2 Chronicles Chapter 35

At a Glance

  • Chapter 35 presents Josiah’s culminative act of worship and national religious restoration: the Passover.
  • Historical & Literary Context.
  • Ezra–Nehemiah’s exilic and post-exilic movements frame Chronicles’ account of Josiah’s reforms as a model of faithful restoration prior to exile.
  • The genre here blends historical narrative with liturgical instruction.
  • - Worship as memory and renewal: The Passover re-centers the people in the foundational event of their identity—deliverance from Egypt.

Chapter Overview

Chapter 35 presents Josiah’s culminative act of worship and national religious restoration: the Passover. Josiah observes a remarkable Passover in Jerusalem, setting the calendar by the fourteenth day of the first month and mobilizing the Levites, priests, and people for sacred service. The chapter details meticulous preparation: priests are stationed, Levites are organized by courses, and the people—led by the king and the leaders—prepare themselves to fulfill the ordinances given by Moses. The Passover offerings are abundantly supplied and generously funded by the king and his princes, with significant contributions of animals—thirty thousand lambs and goats and three thousand cattle from the king’s treasury, alongside substantial donations from temple leaders. The ritual then proceeds: the blood is sprinkled, and the splendor and order of the service reflect a community recaptured by covenant memory and obedient worship.

This chapter emphasizes not only the ritual act but the right ordering of worship: the ark settles in its proper place, the Levitical divisions operate, and the entire nation participates in a liturgical renewal that is both intimate and public. The Passover serves as both a historical memory of deliverance and a current pledge of allegiance to the LORD. The tone combines celebratory reverence with strategic organization, highlighting how revival rests on disciplined worship, communal participation, and generous sacrifice. In Chronicles’ pattern, this moment stands as a high point of Josiah’s reform—a tangible renewal that aligns with the Book of the Law’s authority and the covenant’s demands.

Historical & Literary Context

Ezra–Nehemiah’s exilic and post-exilic movements frame Chronicles’ account of Josiah’s reforms as a model of faithful restoration prior to exile. Chapter 35 sits in a period when the Mosaic covenant’s central rites, particularly the Passover, are invoked to re-solidify national and religious identity. The Chronicler emphasizes temple-centered worship, priestly order, and the people’s active participation, aligning with the book’s broader concern for proper worship as the engine of covenant life.

The genre here blends historical narrative with liturgical instruction. The detailed numbers—nearly exact counts of offerings, animal types, and the involvement of leaders—reflect a documentary style that underscores the reliability and seriousness of the reform. The chapter also functions as a theological illustration: faithful observance of God’s commands brings blessing and stability, while neglect leads to spiritual drift. By presenting Josiah’s Passover as an exemplary event, the Chronicler invites readers to see worship as transformative for the people’s identity, memory, and future.

Key Themes

- Worship as memory and renewal: The Passover re-centers the people in the foundational event of their identity—deliverance from Egypt.

- Order and generosity in worship: The precise organization of the rite and the abundant offerings彰显 communal devotion.

- Priesthood and temple leadership: The Levites, priests, and leaders work in concert to sustain sacred life.

- Covenant fidelity and leadership example: Josiah’s personal and political commitment models a holistic renewal of life under the covenant.

- The centrality of the law in worship: The Passover’s observance in the narrative continues the book’s emphasis on living according to Torah.

Modern Application

Today, this chapter invites believers to consider the power of worship as a communal, participatory act that shapes memory and identity. It challenges churches to pursue ordered, supervised worship that is both reverent and accessible, with clear roles for leaders and laity alike. The generous giving pattern mirrors modern stewardship: congregations are called to give joyfully to support corporate worship, the maintenance of sacred spaces, and ministries of mercy and truth.

The Passover also speaks to the importance of memorial moments that recalibrate a community toward dependence on God. In a fast-paced age of distraction, deliberate congregational rituals can recalibrate hearts, remind us of liberation from bondage, and re-anchor us in God’s saving acts. Finally, Josiah’s example of leadership—placing priority on spiritual reform and communal holiness—remains a model for pastors, elders, and lay leaders seeking to guide their communities toward deeper obedience and joy in God.

- 2 Chronicles 34 (reforms and the prior cleansing)

- Exodus 12 (the original Passover command and ritual)

- Leviticus 23 (appointed feasts and holy days)

- Deuteronomy 16 (Passover regulations)

- Ezra 6 (reform and temple celebration after exile)

Recommended Personas

- Josiah for reform leadership.

- Levites and priests to illuminate worship order and liturgy.

- Moses for covenant founding and Passover symbolism.

- David for covenant faithfulness and kingly leadership.

- Jesus for fulfillment of temple worship and community formation in the New Covenant.

Chapter Text

1

Moreover Josiah kept a passover unto the LORD in Jerusalem: and they killed the passover on the fourteenth day of the first month.

2

And he set the priests in their charges, and encouraged them to the service of the house of the LORD,

3

And said unto the Levites that taught all Israel, which were holy unto the LORD, Put the holy ark in the house which Solomon the son of David king of Israel did build; it shall not be a burden upon your shoulders: serve now the LORD your God, and his people Israel,

4

And prepare yourselves by the houses of your fathers, after your courses, according to the writing of David king of Israel, and according to the writing of Solomon his son.

5

And stand in the holy place according to the divisions of the families of the fathers of your brethren the people, and after the division of the families of the Levites.

6

So kill the passover, and sanctify yourselves, and prepare your brethren, that they may do according to the word of the LORD by the hand of Moses.

7

And Josiah gave to the people, of the flock, lambs and kids, all for the passover offerings, for all that were present, to the number of thirty thousand, and three thousand bullocks: these were of the king’s substance.

8

And his princes gave willingly unto the people, to the priests, and to the Levites: Hilkiah and Zechariah and Jehiel, rulers of the house of God, gave unto the priests for the passover offerings two thousand and six hundred small cattle, and three hundred oxen.

9

Conaniah also, and Shemaiah and Nethaneel, his brethren, and Hashabiah and Jeiel and Jozabad, chief of the Levites, gave unto the Levites for passover offerings five thousand small cattle, and five hundred oxen.

10

So the service was prepared, and the priests stood in their place, and the Levites in their courses, according to the king’s commandment.

11

And they killed the passover, and the priests sprinkled the blood from their hands, and the Levites flayed them.

12

And they removed the burnt offerings, that they might give according to the divisions of the families of the people, to offer unto the LORD, as it is written in the book of Moses. And so did they with the oxen.

13

And they roasted the passover with fire according to the ordinance: but the other holy offerings sod they in pots, and in caldrons, and in pans, and divided them speedily among all the people.

14

And afterward they made ready for themselves, and for the priests: because the priests the sons of Aaron were busied in offering of burnt offerings and the fat until night; therefore the Levites prepared for themselves, and for the priests the sons of Aaron.

15

And the singers the sons of Asaph were in their place, according to the commandment of David, and Asaph, and Heman, and Jeduthun the king’s seer; and the porters waited at every gate; they might not depart from their service; for their brethren the Levites prepared for them.

16

So all the service of the LORD was prepared the same day, to keep the passover, and to offer burnt offerings upon the altar of the LORD, according to the commandment of king Josiah.

17

And the children of Israel that were present kept the passover at that time, and the feast of unleavened bread seven days.

18

And there was no passover like to that kept in Israel from the days of Samuel the prophet; neither did all the kings of Israel keep such a passover as Josiah kept, and the priests, and the Levites, and all Judah and Israel that were present, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem.

19

In the eighteenth year of the reign of Josiah was this passover kept.

20

After all this, when Josiah had prepared the temple, Necho king of Egypt came up to fight against Charchemish by Euphrates: and Josiah went out against him.

21

But he sent ambassadors to him, saying, What have I to do with thee, thou king of Judah? I come not against thee this day, but against the house wherewith I have war: for God commanded me to make haste: forbear thee from meddling with God, who is with me, that he destroy thee not.

22

Nevertheless Josiah would not turn his face from him, but disguised himself, that he might fight with him, and hearkened not unto the words of Necho from the mouth of God, and came to fight in the valley of Megiddo.

23

And the archers shot at king Josiah; and the king said to his servants, Have me away; for I am sore wounded.

24

His servants therefore took him out of that chariot, and put him in the second chariot that he had; and they brought him to Jerusalem, and he died, and was buried in one of the sepulchres of his fathers. And all Judah and Jerusalem mourned for Josiah.

25

And Jeremiah lamented for Josiah: and all the singing men and the singing women spake of Josiah in their lamentations to this day, and made them an ordinance in Israel: and, behold, they are written in the lamentations.

26

Now the rest of the acts of Josiah, and his goodness, according to that which was written in the law of the LORD,

27

And his deeds, first and last, behold, they are written in the book of the kings of Israel and Judah.

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