2 Chronicles 29:5 kjv
And said unto them, Hear me, ye Levites, sanctify now yourselves, and sanctify the house of the LORD God of your fathers, and carry forth the filthiness out of the holy place.
2 Chronicles 29:5 nkjv
and said to them: "Hear me, Levites! Now sanctify yourselves, sanctify the house of the LORD God of your fathers, and carry out the rubbish from the holy place.
2 Chronicles 29:5 niv
and said: "Listen to me, Levites! Consecrate yourselves now and consecrate the temple of the LORD, the God of your ancestors. Remove all defilement from the sanctuary.
2 Chronicles 29:5 esv
and said to them, "Hear me, Levites! Now consecrate yourselves, and consecrate the house of the LORD, the God of your fathers, and carry out the filth from the Holy Place.
2 Chronicles 29:5 nlt
He said to them, "Listen to me, you Levites! Purify yourselves, and purify the Temple of the LORD, the God of your ancestors. Remove all the defiled things from the sanctuary.
2 Chronicles 29 5 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference (Point) |
|---|---|---|
| Personal Sanctification for Service | ||
| Exod. 19:10-11 | "...sanctify them today and tomorrow... for the third day the LORD will come down..." | Personal purity for divine encounter |
| Lev. 10:3 | "Among those who draw near to me I will be sanctified..." | God's expectation of holiness in ministers |
| Josh. 3:5 | "Sanctify yourselves, for tomorrow the LORD will do wonders..." | Holiness required for God to act |
| 1 Chr. 15:12 | "...sanctify yourselves... that you may bring up the ark of the LORD God of Israel..." | Consecration prerequisite for sacred duties |
| Isa. 1:16 | "Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean; remove the evil of your deeds..." | Call to moral and spiritual purification |
| Zech. 3:3-5 | "...take away the filthy garments from him... See, I have taken your iniquity away..." | Symbolic cleansing of priesthood from sin |
| 2 Cor. 7:1 | "Let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit..." | New Testament call for believer's purity |
| Heb. 12:14 | "Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord." | Holiness essential for relationship with God |
| 1 Pet. 1:15-16 | "...be holy yourselves in all your conduct; since it is written, "You shall be holy, for I am holy."" | Divine command for general holiness |
| Sanctifying God's Dwelling / Community | ||
| Exod. 29:43 | "There I will meet with the people of Israel, and the tabernacle will be sanctified by my glory." | God's presence sanctifies His dwelling |
| Isa. 56:7 | "...my house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples." | God's house for worship and fellowship |
| Matt. 21:13 | "It is written, 'My house shall be called a house of prayer,' but you make it a den of robbers." | Jesus' cleansing of the physical Temple |
| Jn. 2:16 | "You shall not make my Father's house a house of trade." | Zeal for the reverence of God's house |
| 1 Cor. 3:16-17 | "Do you not know that you are God's temple...? God's temple is holy, and you are that temple." | Believers (collective) are God's temple |
| Eph. 2:21-22 | "...the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord..." | The church as a growing holy temple |
| Rev. 21:27 | "But nothing unclean will ever enter it, nor anyone who does what is detestable or false..." | Heaven's ultimate purity and exclusion of defilement |
| Removing Filth / Sin / Idolatry | ||
| Deut. 18:9 | "...not learn to follow the abominations of those nations." | Warning against pagan practices |
| Ezra 6:21 | "...separated themselves from the uncleanness of the peoples of the land..." | Post-exilic separation from idolatrous pollution |
| Ps. 51:7 | "Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow." | Plea for complete spiritual purification |
| Ezek. 36:25 | "I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you." | Divine promise of cleansing from sin/idolatry |
| Zech. 13:1 | "On that day there shall be a fountain opened for the house of David...for sin and for uncleanness." | Provision for forgiveness and spiritual cleansing |
| Rom. 12:2 | "Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind..." | Removal of worldly patterns/ideals from thought |
| Jam. 1:21 | "...put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness..." | Exhortation to discard sin completely |
2 Chronicles 29 verses
2 Chronicles 29 5 Meaning
This verse records King Hezekiah's direct command to the Levites, urging them to consecrate themselves personally and then to purify the Temple of the Lord, removing all the defiling elements introduced by the previous king, Ahaz. It underscores the vital link between the spiritual condition of those who serve God and the sanctity of God's dwelling place.
2 Chronicles 29 5 Context
2 Chronicles 29 immediately details the righteous reign of King Hezekiah, who begins his rule with an urgent spiritual overhaul, sharply contrasting with his idolatrous father, Ahaz. Ahaz had systematically defiled the Temple, closing its doors, installing pagan altars, and abandoning true Yahweh worship. Hezekiah, at the tender age of twenty-five, immediately prior to this verse (2 Chron. 29:3-4), opens the Temple doors and convenes the priests and Levites. Verse 5 is the core of his opening address, issuing a clear, emphatic mandate. Recognizing the pervasive spiritual sickness of the nation, Hezekiah understands that national revival must begin with the purification of the ministers themselves and the consecrated space for worship, thereby restoring the proper covenant relationship between God and Israel.
2 Chronicles 29 5 Word analysis
- And said unto them: King Hezekiah initiating his specific, authoritative mandate. This direct address shows his clarity of purpose and immediate action for revival.
- Hear me: Hebrew: shim'u (שִׁמְעוּ). An imperative command meaning "Listen!" or "Give attention!" It signifies the crucial importance and weight of the ensuing instructions, calling for obedient response.
- ye Levites: Hebrew: haLevi'im (הַלְוִיִּם). The specific tribe designated by God to serve the Tabernacle and later the Temple (Num. 3, 8). Their distinct role made them primarily responsible for maintaining the sanctity of the sacred space. Hezekiah's direct appeal acknowledges their prior neglect under Ahaz and their indispensable role in the restoration.
- sanctify now yourselves: Hebrew: qaddeshun 'attah lakhim (קַדְּשׁוּ עַתָּה לָכֶם).
- qaddeshun: (from qadash, קָדַשׁ) "to be holy, to consecrate, set apart." As an imperative, it means "make yourselves holy," signifying ritual cleansing and inward spiritual preparation through repentance and purification (Exod. 19:10-15; 1 Chr. 15:12).
- 'attah: (עַתָּה) "now, immediately, at this very time." It conveys a strong sense of urgency; the task of spiritual renewal is not to be delayed.
- lakhim: (לָכֶם) "for yourselves," highlighting the personal nature of this initial command. Personal purity of the minister is foundational before external work.
- and sanctify the house of the LORD God of your fathers: Hebrew: uQaddeshim 'eth-Beth YHVH 'Elohe 'abhothaikhem (וְקַדְּשׁוּ אֶת־בֵּית יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵי אֲבוֹתֵיכֶם).
- Qaddeshim: The same verb for "sanctify," now applied to the Temple, signifying its ceremonial purification and re-consecration solely to Yahweh after widespread defilement.
- Beth YHVH: "House of the LORD," referring to the Temple in Jerusalem, designed as God's exclusive dwelling place.
- 'Elohe 'abhothaikhem: "God of your fathers," linking the present revival directly to the foundational covenant God made with their patriarchs, affirming the continuity of their faith and repudiating Ahaz's departure.
- and carry forth the filthiness: Hebrew: uHositsu 'eth-hatum'ah (וְהוֹצִיאוּ אֶת־הַטֻּמְאָה).
- Hositsu: (from yatsa', יָצָא) "to go out, bring out, remove." This active, decisive verb calls for immediate and thorough expulsion.
- hatum'ah: (הַטֻּמְאָה) "the uncleanness, impurity, defilement." This includes not only literal debris and neglect but also idols, pagan altars, instruments of divination, and everything associated with the idolatrous practices Ahaz brought into the Temple (2 Chron. 28:24-25), representing deep spiritual pollution.
- out of the holy place: Hebrew: min-haQodesh (מִן־הַקֹּדֶשׁ). Specifies the consecrated areas of the Temple—the courts and inner sanctuary—that had been most egregiously polluted. It emphasizes the extent of the desecration, as impurity had reached the very heart of worship.
2 Chronicles 29 5 Bonus section
The concept of "sanctify yourselves" resonates deeply with the prophetic call for the people of God to prepare themselves for a divine encounter, as seen prior to the giving of the Law at Sinai (Exod. 19). Hezekiah’s reform embodies a king taking on a priestly role in initiating spiritual cleansing, akin to Moses and David. This radical purification of the Temple can be seen as a foreshadowing of Jesus' zealous cleansing of the Temple (Matt. 21:12-13; Jn. 2:13-17), both acts emphasizing the house of God's purity and purpose for worship. The explicit appeal to "the LORD God of your fathers" underscores a deep commitment to historical continuity and a covenant loyalty, grounding the immediate reforms in foundational, ancestral faith rather than new or arbitrary decrees.
2 Chronicles 29 5 Commentary
King Hezekiah's command in 2 Chronicles 29:5 stands as a testament to truly righteous leadership that prioritizes God's honor and kingdom first. Immediately upon ascending the throne, Hezekiah didn't delay in addressing the nation's spiritual sickness inherited from his apostate father. His insistence that the Levites "sanctify now yourselves" before purifying "the house of the LORD" is critically important. This sequence highlights an enduring truth: effective spiritual service and the restoration of sacred spaces (whether a physical building or a spiritual community) must always stem from the personal purity and consecrated lives of those involved. The "filthiness" Hezekiah commands to be removed signifies not just physical debris but profound spiritual contamination by idolatry and paganism, which directly opposed the holy nature of Yahweh. This powerful directive set the stage for one of the most significant spiritual revivals in Israel's history, demonstrating that God delights in and blesses efforts to return to Him with pure hearts and clean hands.
- Practical application for believers: This verse reminds Christians that personal confession and repentance ("sanctify yourselves") are essential prerequisites for meaningful engagement in worship, ministry, or leading others.
- Practical application for churches: Churches are called to continually assess if there is "filthiness"—any sin, compromise with worldly values, or false teaching—that needs to be removed from their collective "holy place" (the congregation) to maintain their purity and effectiveness as Christ's body.