Bible Strands
2 Chronicles 30:6
At the command of the king, the couriers went throughout Israel and Judah with letters from the king and his officials, which read: “Children of Israel, return to the LORD, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, so that He may return to those of you who remain, who have escaped the grasp of the kings of Assyria.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — King Hezekiah’s couriers deliver letters to the remnant of Israel and Judah immediately after the decree to gather in Jerusalem for Passover. The message addresses the surviving population who have evaded Assyrian conquest.
The words — The Hebrew רָצִים (ra.Tzim) denotes the royal runners dispatched to circulate the proclamation, while אִגְּרוֹת ('i.ge.Rot) specifies the written letters bearing the king’s authority.
The thread — The dispatch of royal couriers to announce impending events parallels the messenger networks described in Jeremiah 51:31 and the Assyrian military campaigns recorded in 2 Kings 15:19 and 2 Kings 15:29.
Why it lands — The text demands a concrete return to the covenant God to secure His restoration for the surviving remnant. Readers must recognize that communal survival depends on immediate obedience to the stated call.
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
So the posts went with the letters from the king and his princes throughout all Israel and Judah, and according to the commandment of the king, saying, Ye children of Israel, turn again unto the Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, and he will return to the remnant of you, that are escaped out of the hand of the kings of Assyria.
Cross-references
- Jeremiah 51:31 One courier races to meet another, and messenger follows messenger, to announce to the king of Babylon that his city has been captured from end to end.
- 2 Kings 15:19 Then Pul king of Assyria invaded the land, and Menahem gave Pul a thousand talents of silver in order to gain his support and strengthen his own grip on the kingdom.
- 2 Kings 15:29 In the days of Pekah king of Israel, Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria came and captured Ijon, Abel-beth-maacah, Janoah, Kedesh, Hazor, Gilead, and Galilee, including all the land of Naphtali, and he took the people as captives to Assyria.
- Esther 8:14 The couriers rode out in haste on their royal horses, pressed on by the command of the king. And the edict was also issued in the citadel of Susa.
- Jeremiah 4:1 “If you will return, O Israel, return to Me,” declares the LORD. “If you will remove your detestable idols from My sight and no longer waver,
- 1 Chronicles 5:26 So the God of Israel stirred up the spirit of Pul king of Assyria (that is, Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria) to take the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh into exile. And he brought them to Halah, Habor, Hara, and the river of Gozan, where they remain to this day.
- 2 Chronicles 28:20 Then Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria came to Ahaz but afflicted him rather than strengthening him.
- Job 9:25 My days are swifter than a runner; they flee without seeing good.
- Isaiah 55:6 Seek the LORD while He may be found; call on Him while He is near.
- Isaiah 1:9 Unless the LORD of Hosts had left us a few survivors, we would have become like Sodom, we would have resembled Gomorrah.