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2 Chronicles 35:3

in 2 Chronicles 35

To the Levites who taught all Israel and were holy to the LORD, Josiah said: “Put the holy ark in the temple built by Solomon son of David king of Israel. It is not to be carried around on your shoulders. Now serve the LORD your God and His people Israel.

BSB

The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾

ASV

And he said unto the Levites that taught all Israel, that were holy unto Jehovah, Put the holy ark in the house which Solomon the son of David king of Israel did build; there shall no more be a burden upon your shoulders. Now serve Jehovah your God, and his people Israel;

KJV

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,

This verse in 2 Chronicles 35

Commentary

8 notes on this verse
Put the holy ark etc - The ark of the covenant may have been temporarily removed from the holy of holies while Josiah effected necessary repairs. It shall not be a burden upon your shoulders - The removing and replacing the ark Josiah means “shall not henceforth be your duty. The ark shall remain undisturbed in the holy of holies. You shall return to your old employments, to the service of God and the instruction of the people.”

This site's exposition

Josiah celebrated the Passover to the LORD

on 2 Chronicles 35:1-3

Kings gives this Passover three verses, 2 Kings 23:21-23, and Chronicles gives it nineteen, the same expansion the book gave Hezekiah's Passover in chapter 30. From here the Levites' charge is teaching and service, the order David set right at 1 Chronicles 15:2.

This site's exposition

It is not to be carried around on your shoulders.

Carrying the ark on their shoulders was the Levites' charge in the wilderness, Numbers 4:15 and 1 Chronicles 15:15. Albert Barnes reads Josiah's words as releasing them from that duty for good, so they could return to serving the LORD and teaching the people.

The record, by era

The Puritans and the Awakening3 voices

A commentator

Matthew Henry

1662–1714

Commentary on the Whole Bible (1710)

proposed

), and not carry it about from place to place, as perhaps of late they had done, justifying themselves therein by the practice before the temple was built.

quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — leading-punctuation+unbalanced-parens

And said unto the Levites that taught all Israel,.... Whose business it was to go through the several tribes, and instruct them in the knowledge of God, his word and worship, statutes and ordinances.

A commentator

Matthew Henry

1662–1714

Commentary on the Whole Bible (1710)

proposed

Ministers must look upon themselves as servants both to Christ and to his church for his sake, 2 Cor. iv. They must take care, and take pains, and lay out themselves to the utmost, (1.) For the glory and honour of God, and to advance the interests of his kingdom among men.

The Nineteenth Century2 voices

A commentator

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown

1802–1910

Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)

proposed

The Levites, the ministers or instructors of the people in all matters pertaining to the divine worship, were commanded (2Ch 35:3) to "put the holy ark in the house which Solomon did build." Their duty was to transport the ark from place to place according to circumstances.

A commentator

Adam Clarke

1762–1832

Commentary on the Bible · Written before 1832.

proposed

Put the holy ark in the house - It is likely that the priests had secured this when they found that the idolatrous kings were determined to destroy every thing that might lead the people to the worship of the true God. And now, as all appears to be well established, the ark is ordered to be put into its own place. For an ample account of this passover and the reformation that was then made, see on 2Ki 23:1 (note), etc., and the places marked in the margin.

The words behind it

31 Hebrew words

Every Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.

  • וַיֹּ֣אמֶרand he said

    vaiyomerH559 →5305 times

  • לַ֠לְוִיִּםto the Levites

    lalviyimH3881 →291 times

  • הַמְּבִינִ֨יםthose teaching

    hamevunimH995 →170 times

  • לְכָל־<to> all

    lekholH3605 →5413 times

  • יִשְׂרָאֵ֜לIsrael

    yisraelH3478 →2507 times

  • הַקְּדוֹשִׁ֣ים<the> holy

    hakedoshimH6918 →

  • לַיהוָ֗הto Yahweh

    layahwehH3068 →6520 times

  • תְּנ֤וּput

    tenuH5414 →2011 times

  • אֶת־<obj.>

    ʾet-H853 →10935 times

  • אֲרוֹן־[the] ark of

    ʾaron-H727 →202 times

  • הַקֹּ֙דֶשׁ֙<the> holiness

    hakodeshH6944 →469 times

  • בַּ֠בַּיִתin the house

    babayitH1004 →2046 times

  • אֲשֶׁ֨רwhich

    ʾasherH834 →5497 times

  • בָּנָ֜הhe built

    banahH1129 →376 times

  • שְׁלֹמֹ֤הSolomon

    shelomohH8010 →291 times

  • בֶן־[the] son of

    ven-H1121 →4930 times

  • דָּוִיד֙David

    davidH1732 →999 times

  • מֶ֣לֶךְ[the] king of

    melekhH4428 →2525 times

  • יִשְׂרָאֵ֔לIsrael

    yisraelH3478 →2507 times

  • אֵין־not

    ʾein-H369 →789 times

  • לָכֶ֥ם[will belong] to you

    lakhem

  • מַשָּׂ֖אa burden

    masa'H4853 →66 times

  • בַּכָּתֵ֑ףon the shoulder

    bakatefH3802 →67 times

  • עַתָּ֗הnow

    ʾatahH6258 →433 times

  • עִבְדוּ֙serve

    ʾivduH5647 →288 times

  • אֶת־<obj.>

    ʾet-H853 →10935 times

  • יְהוָ֣הYahweh

    yahwehH3068 →6520 times

  • אֱלֹֽהֵיכֶ֔םGod your

    ʾeloheikhemH430 →2601 times

  • וְאֵ֖תand <obj.>

    veetH853 →10935 times

  • עַמּ֥וֹpeople his

    amoH5971 →1873 times

  • יִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃Israel

    yisraelH3478 →2507 times

A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.

The walk

8 stops

Each card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.

  • Through

    Malachi 2:7

    For the lips of a priest should preserve knowledge, and people should seek instruction from his mouth, because he is the messenger of the LORD of Hosts.

    it leads to

    • Leviticus 10:11

      so that you may teach the Israelites all the statutes that the LORD has given them through Moses.”

      Reached by 2 separate paths from here.

    • 2 Timothy 2:24–25

      And a servant of the Lord must not be quarrelsome, but must be kind to everyone, able to teach, and forbearing.

    • Deuteronomy 21:5

      And the priests, the sons of Levi, shall come forward, for the LORD your God has chosen them to serve Him and pronounce blessings in His name and to give a ruling in every…

    • 2 Corinthians 5:20

      Therefore we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making His appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ: Be reconciled to God.

    • Ezra 7:10

      For Ezra had set his heart to study the Law of the LORD, to practice it, and to teach its statutes and ordinances in Israel.

  • Through

    Deuteronomy 33:10

    He will teach Your ordinances to Jacob and Your law to Israel; he will set incense before You and whole burnt offerings on Your altar.

    it leads to

    • Psalms 51:19

      Then You will delight in righteous sacrifices, in whole burnt offerings; then bulls will be offered on Your altar.

  • Through

    1 Chronicles 23:26

    So now the Levites no longer need to carry the tabernacle or any of the articles for its service.”

    it leads to

    • Numbers 4:5

      Whenever the camp sets out, Aaron and his sons are to go in, take down the veil of the curtain, and cover the ark of the Testimony with it.

  • Through

    2 Chronicles 30:22

    And Hezekiah encouraged all the Levites who performed skillfully before the LORD. For seven days they ate their assigned portion, sacrificing fellowship offerings and giving thanks to the LORD, the God of their fathers.

    it leads to

    • Nehemiah 9:3

      While they stood in their places, they read from the Book of the Law of the LORD their God for a quarter of the day, and they spent another quarter of the day in…

Where this verse is studied

About 2 Chronicles

This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Albert Barnes, Notes on the Old Testament; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); Keil, The Books of the Chronicles and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.