Study notes

2 Chronicles 35

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

33:1–36:4 Section

2 Chronicles records a story about Manasseh that wasn’t included in 2 Kings. He made himself humble before God and prayed for God to help him. He did this after God brought judgement against him for his evil deeds. God allowed the Assyrian army to make Manasseh a prisoner in Babylon.

Manasseh turned away from his evil ways after God punished and corrected him. Because Manasseh repented, God allowed him to return to Jerusalem. When he once again ruled as king, he led the people to worship only God. He no longer did the evil things he had done before. Yet his son Amon followed the evil example Manasseh had set for many years. He didn’t follow Manasseh’s example of repenting and being humble.

Josiah was a king like David, Solomon and Hezekiah. He got rid of everything that was used to worship false gods. He did this in the southern kingdom. He also did it in the land that where the northern kingdom had been. Assyria controlled that land. But any Israelites who still lived there were allowed to worship the true God. So were the outsiders who lived there.

Josiah had the temple repaired. He made sure that the Book of the Law was read to the people. This was a copy of the Law of Moses. He learnt about the covenant curses while reading about the Mount Sinai covenant. He hoped to stop the covenant curses from coming. So while he was king, all 12 tribes of Israel obeyed God. Those in the southern kingdom and those left in the northern kingdom followed God faithfully.

When he was older, Josiah made a foolish decision to fight against Egypt’s army. This led to his death. It also led to Egypt taking control of the government of the southern kingdom. The king of Egypt chose their next king.

35:3

The holy ark might have been taken from the temple during the unfaithfulness of Manasseh or Amon.

35:4–6

The priests and Levites followed the instructions of David and Solomon (2 Chronicles 8:14–15; 1 Chronicles 24–26). Usually, the person offering the Passover animal would slaughter it (Deuteronomy 16:5–6). However, because the offerers did not have time to purify themselves, Josiah continued Hezekiah's practice of having the Levites slaughter the Passover animals (see 2 Chronicles 30:13–20). During Josiah’s time, the large number of participants might have also caused logistical problems.

35:7–9

The Passover sacrifice required lambs and young goats (Exodus 12:21). The cattle were an extra offering. The totals Josiah provided, along with others' contributions, were nearly double those in Hezekiah’s time (see 2 Chronicles 30:24). However, they were less than the offerings at the temple dedication (see 2 Chronicles 7:5).

35:13

The Levites quickly brought out the food, following the need for speed required during Passover (Exodus 12:11).

35:18

This Passover had more participants than the one Hezekiah observed. During this Passover, the priests and Levites played an important role, as Josiah specifically required (2 Chronicles 35:15–16; compare 30:3, 15).

35:20–24

The story skips from Josiah’s eighteenth year in 622 BC to the year he died in 609 BC. As the Assyrian Empire weakened, Egypt and Babylon, once under Assyrian control, clashed. King Neco of Egypt, who had allied with Assyria to resist Babylon's growth, asked Josiah to let his army pass freely. Josiah's decision to block them might have been due to an alliance with Babylon or his own effort to gain independence from Egypt. Josiah died because he ignored a divine message given by a non-Jewish king.

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