◄ 2 Chronicles 30:10 ►
And the couriers traveled from city to city through the land of Ephraim and Manasseh as far as Zebulun; but the people scorned and mocked them.
Study Bible
And the couriers traveled from city to city
This phrase highlights the efforts of King Hezekiah to restore proper worship in Judah and Israel. The couriers were likely Levites or officials tasked with delivering the king's message. The act of traveling from city to city indicates a systematic and organized approach to reach all the people, emphasizing the importance of the message. This reflects the dedication to God's command and the desire for unity among the tribes.

through the land of Ephraim and Manasseh
Ephraim and Manasseh were two of the largest tribes in the Northern Kingdom of Israel. Historically, these tribes had been part of the division between the Northern and Southern Kingdoms after Solomon's reign. The inclusion of these tribes in Hezekiah's invitation to celebrate the Passover signifies an attempt to heal the rift and restore the unity of all Israel under the worship of Yahweh. This also reflects the prophetic hope of reunification found in passages like Ezekiel 37:15-28.

as far as Zebulun
Zebulun was located in the northern part of Israel, indicating the extensive reach of Hezekiah's invitation. This shows the king's desire to include even the most distant tribes in the religious reforms. The mention of Zebulun also connects to the prophecy in Isaiah 9:1-2, which speaks of a great light coming to the lands of Zebulun and Naphtali, often interpreted as a messianic prophecy fulfilled in Jesus Christ.

but the people scorned and mocked them
Despite the earnest efforts of Hezekiah and his couriers, the response from many in the Northern Kingdom was one of ridicule and rejection. This reaction highlights the spiritual decline and hard-heartedness that had taken root in Israel. It serves as a reminder of the resistance often faced by those who seek to bring about spiritual renewal. This rejection can be paralleled with the response Jesus faced during His ministry, as seen in John 1:11, where He came to His own, but His own did not receive Him.

Persons / Places / Events
1. Couriers
Messengers sent by King Hezekiah to invite the people of Israel to Jerusalem for the Passover celebration.

2. Ephraim and Manasseh
Tribes of Israel located in the northern kingdom, representing the broader call to all Israelites to return to the worship of Yahweh.

3. Zebulun
Another tribe in the northern kingdom, indicating the extent of the invitation across Israel.

4. Hezekiah
The king of Judah who initiated the call for a unified Passover celebration, seeking to restore proper worship.

5. The People
The inhabitants of the northern kingdom who responded with scorn and mockery to the invitation.
Teaching Points
The Call to Unity in Worship
Hezekiah's invitation to the Passover was a call for unity among God's people, transcending political and tribal divisions. Today, Christians are called to unity in worship and purpose, setting aside differences to focus on Christ.

Responding to God's Invitation
The people's scorn and mockery highlight the human tendency to reject divine invitations. Believers are encouraged to examine their hearts and respond positively to God's call, whether through Scripture, prayer, or community.

Perseverance in the Face of Rejection
The couriers' experience teaches the importance of perseverance in sharing God's message, even when faced with rejection or ridicule. Christians are called to remain faithful messengers of the Gospel.

The Consequences of Rejection
The mocking response serves as a warning of the spiritual consequences of rejecting God's call. Believers should be mindful of the seriousness of turning away from God's invitations and the blessings that come with obedience.
Bible Study Questions
1. How does Hezekiah's invitation to the Passover reflect God's desire for unity among His people, and how can we apply this in our church communities today?

2. In what ways do we see the pattern of rejecting God's messengers repeated in the New Testament, and how can we guard against this in our own lives?

3. What are some modern-day examples of scorn or mockery towards God's message, and how should Christians respond to such attitudes?

4. How can we ensure that we are responding positively to God's invitations in our personal spiritual lives?

5. Reflect on a time when you faced rejection while sharing your faith. How can the perseverance of Hezekiah's couriers inspire you to continue sharing the Gospel?
Connections to Other Scriptures
2 Kings 18:1-7
Provides background on King Hezekiah's reforms and his commitment to following the Lord, setting the stage for his invitation to the Passover.

Isaiah 1:18-20
Echoes the call to repentance and the promise of blessing for those who return to God, similar to Hezekiah's invitation.

Matthew 23:37
Reflects Jesus' lament over Jerusalem's rejection of God's messengers, paralleling the rejection faced by Hezekiah's couriers.

Acts 7:51-52
Stephen's speech about the historical pattern of Israel rejecting God's messengers, akin to the response in 2 Chronicles 30:10.
Sermons
Letters to Ephraim: GenerosityW. Clarkson 2 Chronicles 30:1, 10, 11
Preparations for a Grand National PassoverT. Whitelaw 2 Chronicles 30:1-12
People
Asher, Dan, David, Hezekiah, Isaac, Issachar, Levites, Manasseh, Solomon, Zebulun
Places
Assyria, Beersheba, Dan, Jerusalem, Kidron
Topics
Couriers, Ephraim, E'phraim, Laughed, Laughing, Manasseh, Manas'seh, Mocked, Mocking, Passed, Passing, Posts, Ridiculed, Runners, Scorn, Scorned, Sport, Town, Zebulun, Zeb'ulun
Dictionary of Bible Themes
2 Chronicles 30:10

     5586   town
     5928   resentment, against God
     6231   rejection of God

2 Chronicles 30:1-10

     5463   proclamations

2 Chronicles 30:1-20

     7266   tribes of Israel

2 Chronicles 30:1-27

     8466   reformation

2 Chronicles 30:6-10

     8817   ridicule, objects of

2 Chronicles 30:10-11

     7560   Samaritans, the

Library
A Loving Call to Reunion
'And Hezekiah sent to all Israel and Judah, and wrote letters also to Ephraim and Manasseh, that they should come to the house of the Lord at Jerusalem, to keep the passover unto the Lord God of Israel. 2. For the king had taken counsel, and his princes, and all the congregation in Jerusalem, to keep the passover in the second month. 3. For they could not keep it at that time, because the priests had not sanctified themselves sufficiently, neither had the people gathered themselves together to Jerusalem. …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

Of Antichrist, and his Ruin: and of the Slaying the Witnesses.
BY JOHN BUNYAN PREFATORY REMARKS BY THE EDITOR This important treatise was prepared for the press, and left by the author, at his decease, to the care of his surviving friend for publication. It first appeared in a collection of his works in folio, 1692; and although a subject of universal interest; most admirably elucidated; no edition has been published in a separate form. Antichrist has agitated the Christian world from the earliest ages; and his craft has been to mislead the thoughtless, by …
John Bunyan—The Works of John Bunyan Volumes 1-3

The New Temple and Its Worship
'And the elders of the Jews builded, and they prospered through the prophesying of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah the son of Iddo: and they builded, and finished it, according to the commandment of the God of Israel, and according to the commandment of Cyrus, and Darius, and Artaxerxes king of Persia. 15. And this house was finished on the third day of the month Adar, which was in the sixth year of the reign of Darius the king. 16. And the children of Israel, the priests, and the Levites, and the …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

Appendix v. Rabbinic Theology and Literature
1. The Traditional Law. - The brief account given in vol. i. p. 100, of the character and authority claimed for the traditional law may here be supplemented by a chronological arrangement of the Halakhoth in the order of their supposed introduction or promulgation. In the first class, or Halakhoth of Moses from Sinai,' tradition enumerates fifty-five, [6370] which may be thus designated: religio-agrarian, four; [6371] ritual, including questions about clean and unclean,' twenty-three; [6372] concerning …
Alfred Edersheim—The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah

The Quotation in Matt. Ii. 6.
Several interpreters, Paulus especially, have asserted that the interpretation of Micah which is here given, was that of the Sanhedrim only, and not of the Evangelist, who merely recorded what happened and was said. But this assertion is at once refuted when we consider the object which Matthew has in view in his entire representation of the early life of Jesus. His object in recording the early life of Jesus is not like that of Luke, viz., to communicate historical information to his readers. …
Ernst Wilhelm Hengstenberg—Christology of the Old Testament

Covenanting Performed in Former Ages with Approbation from Above.
That the Lord gave special token of his approbation of the exercise of Covenanting, it belongs to this place to show. His approval of the duty was seen when he unfolded the promises of the Everlasting Covenant to his people, while they endeavoured to perform it; and his approval thereof is continually seen in his fulfilment to them of these promises. The special manifestations of his regard, made to them while attending to the service before him, belonged to one or other, or both, of those exhibitions …
John Cunningham—The Ordinance of Covenanting

Covenanting a Duty.
The exercise of Covenanting with God is enjoined by Him as the Supreme Moral Governor of all. That his Covenant should be acceded to, by men in every age and condition, is ordained as a law, sanctioned by his high authority,--recorded in his law of perpetual moral obligation on men, as a statute decreed by him, and in virtue of his underived sovereignty, promulgated by his command. "He hath commanded his covenant for ever."[171] The exercise is inculcated according to the will of God, as King and …
John Cunningham—The Ordinance of Covenanting

Chronicles
The comparative indifference with which Chronicles is regarded in modern times by all but professional scholars seems to have been shared by the ancient Jewish church. Though written by the same hand as wrote Ezra-Nehemiah, and forming, together with these books, a continuous history of Judah, it is placed after them in the Hebrew Bible, of which it forms the concluding book; and this no doubt points to the fact that it attained canonical distinction later than they. Nor is this unnatural. The book …
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament

Links
2 Chronicles 30:10 NIV
2 Chronicles 30:10 NLT
2 Chronicles 30:10 ESV
2 Chronicles 30:10 NASB
2 Chronicles 30:10 KJV

2 Chronicles 30:10 Commentaries

Bible Hub
2 Chronicles 30:9
Top of Page
Top of Page