2Ch 29 | TNotes | STEP | 29:1 After a co-regency with his father, Ahaz, Hezekiah became king in his own right and reigned from 715 to 686 BC .

29:1 ^a After a co-regency with his father, Ahaz, Hezekiah became king in his own right and reigned from 715 to 686 BC.
Summary for 2Chr 29:3-4: 29:3-4 ^b Hezekiah’s first act as king was to repair the doors of the Temple (29:3 ^c). The verb used (yekhazzeqem, “he made them strong”) is a deliberate pun on the name of King Hezekiah (yekhizqiyyahu, “Yah makes strong”). This action provided a setting for the king’s speech to the priests and Levites (29:5-11 ^d).
Summary for 2Chr 29:5-11: 29:5-11 ^e Hezekiah’s speech used vocabulary typical of exile to describe the failure of the nation. As in the days of the separation under Rehoboam (12:1 ^f; see 13:10 ^g), the people had been unfaithful when they abandoned the Lord.
Summary for 2Chr 29:12-36: 29:12-36 ^h To begin the process of sanctifying the Temple, these Levites began with their own sanctification. First, they all purified themselves, probably by bringing offerings (cp. 30:15 ⁱ); then they began to cleanse the Temple. Two separate acts were required to restore the Temple: purification (the removal of pollution, 29:15-17 ^j) and sanctification (the rededication of the Temple for holy worship, 29:20-36 ^k). 29:12 ^l Kohath ... Merari ... Gershon were the three sons of Levi; their descendants had become the three main clans of the tribe of Levites (see Exod 6:16 ^m).
29:21 ⁿ The bulls, ... rams, and lambs were for the burnt offering, and the male goats were for the sin offering (see Lev 1 ^o; 4:1–5:13 ^p).
Summary for 2Chr 29:31-36: 29:31-36 ^q The purification and rededication of the Temple was followed by individual offerings and sacrifices by the people.

• The thanksgiving offerings were also called praise offerings, peace offerings, or offerings of well-being (see Lev 3 ^r).
29:34 ^s The Chronicler shows surprise and delight at the people’s spontaneity and at the great number of devoted praise offerings consumed as part of the thanksgiving festivities. These things indicated that the Lord himself had prepared the people’s hearts for the event, far beyond what the priests and Levites had anticipated.