Words in italic type have been added for clarity. They are not found in the original Hebrew or Aramaic.

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II Chronicles 35

Josiah Keeps the Passover

II Chronicles 35:¹ Now Josiah kept a Passover to the Lord (Yᵊhōvâ) in Jerusalem, and they slaughtered the Passover lambs on the fourteenth day of the first month.  

• Jesus was crucified on the fourteenth day of the Jewish first month as God’s Passover Lamb.

II Chronicles 35:² And he set the priests in their duties and encouraged them for the service of the house of the Lord (Yᵊhōvâ).

II Chronicles 35:³ Then he said to the Levites who taught all Israel, who were holy to the Lord (Yᵊhōvâ): “Put the holy ark in the house which Solomon the son of David, king of Israel, built. It shall no longer be a burden on your shoulders. Now serve the Lord (Yᵊhōvâ) your God (‘ĕlōhîm) and His people Israel.

 II Chronicles 35:⁴ Prepare yourselves according to your fathers’ (Lit. his) houses (households), according to your divisions, following the written instruction of David king of Israel and the written instruction of Solomon his son.

II Chronicles 35:⁵ And stand in the holy place according to the divisions of the fathers’ houses of your brethren the lay people, and according to the division of the father’s house of the Levites.

• According to the division of the priests set up by King David.
  See Chart: Jesus’ Birth to His Ascension
  The division of the priests gives a basis for the timeline of the birth of John the Baptist and Jesus.

II Chronicles 35:⁶ So slaughter the Passover offerings, consecrate yourselves, and prepare them for your brethren, that they may do according to the word of the Lord (Yᵊhōvâ) by the hand of Moses.”

II Chronicles 35:⁷ Then Josiah gave the lay people lambs and young goats from the flock, all for Passover offerings for all who were present, to the number of thirty thousand, as well as three thousand cattle; these were from the king’s possessions.

II Chronicles 35:⁸ And his leaders gave willingly to the people, to the priests, and to the Levites. Hilkiah, Zechariah, and Jehiel, rulers of the house of God (‘ĕlōhîm), gave to the priests for the Passover offerings two thousand six hundred from the flock, and three hundred cattle.

• Hilkiah the priest recently had found the copy of the Law of Moses in the temple.

II Chronicles 35:⁹ Also Conaniah, his brothers Shemaiah and Nethanel, and Hashabiah and Jeiel and Jozabad, chief of the Levites, gave to the Levites for Passover offerings five thousand from the flock and five hundred cattle.

II Chronicles 35:¹⁰ So the service was prepared, and the priests stood in their places, and the Levites in their divisions, according to the king’s command.

II Chronicles 35:¹¹ And they slaughtered the Passover offerings; and the priests sprinkled the blood with their hands, while the Levites skinned the animals.

II Chronicles 35:¹² Then they removed the burnt offerings that they might give them to the divisions of the fathers’ houses of the lay people, to offer to the Lord (Yᵊhōvâ), as it is written in the Book of Moses. And so they did with the cattle.

II Chronicles 35:¹³ Also they roasted the Passover offerings with fire according to the ordinance; but the other holy offerings they boiled in pots, in caldrons, and in pans, and divided them quickly among all the lay people.

• First the people were served, and then the priests and the Levite leaders.

II Chronicles 35:¹⁴ Then afterward they prepared portions for themselves and for the priests, because the priests, the sons of Aaron, were busy in offering burnt offerings and fat until night; therefore the Levites prepared portions for themselves and for the priests, the sons of Aaron.

• The Levites were the sons of Levi
• The sons of Aaron served in a higher office.

II Chronicles 35:¹⁵ And the singers, the sons of Asaph, were in their places, according to the command of David, Asaph, Heman, and Jeduthun the king’s seer. Also the gatekeepers were at each gate; they did not have to leave their position, because their brethren the Levites prepared portions for them.

• Every guard stayed ready and on duty, and the Levites prepared portions for the grateful gatekeepers. The Levites were the servers.

II Chronicles 35:¹⁶ So all the service of the Lord (Yᵊhōvâ) was prepared the same day, to keep the Passover and to offer burnt offerings on the altar of the Lord (Yᵊhōvâ), according to the command of King Josiah.

II Chronicles 35:¹⁷ And the children of Israel who were present kept the Passover at that time, and the Feast of Unleavened Bread for seven days.

II Chronicles 35:¹⁸ There had been no Passover kept in Israel like that since the days of Samuel the prophet; and none of the kings of Israel had kept such a Passover as Josiah kept, with the priests and the Levites, all Judah and Israel who were present, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem.

• Since the days of Samuel the prophet was before King David. Samuel served Saul the king of Judah until Samuel died during Saul’s reign.

II Chronicles 35:¹⁹ In the eighteenth year of the reign of Josiah this Passover was kept.

• See Timeline BC: Scroll to 609 BC

Josiah Dies in Battle

II Chronicles 35:²⁰ After all this, when Josiah had prepared the temple, Necco king of Egypt came up to fight against Carchemish by the Euphrates; and Josiah went out against him.

• The Assyrians made an alliance with the Egyptians to protect against the growing power of the Babylonians. When Josiah went out against Pharaoh Necco, whether knowing it or not, he strengthened Babylon, the kingdom who would conquer the Assyrians, Egypt, and Judah.

II Chronicles 35:²¹ But he (the Pharaoh) sent messengers to him, saying, “What have I to do with you, king of Judah? I have not come against you this day, but against the house with which I have war; for God (‘ĕlōhîm) commanded me to make haste. Refrain from meddling with God (‘ĕlōhîm), who is with me, lest He destroy you.”

• Note: Pharaoh Necco did not use the name of an Egyptian god, but the name of the Hebrew God: ‘ĕlōhîm

II Chronicles 35:²² Nevertheless Josiah would not turn his face from him, but disguised himself so that he might fight with him, and did not heed the words of Necco from the mouth of God (‘ĕlōhîm). So he came to fight in the Valley of Megiddo.

• Note: The same location as the prophesied Battle of Armageddon in the upcoming future of end times.

II Chronicles 35:²³ And the archers shot King Josiah; and the king said to his servants, “Take me away, for I am severely wounded.” (609 BC)

• After Josiah died, the Pharaoh was able to secure Judah; he proceeded to take one of Josiah’s sons, Jehoahaz, as a puppet king until Pharaoh Necco arrests him and takes him to Egypt after a reign of only 3 months before setting up his brother, Jehoiakim in his stead. Jehoiakim reigns for 11 years during which time Judah becomes ruled by Babylon.

II Chronicles 35:²⁴ 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. So he died, and was buried in one of the tombs of his fathers. And all Judah and Jerusalem mourned for Josiah.

• Josiah celebrated the Passover, then he “Passed Over” from life to death.
• Being that Josiah was a Godly King, he also “Passed Over” from death to life.

II Chronicles 35:²⁵ Jeremiah also lamented for Josiah. And to this day all the singing men and the singing women speak of Josiah in their lamentations. They made it a custom in Israel; and indeed they are written in the Laments.

• This is the Jeremiah who wrote the book of Jeremiah. Jeremiah will come to suffer severely under the reign of Josiah’s sons who refuse to listen to the prophet and allow others to torment him and try to kill him. Jeremiah was a prophet during all the kings from Josiah to the last king of Judea, Zedekiah.

II Chronicles 35:²⁶ Now the rest of the acts of Josiah and his goodness, according to what was written in the Law of the Lord (Yᵊhōvâ),

II Chronicles 35:²⁷ and his deeds from first to last, indeed they are written in the book of the kings of Israel and Judah.

• Josiah strengthened Babylon when he confronted Pharaoh Necco, detaining the Pharaoh from aiding Assyria in their battle with Babylon.
  
• Egypt was strengthened by Josiah’s death. Pharaoh Necco took Josiah’s son, Jehoahaz, and made him his puppet king. Judah had to pay the Pharaoh tribute. Necco took Jehoahaz imprisoned to Egypt where he died. Necco replaced Jehoahaz with his brother, Jehoiakim.
  
• The Assyrian empire was severely weakened and the Babylonian empire increased.
  
• Babylon then fought Egypt crippling Egypt and causing Egypt to decline.
  
• Babylon then took Judah from Egypt. Nebuchadnezzar had Jehoiakim thrown over the temple wall when he realized Jehoiakim had been trying to get help from Egypt.
  
• Babylon first took hostages from Judah, then many prestigious persons, then finally destroyed the temple. The remainder of the Jews were taken to Babylon, into captivity.
  
• From one good king came four bad sons who would not listen to the Words of the Lord.