Study notes

2 Chronicles 32

Introducing 2 ChroniclesWho wrote it, when, why, and what to look for as you read

29:1–32:33 Section

Right away when he started ruling, Hezekiah opened the doors of the temple. This was a sign of everything he did to help God’s people worship God faithfully.

Hezekiah led the people to once again worship God according to the Mount Sinai covenant. That was how the Israelites had worshipped God when David and Solomon were kings. Hezekiah made many changes in Judah so that this could happen. The changes included having the priests and Levites once again do their work. Each group of priests and Levites had been given their duties when David was king.

The changes included making all places and objects used in worship clean and pure. The changes included the king and the people giving a tenth of everything they had. They gave it freely to provide for the priests and Levites. This allowed the Levites and priests to spend their time leading worship and teaching the people.

Worshipping God faithfully included celebrating the feasts the way Moses had taught the Israelites to. The people celebrated the Day of Atonement. That is the day when sins were paid for.

Hezekiah wanted all 12 tribes of Israel to celebrate the Passover Feast together again. That hadn’t happened since Solomon was king. Hezekiah invited all Israelites left in the land of the northern kingdom. These people had been left behind after the Assyrian army took control of the northern kingdom. They hadn’t been forced to live in exile in Assyria.

Some people from a few tribes went to Jerusalem for the feast. Some outsiders living among them also went. Even people who hadn’t made themselves pure and clean could be part of the feast. This was because they wanted to worship God with all their heart. Hezekiah’s prayer showed that he understood something about God. God cares deeply about people being committed to him in their heart. God forgave the people’s sins and healed them.

Many years before God had promised Solomon that he would do this. He would forgive his people and heal their land. He would do this if they turned away from evil. He would do it if they were humble and prayed to him (2 Chronicles 7:14).

32:1–23

The Chronicler summarizes the long account of the siege against Jerusalem in twenty-three verses (compare 2 Kings 18:17–19:37; Isaiah 36–38). God responded to King Sennacherib of Assyria's attack by blessing Judah and Hezekiah for their faithfulness in seeking the Lord.

32:3–5

Sennacherib's attack was not a surprise; Hezekiah provoked it by breaking a treaty (2 Kings 18:7, 20). Water was crucial for both attackers and defenders during sieges. Hezekiah ensured Sennacherib's army could not access the city's water supply. In a famous ancient engineering feat, Hezekiah's tunnel connected the fresh waters of the Gihon Spring to the Pool of Siloam, providing water within the city walls. This tunnel is almost 530 meters long (about 580 yards or one-third of a mile) and about two meters (six feet) high. The Hezekiah inscription, found in the tunnel in 1880, describes how the excavators met to connect the two ends. Although much of the tunnel used natural underground aqueducts, it was a brilliant strategy to protect the city's citizens.

32:10–19

The Assyrian king's threats highlighted the main issues for the people of Jerusalem. The real question was whether to trust in God. The enemy king claimed Hezekiah could not be trusted (2 Chronicles 32:11–12) because he had angered the Lord by removing God's shrines and altars. However, the opposite was true. This reform was Hezekiah's greatest act of loyalty to the Lord. The question was whether God could be trusted against Assyria's power (2 Chronicles 32:11–15).

32:22–23

The Chronicler concludes the story by showing that Assyria's disaster led to peace in Judah. Both the Lord and Hezekiah gained respect from other nations.

32:26

Hezekiah and the people's sincere repentance pleased God, so the Lord did not show anger during Hezekiah's lifetime.

32:27–30

Hezekiah's wealth made him a king similar to Solomon.

32:31

The visit by the Babylonian envoys is described in more detail in 2 Kings 20:12–20. The Chronicler explains God's reasons for that visit.

Verse notes: Adapted by Mission Mutual (Aquifer Open Study Notes) from Tyndale Open Study Notes © 2023 Tyndale House Publishers. CC BY-SA 4.0. Section notes: Biblica Study Notes © 2023 Biblica, Inc. CC BY-SA 4.0, via BibleAquifer. About the sources