SEV Biblia, Chapter 22:8
Entonces dijo el sumo sacerdote Hilcías a Safán escriba: El libro de la ley he hallado en la Casa del SEÑOR. E Hilcías dio el libro a Safán para que lo leyese.
Clarke's Bible Commentary - 2 Kings 22:8
Verse 8. I have found the book of the law] Was this the autograph of Moses? It is very probable that it was, for in the parallel place; 2 Chron. xxxiv. 14, it is said to be the book of the law of the Lord by Moses. It is supposed to be that part of Deuteronomy (28., 29., 30., and 31.,) which contains the renewing of the covenant in the plains of Moab, and which contains the most terrible invectives against the corrupters of God's word and worship. The rabbins say that Ahaz, Manasseh, and Amon endeavoured to destroy all the copies of the law, and this only was saved by having been buried under a paving-stone. It is scarcely reasonable to suppose that this was the only copy of the law that was found in Judea; for even if we grant that Ahaz, Manasseh, and Amon had endeavoured to destroy all the books of the law, yet they could not have succeeded so as to destroy the whole.
Besides, Manasseh endeavoured after his conversion to restore every part of the Divine worship, and in this he could have done nothing without the Pentateuch; and the succeeding reign of Amon was too short to give him opportunity to undo every thing that his penitent father had reformed.
Add to all these considerations, that in the time of Jehoshaphat teaching from the law was universal in the land, for he set on foot an itinerant ministry, in order to instruct the people fully: for "he sent to his princes to teach in the cities of Judah; and with them he sent Levites and priests; and they went about through all the cities of Judah, and taught the people, having the book of the Lord with them;" see 2 Chron. xvii. 7-9. And if there be any thing wanting to show the improbability of the thing, it must be this, that the transactions mentioned here took place in the eighteenth year of the reign of Josiah, who had, from the time he came to the throne, employed himself in the restoration of the pure worship of God; and it is not likely that during these eighteen years he was without a copy of the Pentateuch. The simple fact seems to be this, that this was the original of the covenant renewed by Moses with the people in the plains of Moab, and which he ordered to be laid up beside the ark; (Deut. xxxi. 26;) and now being unexpectedly found, its antiquity, the occasion of its being made, the present circumstances of the people, the imperfect state in which the reformation was as yet, after all that had been done, would all concur to produce the effect here mentioned on the mind of the pious Josiah.
John Gill's Bible Commentary
Ver. 8. And Hilkiah the high priest said unto Shaphan the scribe , etc.] Not at the first time of his message to him, but afterwards that he attended on him upon the same business; after the high priest had examined the temple to know what repairs it wanted, and where: I have found the book of the law in the house of the Lord ; some think this was only the book of Deuteronomy, and some only some part of that; rather the whole Pentateuch, and that not a copy of it, but the very autograph of Moses, written with his own hand, as it seems from ( Chronicles 34:14). Some say he found it in the holy of holies, on the side of the ark; there it was put originally; but, indeed, had it been there, he might have found it before, and must have seen it, since, as high priest, he entered there once every year; more probably some pious predecessor of his had taken it from thence in a time of general corruption, as in the reign of Manasseh, and hid it in some private place, under a lay of stones, as Jarchi, in some hole in the wall, which upon search about repairs was found there: and Hilkiah gave the book to Shaphan, and he read it ; and though there might be some copies of it in private hands, yet scarce; and perhaps Shaphan had never seen one, at least a perfect one, or however had never read it through, as now he did.
Matthew Henry Commentary
Verses 1-10 - The different event of Josiah's early succession from that of Manasseh must be ascribed to the distinguishing grace of God; yet probably the persons that trained him up were instruments in producing thi difference. His character was most excellent. Had the people joined in the reformation as heartily as he persevered in it, blessed effect would have followed. But they were wicked, and had become fools in idolatry. We do not obtain full knowledge of the state of Judah from the historical records, unless we refer to the writings of the prophet who lived at the time. In repairing the temple, the book of the law wa found, and brought to the king. It seems, this book of the law was los and missing; carelessly mislaid and neglected, as some throw their Bibles into corners, or maliciously concealed by some of the idolaters God's care of the Bible plainly shows his interest in it. Whether thi was the only copy in being or not, the things contained in it were new both to the king and to the high priest. No summaries, extracts, or collections out of the Bible, can convey and preserve the knowledge of God and his will, like the Bible itself. It was no marvel that the people were so corrupt, when the book of the law was so scarce; the that corrupted them, no doubt, used arts to get that book out of their hands. The abundance of Bibles we possess aggravates our national sins for what greater contempt of God can we show, than to refuse to rea his word when put into our hands, or, reading it, not to believe an obey it? By the holy law is the knowledge of sin, and by the blesse gospel is the knowledge of salvation. When the former is understood in its strictness and excellence, the sinner begins to inquire, What mus I do to be saved? And the ministers of the gospel point out to his Jesus Christ, as the end of the law for righteousness to every one tha believeth.
Original Hebrew
ויאמר 559 חלקיהו 2518 הכהן 3548 הגדול 1419 על 5921 שׁפן 8227 הספר 5608 ספר 5612 התורה 8451 מצאתי 4672 בבית 1004 יהוה 3068 ויתן 5414 חלקיה 2518 את 853 הספר 5612 אל 413 שׁפן 8227 ויקראהו׃ 7121
