2 Crônicas 23

2 Crônicas 23

Spurgeon reminds us that "Behold is a word of wonder; it is intended to excite admiration. Wherever you see it hung out in Scripture, it is like an ancient sign-board, signifying that there are rich wares within, or like the hands which solid readers have observed in the margin of the older Puritanic books, drawing attention to something particularly worthy of observation." I would add, behold is like a divine highlighter, a divine underlining of an especially striking or important text. It says in effect "Listen up, all ye who would be wise in the ways of Jehovah!" Hinneh is translated in the Septuagint with the interjection idou (strictly speaking a command in the second person aorist imperative, middle voice) a demonstrative particle (used 1377 times in the Septuagint and NT) which is found especially in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke "and giving a peculiar vivacity to the style by bidding the reader or hearer to attend to what is said: 2 Chronicles 23:4 “This is the thing which you shall do: one third of you, of the priests and Levites who come in on the sabbath, shall be gatekeepers, entering: 1Ch 23:3-6 24:3-6 Lu 1:8,9 gatekeepers: 1Ch 26:13-16 Related Passage: 2 Kings 11:5-8+ He commanded them, saying, “This is the thing that you shall do: one third of you, who come in on the sabbath and keep watch over the king’s house 6 (one third also shall be at the gate Sur, and one third at the gate behind the guards), shall keep watch over the house for defense. 7 “Two parts of you, even all who go out on the sabbath, shall also keep watch over the house of the LORD for the king. 8 “Then you shall surround the king, each with his weapons in his hand; and whoever comes within the ranks shall be put to death. And be with the king when he goes out and when he comes in.” THE COUP TAKES SHAPE This is the thing which you shall do: one third of you, of the priests and Levites who come in on the sabbath, shall be gatekeepers - While 2 Kings 11 mentions captains and guards, focusing on protection and order, 2 Chronicles 23 emphasizes Levites, priests, and divinely prescribed roles (cf 2Ch 23:18+) Why the Sabbath? This was the day the guards changed shifts and it would allow Jehoiada to keep not one but two shifts of Levites for defense and doing so without arousing suspicions that a coup was in the works.