2Ch 34-35 | TNotes | STEP | 34:1 Josiah ’s reign of thirty-one years was from 640 to 609 BC .

34:1 ^a Josiah’s reign of thirty-one years was from 640 to 609 BC.
34:3 ^b Josiah began to seek the God of his ancestor David when he was just sixteen. He initiated his own acts of reform when he reached age twenty.
34:6 ^c By Josiah’s twelfth year as king (628 BC), the Assyrian Empire had largely disintegrated. During this time, the north of Israel was virtually deserted, making it possible for Josiah to extend his influence and control into Manasseh, Ephraim, and Simeon, even as far as Naphtali.
Summary for 2Chr 34:12-13: 34:12-13 ^d That musicians supervised the construction shows how important it was for Levites to be in charge of this work. Other ancient texts note that music was a common element of construction projects.
Summary for 2Chr 34:14-18: 34:14-18 ^e The discovery of the Book of the Law of the Lord was one of the rewards for faithfulness.

• The book that was written by Moses was probably Deuteronomy. It might have been neglected and lost during the apostasies of Manasseh or Amon.
34:24 ^f the curses written in the scroll: See Deut 27:14-26 ^g; 28:15-68 ^h. Curses in a covenant stipulate what will happen to those who are unfaithful to the covenant, as Israel and Judah were in their covenant with the Lord. These curses included exile.
Summary for 2Chr 34:27-28: 34:27-28 ⁱ King Josiah did not die in peace; he was killed by Pharaoh Neco II of Egypt (35:20-25 ^j). However, Josiah was buried in peace, meaning that the city of Jerusalem was at peace and exile did not come during Josiah’s reign. His repentant spirit averted immediate disaster.
Summary for 2Chr 34:29-32: 34:29-32 ^k Renewal of the covenant was the most significant event in Josiah’s reform.

‏ 2 Chronicles 35

35:3 ^l The holy Ark might have been removed from the Temple during the apostasy of Manasseh or Amon.
Summary for 2Chr 35:4-6: 35:4-6 ^m The assignments of the priests and Levites mirrored the directions of David and Solomon (8:14-15 ⁿ; 1 Chr 24–26 ^o). The Passover animal was typically slaughtered by the offerer (Deut 16:5-6 ^p). However, because the offerers did not have time to purify themselves, Josiah continued the practice Hezekiah had begun of having the Levites slaughter the Passover animals (see 2 Chr 30:13-20 ^q). In Josiah’s time, the large number of participants also might have caused logistical problems.
Summary for 2Chr 35:7-9: 35:7-9 ^r The Passover sacrifice required lambs and young goats (Exod 12:21 ^s). The cattle were an additional offering. The totals Josiah provided along with the contributions of others were nearly double the offerings in Hezekiah’s time (see 2 Chr 30:24 ^t), yet less than the offerings at the dedication of the Temple (see 7:5 ^u).
35:13 ^v The Levites brought the food out quickly, observing the element of haste required in the Passover (Exod 12:11 ^w).
35:18 ^x This Passover included a greater number of participants than the one Hezekiah had observed. In this Passover, the priests and Levites took a prominent and proper role, as Josiah had specifically required (35:15-16 ^y; cp. 30:3 ^z, 15 ^aa).
Summary for 2Chr 35:20-24: 35:20-24 ^ab The narrative jumps from Josiah’s eighteenth year (622 BC) to the year of his death (609 BC). The decline of the Assyrian Empire brought Egypt and Babylon, two great powers that had long been subject to Assyria, into conflict with each other. King Neco of Egypt, who had allied with Assyria to resist Babylonian expansion, asked Josiah to allow free passage of his army. Josiah’s interception might have been the result of a coalition with Babylon, or it might have been his own attempt to establish independence from Egypt. Josiah’s death was caused by his disobedience to a divine oracle delivered by a Gentile king.
35:25 ^ac Jeremiah held Josiah in high esteem (see Jer 22:15-16 ^ad; cp. Jer 22:10 ^ae). The Book of Laments was lost; it is not related to the Book of Lamentations.