Bible Strands

2 Chronicles 35:5

Moreover, stand in the Holy Place by the divisions of the families of your kinsmen the lay people, and by the divisions of the families of the Levites.

Berean Standard Bible

Follow its threads on the canvas →

Study note

Setting — Josiah addresses the priests and Levites during the Passover preparations. He commands them to take their designated positions in the Holy Place before the sacrificial work begins.

The words — The text commands עִמְדוּ (imdu, “stand”) and specifies the location as קֹדֶשׁ (qodesh, “holy place”). It organizes the participants by פְּלֻגּוֹת (pelugot, “divisions”) of בֵּית אָבוֹת (beit avot, “houses of ancestors”) for both the laypeople and the Levites.

The thread — This organizational structure appears in Ezra 6:18, which records priests and Levites appointed by divisions for temple service. It aligns with Psalms 134:1 and 135:2, which describe servants standing in the house of the Lord.

Why it lands — The verse establishes that worship requires fixed positions and assigned roles rather than spontaneous participation. It demands that readers submit to established structures to execute the commanded religious duty.

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

וְעִמְד֣וּve./'im.Duand/ standבַקֹּ֗דֶשׁva./Ko.deshin the/ holy placeלִפְלֻגּוֹת֙li/f.lu.goyTto/ [the] divisions ofבֵּ֣יתbeit[the] house ofהָֽאָב֔וֹתha./'a.Votthe/ ancestorsלַאֲחֵיכֶ֖םla./'a.chei./Khemof/ countrymen/ yourבְּנֵ֣יbe.Nei[the] sons ofהָעָ֑םha./'Amthe/ peopleוַחֲלֻקַּ֥תva./cha.lu.Katand/ a division ofבֵּֽית־beit-[the] house ofאָ֖ב'avan ancestorלַלְוִיִּֽם׃la/l.vi.Yimfor the/ Levites

King James Version

And stand in the holy place according to the divisions of the families of the fathers of your brethren the people, and after the division of the families of the Levites.

Cross-references