2 Chronicles 31:13-19 Meaning: Organized Faithfulness
13Jehiel, Azaziah, Nahath, Asahel, Jerimoth, Jozabad, Eliel, Ismachiah, Mahath, and Benaiah were overseers under the hand of Conaniah and Shimei his brother, by the appointment of Hezekiah the king and Azariah the ruler of God’s house.
14Kore the son of Imnah the Levite, the gatekeeper at the east gate, was over the free will offerings of God, to distribute Yahweh’s offerings and the most holy things.
15Under him were Eden, Miniamin, Jeshua, Shemaiah, Amariah, and Shecaniah, in the cities of the priests, in their office of trust, to give to their brothers by divisions, to the great as well as to the small;
16in addition to those who were listed by genealogy of males, from three years old and upward, even everyone who entered into Yahweh’s house, as the duty of every day required, for their service in their offices according to their divisions;
17and those who were listed by genealogy of the priests by their fathers’ houses, and the Levites from twenty years old and upward, in their offices by their divisions;
18and those who were listed by genealogy of all their little ones, their wives, their sons, and their daughters, through all the congregation; for in their office of trust they sanctified themselves in holiness.
19Also for the sons of Aaron the priests, who were in the fields of the pasture lands of their cities, in every city, there were men who were mentioned by name to give portions to all the males among the priests and to all who were listed by genealogy among the Levites.
13And Jehiel, and Azaziah, and Nahath, and Asahel, and Jerimoth, and Jozabad, and Eliel, and Ismachiah, and Mahath, and Benaiah, were overseers under the hand of Cononiah and Shimei his brother, at the commandment of Hezekiah the king, and Azariah the ruler of the house of God.
14And Kore the son of Imnah the Levite, the porter toward the east, was over the freewill offerings of God, to distribute the oblations of the Lord, and the most holy things.
15And next him were Eden, and Miniamin, and Jeshua, and Shemaiah, Amariah, and Shecaniah, in the cities of the priests, in their set office, to give to their brethren by courses, as well to the great as to the small:
16Beside their genealogy of males, from three years old and upward, even unto every one that entereth into the house of the Lord, his daily portion for their service in their charges according to their courses;
17Both to the genealogy of the priests by the house of their fathers, and the Levites from twenty years old and upward, in their charges by their courses;
18And to the genealogy of all their little ones, their wives, and their sons, and their daughters, through all the congregation: for in their set office they sanctified themselves in holiness:
19Also of the sons of Aaron the priests, which were in the fields of the suburbs of their cities, in every several city, the men that were expressed by name, to give portions to all the males among the priests, and to all that were reckoned by genealogies among the Levites.
13and Jehiel, and Azaziah, and Nahath, and Asahel, and Jerimoth, and Jozabad, and Eliel, and Ismachiah, and Mahath, and Benaiah, were overseers under the hand of Conaniah and Shimei his brother, by the appointment of Hezekiah the king, and Azariah the ruler of the house of God.
14And Kore the son of Imnah the Levite, the porter at the east gate, was over the freewill-offerings of God, to distribute the oblations of Jehovah, and the most holy things.
15And under him were Eden, and Miniamin, and Jeshua, and Shemaiah, Amariah, and Shecaniah, in the cities of the priests, in their office of trust, to give to their brethren by courses, as well to the great as to the small:
16besides them that were reckoned by genealogy of males, from three years old and upward, even every one that entered into the house of Jehovah, as the duty of every day required, for their service in their offices according to their courses;
17and them that were reckoned by genealogy of the priests by their fathers’ houses, and the Levites from twenty years old and upward, in their offices by their courses;
18and them that were reckoned by genealogy of all their little ones, their wives, and their sons, and their daughters, through all the congregation: for in their office of trust they sanctified themselves in holiness.
19Also for the sons of Aaron the priests, that were in the fields of the suburbs of their cities, in every city, there were men that were mentioned by name, to give portions to all the males among the priests, and to all that were reckoned by genealogy among the Levites.
13and Jehiel, and Azaziah, and Nahath, and Asahel, and Jerimoth, and Jozabad, and Eliel, and Ismachiah, and Mahath, and Benaiah, are inspectors under the hand of Conaniah and Shimei his brother, by the appointment of Hezekiah the king, and Azariah leader of the house of God.
14And Kore son of Imnah the Levite, the gatekeeper at the east, is over the willing-offerings of God, to give the heave-offering of Jehovah, and the most holy things.
15And by his hand are Eden, and Miniamin, and Jeshua, and Shemaiah, Amariah, and Shechaniah, in cities of the priests, faithfully to give to their brethren in courses, as the great so the small,
16apart from their genealogy, to males from a son of three years and upward, to every one who hath gone in to the house of Jehovah, by the matter of a day in its day, for their service in their charges, according to their courses;
17and the genealogy of the priests by the house of their fathers, and of the Levites, from a son of twenty years and upward, in their charges, in their courses;
18and to the genealogy among all their infants, their wives, and their sons, and their daughters to all the congregation, for in their faithfulness they sanctify themselves in holiness.
19And to sons of Aaron, the priests, in the fields of the suburb of their cities, in every city and city, are men who have been defined by name, to give portions to every male among the priests, and to every one who reckoned himself by genealogy among the Levites.
13And Jehiel, and Azaziah, and Nahath, and Asahel, and Jerimoth, and Jozabad, and Eliel, and Jismachiah, and Mahath, and Benaiah were overseers under the hand of Cononiah and Shimei his brother, at the command of Hezekiah the king and Azariah the ruler of the house of God.
14And Kore the son of Jimnah the Levite, the doorkeeper toward the east, was over the voluntary-offerings of God, to distribute the heave-offerings of Jehovah, and the most holy things.
15And under him were Eden and Miniamin and Jeshua and Shemaiah, Amariah and Shecaniah, in the cities of the priests, in [their] set trust, to make distributions to their brethren by [their] divisions, to the great as to the small,
16besides those from three years old and upward who as males were entered in the genealogical register, — all that came into the house of Jehovah, as the duty of every day required, for their service in their charges, according to their divisions,
17— both to the priests enregistered according to their fathers' houses, and to the Levites from twenty years old and upward, in their charges, by their divisions;
18and to all their little ones, their wives, and their sons, and their daughters, the whole congregation of those entered in the register; for in their trust they hallowed themselves to be holy.
19And for the sons of Aaron the priests who were in the country, in the suburbs of their cities, there were, in every several city, men expressed by name, to give portions to all the males among the priests, and to all the Levites that were entered in the register.
Meaning in one sentence
How Hezekiah appointed trustworthy overseers to distribute tithes and offerings to all priestly families, including wives and children.
Context
After Hezekiah’s great Passover revival, the people brought so many tithes and offerings that heaps piled up in the temple courts. The chief priest reported that God had blessed the nation with abundance. So Hezekiah and Azariah, the ruler of God’s house, set up a careful system. This passage records the chain of command: Conaniah was the chief supervisor, Kore oversaw the freewill offerings and most holy things, and deputies like Eden and his colleagues distributed portions in the Levitical cities. The lists show that everyone was included, priests on duty, those retired in their hometowns, and even wives and little children. This was not a haphazard charity; it was an organized, faithful stewardship.
Key Words
Three Hebrew words anchor the trust this passage describes. פקד (paqid), translated “overseers,” means someone appointed to inspect and take charge. These men were not volunteers, they were chosen by the king and the high priest to bear real responsibility. אמונה (emunah), “faithfulness,” is the quality of the deputies who distributed the portions “in their office of trust.” The word carries the sense of steadiness, reliability, a grip that does not loosen. God’s own character is described by this word. And קדש (qadash), “they sanctified themselves,” means to set something apart for God. The priests and Levites consecrated themselves by devoting their full working lives to the temple service, so the community in turn provided for their families. The distribution system was not just logistics, it was a sacred duty born out of mutual faithfulness.
How Christians Read This Verse
Christians have read this passage in different ways. Some, like Matthew Henry, see it as a model of good church administration: when God’s people give generously, leaders must manage those gifts with care and integrity. Others emphasize the spiritual devotion of the priests: the Jamieson-Fausset-Brown commentary points out that they sanctified themselves by withdrawing from secular work to serve the Lord, and the congregation sustained them in that calling. Across traditions, readers agree that the passage highlights God’s care for every family member, including the smallest children, and His delight when His people handle sacred resources with honesty. The challenge is to let this ancient system inspire us toward faithful stewardship in our own communities.
A common misunderstanding
Some assume the tithes and offerings only supported priests who were actively serving at the temple in Jerusalem. In fact, the system also reached every Levite and priest living in their allotted cities across the countryside, with designated men distributing portions to all males along with wives and children (v.18, 19). Hezekiah’s order made sure no one was overlooked, whether they worked in the sanctuary or lived on the pasturelands of their cities.
Living This Out
This passage turns a simple question toward you: who has trusted you with something? Maybe you serve on a committee that handles money, or you are the one who divides up chores at home, or you manage a team at work. The names in this list had no fame outside their own community, but they held a sacred trust: making sure God’s provision reached every person. This week, look at one responsibility you carry, a budget, a calendar, a meal plan, a group of volunteers. How can you handle it with the same emunah, the same steadiness? You do not need a title. You just need to be faithful with what is in your hand.
Main takeaway: God provides for His servants through orderly, faithful stewardship, and He calls His people to be trustworthy with every resource He entrusts to them.
For Families
For ages 5, 8
God made sure everyone in the temple had enough food and money. People worked together to share what was given. You can share too, by being kind and helping at home.
For ages 9, 12
King Hezekiah set up a system to make sure the priests and their families had what they needed. He chose trustworthy people to distribute the offerings fairly, even to little children. This shows that God cares about details and wants us to take care of each other. When you help with chores or share your snacks, you are doing something like that.
Questions People Ask
Why is there a list of names in this passage?
The names show that Hezekiah appointed specific, known individuals, not just nameless officials, to handle the offerings. This emphasizes accountability and personal responsibility in managing God’s gifts.
What does it mean that the priests and Levites 'sanctified themselves in holiness'?
Because they set themselves apart for full-time temple service rather than farming or trade to support their families, the community provided for their households from the offerings. Their consecration made the distribution necessary.
How did Hezekiah's system reach priests living in the countryside?
Deputies like Eden, Miniamin, and others were stationed in the Levitical cities outside Jerusalem. They distributed portions to all males, plus wives and children, so even those not serving at the temple were cared for.
What are the 'freewill offerings' mentioned here?
Freewill offerings were voluntary gifts given out of devotion, not required by law. Kore was placed over these to ensure they were distributed properly alongside the mandatory tithes and other holy things.
For pastors & researchers
Hebrew interlinear, 8 commentaries & word study