Annotations upon the remaining historicall part of the Old Testament. The second part. to wit, the books of Joshua, Judges, the two books of Samuel, Kings, and Chronicles, and the books of Ezra, Nehemiah, and Esther : wherein first, all such passages in the text are explained as were thought likely to be questioned by any reader of ordinary capacity : secondly, in many clauses those things are discovered which are needfull and usefull to be known ... and thirdly, many places that might at first seem to contradict one another are reconciled ... / by Arthur Jackson.

CHAP. XXIX.

Vers. 1. HEzekiah began to reigne when he was five and twenty years old, &c.] Viz. in the third yeare of Hoshea. See the notes, 2. Kings 18.1, 2.

Vers. 3. He in the first yeare of his reigne, in the first moneth, opened the doores of the house of the Lord.] And in the first day of the moneth: for then pre∣sently they began to cleanse the Temple, vers. 17.

Vers. 4. And gathered them together in the east-street.] That is, the street be∣fore the east-gate, the chief gate of the Temple.

Vers. 6. And have turned away their faces from the habitation of the Lord, and turned their backs.] That is, they have openly, basely, and opprobriously for∣saken the worship of God in his Temple. The like expression we have Jer. 2.27. They have turned their back unto me, and not their face.

Vers. 17. And on the eighth day of the moneth came they to the porch of the Lord, &c.] That is, in eight dayes they purged and sanctified the Temple it self, the most holy, and the holy place, and the porch before the holy place they began with, or came to on the eighth day; and then in eight dayes more they purged the courts and chambers thereof, and so made an end on the sixteenth day of the first moneth: and all this is noted to imply, what a deal of idolatrous trash Ahaz had brought into the Temple, when they were so many dayes imployed in the removing and casting it out, and setting all things in order as they were in former times.

Vers. 21. And they brought seven bullocks and seven rammes, &c.] That is, they brought all kind of clean beasts appointed for sacrifice, some for the consecra∣ting of the Temple, &c. some for sinne offerings, some for burnt offerings, and some for peace offerings; and seven they brought of each sort, to signifie the gene∣rality of the sacrifice, that it was for the whole kingdome, the prince, and all the people.

Vers. 23. And they brought forth the he-goats for the sinne offering, &c.] To wit, the seven he-goats mentioned vers. 21. In Levit. 4.13. the law enjoyneth a young bullock to be offered for a sinne-offering for the congregation; but that was for the expiation of some one particular sinne, whereof through ignorance the whole con∣gregation might be guilty; and now the expiation was to be made for all the many sinnes, whereof the whole land, both king and people were guilty; in which case they were not tyed to that law, in Levit. 4.

Vers. 24. And they made reconciliation with their bloud upon the altar, to make an attonement for all Israel.] That is, not onely for the kingdome of Judah, but also for the brethren of the ten tribes, who had been sorely of late oppressed by the Assyrians; which was the reason why Hezekiah gave expresse charge con∣cerning this.

Vers. 31. Now ye have consecrated your selves unto the Lord, come near and bring sacrifices, &c.] That is, Let the people now bring in their sacrifices, or do you, O priests, bring in the peoples sacrifices.

Vers. 33. And the consecrated things were six hundred oxen, and three thousand sheep.] That is, the other sacrifices of severall sorts, to wit, peace-offerings, and free-will-offerings, were six hundred oxen, and three thousand sheep.

Vers. 34. But the priests were too few, so that they could not slay all the burnt-offerings.] Which was properly the work of the priests onely, Levit. 1.5, 6.

For the Levites were more upright in heart to sanctifie themselves, then the priests.] That is, they were more forward to sanctifie themselves then the priests were; and so there were more of them sanctified.

Vers. 35. And also the burnt-offerings were in abundance, with the fat of the peace-offerings, and the drink-offerings, &c.] That is, these things (besides the burnt-offerings) were to be offered on the altar; so that the priests being but few, had not leasure to slay all the sacrifices.

Vers. 36. For the thing was done suddenly.] It was evident that God had ex∣traordinarily enclined the hearts of the people to this reformation, because it was done so suddenly.