II Chronicles 31:7 · Bible study
2 Chronicles 31:7 Commentary: Hezekiah’s Harvest
Hebrew · 8 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Why does 2 Chronicles 31:7 specify the months for gathering tithe heaps?
Research Summary
- Meaning: The people began bringing tithes at the start of the wheat harvest (third month) and continued until the final ingathering (seventh month), showing sustained faithfulness.
- Key words: “Heaps” (H6194), piles of tithe gifts; “began” (H2490), they initiated; “finished” (H3615), they completed the gathering.
- Main debate: Minimal. The months are agreed to correspond with the Feast of Weeks and the Feast of Tabernacles; the disagreement is whether the “foundation of the heaps” means literally starting the piles or beginning to collect the tithes.
- Theological theme: Generosity in response to spiritual revival; God’s provision for worship and ministers; the link between harvest and tithe.
- Best use: A stewardship sermon or small-group study on the timing of giving and the blessing of sustained generosity.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
In the third month they began building up the heaps, and they finished in the seventh month.
WEB World English Bible 2000
In the third month, they began to lay the foundation of the heaps, and finished them in the seventh month.
KJV King James Version 1769
In the third month they began to lay the foundation of the heaps, and finished them in the seventh month.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
In the third month they began to lay the foundation of the heaps, and finished them in the seventh month.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
in the third month they have begun to lay the foundation of the heaps, and in the seventh month they have finished.
Darby Darby Bible 1890
In the third month they began to lay the heaps, and finished them in the seventh month.
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
In the third month they began to lay the foundations of the heaps, and in the seventh month, they finished them.
Translations in other languages (10 available)
En el mes tercero comenzaron á fundar aquellos montones, y en el mes séptimo acabaron.
No mês terceiro começaram a fundar aqueles amontoados, e no mês sétimo acabaram.
On commença à former les tas au troisième mois, et l’on acheva au septième mois.
Im dritten Monat fingen sie an, Haufen auszuschütten, und im siebenten Monat richteten sie es aus.
In de derde maand begonnen zij den grond van die hopen te leggen, en in de zevende maand voleindden zij.
Cominciarono a fare que’ mucchi il terzo mese, e finirono il settimo mese.
Trzeciego miesiąca poczęli zakładać te gromady, a miesiąca siódmego dokonali.
В третий месяц начали класть груды, и в седьмой месяц кончили.
從三 月 積 起，到七 月 才完。
The first store of things was put down in the third month, and in the seventh month the masses were complete.
Verse in Context
Original Language (Biblical Hebrew)
Old Testament · Biblical Hebrew · II Chronicles 31:7
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators agree that the third and seventh months correspond to the main harvest seasons of the Israelite agricultural calendar. The third month (Sivan) is when the Feast of Weeks or Pentecost occurred, marking the end of the barley harvest and the beginning of the wheat harvest. The seventh month (Tisri) is the Feast of Tabernacles, or the feast of ingathering, when all fruits of the land were collected. Barnes, Gill, and Wesley all note this connection. The passage records the people’s immediate and abundant response to Hezekiah’s command to bring tithes and firstfruits (v.5, 6). The fact that the heaps began in the third month and were completed by the seventh shows that the people gave faithfully over the entire harvest period. This was not a one-time offering but a sustained act of obedience that lasted from the early harvest to the final ingathering.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Low
What is clear: The people brought tithes and firstfruits from the start of the harvest season (third month) until the end (seventh month), demonstrating sustained obedience and resulting in abundant provision for the temple worship.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning of the third and seventh months | Christians across traditions agree these are the months of Sivan (harvest/Pentecost) and Tisri (Tabernacles/ingathering) in the Jewish calendar. | Some interpreters see the months as purely chronological; others read them as typological, foreshadowing the outpouring of the Spirit (third month = Pentecost) and the final gathering of the elect (seventh month = Tabernacles). |
| Significance of 'foundation of the heaps' | All agree the phrase means the beginning of piling up the tithe offerings in the temple courts. | A few older commentators (e.g., Matthew Henry) taken literally as building a platform for the heaps; most modern scholars view it as a metaphor for starting the collection process. |
| The people’s faithfulness | All agree that the text presents a model of generous and timely giving that supports the ministry. | Some traditions emphasize this as prescriptive for tithing today; others read it as descriptive of a historical event without binding application for New Covenant Christians. |
Historical & Cultural Context
When Hezekiah became king, he restored temple worship and destroyed the high places. After celebrating Passover in the second month (2 Chronicles 30:13, 15), he appointed the priests and Levites to their courses and commanded the people to support them with tithes (31:4). The response was immediate and overwhelming.
The third month (Sivan, May, June) was the start of the wheat harvest. According to the law, the Feast of Weeks (Pentecost) was celebrated at this time, when firstfruits of the wheat harvest were offered to the Lord (Leviticus 23:16, 17). The people would bring grain, wine, oil, and other firstfruits. The “heaps” mentioned here are the collections of tithes that accumulated in the temple courts or storehouses.
The seventh month (Tisri, September, October) was the Feast of Tabernacles, the ingathering of all the produce of the land (Leviticus 23:34, 43). By the end of the seventh month, the entire yearly harvest was complete. The people continued to bring tithes throughout these months, so that the heaps grew from the early summer to the early autumn.
This timing shows the people’s faithfulness: they began giving as soon as the harvest started and continued until the last of the year’s crops were gathered. The abundance was so great that the priests later reported “plenty left over” (v.10). The passage highlights the connection between spiritual revival and practical generosity.
Textual Notes
The supplied sources note no significant textual variants for this verse. The Hebrew text is stable across the major manuscripts.
Reception History
In the history of interpretation, this verse has been cited by both Jewish and Christian commentators as an example of faithful tithing. Jewish exegetes in the Talmud saw it as a model for the collection of terumah and ma’aser. Reformation-era commentators such as Matthew Henry and John Gill used the verse to encourage generous support for pastors and church workers during times of renewal. In modern stewardship campaigns, the passage is often referenced to show the connection between revival and giving: when hearts are turned back to God, purse strings loosen. The timing of the months also served as a reminder of the agricultural roots of Israel’s worship, a theme that resonates with rural congregations today.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- Obedience begins where the harvest begins. The people started giving in the third month, the start of the wheat harvest. Faithfulness is about timing, giving the firstfruits, not the leftovers.
- Sustained generosity requires ongoing commitment. They did not give once and stop; they kept bringing from the third to the seventh month. Stewardship is a season, not a single event.
- God’s blessing appears as heaps of provision. The finished heaps were a visible sign of God’s blessing on a generous people (v.10). When we give, God provides enough for the giver, the priest, and the poor.
Five-point outline
- Context of reform: Hezekiah’s restoration of temple worship (ch.29, 31).
- Command to tithe: v.4, 5, the king’s call to support the ministry.
- Immediate response: v.5, 6, they brought abundantly.
- Timing of the giving: v.7, third to seventh month, from Pentecost to Tabernacles.
- Abundance and praise: v.8, 10, the heaps led to blessing and thanksgiving.
Illustration hooks
- A family that commits to a “firstfruits” budget, giving before they spend. Over a season, they see their giving accumulate into a meaningful sum for their church or a mission.
- A community garden where neighbors bring their extra produce each week. What starts as a few squash in June becomes a mountain of food by October.
Questions your congregation is asking
- “How can I know if my giving is really making a difference?” (The passage shows that faithful giving over time builds up visible support for ministry.)
- “Should I give from the first of my income or from what’s left over?” (The people gave from their firstfruits, and the heaps grew from the start of the harvest.)
- “Does God care about the timing of my giving?” (The text suggests that giving in sync with the season of harvest, when we have income, is part of faithful stewardship.)
Leading a Discussion
This verse gives us a snapshot of what happens when God’s people respond generously to a call for support. The detail about the months is not incidental, it reveals something about the character of their obedience. As you discuss this passage, think about the connection between your own seasons of abundance and your giving.
Discussion questions
- What do the third and seventh months represent in the agricultural and religious calendar of Israel? (See Leviticus 23:16, 24.)
- Why do you think the text notes the starting and finishing month for the heaps? What does that tell us about the people’s response?
- How did the giving in v.5, 6 lead to the heaps described in v.7? What does this say about the scale of their generosity?
- In what ways does the timing of our giving matter? Are we more likely to give at the beginning or end of a season?
- Azariah the priest later says, “we have eaten and have plenty left over” (v.10). How does the timing of the heaps contribute to that sense of God’s blessing?
- What “heaps” do you see in your church or community when people give faithfully over time?
- How can you align your giving with your own “harvest seasons”, times when you receive income, bonuses, or other resources?
Word Study
The key original-language words in this verse. Select any word for its full lexicon entry — meaning, every occurrence in Scripture, and related words.
Cross-References
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK, public domain)
| Leviticus 23:16 | The next day after the seventh Sabbath you shall count fifty days; and you shall offer a new meal offering to Yahweh. |
| Leviticus 23:24 | “Speak to the children of Israel, saying, ‘In the seventh month, on the first day of the month, there shall be a solemn rest for you, a memorial of blowing of trumpets, a holy convocation. |
Interlinear and lexical data from STEPBible (CC BY 4.0). Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Commentaries are public domain.
For personal reflection
Read the devotional page — prayer, application, and "for families"
What the Commentators Say
7 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Adam Clarke's Commentary Methodist/Wesleyan 1826
Clarke clarifies that the third month corresponds to Sivan according to the Targum, and explains that the "heaps" are the vast surplus of grain collected from tithes beyond what the people needed for themselves.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible Protestant 1832
Barnes observes that the gifts began arriving within a month of Passover, so quickly did the people respond after the feast. He notes that by the seventh month the harvest was complete, making it the natural time for the year's final tithes and first-fruits to be brought in.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
The commentator notes that the Feast of Harvest began in the third month, followed seven weeks later by the Feast of Ingathering. This provides a chronological marker for the two agricultural festivals in the Israelite calendar.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
The Geneva annotators draw attention to the precise timeframe: the foundation of the heaps was begun in the third month and completed by the seventh. This specific seasonal detail indicates the work was carried out without interruption, marking a swift and orderly restoration of worship after the exile.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill ties the timing of laying the foundation of the heaps to the agricultural and festival calendar. The third month, Sivan, marked Pentecost and the end of barley harvest, a fitting time for firstfruits. Finishing in the seventh month, Tisri, coincided with the Feast of Tabernacles and the ingathering of wine and oil, making it suitable for bringing the tithes.
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Henry highlights how Hezekiah's reform moved from tearing down idols to building up true worship in a deliberate, orderly way. The king personally provided for the sacrifices, and the people responded with overflowing generosity, giving so much that it piled in heaps. For Henry, this shows that faithful leadership and heartfelt devotion naturally produce joyful, abundant giving.
Wesley's Explanatory Notes Methodist/Wesleyan 1754
Wesley draws attention to the agricultural significance of the months mentioned. The third month marks the beginning of their harvest, while the seventh month marks its end and the observance of the feast of tabernacles.