And the king went up to the house of the LORD, with all the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem and the priests and the Levites, all the people both great and small. And he read in their hearing all the words of the Book of the Covenant that had been found in the house of the LORD.
Josiah first taught his people the words of the covenant before binding them to it, a king who honored God by honoring instruction. He read the book himself so they would see his own heart moved, then asked them to stand and covenant to serve the Lord with all their strength, and they could not for shame refuse.
AI summary
Commenting on 2 Chronicles 34:29-33
And the king went up into the house of the LORD, and all the men of Judah, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and the priests, and the Levites, and all the people, great and small: and he read in their ears all the words of the book of the covenant that was found in the house of the LORD.
The phrase 'he caused all to stand' means simply that he made them stand and act according to God's covenant, not that he formally entered them into it, the grammar will not bear the stronger reading. What matters is that the people of Jerusalem and Benjamin were brought to perform the covenant's terms together.
AI summary
Commenting on 2 Chronicles 34:29-32