2 Chronicles 23:4 King James Version with Strong's Concordance (STRONG)

4 This is the thing H1697 that ye shall do; H6213 A third part H7992 of you entering H935 on the sabbath, H7676 of the priests H3548 and of the Levites, H3881 shall be porters H7778 of the doors; H5592

Cross Reference

1 Chronicles 9:25 STRONG

And their brethren, H251 which were in their villages, H2691 were to come H935 after seven H7651 days H3117 from time H6256 to time H6256 with them.

1 Chronicles 23:3-6 STRONG

Now the Levites H3881 were numbered H5608 from the age H1121 of thirty H7970 years H8141 and upward: H4605 and their number H4557 by their polls, H1538 man by man, H1397 was thirty H7970 and eight H8083 thousand. H505 Of which, H428 twenty H6242 and four H702 thousand H505 were to set forward H5329 the work H4399 of the house H1004 of the LORD; H3068 and six H8337 thousand H505 were officers H7860 and judges: H8199 Moreover four H702 thousand H505 were porters; H7778 and four H702 thousand H505 praised H1984 the LORD H3068 with the instruments H3627 which I made, H6213 said David, to praise H1984 therewith. And David H1732 divided H2505 them into courses H4256 among the sons H1121 of Levi, H3878 namely, Gershon, H1648 Kohath, H6955 and Merari. H4847

1 Chronicles 24:3-6 STRONG

And David H1732 distributed H2505 them, both Zadok H6659 of the sons H1121 of Eleazar, H499 and Ahimelech H288 of the sons H1121 of Ithamar, H385 according to their offices H6486 in their service. H5656 And there were more H7227 chief H7218 men H1397 found H4672 of the sons H1121 of Eleazar H499 than of the sons H1121 of Ithamar; H385 and thus were they divided. H2505 Among the sons H1121 of Eleazar H499 there were sixteen H8337 H6240 chief men H7218 of the house H1004 of their fathers, H1 and eight H8083 among the sons H1121 of Ithamar H385 according to the house H1004 of their fathers. H1 Thus were they divided H2505 by lot, H1486 one sort H428 with another; H428 for the governors H8269 of the sanctuary, H6944 and governors H8269 of the house of God, H430 were of the sons H1121 of Eleazar, H499 and of the sons H1121 of Ithamar. H385 And Shemaiah H8098 the son H1121 of Nethaneel H5417 the scribe, H5608 one of the Levites, H3881 wrote H3789 them before H6440 the king, H4428 and the princes, H8269 and Zadok H6659 the priest, H3548 and Ahimelech H288 the son H1121 of Abiathar, H54 and before the chief H7218 of the fathers H1 of the priests H3548 and Levites: H3881 one H259 principal H1 household H1004 being taken H270 for Eleazar, H499 and one taken H270 for Ithamar. H385

1 Chronicles 26:13-16 STRONG

And they cast H5307 lots, H1486 as well the small H6996 as the great, H1419 according to the house H1004 of their fathers, H1 for every gate. H8179 And the lot H1486 eastward H4217 fell H5307 to Shelemiah. H8018 Then for Zechariah H2148 his son, H1121 a wise H7922 counsellor, H3289 they cast H5307 lots; H1486 and his lot H1486 came out H3318 northward. H6828 To Obededom H5654 southward; H5045 and to his sons H1121 the house H1004 of Asuppim. H624 To Shuppim H8206 and Hosah H2621 the lot came forth westward, H4628 with the gate H8179 Shallecheth, H7996 by the causeway H4546 of the going up, H5927 ward H4929 against H5980 ward. H4929

Luke 1:8-9 STRONG

And G1161 it came to pass, G1096 that while G1722 he G846 executed the priest's office G2407 before G1725 God G2316 in G1722 the order G5010 of his G846 course, G2183 According G2596 to the custom G1485 of the priest's office, G2405 his lot G2975 was to burn incense G2370 when he went G1525 into G1519 the temple G3485 of the Lord. G2962

Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Matthew Henry Commentary » Commentary on 2 Chronicles 23

Commentary on 2 Chronicles 23 Matthew Henry Commentary


Chapter 23

Six years bloody Athaliah had tyrannised; in this chapter we have her deposed and slain, and Joash, the rightful heir, enthroned. We had the story before nearly as it is here related, 2 Ki. 11:4, etc.

  • I. Jehoiada prepared the people for the king, acquainted them with his design, armed them, and appointed them their posts (v. 1-10).
  • II. He produced the king to the people, crowned him, and anointed him (v. 11).
  • III. He slew the usurper (v. 12-15).
  • IV. He reformed the kingdom, re-established religion, and restored the civil government (v. 16-21).

2Ch 23:1-11

We may well imagine the bad posture of affairs in Jerusalem during Athaliah's six years' usurpation, and may wonder that God permitted it and his people bore it so long; but after such a dark and tedious night the returning day in this revolution was the brighter and the more welcome. The continuance of David's seed and throne was what God had sworn by his holiness (Ps. 89:35), and an interruption was no defeasance; the stream of government here runs again in the right channel. The instrument and chief manager of the restoration is Jehoiada, who appears to have been,

  • 1. A man of great prudence, who reserved the young prince for so many years till he was fit to appear in public, and till the nation had grown weary of the usurper, who prepared his work beforehand, and then effected it with admirable secresy and expedition. When God has work to do he will qualify and animate men for it.
  • 2. A man of great interest. The captains joined with him, v. 1. The Levites and the chief of the fathers of Israel came at his call to Jerusalem (v. 2) and were there ready to receive his orders. See what a command wisdom and virtue will give men. The Levites and all Judah did as Jehoiada commanded (v. 8), and, which is strange, all that were entrusted with the secret kept their own counsel till it was executed. Thus the words of the wise are heard in quiet, Eccl. 9:17.
  • 3. A man of great faith. It was not only common equity (much less his wife's relation to the royal family) that put him upon this undertaking, but a regard to the word of God, and the divine entail of the crown (v. 3): The king's son shall reign, must reign, as the Lord hath said. His eye to the promise, and dependence upon that, added a great deal of glory to this undertaking.
  • 4. A man of great religion. This matter was to be done in the temple, which might occasion some breach of rule, and the necessity of the case might be thought to excuse it; but he gave special order that none of the people should come into the house of the Lord, but the priests and Levites only, who were holy, upon pain of death, v. 6, 7. Never let sacred things be profaned, no, not for the support of civil rights.
  • 5. A man of great resolution. When he had undertaken this business he went through with it, brought out the king, crowned him, and gave him the testimony, v. 11. He ventured his head, but it was in a good cause, and therefore he went on boldly. It is here said that his sons joined with him in anointing the young king. One of them, it is likely, was that Zechariah whom Joash afterwards put to death for reproving him (ch. 24:20), which was so much the more ungrateful because he bore a willing part in anointing him.

2Ch 23:12-21

Here we have,

  • I. The people pleased, v. 12, 13. When the king stood at his pillar, whose right it was to stand there, all the people of the land rejoiced to see a rod sprung out of the stem of Jesse, Isa. 11:1. When it seemed a withered root in a dry ground, to see what they despaired of ever seeing-a king of the house of David, what a pleasing surprise was it to them! They ran in transports of joy to see this sight, praised the king, and praised God, for they had with them such as taught to sing praise.
  • II. Athaliah slain. She ran upon the point of the sword of justice; for, imagining her interest much better than it was, she ventured into the house of the Lord at that time, and cried, Treason, treason! But nobody seconded her, or sided with her. The pride of her heart deceived her. She thought all her own, whereas none were cordially so. Jehoiada, as protector in the king's minority, ordered her to be slain (v. 14), which was done immediately (v. 15), only care was taken that she should not be slain in the house of the Lord, that sacred place must not be so far disgraced, nor that wicked woman so far honoured.
  • III. The original contract agreed to, v. 16. In the Kings it is said that Jehoiada made a covenant between the Lord, the people, and the king, 2 Ki. 11:17. Here it is said to be between himself, the people, and the king; for he, as God's priest, was his representative in this transaction, or a sort of mediator, as Moses was. The indenture was tripartite, but the true intent and meaning of the whole was that they should be the Lord's people. God covenanted by Jehoiada to take them for his people; the king and people covenanted with him to be his; and then the king covenanted with the people to govern them as the people of God, and the people with the king to be subject to him as the Lord's people, in his fear and for his sake. Let us look upon ourselves and one another as the Lord's people, and this will have a powerful influence upon us in the discharge of all our duty both to God and man.
  • IV. Baal destroyed, v. 17. They would not have done half their work if they had only destroyed the usurper of the king's right, and not the usurper of God's right-if they had asserted the honour of the throne, and not that of the altar. The greatest grievance of Athaliah's reign was the bringing in of the worship of Baal, and supporting of that; therefore that must be abolished in the first place. Down with Baal's house, his altars, his images; down with them all, and let the blood of his priests be mingled with his sacrifices; for God had commanded that seducers to idolatry should be put to death, Deu. 13:5, 6.
  • V. The temple service revived, v. 18, 19. This had been neglected in the last reigns, the priest and people wanting either power or zeal to keep it up when they had princes that were disaffected to it. But Jehoiada restored the offices of the house of the Lord, which in the late times had been disturbed and invaded, to the proper course and proper hands.
    • 1. He appointed the priests to their courses, for the due offering of sacrifices, according to the law of Moses.
    • 2. The singers to theirs, according to the appointment of David. The sacrifices (it should seem) were offered with rejoicing and singing, and with good reason. We joy in God when we receive the atonement, Rom. 5:11.
    • 3. The porters were put in their respective posts as David ordered (v. 19), and their office was to take care that none who were upon any account ceremonially unclean should be admitted into the courts of the temple.
  • VI. The civil government re-established, v. 20. They brought the king in state to his own palace, and set him upon the throne of the kingdom, to give law, and give judgment, either in his own person or by Jehoiada his tutor. Thus was this happy revolution perfected. The generality of the people rejoiced in it, and the rest were quiet and made no opposition, v. 21. When the Son of David is enthroned in the soul all is quiet and springs of joy are opened.