“And as soon as the commandment came abroad, the children of Israel brought in abundance the firstfruits of corn, wine, and oil, and honey, and of all the increase of the field; and the tithe of all things brought they in abundantly.”
My Notes
What Does 2 Chronicles 31:5 Mean?
"And as soon as the commandment came abroad, the children of Israel brought in abundance the firstfruits of corn, wine, and oil, and honey, and of all the increase of the field; and the tithe of all things brought they in abundantly." The people's response to Hezekiah's reform is IMMEDIATE and OVERWHELMING: 'as soon as the commandment came abroad' — the moment the word goes out, the people POUR in their offerings. Firstfruits, tithes, grain, wine, oil, honey, field-produce — ABUNDANCE. The giving is so generous that the surplus creates storage problems (verse 6-10).
The phrase "as soon as the commandment came abroad" (ukhiphrotz haddavar — when the word broke forth/spread) uses PARATZ — to break forth, to burst out. The word doesn't slowly circulate. It BREAKS FORTH — spreading rapidly, urgently, energetically. The people's response matches the word's speed. The giving is as rapid as the announcement.
The phrase "brought in abundance" (hirbu benei Yisrael — the children of Israel multiplied/increased) emphasizes EXCESS: not just enough. Not just the required amount. ABUNDANCE — multiplied, increased, overflowing. The giving exceeds the expectation. The generosity surpasses the requirement. The people don't calculate the minimum. They bring the MAXIMUM.
Reflection Questions
- 1.What generosity in your community is waiting for the right invitation?
- 2.What does the immediate, abundant response teach about people being READY before being ASKED?
- 3.How does the giving creating STORAGE PROBLEMS describe what happens when reform meets readiness?
- 4.What 'commandment' — what clear invitation — would unlock the abundance that's already waiting?
Devotional
The MOMENT the word goes out, the giving FLOODS in. Firstfruits. Tithes. Grain, wine, oil, honey. Everything the field produces. The generosity is so overwhelming that they have to build new STOREROOMS (verse 11) because there's nowhere to put it all. The giving exceeds the capacity.
The IMMEDIACY is the revelation: the people were READY. The generosity was WAITING — held back not by unwillingness but by the absence of invitation. As soon as the commandment comes, the abundance flows. The people didn't need to be convinced. They needed to be ASKED. The reform unlocked what was already there.
The ABUNDANCE tells a different story than the usual narrative of reluctant giving: the children of Israel bring SO MUCH that the piles of offerings form HEAPS (verse 6-7). Hezekiah asks the priests about the surplus and Azariah answers: 'Since the people began to bring the offerings into the house of the LORD, we have had enough to eat, and have LEFT plenty' (verse 10). The giving produces SURPLUS — more than enough for the temple AND for the Levites.
This is what happens when REFORM meets READINESS: the reform creates the opportunity. The readiness supplies the generosity. The commandment opens the channel. The abundance flows through it. The giving isn't forced or reluctant. It's EAGER — waiting for permission, rushing through the opening, piling up in heaps.
What generosity in your community is WAITING for the right invitation — ready to flood in the moment the word breaks forth?
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
And as soon as the commandment came abroad,.... Not only was published in the city of Jerusalem, but the report of it,…
Honey - See the margin. It is doubtful whether bee-honey was liable to first-fruits. The sort here intended may…
Brought - the first-fruits - These were principally for the maintenance of the priests and Levites; they brought tithes…
We have here an account of what was done after the passover. What was wanting in the solemnities of preparation for it…
brought in abundance R.V. gave in abundance.
and honey Honey(Heb. děbash) is not elsewhere mentioned as subject to…
Cross References
Related passages throughout Scripture