Put the holy ark in the house] This rather curious remark seems to imply that the ark had been removed from the Temple either by Manasseh or by Josiah during the repairing of the house. The Levites are bidden to set it in its place without delay, and to devote themselves to the tasks related in verses 4 ff.
⁴And prepare yourselves after your fathers’ houses by your courses, according to the writing of David king of Israel, and according to the writing of Solomon his son.
4. the writing of David] Compare 1 Chronicles xxiii. 27, xxviii. 19–21.
⁵And stand in the holy place according to the divisions of the fathers’ houses of your brethren the children of the people, and let there be for each a portion of a fathers’ house[¹] of the Levites.
[¹] Or, and according to the distribution of each fathers’ house.
5. the children of the people] i.e. the laity. The same phrase is translated in 2 Kings xxiii. 6 “the common people” (without any invidious meaning).
let there be for each a portion ... of the Levites] Each great division of the laity was to be served by a small division of the Levites.
⁶And kill the passover, and sanctify yourselves, and prepare for your brethren, to do according to the word of the Lord by the hand of Moses.
6. prepare for your brethren] Compare verses 12, 13.
⁷And Josiah gave[¹] to the children of the people, of the flock, lambs and kids, all of them for the passover offerings, unto all that were present, to the number of thirty thousand, and three thousand bullocks: these were of the king’s substance.