HAYDOCK CATHOLIC BIBLE COMMENTARY ON THE OLD TESTAMENT

2 PARALIPOMENON 36

CHAPTER XXXVI.

Ver. 3. Him. Joachaz had attempted to defend himself, and had been conducted prisoner to Reblatha. 4 K. xxiii. 33. and Ezec. xix. 4. He was now deposed in from, and a tribute laid upon the people. C.

Ver. 4. Brother. From the time of David, the son had always succeeded his father. W.

Ver. 6. Babylon, but sent him back soon after; (T.) unless he altered his first design, (D.) and slew him disgracefully at Jerusalem. Lyran. E. C. 4 K. xxiii. 5. --- He allowed him to reign as a vassal other three years, but took Daniel, &c. captives. The seventy years of Jeremias, (xxv. 11.) are to be dated from this event. A. 3402. Usher.

Ver. 7. The vessels. Heb. and Sept. "a part of the vessels;" probably the most precious, (v. 10) breaking the rest in pieces, as he left none behind, v. 18. --- Temple of his God. Dan. i. 2.

Ver. 8. In him. The Jews explain this of the diabolical characters forbidden, Lev. xix. 28. Carthusian. R. Sal. &c. --- But it may simply denote the hidden sins of the king, which God will bring to light, or his rebellious conduct. Amama. Gen. xliv. 16. C.

Ver. 9. Eight years old. He was associated by his father to the kingdom, when he was but eight years old; but after his father's death, when he reigned alone, he was eighteen years old. 4 K. xxiv. 8. Ch. --- He only enjoyed the throne three months and ten days. T. --- We must however observe, (H.) that the Alex. Sept. the Syr. and Arab. read here, eighteen. C. --- "It is, in my opinion, a pity that the translators have not mended such apparent errata of the scribe of the present Heb. out of 2 K. xxiv. 8, or out of Sept. or out of common sense." Wall. Kennicott. --- These eight years may be dated from the captivity, and not from the king's birth. Usher. D.

Ver. 10. Year, in spring, when kings go out to war. C. --- Uncle. Sept. "brother of his father," which comes to the same sense, and was certainly the case. Heb. "his brother." Abraham indeed gives the title to his nephew. Gen. xiii. 8. C.

Ver. 13. By God, to be faithful. T. --- This enhances his crime. C.

Ver. 15. Early. Prot. "betimes, and sending: because," &c. H. --- Like a good master, God (T.) sent his servants to work at day-break, (H.) omitting nothing to induce them to return to him, that he might not be forced to punish them with severity. C.

Ver. 16. Remedy. All attempts to convert them proved in vain; (T.) and God, perceiving that they even despised his calls, became inexorable. C.

Ver. 18. Vessels. Only a few remained, to be restored by Cyrus, v. 19. C.

Ver. 20. Sons; Evilmerodac and Baltassar. --- Persia; Cyrus, who subdued the country.

Ver. 21. Sabbaths, every seventh year. Lev. xxv. 2. and xxvi. 43. Jer. xxv. 11. and xxix. 10. --- Expired: not that the earth was quite neglected, all that time, from the third year of Joakim, A.M. 3398 till 3468. C. --- But it was almost: particularly after the murder of Godolias, (M.) the public worship was at a stand, &c. H. --- During this fifth age, the true religion subsisted invariable, not only in the kingdom of Juda, but also in that of Israel. See Worthington. H.

Ver. 22. First. Cyrus had ruled over Persia from A. 3444. He was now emperor of the east. A. 3468. C. --- These two verses are repeated by Esdras, which evinces that he was the author of this work also, (T.) adding them when he restored (W.) or revised (H.) the holy scriptures. W.

Ver. 23. The Lord, (Jehova.) In Esdras we find yehi, "Let," his God. H. --- Up. The sentence is completed in the following book, which makes it probable that these verses are here inserted improperly, by some transcriber. The book of Chronicles, though for many ages the last in the Heb. MSS. was, perhaps, once followed by Ezra, as in Camb. MS. 1. (Kennicott) and as it is now in the Protestant version, taken from the Heb. H.