Synopsis of the Chapter
Hezekiah restores the worship of God that had been abolished by his father Ahaz, and together with the priests, Levites, and singers, honors God with many sacrifices.
Verse 1: Abijah the Mother of Hezekiah ¶
1. The name of his (Hezekiah's) mother was Abijah, daughter of Zechariah — who was the son of the elder Zechariah, the priest and martyr, whom Joash king of Judah killed, chapter 24, verse 21. Abijah therefore, the daughter of this younger Zechariah, who kept King Uzziah in the worship of the true God, of whom see chapter 26, verse 5, was the wife of Ahaz and the mother of Hezekiah, who educated him in all piety and the fear of God. She is therefore named here to indicate that Hezekiah had imbibed his virtue and zeal with his mother's milk. So St. Jerome in the Traditions, Salianus, and others.
Verse 4: The Eastern Square ¶
4. THE EASTERN SQUARE — so called because it faced the eastern gate of the temple.
Verse 15: To Purify the House of the Lord ¶
15. TO PURIFY THE HOUSE OF THE LORD — namely the court of the priests, which was their temple; for no one was permitted to enter the Holy Place except a priest, just as only the High Priest could enter the Holy of Holies. Hence here only the priests are said to have "entered the temple and sanctified it," that is, to have cleansed it from idols and their superstition; carrying these defilements out "into the vestibule." The Septuagint says: into the vestibule, from which the Levites then carried them out and cast them into the brook Kidron.
Verse 17: They Began on the First Day ¶
17. NOW THEY BEGAN ON THE FIRST DAY OF THE FIRST MONTH (Nisan, that is, in March) TO CLEANSE — that is to say, in the first eight days of the month of Nisan they cleansed the courts and the chambers of the priests and Levites that were attached to them; then in the following eight days they cleansed the temple itself, that is, the Holy Place.
Verse 24: And for Sin ¶
24. AND FOR SIN — that is, so that a sacrifice for sin would be offered, according to the rite prescribed in Leviticus chapter 4.
Verse 30: The Words of David and Asaph ¶
30. WITH THE WORDS OF DAVID AND OF ASAPH THE SEER — that is, the prophet. He calls the Psalms "words," from which it is clear that they were composed partly by David and partly by Asaph, as are those twelve which are inscribed with the name of Asaph.
Verse 31: You Have Consecrated ¶
31. YOU HAVE CONSECRATED (that is, you have dedicated) YOUR HANDS TO THE LORD — that is, you have consecrated yourselves as priests, by filling your hands with oil and sacrifices.
Verse 33: Six Hundred Oxen Consecrated ¶
33. AND THEY CONSECRATED TO THE LORD SIX HUNDRED OXEN — that is to say, they dedicated, offered, and donated to God and the temple six hundred oxen and three thousand sheep, so that some of them would be offered as holocausts, others for sin, and others as peace offerings.
Verse 34: The Chief Priests ¶
34. THE CHIEF PRIESTS — that is, the priests; for these commanded the Levites as their superiors. On the rite of consecrating priests, see Leviticus 8. From this verse it is gathered that it belonged to the priests to slaughter the victim, skin it, divide it, place it on the altar, and burn it. But in case of necessity, the skinning and the other subsequent tasks were shared with and permitted to the Levites. So Cajetan, and the first part is sufficiently clear from Leviticus chapter 1, verse 5.