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2 Chronicles 35:1–19

35 Josiah kept a Passover to the Lord in Jerusalem. And they slaughtered the Passover lamb on the fourteenth day of the first month. 2 35:2He appointed the priests to their offices and encouraged them in the service of the house of the Lord. 3 35:3And he said to the Levites who taught all Israel and who were holy to the Lord, “Put the holy ark in the house that Solomon the son of David, king of Israel, built. You need not carry it on your shoulders. Now serve the Lord your God and his people Israel. 4 35:4Prepare yourselves according to your fathers’ houses by your divisions, as prescribed in the writing of David king of Israel and the document of Solomon his son. 5 35:5And stand in the Holy Place according to the groupings of the fathers’ houses of your brothers the lay people, and according to the division of the Levites by fathers’ household. 6 35:6And slaughter the Passover lamb, and consecrate yourselves, and prepare for your brothers, to do according to the word of the Lord by 1 Moses.”

7 35:7Then Josiah contributed to the lay people, as Passover offerings for all who were present, lambs and young goats from the flock to the number of 30,000, and 3,000 bulls; these were from the king’s possessions. 8 35:8And his officials contributed willingly to the people, to the priests, and to the Levites. Hilkiah, Zechariah, and Jehiel, the chief officers of the house of God, gave to the priests for the Passover offerings 2,600 Passover lambs and 300 bulls. 9 35:9Conaniah also, and Shemaiah and Nethanel his brothers, and Hashabiah and Jeiel and Jozabad, the chiefs of the Levites, gave to the Levites for the Passover offerings 5,000 lambs and young goats and 500 bulls.

10 35:10When the service had been prepared for, the priests stood in their place, and the Levites in their divisions according to the king’s command. 11 35:11And they slaughtered the Passover lamb, and the priests threw the blood that they received from them while the Levites flayed the sacrifices. 12 35:12And they set aside the burnt offerings that they might distribute them according to the groupings of the fathers’ houses of the lay people, to offer to the Lord, as it is written in the Book of Moses. And so they did with the bulls. 13 35:13And they roasted the Passover lamb with fire according to the rule; and they boiled the holy offerings in pots, in cauldrons, and in pans, and carried them quickly to all the lay people. 14 35:14And afterward they prepared for themselves and for the priests, because the priests, the sons of Aaron, were offering the burnt offerings and the fat parts until night; so the Levites prepared for themselves and for the priests, the sons of Aaron. 15 35:15The singers, the sons of Asaph, were in their place according to the command of David, and Asaph, and Heman, and Jeduthun the king’s seer; and the gatekeepers were at each gate. They did not need to depart from their service, for their brothers the Levites prepared for them.

16 35:16So all the service of the Lord was prepared that day, to keep the Passover and to offer burnt offerings on the altar of the Lord, according to the command of King Josiah. 17 35:17And the people of Israel who were present kept the Passover at that time, and the Feast of Unleavened Bread seven days. 18 35:18No Passover like it had been kept in Israel since the days of Samuel the prophet. None of the kings of Israel had kept such a Passover as was kept by Josiah, and the priests and the Levites, and all Judah and Israel who were present, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem. 19 35:19In the eighteenth year of the reign of Josiah this Passover was kept.

1 Hebrew by the hand of

Section Overview

The brief mention in 2 Kings 23:21–23 of a Passover celebration becomes the frame for the Chronicler’s detailed account (2 Chron. 35:1a, 18a, 19), with the terms “Josiah,” “kept,” and “Passover” found in both heading and conclusion. In Chronicles the climax of reforms initiated by both Hezekiah and Josiah is national celebration of Passover (cf. ch. 30). The account of Hezekiah’s Passover focused on the people, recounting the invitation to participate sent throughout Judah and Israel and thus the welcoming of those from the newly terminated northern kingdom. The celebration prompted questions and ad hoc decisions regarding date and purification, and wide joyous participation ensued. In contrast, the focus in the account of Josiah’s Passover is on the organization and performance of the celebration itself (the “people of Israel” are the active subject of a verb only in 35:17). Attention in Chronicles centers on two areas: (1) the celebration was solidly grounded in the Lord’s past instructions, through Moses (vv. 6b, 12–13) and David and Solomon (vv. 3, 4, 15), and (2) further innovation was formalized by Josiah, as the Levites were prominent, with increased duties (vv. 3–5, 10–15) “according to the king’s command” (vv. 10, 16; cf. imperatives in vv. 3–6).1 The changes brought by David and Solomon flowed from the building of a temple and related to temple ministry as a whole, while Josiah’s instructions flowed from centralization “in Jerusalem” (v. 1).

After the heading (v. 1) follows a recounting of preparation arrangements: priests (v. 2) and Levites (vv. 3–6) were organized, followed by provision of the sacrificial animals by the king and officials (vv. 7–9). The actual celebration is described next (vv. 10–17), with the text detailing the various actions of the priests and Levites involving the animals, following the guidelines “written in the Book of Moses” (v. 12), and with Levitical “singers . . . according to the command of David” (v. 15) and “Levites in their divisions according to the king’s command” (v. 10). Meticulous implementation of what was commanded is evident in the repetition of key words:

  1. v. 2: “He appointed [ʻamad] the priests to their offices . . . in the service [ʻabodah] of the house of the Lord.”
    1. vv. 3–4 (to Levites): “Now serve [ʻabad] the Lord your God and his people Israel. Prepare [kun] yourselves . . . as prescribed in the writing of David . . . and the document of Solomon his son.”
    2. v. 6: “Prepare [kun] for your brothers, to do according to the word of the Lord by Moses.”
  2. v. 10: “When the service [ʻabodah] had been prepared [kun] for, the priests stood [ʻamad] in their place [ʻamad].”
    1. vv. 14–15: “[The Levites] prepared [kun] for themselves and for the priests . . . so the Levites prepared [kun] for themselves and for the priests. . . . The singers . . . were in their place [ʻamad] . . . and the gatekeepers. . . . did not need to depart from their service [ʻabodah], for their brothers the Levites prepared [kun] for them.”
    2. v. 16: “So all the service [ʻabodah] of the Lord was prepared [kun] that day.”
Section Outline
  1. IV.C. Josiah Leads Reforms and Passover Celebration (34:1–35:27) . . .
    1. 2. Passover Celebration (35:1–19)
Response

Responding to the Chronicler’s focus in his Josiah account leads to reflections on the planning and performance of corporate celebrations today by those who bear specific responsibilities (cf. Response section on 30:1–31:1, for comments on the Passover in the NT).

  1. (1) God is honored by thoughtful preparation for involving all in the festivities. Clear specification of responsibilities, honoring diversity of gifts, makes for a healthy, functioning body (Rom. 12:3–8).
  2. (2) Worship is to follow the guidelines of Scripture, learning from the past and being alert to changing contexts. The NT does not specify “orders of worship,” and practices in the early centuries show the influence of synagogue worship (Scripture readings, teaching/exposition of Scripture, public praise, and prayer both free and liturgical), the celebration of the Lord’s Supper, and the influence of Pentecost and the giftings of the Spirit.
  3. (3) Doing “all things decently and in order” is to facilitate multiple participation, with a variety of gifts and roles, so as to “build up” (cf. 1 Cor. 14:26, 40). Meeting together is to enable “stir[ring] up one another to love and good works, . . . encouraging one another” (Heb. 10:24–25).
  4. (4) While some will have specific roles, these are to enable the active participation of all the people, taking into account diverse backgrounds (Rev. 7:9–10). Paul speaks against behavior that only considers oneself or people like oneself (a “faction”) in coming together for the Lord’s Supper; “wait[ing] for one another” can be broadened to “consider one another in how you worship” (1 Cor. 11:17–33).

1 Japhet, I & II Chronicles, 1040–1041, 1044–1046; Allen, “First and Second Books,” 647–648.

2 Selman, 2 Chronicles, 537.

3 Japhet, I & II Chronicles, 1047–1048; Jonker, 1 & 2 Chronicles, 293, 299–300.