2 Chronicles 35:8 - Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible

His princes; not the political, but ecclesiastical princes, or the chief of the priests and Levites, whose names here follow. To the priests and to the Levites, for the use of any of the families of any of them, as need should be; for they supposed the 30,000 which the king had given were not sufficient for all the families. Or, the king gave his cattle to the people only, or principally, for they only are mentioned for that gift, 2 Chronicles 35:7. And therefore these persons here named give their cattle not only to the people, but also to the priests and to the Levites, as it is here expressed. And the Levites being not yet sufficiently provided for, some of their brethren, named 2 Chronicles 35:9, gave 5000 more peculiarly unto the Levites, as is there said. Rulers of the house of God; for so they were; Hilkiah being the high priest, and the other the two chief priests, of the two lines of Eleazar and Ithamar, who many times were to officiate in the high priest's stead, and were in power and dignity next to him, and were in some sort joint commissioners with him in ruling the affairs of the temple.