2 Kings 11

CHAPTER TWENTY

THE KINGDOMS AT LOW EBB

2 Kings 10:28 to 2 Kings 13:9

The revolution of 841 B.C. ushered in a period of decline in Israel. The murder of Jezebel severed the profitable economic arrangements which Omri had worked out with the Phoenicians. The murder of the king of Judah disrupted relations with the sister kingdom to the south. The execution of the house of Ahab and its supporters created a dearth of leadership in the land. Judah too plunged into a sad state of decline in this period. For some forty years the Arameans under the leadership of the vigorous Hazael dominated the politics of the region.

In treating these four decades of humiliation in the two kingdoms, the author speaks of (1) the reign of Jehu in the North (2 Kings 10:28-36); (2) the reign of Athaliah (2 Kings 11:1-20) and (3) Joash (2 Kings 11:21 to 2 Kings 12:21) in the South; and (4) the reign of Jehoahaz in the North (2 Kings 13:1-9).

REVIEW OF CHAPTER TWENTY

I. FACTS TO MASTER

A. How do each of the following figure in the events of this chapter?

1. Jehu

2. Benhadad

3. Matt an

4. Hazael

5. Jehosheba

6. Zibiah

7. Jehoahaz

8. Joash

9. Jozachar

10. Athaliah

11. Jehoiada

12. Jehozabad

B. Each of the following terms should bring to mind some significant statement or event in this chapter:

1. golden calves

2. crown

3. trumpeters

4. sabbath

5. testimony

6. a chest

7. David’s spears and shields

8. covenant

9. house of Millo

10. a pillar

11. Asherah

C. What of importance transpired in each of the following places mentioned in this chapter?

1. Bethel

2. Aroer

3. Jordan

4. Daniel 5. Bashan

5. Gath

6. Gilead

7. Samaria

8. Jerusalem

D. Important Numbers 1.

The age of Joash when he began to reign

Number of horsemen, footmen and chariots which the Arameans left to Israel

II. QUESTIONS TO PONDER

Evaluate the religious reformation launched by Jehu. How far did Jehu go in bringing the nation back to God?

What promise did God make concerning Jehu? Why make this promise? How was the promise fulfilled?

When did the Aramean domination of Israel begin? How serious did this domination become?

In what way did Athaliah reflect the character of her mother Jezebel?

Why does the author go to such length in narrating the rescue of Joash?

How extensive was the religious reformation which swept the land of Judah under the leadership of Jehoiada the priest? Under what previous kings had reformation efforts been made?

Why did King Joash’s initial effort to raise money for Temple repair fail?

What principles of giving are illustrated in the successful use of the Joash box?

How was Joash able to avoid a siege of Jerusalem by Hazael? What previous kings had resorted to the same means?

Why did the Lord have regard to the repentance of Jehoahaz when that repentance was so imperfect?

Who was the deliverer God raised up for Israel during the time of the Aramean oppression?

Lessons in Living

RESTORING GOD’S TEMPLE

2 Kings 12:4-16

I. We Must Recognize the Need for this Work

Repair the breaches of the bouse, wherever any breach shall be found (2 Kings 12:5).

II. We Must Realize that the King has Commanded this Work

And Jehoasb said to the priests … (2 Kings 12:4).

III. We Must Not Allow Negligent Leaders to Thwart this Work

Why do you not repair the breaches of the house? (2 Kings 12:7).

IV. We Must Rally to the Support of this Work

… they saw there was much money in the chest (2 Kings 12:10).

V. We Must Raise up Faithful Men to Lead in this Work

Moreover they reckoned not with the men into whose hands they delivered the money to be bestowed on workmen, for they dealt faithfully (2 Kings 12:15).

Damascus, the capital of Syria Drawings by Horace Knowles from the British and Foreign Bible Society

2 Kings 11:1-20

II. TURMOIL IN JUDAH 11:1-12:21

In 2 Kings 11:1 the history of Judah is taken up where it left off at the end of chapter 8. The forty-five years covered in Chapter s 11-12 are. characterized for the most part by political turmoil. The brief and turbulent reign of Athaliah (2 Kings 11:1-20) was followed by the lengthy but disappointing reign of Joash (2 Kings 11:21 2 Kings 12:21).

A. THE REIGN OF ATHALIAH IN JUDAH 11:1-20

The revolution of 841 B.C. is crucial in the history of Judah as well as of Israel. King Ahaziah and forty-two members of the royal house were slain by the zealot Jehu. This set the stage for a usurper to take over the throne of David in Jerusalem. Chapter 11 tells of (1) the usurpation of Athaliah (2 Kings 11:1-3); (2) the coronation of Joash (2 Kings 11:4-12); (3) the death of Athaliah (2 Kings 11:13-16); and (4) the enthronement of another descendant of David (2 Kings 11:17-20).

1. THE USURPATION OF ATHALIAH (2 Kings 11:1-3)

**TRANSLATION

(1) When Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead, she arose, and destroyed all the royal seed. (2) But Jehosheba the daughter of King Jehoram, the sister of Ahaziah, took Joash the son of Ahaziah, and stole him from the midst of the sons of the king which were being slain; he and his nurse were hidden in the chamber of mattresses from Athaliah, and he was not slain. (3) And he was with her hidden in the house of the LORD for six years. And Athaliah reigned over the land.

COMMENTS**

Athaliah, the daughter of Ahab and Jezebel, was married to Jehoram the son of Jehoshaphat the king of Judah. It was her son Ahaziah who was killed by Jehu. This woman inherited much of her mother’s evil character. Through her influence, King Jehoram had introduced the worship of the Tyrian Baal into Judah (2 Kings 8:18; 2 Chronicles 21:5; 2 Chronicles 21:11). When Ahaziah was slain, the powerful position of Athaliah as queen mother was jeopardized. The regular line of succession would require that one of her grandsons, the eldest son of Ahaziah, would now be enthroned, and this would mean that the position of queen mother would pass on to the widow of Ahaziah. For this reason Athaliah ordered all the members of the house of David put to death.[567] This would include Ahaziah’s sons, Athaliah’s own grandsons, and probably other descendants of David belonging to branches of the house other than that of Rehoboam (2 Kings 11:1). Athaliah’s design to wipe out completely the house of David was frustrated by the determined efforts of Jehosheba, the sister of Ahaziah.[568] From the royal nursery she stole away the youngest son of Ahaziah, the infant Joash. The prince and his nurse were safely hidden away in the chamber of mattresses, i.e., the room where the mattresses and blankets were stored, where they escaped the attention of Athaliah’s executioners (2 Kings 11:2). After a few days of concealment there, Jehosheba found an opportunity to transfer the child to one of the numerous chambers in the Temple where he was to remain for six years. Jehosheba was married to Jehoiada the high priest (2 Chronicles 22:11), and hence would have ready access to the Temple precincts. For six years Athaliah ruled the land of Judah (2 Kings 11:3). During that period, Baalism was temporarily triumphant. The Temple of the Lord was allowed to fall into decay (2 Kings 12:5), and a temple of Baal was erected in Jerusalem to rival and supersede it (2 Kings 11:18). The usurper was held in check to some extent by the Yahwistic party. She apparently was afraid openly to challenge the position of Jehoiada, and he was left in charge of the Temple with its treasures and armories (2 Kings 11:10). She allowed the Temple services to continue (2 Chronicles 23:4-7), and permitted the priests and Levites to serve in their regular courses (2 Chronicles 23:8). Nonetheless, the zealous Yahwists and royalists chafed under the arrogant and oppressive rule of the Jezebel of Judah.

[567] The royal house had already been greatly depleted by Jehoram’s murder of his brothers (2 Chronicles 21:4), by Arab marauders (2 Chronicles 21:17) and Jehu’s murder of the brethren of Ahaziah (2 Kings 10:14).

[568] While she was the sister of Ahaziah, she probably was not the daughter of Athaliah. According to Josephus, she was the daughter of Joram by a secondary wife, not Athaliah, and therefore actually a half-sister of Ahaziah (Ant. IX, 7 1,).

2. THE CORONATION OF JOASH (2 Kings 11:4-12)

**TRANSLATION

(4) And in the seventh year, Jehoiada sent and took the cap. tains over hundreds of the Carites, and the guard, and brought them unto him into the house of the LORD; and he made a covenant with them, and made them swear in the house of the LORD, and then he showed them the son of the king. (5) And he commanded them, saying, This is the thing which you shall do: A third part of you that enter on the sabbath, shall be keepers of the watch of the king’s house; (6) and a third part shall be at the gate Sur, and a third part at the gate behind the guard. So shall you keep the watch of the house and be a barrier.[569] (7) And two parts of you, all who go out on the Sabbath, even they shall keep watch of the house of God about the king. (8) And you shall compass about the king every man with his weapons in his hand, and the one who comes within the ranks, let him be slain. Be with the king as he goes out and comes in. (9) And the captains of the hundreds did according to all which Jehoiada the priest commanded them; and they took each man his men who were to come in on the Sabbath with those who should go out on the Sabbath, and they came unto Jehoiada the priest. (10) And the priest gave to the captains of the hundreds the spears and shields which belonged to David which were in the house of the LORD. (11) And the guards stood each man with his weapons in his hand from the right side of the house unto the left side of the house, by the altar and the sanctuary, round about the king. (12) And he brought out the son of the king, and put upon him the crown and the testimony; and they made him king, and anointed him; and they clapped their hands, and said, May the king live!**

[569] The translation of the last word in this verse is uncertain since it occurs nowhere else. The Septuagint omits it altogether.

COMMENTS

After waiting impatiently for six long years, and seeing the young prince grow from an infant to a boy of seven years of age, Jehoiada deemed that the time had come to make the effort to restore the throne to the line of David. Of course it was necessary for him to make careful arrangements beforehand. His first step was to summon to the Temple the five captains (2 Chronicles 23:1) of the royal guard for a secret interview. The Carites, here mentioned for the first time, are generally believed to be identical with the Cherethites of earlier times (cf. 2 Samuel 8:18; 1 Kings 1:38), foreign mercenary troops responsible for guarding the person of the king. These men reluctantly had entered the service of Athaliah under the notion that the house of David was extinct. But by long standing tradition, the Carites were strongly attached to David and his seed. Jehoiada made these men take an oath of support to the cause of the young king; then they were introduced into his presence (2 Kings 11:4).

The account of these events in Chronicles makes it clear that a considerable interval of time separates the events of 2 Kings 11:5 from those of 2 Kings 11:4. The immediate arrangement made between Jehoiada and the captains was that they should visit the cities of Judah and gather a strong force of Levites, priests, and other representative men. That force was brought to Jerusalem and placed at the disposal of Jehoiada, under an oath similar to that which the captains had taken. Jehoiada then waited, completed his arrangements, and finally gave two chargesone to the captains which is given here (2 Kings 11:5-8), and the other to the force collected from the cities, which is given in Chronicles (2 Chronicles 23:4-7). All of this was carried out in such a way that the suspicions of Athaliah were not aroused.

The royal bodyguard consisted of five divisions, each probably of a hundred men, and each commanded by its own captain (2 Chronicles 23:1). It was usual on the sabbath for three divisions out of the five to be on guard around the royal palace complex, and for the other two to be engaged outside, keeping order in the city and around the Temple. For the public coronation of Joash, Jehoiada deployed the royal guard as follows: one company was assigned to the palaceits courts, halls and antechambers; a second was stationed at the palace entrance called Sur; and the third company was placed at the gate of the guard, which seems to have been towards the east, where the palace fronted the Temple. The object of this deployment was to prevent the queen from leaving the palace until all was in readiness (2 Kings 11:5-6).

Jehoiada commanded the remaining companies of guards to enter the Temple and protect the young king (2 Kings 11:7). According to Chronicles (2 Chronicles 23:7) the large force recruited from the cities of Judah was also to be in the Temple to assist in the protection of the young monarch. The guard was to take up a position in front of and behind the king, and they were to extend their ranks across the Temple court from one wall to the other. Anyone who tried to penetrate those ranks was to be slain. Whatever movements were made by the king during the coronation ceremonies were to be carefully guarded (2 Kings 11:8). On the appointed day, all of the captains carried out the exact instructions which Jehoiada had given them (2 Kings 11:9). To those guards Jehoiada issued shields and spears which David many years earlier had captured in battle and had deposited in the Temple (2 Kings 11:10). Nothing could have been more appropriate than for the restoration of the Davidic house to be effected with the aid of weapons which belonged to David himself. Armed with these weapons the guards took up their positions in ranks stretching from one side of the Temple court to the other, both before and behind the king, in the area immediately in front of the altar of burnt offerings and the porch of the Temple (2 Kings 11:11).

When all was ready, Jehoiada brought forth the young king and placed the crown upon his head. The crown was probably a band of gold, either plain, or set with jewels. At the same time the high priest laid on the head of Joash a copy of the Law of Moses, or some significant portion thereof.[570] This was a symbolic act designed to demonstrate that the king must rule in subjection to and in accordance with the Word of God. So far as can be determined, this ceremony was a new feature of Israelite coronations. Then the priests (cf. 2 Chronicles 23:11) anointed the young prince with oil and declared him to be king. The people present expressed their appreciation and approval by clapping their hands and shouting, May the king live! (2 Kings 11:12).

[570] The decalogue is often called the testimony. See Exodus 16:34; Exodus 25:16; Exodus 25:21 etc.

3. THE DEATH OF ATHALIAH (2 Kings 11:13-16)

**TRANSLATION

(13) And Athaliah heard the sound of the guards and the people; and she came unto the people In the house of the LORD. (14) And she saw, and behold the king was standing upon the platform as the manner was, and the princes and the trumpeters by the king; and all the people of the land rejoiced and blew trumpets; and Athaliah tore her garments, and cried, Treason! Treason! (15) And Jehoiada the priest commanded the captains of hundreds, officers of the army, and he said unto them, conduct her out between your ranks, and the one who goes after her, slay with the sword; for the priest said, Let her not be slam in the house of the LORD. (16) And they formed two lines on either side of her, and she went by the way which horses came into the king’s house, and she was slam there.

COMMENTS**

When Athaliah heard the noise accompanying the coronation she was naturally suspicious. Though it was not her custom to enter the Temple of Yahweh, on this occasion she hurried across the short distance from the palace to the house of God to learn the cause of the commotion. It does not appear that she brought any guards or attendants, but it is possible that both were with her (2 Kings 11:13). Entering the courtyard, she was astonished to see young Joash standing upon the special platform which, it would appear, the king occupied when he attended Temple services. Beside him were the captains of the guard and royal trumpeters. People of the city had heard rumors of what was to transpire that day, and had come prepared with trumpets to join in the festivities.

In a single glance Athaliah assessed the scene and realized that the fatal hour had come. In utter dismay she ripped her royal robes and shouted Treason! Jehoiada then ordered the soldiers to close ranks about the queen and conduct her out of the courtyard. This order probably was intended to protect the queen from violence at the hands of the people within the Temple precincts, and at the same time to discourage those who might be inclined to attempt to rescue her. Anyone who made any attempt on her behalf was to be slain; but the queen herself was not to be slain in the Temple (2 Kings 11:15). The soldiers escorted Athaliah from the Temple, and when the party reached the gate which gave access to the royal stables, she was slain (2 Kings 11:16). The location of this gate is unknown.

4. THE ENTHRONEMENT OF JO ASH (2 Kings 11:17-20)

**TRANSLATION

(17) And Jehoiada made a covenant between the LORD and the king and the people, that they would be the people of the LORD; also between the king and the people. (18) And all the people of the land came to the house of Baal, and broke it down; his altar and his images they smashed thoroughly, and Mattan the priest of Baal they slew before the altars. And the priest appointed officers over the house of the LORD. (19) And he took the captains of hundreds, and the Carites, and the guards, and all the people of the land, and they brought down the king from the house of the LORD; and they came by the way of the gate of the guards to the house of the king, and he sat on the throne of the kings. (20) And all the people of the land rejoiced; and the city was quiet when they had slain Athaliah with the sword at the house of the king.

COMMENTS**

In Jehoiada’s view, three things needed to be done immediately after the death of Athaliah. First, some solemn covenants needed to be madethe old covenant between king and people on the one hand, and with God on the other. The apostasy of Jehoram, Ahaziah, and Athaliah was regarded as having put an end to the old covenant, and therefore it was now remade or renewed. This covenant pledged the people to maintain the worship of the Lord. A second covenant was then made between the king and his subjects. This covenant probably bound the king to govern the people according to the Law, and the people to remain faithful to the king (2 Kings 11:17).

The second post-coronation act, probably suggested by Jehoiada, was the destruction of the Baal temple which had been erected during the six years Athaliah had ruled the land. The people who had come to Jerusalem from various cities of the land marched to the house of Baal and razed it. The altars and images of Baal were smashed, and the priest of Baal slain.

The third action taken by Jehoiada after the coronation was the appointment of officers over the house of the Lord (2 Kings 11:18). The Chronicler amplifies this action of Jehoiada (2 Chronicles 23:18-19). The officers included priests and Levites who would officiate in the sacrificial services ordained by Moses and who would provide the elaborate musical accompaniment ordained by David. Porters were also set at the gates of the Temple to prohibit any who were ceremonially unclean from entering those sacred precincts. During Athaliah’s reign, Temple services had been curtailed, breaches had been broken in the outer walls, and neither the priests nor the porters had served in their regular order. Apparently there had been no morning or evening sacrifice and no antiphonal psalm-singing during that period. Jehoiada re-established the regular courses of officers and the worship.

The final activity on that busy coronation day was the removal of Joash from the Temple, and his installation in the palace of his ancestors. The high priest formed a procession from the five captains and their menthe Carites and the guardsand the people, which escorted the young king to the royal palace. The gate of the guard (cf. 2 Kings 11:6) must have been the main entrance to the palace on its eastern side. The long day ended when Joash was finally seated on the throne of the kings of Judah (2 Kings 11:19). The whole land was content with the revolution which had taken place. No opposition showed itself. Tranquility settled over the capital once Athaliah was removed from the scene (2 Kings 11:20).

2 Kings 11:21

B. THE REIGN OF JOASH IN JUDAH 11:21-12:21

Like so many of the Hebrew monarchs, Joash got off to a great start. As long as his protector and adviser Jehoiada was living, the young king pursued the right course. But when the old priest died, Joash fell into the snare of pride and apostasy. After a brief introductory note (2 Kings 11:21 to 2 Kings 12:3), the author discusses at length the major accomplishment of the reign of Joash, the repair of the Temple (2 Kings 12:4-16). He then briefly narrates Joash’s humiliating capitulation to Hazael the Aramean (2 Kings 12:17-18), and the ignominious death of this king at the hand of conspirators (2 Kings 12:19-21).

1. INTRODUCTION TO THE REIGN OF JOASH

(2 Kings 11:21 to 2 Kings 12:3)

**TRANSLATION

(21) Joash was seven yean old when he began to reign. (1) In the seventh year of Jehu, Joash began to reign; and forty years he reigned in Jerusalem; and his mother’s name was Zibiah from Beersheba. (2) And Joash did that which was right in the eyes of the LORD all the days in which Jehoiada the priest instructed him. (3) Only the high places he did not remove; yet the people were sacrificing and burning incense in the high places.**

Seventh King of Judah JEHOASH (or JOASH) 835-796 B.C. (Yahweb-gifted)

2 Kings 11, 12; 2 Chronicles 22:10 to 2 Chronicles 24:27

Synchronism Jehoash 1 = Jehu 7 Contemporary Prophet Zechariah son of Jehoiada

Mother: Zibiah

Appraisal: Good and Bad

It is He that givetb salvation unto kings; who delivers David His servant from the hurtful sword. Psalms 144:10

COMMENTS

The author of Kings treats the reign of Joash with great brevity and tenderness, and one must go to Chronicles (2 Chronicles 24) to gain a true perspective of the character of this king and his reign. For over half of his reign of forty years the priest Jehoiada was his adviser. During those years the king did what was right in the sight of the Lord (2 Kings 11:2). Chronicles relates the sad story of Joash’s apostasy after the death of Jehoiada, an apostasy which reached its climax when the king ordered Zechariah the son of Jehoiada slain in the Temple precincts. The only negative note in the report here is that Joash tolerated the continued use of the high places outside Jerusalem where people made sacrifices and burned incense to Yahweh (2 Kings 11:3). It was not until the reign of Hezekiah that this practice was banned by royal decree.

3. REPAIR OF THE TEMPLE (2 Kings 12:4-16)

**TRANSLATION

(4) And Joash said unto the priests, All the money of the holy gifts that is brought unto the house of the LORD, the money of the one who passes the account, the money that every man is set at, all the money which shall go up upon the heart of a man to bring to the house of the LORD, (5) let the priests take it to them, each man from his acquaintance; and let them repair the breaches of the house wherever a breach shall be found. (6) But it came to pass in the twenty-third year of King Joash that the priests had not repaired the breaches of the house. (7) And King Joash called to Jehoiada the priest and to the priests, and he said unto them, Why have you not repaired the breaches of the house? Now take no money from your acquaintances, but give it for the breaches of the house. (8) And the priests consented to take no more money from the people, neither to repair the breaches of the house. (9) And Jehoiada the priest took a chest, and bored a hole in its lid, and placed it beside the altar on the right as one comes to the house of the LORD; and the priests who kept the door put there all the money that was brought to the house of the LORD. (10) And it came to pass when they saw that there was much money in the chest, the king’s scribe went up and the high priest, and they put it in bags; and they counted the money that was found in the house of the LORD. (11) And they gave the money after weighing it into the hands of those who did the work, the overseen of the house of the LORD; and they paid it out to the carpenters and builders who were working on the house of the LORD, (12) and to the masons and the stonecutters, and for buying timber and hewn stone to repair the damages to the house of the LORD, and for all which went out upon the house to repair it. (13) But there was not made for the house of the LORD bowls of silver, snuffers, basins, trumpets or any vessel of gold or vessel of silver of the money that was brought into the house of the LORD; (14) but It was given to those who did the work, and they repaired with it the house of the LORD. (15) Nor did they think about the men to whom they gave the silver to give to those who did the work; for they were men who dealt faithfully. (16) The guilt money and the sin money was not brought to the house of the LORD; it belonged to the priests.

COMMENTS**

When the minority of Joash came to an end and the king succeeded to the administration of the affairs of state, his first order of business was the repair of the Temple. It seems somewhat strange that Jehoiada had made no repair efforts when he was the regent and practically had sole management of affairs. The high priest must have had good reason for refraining from this much needed project. At any rate, after taking full control of the reins of government, Joash regarded the Temple repairs as the most pressing business of the state. Perhaps the six years he had spent within the Temple precincts had inspired him with a love of those sacred buildings.

When he was in a position to do so, the king ordered the priests to utilize all that they received from the people in the way of money for making the repairs on the Temple. This money accrued from three sources which are mentioned in 2 Kings 11:4: (1) the money of every one who passes the account, i.e., the census moneythe half-shekel received from the males over twenty whenever a census was taken (Exodus 30:12-16); (2) the money at which every man is set, i.e., the redemption money derived from the redemption of the firstborn (Numbers 18:15-16) or of persons who had vowed themselves to God (Leviticus 27:2-8); and (3) the free-will offerings. This money was to be gathered out of all the cities of Judah (cf. 2 Chronicles 24:5). The priests in each locality would make the collections from their acquaintances, their neighbors. These monies would be used to repair the damages which had befallen the Temple building both as a result of the neglect of that place and by the willful violence of Athaliah (2 Chronicles 24:7).

By the twenty-third year of the king, the job still had not been completed. The text in no way suggests that the priests throughout the land had embezzled funds; they simply had been negligent in collecting the money. Probably very little money had been received and once the funds necessary for maintaining the Temple services had been subtracted, there just was not enough left to vigorously pursue the refurbishing of the Temple. It is not said that no repairs were made, but rather that the priests did not hasten (2 Chronicles 24:5) to complete the task.

Greatly concerned about the lack of progress in the Temple project, the king summoned Jehoiada the high priest and consulted with him about the best steps to be taken to expedite the repairs. The lower priests were rebuked for having ceased to make any effort to get the job done. The king then revoked his earlier order authorizing the local collections to be used for the building fund, and outlined a new procedure for raising the necessary funds (2 Kings 11:7). The priests agreed to relinquish the local collections and, along with them, the responsibility for dispensing the funds in the repair operation (2 Kings 11:8).

The new plan worked out by Jehoiada and the king is revealed in 2 Kings 11:9 (cf. 2 Chronicles 24:8). A public chest was set up conspicuously in the Temple court near the great altar, and the people were invited to bring their contributions to the Temple. The priests received the money from those who offered it at the gate of the Temple court and placed those contributions immediately in the chest (2 Kings 11:9). The chest was tangible evidence to the people of the purpose to which their money would be applied and naturally stimulated their giving.

Periodically the high priest and a royal secretary would empty the chest and count the money by putting it in bags each of which would hold a definite amount (2 Kings 11:10). Since the lumps of silver which passed for shekels in this period were of very uncertain weight, it was necessary not only to count the individual pieces, but to weigh each bag to ascertain its precise weight and value. These monies were then handed over to the superintendents who had been placed over the Temple, and these officers in turn purchased the materials and paid the laborers (2 Kings 11:11-12). Carpenters, builders, masons and stone-cutters are mentioned by the author of Kings; workers in iron and brass are mentioned by the Chronicler (2 Chronicles 24:12). The Temple had been standing for a century and a half, and so far as the records go, no other repair work had ever been undertaken. Doubtlessly as the work went on it was found that repairs of all sorts and kinds were needed.

While the repair work was in progress, no monies from the chest were used to purchase sacred vessels for the Temple services (2 Kings 11:13). After the repairs were completed, then the surplus money was expended in this way (2 Chronicles 24:14). The Temple had been spoiled by successive kings to buy off enemiesby Rehoboam to pay Shishak (1 Kings 14:26), by Asa to bribe Benhadad (1 Kings 15:18), and by Joash himself to procure the retreat of Hazael (2 Kings 12:18). These vessels needed to be replaced, and it is no wonder that the surplus monies were used for this purpose. But the repair of the Temple structures took precedence (2 Kings 11:14).

Everyone had complete confidence in those who had been appointed by Jehoiada to oversee the work and dispense these funds, for they dealt faithfully, i.e., honestly (2 Kings 11:15). But in all the enthusiasm for the repair work, the priests themselves were not forgotten. The trespass money which the Law required to be paid in compensation to an injured party (Leviticus 6:2-6; Numbers 5:6-8) apparently was given to the priests if the injured party was dead and left no kinsman. The sin money seems to have been a customary but not obligatory offering brought by a worshiper to the priest who officiated in a sacrificial service. Such freewill offerings the priests was entitled to receive (Numbers 5:10). These monies were not required to be put in the chest, nor applied to the repair operation; they belonged exclusively to the priests.

3. THE INVASION OF HAZAEL (2 Kings 12:17-18)

**TRANSLATION

(17) Now Hazael king of Aram went up, and fought against Gath, and captured it; then Hazael set his face to go up against Jerusalem. (18) And Joash the king of Judah took all the dedicated things which Jehoshaphat, Joram, and Ahaziah his fathers, kings of Judah, had dedicated, and his own dedicated things, and all the gold that was found In the treasures of the house of the LORD and the house of the king, and sent it to Hazael king of Aram; and he went away from Jerusalem.

COMMENTS**

A considerable time gap occurs between 2 Kings 11:16-17 for which the Chronicler supplies some of the particulars. Jehoiada died and, because of the contribution he had made to the national life, was highly honored by being buried in the sepulchers of the king (2 Chronicles 24:16). Influenced now by the Jewish aristocracy, Joash allowed the reintroduction of idolatry (2 Chronicles 24:18). Zechariah the son of Jehoiada vigorously protested these developments, but was slain by order of the king right in the Temple court. The invasion of Judah by Hazael seems to be regarded by the Chronicler as divine judgment for this murderous deed.

After conquering and taking from Israel the Transjordan region, Hazael cast his eye upon the coastal plain. It would appear that the city of Gath fell easily to him. When last mentioned, Gath was a Judaean possession (2 Chronicles 11:8); but by this time the city may have been once again under Philistine control. The route back to the Transjordan territories would take Hazael near Jerusalem. Encouraged by his easy victory at Gath, the brash Aramean decided to make a bid at Jerusalem (2 Kings 11:17). With a very small army, Hazael was able to inflict a defeat on a much more numerous Judaean army (2 Chronicles 24:24). Much spoil was taken by the invaders from the north (2 Chronicles 24:23). Then Hazael commenced a siege of Jerusalem itself. Like Rehoboam and Asa before him, Joash bought off the Aramean with the treasures from the Temple of the Lord. These were valuables placed there by the pious Jehoshaphat and even by the apostates Joram and Ahaziah who, for superstitious reasons more than anything else, had continued to make contributions to the Temple. Even the items which he himself had given to the Temple he was forced to retrieve as well as the few objects of gold made with the residue of the money given for the Temple repair earlier in his reign (cf. 2 Chronicles 24:14). Valuables from the royal palace also were collected and sent to Hazael. The palace had been plundered in the days of Jehoram by the Arabs and Philistines (2 Chronicles 21:16-17), but plenty of time had elapsed for fresh accumulation of valuables. Hazael was sufficiently satisfied with the tribute rendered to him and withdrew from Jerusalem (2 Kings 11:18).

4. THE ASSASSINATION OF JOASH (2 Kings 12:19-21)

**TRANSLATION

(19) And the rest of the acts of Joash and all which he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah? (20) And his servants rose up, and planned a conspiracy; and they smote Joash in the house of Millo which goes down to Silla. (21) And Jozachar the son of Shimeath and Jehozabad the son of Shomer his servants smote him; and he died, and they buried him with his fathers in the city of David. And Amaziah his son reigned in his place.

COMMENTS**

As in the case with most of the kings of Judah, the author refers his readers to the records which he utilized in compiling this book (2 Kings 11:19). The author apparently deliberately has chosen to ignore the darker side of the reign of Joash. He hints, however, that all was not right by relating how Joash met his death. It would seem that Joash was sorely wounded in the battle against Hazael. For some time he was confined to a room in the house of Millo, a fortress built by David and Solomon (2 Samuel 5:9; 1 Kings 9:15; 1 Kings 9:24). Apparently Millo was a massive wall which extended down to an otherwise unlocated spot called Silla. While the king was confined there, two of his servants conspired against him and slew him (2 Kings 11:20). The conspirators are named in 2 Kings 11:21, and the Chronicler points out that both men had foreign mothers. What might have motivated these servants to this act of violence is not indicated in the text. Joash was buried with his fathers, i.e., in the city of David (2 Kings 11:21), but not in the royal tombs (2 Chronicles 24:25). He was succeeded by his son Amaziah.