Bible Strands
2 Chronicles 30:22
And Hezekiah encouraged all the Levites who performed skillfully before the LORD. For seven days they ate their assigned portion, sacrificing peace offerings and giving thanks to the LORD, the God of their fathers.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — Hezekiah addresses the Levites during the seven-day Feast of Unleavened Bread in Jerusalem. He specifically targets those Levites who demonstrated ritual and musical proficiency before the altar.
The words — The text highlights מַשְׂכִּילִים (mas.ki.Lim), rendered as "who were understanding" or "skillful," paired with שֵׂכֶל (se.khel), meaning "understanding," to denote the Levites’ trained competence in worship.
The thread — This emphasis on structured, covenantal response appears in 2 Chronicles 32:6 where Hezekiah organizes civic defense, Nehemiah 9:3 where the people stand to hear the Law, and Ezra 10:11 where confession and separation are commanded.
Why it lands — The text requires readers to recognize that sustained worship depends on trained leadership and deliberate gratitude, not spontaneous emotion. It demands that participants actively maintain their portion of thanksgiving and peace offerings.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
And Hezekiah spake comfortably unto all the Levites that taught the good knowledge of the Lord: and they did eat throughout the feast seven days, offering peace offerings, and making confession to the Lord God of their fathers.
Cross-references
- 2 Chronicles 32:6 Hezekiah appointed military commanders over the people and gathered the people in the square of the city gate. Then he encouraged them, saying,
- Nehemiah 9:3 While they stood in their places, they read from the Book of the Law of the LORD their God for a quarter of the day, and they spent another quarter of the day in confession and worship of the LORD their God.
- Ezra 10:11 Now, therefore, make a confession to the LORD, the God of your fathers, and do His will. Separate yourselves from the people of the land and from your foreign wives.”
- Isaiah 40:1 “Comfort, comfort My people,” says your God.
- Deuteronomy 26:3 to the priest who is serving at that time, and say to him, “I declare today to the LORD your God that I have entered the land that the LORD swore to our fathers to give us.”
- Deuteronomy 33:10 He will teach Your ordinances to Jacob and Your law to Israel; he will set incense before You and whole burnt offerings on Your altar.
- 2 Chronicles 15:3 For many years Israel has been without the true God, without a priest to instruct them, and without the law.
- 2 Chronicles 17:9 They taught throughout Judah, taking with them the Book of the Law of the LORD. They went throughout the towns of Judah and taught the people.
- 2 Chronicles 35:3 To the Levites who taught all Israel and were holy to the LORD, Josiah said: “Put the holy ark in the temple built by Solomon son of David king of Israel. It is not to be carried around on your shoulders. Now serve the LORD your God and His people Israel.
- Ezra 7:10 For Ezra had set his heart to study the Law of the LORD, to practice it, and to teach its statutes and ordinances in Israel.