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.
Parallel translations
- WEB Stand in the holy place according to the divisions of the fathers’ houses of your brothers the children of the people, and let there be for each a portion of a fathers’ house of the Levites.
- BSB 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.
- NKJV And stand in the holy place according to the divisions of the fathers’ houses of your brethren the lay people, and according to the division of the father’s house of the Levites.
- NASB Furthermore, stand in the holy place according to the sections of the fathers’ households of your countrymen, the lay people, and according to the Levites, by division of a father’s household.
- NLT “Then stand in the sanctuary at the place appointed for your family division and help the families assigned to you as they bring their offerings to the Temple.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
The Levites are to stand in the sanctuary by their divisions to assist the lay families with the Passover. Their role is to help the people draw near to God.
Overview
Josiah assigns the Levites to serve in the holy place so that each grouping of the people has Levitical assistance for the festival. This careful arrangement ensured the whole nation could participate rightly in worship. It pictures the mediating ministry that enables God's people to approach him, ultimately fulfilled in Christ, our great High Priest who brings us near.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 3
- Ps 134:1Behold, bless ye the LORD, all ye servants of the LORD, which by night stand in the house of the LORD.
- Ezra 6:18And they set the priests in their divisions, and the Levites in their courses, for the service of God, which is at Jerusalem; as it is written in the book of Moses.
- Ps 135:2Ye that stand in the house of the LORD, in the courts of the house of our God,
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
Christ at the center
Temple, priesthood, and the repeated need for a faithful king who seeks the LORD all point past every imperfect reign to the King and Temple who finally and fully dwell with God's people.
How 2 Chronicles 35:5 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.