of strengthening yourself with them in battle, the Lord will put you to flight before your enemies; The Lord has already given us strength and help, and put us to flight” (2 Chronicles 25:7-8). It is enough for me to help you. You don’t need many warriors; do not take as aid those who are not endowed with piety.” When Amaziah asked, “What will I do with the hundred talents that I have given to the strength of Israel?” - the prophet said in response: “The Lord will give you more of these” (2 Chronicles 25:9). The king, believing what was said, went on a campaign and killed ten thousand and took the same number prisoner. But, having taken advantage of God’s help, he did not recognize the Benefactor. For the gods, taken from those he defeated and brought with the spoils of war, he began to honor as those who had granted victory and honored them with sacrifices. But God exposed his wickedness through the prophet, for he said to him: “Why have you sought all the gods of men, since you did not deliver your people out of your hand?” (2 Chronicles 25:15). The Edomites served them for a long time, but did not receive any benefit from this service, because they did not receive any help from them. And you, taking advantage of my assistance, not only defeated your enemies, but also captured their gods.” And all this was of no use to the meaningless. For he said to the prophet: “Have you set food for the king’s adviser? Take heed to yourselves, lest you be beaten” (2 Chronicles 25:16). The Prophet answered with boldness: “Because the Lord wanted to consume you, you did this and did not listen to my advice” (ibid.). Thus, having lost God's providence for him, he challenges the king of Israel to war and is subjected to what was said in the books of Kings, and, like his father, accepts the same end. The Divine Scripture praises Uzziah, for it says: “And he sought the Lord in the passion of the Lord in the days of Zechariah, who understood the vision of God” (2 Chronicles 26:5). Shows the fruits of piety. “And in his days he sought the Lord, and the Lord prospered him” (ibid.). From this we know that many had the name Zechariah. For the son of Jehoiada, whom Joash stoned, was called Zechariah. I think that this was the same one about whom God said to Isaiah: “And make faithful men witnesses to Me, Uriah the priest, and Zechariah the son of Barachiah” (Is. 8:2), because Isaiah prophesied at that time. It is said: “the vision that Isaiah the son of Amoz saw, which he saw against Judah and against Jerusalem, in the days of Uzziah and Jotham, and Ahaz, and Hezekiah, who reigned in Judah” (Is. 1:1). Scripture says about Uzziah that he was courageous in battle, loved splendor in buildings and was carefully engaged in agriculture. The writer calls the inhabitants of the city of Peter 5 Arabians. But Uzziah did not listen to his ancestor David, who said: “In the end, let him not corrupt” (Ps. 56:1). For, driven by a spirit of arrogance, he dared to perform the work of a high priest. It is said: “And when Uzziah was strengthened, his heart was lifted up to destruction; and offended the Lord his God, and went into the church of the Lord to burn incense over the altar” (2 Chronicles 26:16). He dared to do this not in front of the altar of burnt offerings, but inside, in the church itself. The high priest was not afraid that he was a king and did not allow it, but boldly rebuked him. For it is said: “Zechariah the priest went by him, and with him the priests of the Lord, eighty, mighty sons. And Uzziah rebelled against the king and said to him: It is not yours, Uzziah, to incense incense of the Lord, but only to incense consecrated by the priest son Aaron; come out of the sanctuary, for you have departed from the Lord; and it will not be counted to you for the glory of the Lord God” (2 Chronicles 26:17-18), - i.e. God has determined what is appropriate for kings and what is appropriate for priests. Priests have their own ancestral advantage in this. Why are you trampling on the God-given law? Why are you breaking the rules? By stealing what does not belong to you, you will lose what actually belongs to you. But Uzziah not only did not yield, but was even offended by the words and continued to perform the priestly service with the same insolence. However, instead of glory, he reaped dishonor. It is said: “leprosy arose on his forehead before the priests in the house of the Lord; we put incense on the altars” (2 Chronicles 26:19). And the priests, seeing the execution sent down on him by God, immediately, against his will, expelled him from the church, and he suffered the same as the progenitor Adam. For he, having desired to become God, also lost the fact that he should be the image of God; and this one, having attempted to seize the priesthood, also lost his kingdom, because he was sitting inside a spoon and the leprosy on his forehead did not allow him to appear and address the people, for on his forehead he bore the reproof of lawlessness. Jotham his son ruled the kingdom. He received the scepter even after the death of his father. Jotham was also distinguished by his courage in battle and forced the Ammonites to pay tribute. The writer also explains the reason for this: “for his way is prepared before the Lord his God” (2 Chronicles 27:6). But Ahaz his son eclipsed all those like him with inventions of wickedness. The book of Kings also showed us this. And the present description, moreover, makes it possible to see the disaster that he suffered. For at first the Jews were betrayed by God to the Syrians and many were killed, and many were taken into captivity. And then the king of the ten tribes Phekei in one battle killed one hundred and twenty thousand, and the sons of the kings and military leaders, and took two hundred and seven thousand captive. But the prophet Odid, coming out to meet the victors, threatened them with the wrath of God for leading captives into slavery contrary to God’s law. He said: “Behold, the wrath of God is your father against Judah, and he delivered them into your hands, and killed them in anger, and even reached to heaven; and now you say to subdue the sons of Judah and Jerusalem as slaves and bondmaids; sit not, I am with you, I testify the Lord your God; and now listen to me, and bring back the captivity that you were taken captive from before your eyes, for the wrath of the wrath of the Lord is upon you” (2 Chronicles 28:9-11), - i.e. The Lord God wanted to punish them for their wickedness and caused them to be defeated, and you to win; but you, having won, forgot about kinship, did not even think about natural ties; on the contrary, the tribesmen were treated as barbarians and foreigners; you are not content with even thousands of murders, but you force your only begotten to be slaves; Therefore, I testify that you will suffer the most severe calamities. The leaders yielded to the prophet, convinced the people and showed mercy to those taken captive. For it is said that they clothed the naked, brought them ointments and food, and gave them beasts of burden to the weak and took them to the city of Jericho. It should be noted that Jericho is called a Finnish city. For it is said: “I took them to Jericho, the city of Finland” (2 Chronicles 28:15). History also shows that the Jews, being in wickedness, were betrayed to foreigners and enemies settled in their cities. For it is said: “The Lord humbled Judah for the sake of Ahaz king of Judah, because He revealed wickedness in Judah and apostatized from the Lord” (2 Chronicles 28:19). It is said “seduced” 8 in the meaning of “taught what should not have been done”, because he introduced alien morals and made them worship the gods honored by other peoples. Having called the king of Assyria for help, he did not achieve what he sought, because the writer added: “and it was not to help him, but only to his sorrow” (2 Chronicles 28:21). But, having been subjected to all these punishments, Ahaz continued to indulge in wickedness. It is said: “And Ahaz caused Ahaz to depart from the Lord, and King Ahaz said: I will seek the gods of Damascus, who beat me. And he said: the gods of Syria strengthen them, so I will devour them, and they will help me; and it came to pass” (2 Chronicles 28:22–23). Not only did they not help him, but they even became the cause of all kinds of disasters. Having prostrated yourself to the point of extreme corruption, “break the sacred vessels, and shut up the gates of the house of God, and make for yourself treasuries in all the corners of Jerusalem” (2 Chronicles 28:24). And in subsequent words the same accusation continues. And when Ahaz died, they did not honor him with a grave with the pious kings. But Hezekiah, the son of Ahaz, was distinguished by the highest virtue. It is said: “Do Hezekiah what is right before the Lord according to all that David his father did.” And, first, “open the doors of the house of the Lord and renew them” (2 Chronicles 29:2-3). Then, having sanctified the priests and Levites, he commanded them to cleanse the house of the Lord. And immediately, says the writer, “vomiting out all the uncleanness found in the house of the Lord and in the courtyard of the house of the Lord; and the Levites took it up and carried it to the brook of Cedars beyond” (2 Chronicles 29:16). When this was done, the king made the legal sacrifices not for just two tribes, but for all twelve. It is said: “And Israel prayed for everything; The king spoke beforehand that a burnt offering was offered for all Israel, even for sin. And set up the Levites in the house of the Lord, praising with cymbals and psalms and harp, according to the commandment of David the king, and Gad the seer to the king, and Nathan the prophet, for according to the commandment of the Lord was the commandment of the hand of His prophets” (2 Chronicles 29:24-25). This exposes the foolishness of the Jews, who do not agree to call the great David a prophet. For here the Scripture, having mentioned three prophets, added: “For according to the commandment of the Lord was the commandment by the hand of His prophets.” And a little lower it makes it clear that Asaph was also a hymn writer. It is said: “Now Hezekiah the king and the princes commanded the Levite, that the words of David and Asaph the prophet should praise the Lord” (2 Chronicles 29:30). History also tells us that since there were not enough priests to skin the burnt offerings, their brothers the Levites helped them, “until the work was completed and until the priests were sanctified, for the Levites were sanctified more diligently than the priests were sanctified” (2 Chronicles 29:34). This happens even now, when there is no presbyter, and the matter cannot tolerate delay, and the deacon is forced to administer Baptism to someone who needs it. The king, being very pious, summoned those living in the cities of the ten tribes to the holiday. Some mocked those who invited, while others heeded the invitation. And when a great crowd had gathered, the Passover holiday was celebrated. And again, since there were not enough priests, the Levites slaughtered sacrifices for the multitude of people and brought the blood to the priests, and they poured it on the base of the altar. Suddenly those who were called received communion from the sacrifices before they were consecrated. History also shows that “most of the people from Ephraim and Manasseh and Issachar and Zebulun were not sanctified, but ate the Passover, not according to the Scriptures of God” (2 Chronicles 30:18); but this was forgiven them for the king’s piety. Another equal number of days was added to the holiday, because the leaders generously made sacrifices. The writer notes that such a holiday has not existed since the days of Solomon. The excited people destroyed the idolatrous churches and cut down the oak groves, and then completely destroyed the altars dedicated to God on the heights. The king also took care of the priestly order and brought into force what was in place under his ancestor, and also established that the people should give the priests the first fruits according to the law. Then the writer added: “And according to these words and to this truth, Sennacherib king of Assyria came” (2 Chronicles 32:1). And this makes it possible to see that God, testing all kinds of godly people, allows them to fall into disasters, but then, helping them, delivers them from sorrows. The king, placing his hope in God and doing what he could himself, first of all blocked the springs in front of the city, so that those who began the siege would not have an abundance of water. Then “he strengthened the fences, raised the towers high, and built the fortress” (2 Chronicles 32:5). But he did not place his hope in this and not in weapons, but said to the people: “Take courage, be strong and do not be afraid; be horrified at the face of the king of Assyria, and at the face of all the people with him, as those who are many with us are not the same with him; The arms of the flesh are with him, but the Lord our God is with us, to save us and overcome us in our battle” (2 Chronicles 32:7-8). And he taught that Divine help is irresistible, and human nature is both temporary and mortal. The Fourth Book of Kings also contains other events. But the scripture also condemns Hezekiah for the fact that, having won such a victory and miraculously freed himself from illness, “Hezekiah repaid God not according to the reward that the Lord had given him, but his heart was lifted up, and wrath was upon him, both on Judah and Jerusalem. And Hezekiah humbled himself from the height of his heart, he and them that dwell in Jerusalem, lest the wrath of the Lord come upon them in the days of Hezekiah" (2 Chronicles 32:25-26). Therefore this saying is true, that “he who is exalted will humble himself, and he who humbles himself will be exalted” (Luke 14:11). And Hezekiah, for his piety, did not become a witness of sorrowful events, but before the invasion of enemies he accepted the end of his life. Geon (2 Chronicles 32:30), as was said before, the writer calls Siloam. History also tells us that the king of Babylon sent envoys to Hezekiah because the sun had returned ten degrees. For, having told how much wealth Hezekiah collected and how many treasures he prepared, the writer added: “And Hezekiah prospered in all his deeds. And so the ambassador of the princes from Babylon, who sent him to him, and asked him about the miracle that happened on earth, the Lord forsake him, so that he may tempt him to find out what is in his heart” (2 Chronicles 32:30-31). These words make it clear that it is better to boast in the Lord. Hezekiah was supposed to tell about God's power, but he showed treasures that had nothing lasting in them. What was said, “let him tempt him to discover what is in his heart,” means that he wanted to discover his thoughts, for the intentions of people are not unknown to Him who alone knows the hearts, but He reveals the secret to others. Hezekiah was awarded a brilliant burial, because he was given over to the tomb with great honor and glory. And the book of Kings also showed the wickedness of Manasseh. For he surpassed not only the wicked kings, but also those nations, “whom, as it is said, the Lord destroyed from before the children of Israel” (2 Chronicles 33:2). He also suffered punishment for wickedness, because he was betrayed to the king of Assyria and taken bound to Babylon. But the abyss of philanthropy also opened for him the sources of mercy. It is said: “and when he became embittered, seek the face of the Lord his God, and humble yourselves before God, and pray to Him, and when you hear his cry, bring him back to Jerusalem for his kingdom; and Manasseh will know that the Lord is God” (2 Chronicles 33:12-13). slavery, it is said about him, “the strange gods and idols were taken away from the house of the Lord, and all the altars that he had built in the mountain of the Lord and in Jerusalem, and he cast out all the things from the city. It is said: “the commandments of Manasseh to Judah, that they serve the Lord God of Israel” (2 Chronicles 33:16). But the Scripture also makes it possible to see the imperfection of the people, because the writer added that “there are still people to eat on high” (2 Chronicles 33:17). But that on high they brought sacrifices to the true God, and here this is clearly shown by history, for it was added: “both to the Lord to your God." We explained the story of Ammon and Josiah in the Fourth Book of Kings. But it requires investigation why Josiah, when the ark was in the Holy of Holies, commanded the Levites to cleanse themselves in order to bring the holy ark into the house of the Lord. And this is also evident from what follows: “And he set up the holy ark in the house which Solomon the son of David the king of Israel had built” (2 Chronicles 35:3). I think that either the king of Assyria, who took the city under Manasseh, or one of the evil kings who reigned after Hezekiah, i.e. either Manasseh or Ammon brought out the ark from inside the church; after them, having learned about this, Josiah again put the ark in its own place. This Genesis account again named Asaph, Heman and Idithum as prophets. It is said: “according to the commandment of David, and Asaph, and Heman, and Jedithum the kings’ prophets” (2 Chronicles 35:15). And the word “keresim” 9: as I assume, means a type of divination, for it is placed together with the words “ventriloquists”, “witches” and “pherafim”. Such was the virtue of King Josiah that the prophet Jeremiah wrote a lament about him and gave it to singers and female singers to sing annually, commemorating Josiah (2 Chronicles 35:25). As for the other kings, the prophet Jeremiah described this in more detail. And we, by the grace of God, having explained that book, considered it unnecessary to explain this again. But that the writer of everyday life, after a long time, collected this from many prophetic books, is shown by the end of the book, which mentions Cyrus the king of Persia and the return of the captives (2 Chronicles 36:22-23). The Greek reads: “Jeroboam”; but this is not similar to the text of Scripture, and to what is further said by the bl. Theodorit. "σαλτόν". The PG also offers a conjectural reading: “άλσος” (grove) (Ed.). "καΰσιν"; according to another reading: “κλαΰσιν” (crying) (Ed.). According to the Slavic translation it reads: “against the Arabs, who dwell in the stones” (2 Chronicles 26:7). The Scripture reads: Azariah. In Scripture: three hundred thousand (2 Chronicles 28:8). It can be assumed that in the previous words, instead of “άπεκάλυψεν” (opened), one should read “άπέκαμψεν” (seduced, i.e., the Jews, into wickedness). Then the translation of verse 19 will be closer to the Hebrew original. According to the Roman edition it reads: “kerisim”; in Slavic translation: “oak forests” (2 Chronicles 35:20).