2 Kings 12

2 Kings 12:1

AN the seventh year of Jehu, Jehoash began to reign; and forty years reigned he in Jerusalem: mid his mother’s name was Zibiah of Beer-sheba.

2 Kings 12:2

And Jehoash did that which ivas right in the sight of the Lord all his days wherein Jehoiada the priest instructed him. This history shews of whatadvantageitis to have good instructors and counsellors about’a king. For Jehoiada preserved Joash in good ways while he lived: but when he was dead, Joash changed his manners, and was persuaded by the flatteries of some of his courtiers to fall into idolatry; and he killed the son of this pious Jehoiada, who reproved him for it, (2 Chron. xxiv. 17. 21.).

2 Kings 12:3

But the high places were not taken away: the people still sacrificed and burnt incense in the high places. These private altars (on which they sacrificed to the true God), I observed before > were not removed by the best of their kings till the reign of Hezekiah. And this king was too young, and his authority too weak (though he had Jehoiada to assist him), to attempt to break such along-continued custom, especially when some of the princes in their hearts were idolaters.

2 Kings 12:4

And Jehoash said unto the priests. The house of God being suffered to run to decay, in the time of Athaliah and her son; Joash, in gratitude to God, who had preserved him there, resolved to have it repaired; and, in order to it, commanded what money should be set apart for that purpose. M.. ~ • All. the money of the dedicated things that is brought into the house ofthe’Lord.] That had been, or.should hereafter be brought and dedicated to the service of God and of the temple. Even the money of every one that passeth the account. ~] This and the following money he commanded’the priests and Levites to go through the kingdom, and gather it. for the repair of the temple, as we are told, 2 Chron. xxiv. 5. They were not to expect till the people should bring it in, but go and gather it, every man of his acquaintance, where he ktiew’itto be due. And so the foregoing words are to be translated, not that is brought, but to be brought into the house of the Lord. Which money arose three.ways;. the first is here mentioned, the money of every one that passeth (for the words the account are not in the Hebrew), which some understand of the offering which pious people of other nations made, who came to worship at Jerusalem: (1* Kings viii. 41.). or rather, of those who were come to twenty years of age, and being past that, were to pay half a shekel. This had been much neglected in the time -of Athaliah (as the Jewish doctors think), but now being carefully gathered, there was enough to maintain the daily sacrifice (which was supported out of this money), and’ to carry on also the reparation of the temple. Though Abarbinel thinks it was wholly applied to the reparation; and the people voluntarily offered for the maintaining of the daily morning and evening sacrifice. TJie money that eveiy man is set at.] This was the secoad way: by the money that every man who had vowed himself to God, was to pay, by the estimation that the priest should make for his redemption; according to that law, Lev. xx viii. 2, 3. For so the words are here in the Hebrew, the money of a man whose taxation is the money of his soul: that is, who is taxed such a sum of money, whereby his soul might be freed from the vow wherewith he had bound himself. For till this money was paid, his life was not his own, but God’s. And all the money that conieth into any man’s heart to brhig into the house of the Lord.] This was the third sort of money for the reparation of the temple; thatwhich any man would give freely for that service which they were to receive of them.

2 Kings 12:5

Let the priests take it to them, every man of his acquaintance, and let them repair the breaches of the house, wheresoever any. breach shall be found. This money, thus collected, he entrusted with the priests, and commanded them to see it employed to the use for which it was given. Ver. G. And it ivas so, that in the three~and-twentieth year of king Jehoash, the priests had not repaired the breaches of the house.] They were both dilatory and careless in. gathering the money, (2 Chron. xxiv. 5.) and did not bring in what they had gathered to begin the work. Whereupon the king revoked his former order, and entrusted other men (as it here follows). with this work. Thus aro things seldom done well, that are committed to the care of many.

2 Kings 12:7

Tlien king Jehoash called. Jehoiada the priest, and the other priests, and said unto them, Why repair ye not the breaches of the hotise? Noiv therefore receive no more money of your acquaintance, but deliver it for the breaches of the house.]. He ordered two things; first, that they should gather no more money of the people; and sc* Qg O Microsoft ® 49G A COMMENTARY UPON [chap. XII. condly, that they should not havo the caro of seeing the temple repaired; but pay what had been gathered into other hands.

2 Kings 12:8

And the priests consented to receive no more money of the people, neither to repair the breaches of the house. They submitted to tho king’s new orders, and wholly committed the business to those whom he thought fit to employ.

2 Kings 12:9

But Jehoiada the priest took a chest. By the king’s order, (2 Chron. xxiv. 8.) * And bored a hole in the lid of it, arid set it beside the altar, on the right side as one cometh into the house of the Lord.] On tho right side of the gate that went into the court of the priests: not far from the altar which was within the court, as appears from 2 Chron. xxiv. 8. Dr. Lightfoot thinks these two texts do not relate to the same time. For at the first the chest was set in the very court of the priests near to the altar, as it is here said in this place: so that the money still passed through the priests’ fingers; who took it of the people and put it into the chest which was in their court, where the people could not come at it/ But the money not coming in so fast as was expected this way; he removed the chest, or made another, and set it without the court, at the entrance of it, where every one might have access unto it. And he proclaimed through all the country they should bring in their money thither: which came in so plentifully, that there was enough for the repair of the house, and for other uses also. And the priests that kept the door put therein all the money brought into the house of the Lord.] There was a.proclamation made, that all the people should bring in their half-shekel, which Moses commanded every one of such an age to pay: and they brought it to the priests who stood at the door that let into their court, and saw them put it into the chest, (2 Chron. xxiv. 9.)

2 Kings 12:10

And it was so, when they saw there was much money in the chest, that the king’s scribe and the high-priest came up, and they put tip in bags, and told the money that ivas found in the house of the Lord.] The high-priest would have a witness of his actions, lest he should be suspected of any fraud, as perhaps others had been; and would not open the chest without the assistance of the king’s secretary of state; nor would he open it in the temple, but had.it brought by the Levites into the king’s office; and there the secretary and the high-priest, or any officer of his, emptied the chest, and told the money, and then put it up in bags, which it is likely they sealed ^ and then they sent the chest into its place again. This they did every day, as we read 2 Chron. xxiv. 11.

2 Kings 12:11

And they gave the money, being told, into the hands of them that did the work, and had the oversight of the house of the Lord. These bags of money were delivered (by the king and Jehoiada, 2 Chron. xxiv. 12.) not to the priests, whom the king had found tardy, and perhaps faulty, in converting the money to their own uses; but to some select persons, who had this peculiar business committed to them, to see the reparation, and to employ good workmen, and to pay them their wages. And they laid it out to the carpenters and builders that wrought upon the house of the Lord.] To buy materials for the work, as it follows in the next verse.

2 Kings 12:12

And to masons, and hewers of stone, and to buy timber and hewed stone to repair the breaches of the house of the Lord, and for all that was laid out for the house to repair it. For all other things, of what kind soever they were, which they found necessary for the reparation.

2 Kings 12:13

Howbeit, there were not made for the house of the Lord bowls of silver, snuffers, basons, trumpets, any vessels of gold, or vessels of silver, of the money that teas brought into the house of the Lord.] Though these were wanting, yet the money was limited to the reparations of the house; and the king ordered that no vessel of any sort should be bought for the temple, till the temple itself was put into a good condition. So the LXX. render it, there shall none be made for the house any vessels, 8cc. (that is, he commanded there should be none made), but all given to the forenamed workmen, as long as there needed any reparations. So it follows in the next verse..

2 Kings 12:14

But they gave that to the workmen, and repaired therewith the house of the Lord. The masons and carpenters, and such-like workmen, had all the money, to be laid out accordingto their discretion, upon the reparation of the temple alone, till: the work was finished. And then they gave an account of what * money remained in their hands, and that was laid out to purchase such vessels as are before mentioned, for the service of the temple, (2 Chron. xxiv. 14.) «

2 Kings 12:15

*** Moreover, they reckoned not with the men into whose Iiands they delivered the money to be. bestowed on workmen; for they dealt faithfully.** They were so confident’of the honesty of the overseers, that they took no account of the money they had paid the workmen; who were also men of such clear reputation, that what they laid out was not questioned. This was a rare example of fidelity in managing the public money; and there was one man in Greece, Aristidcs, who was so trusty in the opinion of all the people.

2 Kings 12:16

Tlie trespass-money arid the sin-money was not brought into the house of the Lord: it was the priests. This money was not applied to the aforesaid use; but put into the hands of the priests, that sacrifices for trespasses and sins might be offered for those that gave it.

2 Kings 12:17

Then Hazael king of Syria went tip and fought against Gath, and took it. This was a city of the Philistines, but taken by king David, and added to the dominions of Israel, (2 Sam. viii. 1. 1 Chron. xviii. 1.) and now taken from them by Hazael. And Hazael set his face to go up to Jerusalem.] Having made himself master of this place, he plainly declared, by the disposition of his affairs, that he intended to make an attempt upon Jerusalem.* This fell out after Jehoash had forsaken God, and fallen to idolatry; as appears by the book of the Chronicles; where a much different relation is made of the expedition of the Syrians. Insomuch that Abarbinel thinks (which is approved by several Christian writers) there were two expeditions. In the first of which Hazael came up in person against them, as is here related; but they, purchased peace of him: and then in the end of the year, after they had killed Zachariah, the war was renewed; though Hazael did not come himself, but sent a small army, which’ they were not able to oppose, which destroyed a great many of the people, and sent great spoils to Damascus, (2 Chron. xxiv. 23. 25.)

2 Kings 12:18

And Jehoash king ofJudah took all the hallowed Microsoft ® CHAP. XIII. THE SECOND BOOK OF THE KINGS. things that Jehoshaphat, and Jehoram, and Ahaziah, his fathers, kings ofJudah, had dedicated, and his own hallowed things, and all the gold that was found in the house of the Lord,’ and in the king’s house, and sent it to Hazaelking of Syria; and he ivent away from Jerusalem.] The preservation of his kingdom, he thought, warranted this; but he had brought these dangers upon himself by his apostacy from God.

2 Kings 12:19

And the rest of the acts ofJoash, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the Chronicles of the kings ofJudah?

2 Kings 12:20

And his servants arose, and made a conspiracy, and sletv Joash in the house of Millo, which goeth down to Silla. The Syrians had left him labouring under great diseases at this place called Millo: where his servants slew him in his bed, as we read 2 Chron. xxiv. 25. There was another place called Millo, hard by the king’s palace at Jerusalem: therefore/to distinguish this from that, this is called Millo that goeth down to Silla; as Abarbinel thinks.

2 Kings 12:21

For Jozachar the son of Shimeath. He was called by another name also, viz. Zabad. AndJehozabad the son of Shomer.] This was his father’s name, it is likely, and his mother was called Shimrith, who was a Moabitess; as Shimeath was an Ammonitess, (2 Chron. xxiv. 26.) His servants, smote him, and he died.] They were friends of Jehoiada (as Josephus thinks), who took this revenge upon Joash, for the death of Zachariah the son of Jehoiada, as is expressly noted, 2 Chron. xxiv. 25. And they buried him with his fathers in the city of David.] But not in the sepulchre of the kings, (2 Chron. xxiv. 25.) For though they did him so much honour as to bury him in the royal city, yet not all the honour that was usual; because he had forsaken God, and slain one of his prophets. And Amaziah his son reigned in his stead.] His servants did not kill him, with an intention to usurp the kingdom: but only to revenge the blood of Zachariah. For they suffered his son to succeed Joash peaceably, who slew those that had slain his father, (2 Chron. xxv. 3.)