But the priests were too few, so that they could not flay all the burnt offerings: wherefore their brethren the Levites did help them, till the work was ended, and until the other priests had sanctified themselves: for the Levites were more upright in heart to sanctify themselves than the priests.
But there weren't enough priests to skin all the burnt offerings, so their relatives the Levites helped them until the work was finished and until the other priests had made themselves ceremonially clean. The Levites had been more sincere in their hearts about making themselves holy than the priests had been.
The writer is showing how the Levites stepped up to help when there weren't enough priests available, and they had been more faithful about preparing themselves spiritually for God's service.
📚 Historical Context
This occurred during King Hezekiah's religious revival around 715 BC, when he was restoring proper temple worship after years of neglect. The priests and Levites were different groups - priests offered sacrifices while Levites assisted with temple duties. Many priests had become spiritually compromised during the previous reign and needed time to purify themselves according to God's law.
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