2 Chronicles 30 · Verse 6

2 Chronicles 30:6

So the posts went with the letters from the king and his princes throughout all Israel and Judah, and according to the commandment of the king, saying, Ye children of Israel, turn again unto the Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, and he will return to the remnant of you, that are escaped out of the hand of the kings of Assyria.
2 Chronicles 30:6, King James Version

2 Chronicles 30:6 in other translations

BSBSo the couriers went throughout Israel and Judah with letters from the king and his officials, which read: “Children of Israel, return to the LORD, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, so that He may return to those of you who remain, who have escaped the grasp of the kings of Assyria.
WEBSo the couriers went with the letters from the king and his princes throughout all Israel and Judah, according to the commandment of the king, saying, “You children of Israel, turn again to the LORD, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, that he may return to the remnant of you that have escaped out of the hand of the kings of Assyria.
ASVSo the posts went with the letters from the king and his princes throughout all Israel and Judah, and according to the commandment of the king, saying, Ye children of Israel, turn again unto Jehovah, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, that he may return to the remnant that are escaped of you out of the hand of the kings of Assyria.
YLTAnd the runners go with letters from the hand of the king and his heads, into all Israel and Judah, even according to the command of the king, saying, ‘O sons of Israel, turn back unto Jehovah, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, and He doth turn back unto the escaped part that is left of you from the hand of the kings of Asshur;
DARBYAnd the couriers went with the letters from the king and his princes throughout Israel and Judah, and according to the commandment of the king, saying, Ye children of Israel, return to Jehovah the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, and he will return to the remnant of you that are escaped out of the hand of the kings of Assyria.
BBESo runners went with letters from the king and his chiefs through all Israel and Judah, by the order of the king, saying, O children of Israel, come back again to the Lord, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, so that he may come again to that small band of you which has been kept safe out of the hands of the kings of Assyria.
WebsterSo the posts went with the letters from the king and his princes throughout all Israel and Judah, and according to the commandment of the king, saying, Ye children of Israel, turn again to the LORD God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, and he will return to the remnant of you that have escaped from the hand of the kings of Assyria.

What does 2 Chronicles 30:6 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
6. the posts--that is, runners, or royal messengers, who were taken from the king's bodyguard (2Ch 23:1, 2). Each, well mounted, had a certain number of miles to traverse. Having performed his course, he was relieved by another, who had to scour an equal extent of ground; so that, as the government messengers were despatched in all directions, public edicts were speedily diffused throughout the country. The proclamation of Hezekiah was followed by a verbal address from himself, piously urging the duty, and setting forth the advantages, of a return to the pure faith and institutions which God had delivered to their ancestors through Moses. the remnant of you, that are escaped out of the hand of the kings of Assyria--This implies that several expeditions against Israel had already been made by Assyrian invaders--by Pul (2Ki 15:19), but none of the people were then removed; at a later period by Tiglath-pileser, when it appears that numbers among the tribes east of Jordan (1Ch 5:26), and afterwards in the northern parts of Israel (2Ki 15:20), were carried into foreign exile. The invasion of Shalmaneser cannot be alluded to, as it did not take place till the sixth year of Hezekiah's reign (2Ki 17:6; 18:9-12).

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 6 So the posts went - רצים ratsim, the runners or couriers; persons who were usually employed to carry messages; men who were light of foot, and confidential.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on 2 Chronicles 30:1-12

Hezekiah made Israel as welcome to the passover, as any of his own subjects. Let us yield ourselves unto the Lord. Say not, you will do what you please, but resolve to do what he pleases. We perceive in the carnal mind a stiffness, an obstinacy, an unaptness to compel with God; we have it from our fathers: this must be overcome. Those who, through grace, have turned to God themselves, should do all they can to bring…

Read the full comment on 2 Chronicles 30:1-12 →

2 Chronicles 30:6 in the original Hebrew

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

וַיֵּלְכוּ֩vai.ye.le.Khuand they wentH1980
הָרָצִ֨יםha.ra.Tzimthe runnersH7323
בָּֽאִגְּר֜וֹתba.'i.ge.Rotwith <the> lettersH107
מִיַּ֧דmi.Yadfrom [the] hand ofH3027
הַמֶּ֣לֶךְha.Me.lekhthe kingH4428
וְשָׂרָ֗יוve.sa.Ravand officials hisH8269
בְּכָל\־be.kholin allH3605
יִשְׂרָאֵל֙Yis.ra.'ElIsraelH3478
וִֽיהוּדָ֔הvi.hu.Dahand JudahH3063
וּכְמִצְוַ֥תu.khe.mitz.Vatand according to [the] command ofH4687
הַמֶּ֖לֶךְha.Me.lekhthe kingH4428
לֵאמֹ֑רle.Mor<to> sayingH559
בְּנֵ֣יbe.NeiO people ofH1121
יִשְׂרָאֵ֗לYis.ra.'ElIsraelH3478
שׁ֚וּבוּShu.vureturnH7725
אֶל\־'el-toH413
יְהוָ֗הYah.wehYahwehH3068
אֱלֹהֵי֙'e.lo.Hei[the] God ofH430
אַבְרָהָם֙'av.ra.HamAbrahamH85
יִצְחָ֣קyitz.ChakIsaacH3327
וְיִשְׂרָאֵ֔לve.Yis.ra.'Eland IsraelH3478
וְיָשֹׁב֙ve.ya.Shoso he may returnH7725
אֶל\־'el-toH413
הַפְּלֵיטָ֔הha.pe.lei.Tahthe escaped remnantH6413
הַנִּשְׁאֶ֣רֶתha.nish.'E.retwhich remainsH7604
לָכֶ֔םla.Khemto you
מִכַּ֖ףmi.Kaffrom [the] hand ofH3709
מַלְכֵ֥יmal.Khei[the] kings ofH4428
אַשּֽׁוּר\׃'a.ShurAssyriaH804

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for 2 Chronicles 30:6

  • Jeremiah 51:31

    One post shall run to meet another, and one messenger to meet another, to shew the king of Babylon that his city is taken at one end,

  • Esther 8:14

    So the posts that rode upon mules and camels went out, being hastened and pressed on by the king’s commandment. And the decree was given at Shushan the palace.

  • Jeremiah 4:1

    If thou wilt return, O Israel, saith the Lord, return unto me: and if thou wilt put away thine abominations out of my sight, then shalt thou not remove.

  • 2 Kings 15:19

    And Pul the king of Assyria came against the land: and Menahem gave Pul a thousand talents of silver, that his hand might be with him to confirm the kingdom in his hand.

  • 2 Kings 15:29

    In the days of Pekah king of Israel came Tiglath–pileser king of Assyria, and took Ijon, and Abel–beth–maachah, and Janoah, and Kedesh, and Hazor, and Gilead, and Galilee, all the land of Naphtali, and carried them captive to Assyria.

  • 1 Chronicles 5:26

    And the God of Israel stirred up the spirit of Pul king of Assyria, and the spirit of Tilgath–pilneser king of Assyria, and he carried them away, even the Reubenites, and the Gadites, and the half tribe of Manasseh, and brought them unto Halah, and Habor, and Hara, and to the river Gozan, unto this day.

  • Job 9:25

    Now my days are swifter than a post: they flee away, they see no good.

  • 2 Chronicles 28:20

    And Tilgath–pilneser king of Assyria came unto him, and distressed him, but strengthened him not.

  • Isaiah 55:6-7

    Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near: Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.

  • Hosea 14:1

    O Israel, return unto the Lord thy God; for thou hast fallen by thine iniquity.

  • Ezekiel 33:11

    Say unto them, As I live, saith the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live: turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die, O house of Israel?

  • Isaiah 1:9

    Except the Lord of hosts had left unto us a very small remnant, we should have been as Sodom, and we should have been like unto Gomorrah.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
the posts went.{Ratzim,} "runners," or couriers, of the same kind as the running footmen, who were formerly, before the establishment of posts, and still are in some places, trained, and kept on purpose to convey dispatches speedily by running.
Job 9:25; Es 8:14; Jer 51:31
the king. Heb. the hand of the king. turn again.
Isa 55:6,7; Jer 4:1; La 5:21; Eze 33:11; Ho 14:1; Joe 2:12-14
Jas 4:8
and he will.
Isa 6:13
escaped.
28:20; 2Ki 15:19,29; 1Ch 5:26; Isa 1:9

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

  • 2 Chronicles 30:5

    So they established a decree to make proclamation throughout all Israel, from Beer–sheba even to Dan, that they should come to keep the passover unto the Lord God of Israel at Jerusalem: for they had not done it of a long time in such sort as it was written.

  • 2 Chronicles 30:6

    So the posts went with the letters from the king and his princes throughout all Israel and Judah, and according to the commandment of the king, saying, Ye children of Israel, turn again unto the Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, and he will return to the remnant of you, that are escaped out of the hand of the kings of Assyria.

  • 2 Chronicles 30:7

    And be not ye like your fathers, and like your brethren, which trespassed against the Lord God of their fathers, who therefore gave them up to desolation, as ye see.

Read all of 2 Chronicles 30

2 Chronicles 30:6 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		Fueron pues correos con letras de mano del rey y de sus príncipes por todo Israel y Judá, como el rey lo había mandado, y decían: Hijos de Israel, volveos á Jehová el Dios de Abraham, de Isaac, y de Israel, y él se volverá á las reliquias que os han quedado de la mano de los reyes de Asiria.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		Et les courriers allèrent avec les lettres de la main du roi et de ses chefs par tout Israël et Juda, et selon le commandement du roi, en disant: Fils d’Israël, retournez à l’ Éternel, le Dieu d’Abraham, d’Isaac, et d’Israël, et il reviendra au reste d’entre vous qui est échappé à la main des rois d’Assyrie.
German
Elberfelder 1871		Und die Läufer gingen mit den Briefen von der Hand des Königs und seiner Obersten durch ganz Israel und Juda, und nach dem Gebot des Königs, und sie sprachen: Kinder Israel! kehret um zu Jehova, dem Gott Abrahams, Isaaks und Israels; so wird er umkehren zu den Entronnenen, die euch aus der Hand der Könige von Assyrien übriggeblieben sind.
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		Perrexeruntque cursores cum epistolis ex regis imperio, et principum ejus, in universum Israël et Judam, juxta id quod rex jusserat, prædicantes: Filii Israël, revertimini ad Dominum Deum Abraham, et Isaac, et Israël: et revertetur ad reliquias quæ effugerunt manum regis Assyriorum.