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2 Kings 12

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1
In the seventh year of Jehu began Jehoash to reign; and he reigned forty years in Jerusalem: and his mother’s name was Zibiah of Beer-sheba. ​
2
And Jehoash did that which was right in the eyes of Jehovah all his days wherein Jehoiada the priest instructed him. ​
3
Howbeit the high places were not taken away; the people still sacrificed and burnt incense in the high places. ​

Funding the Temple Restoration 4–16

4
And Jehoash said to the priests, All the money of the hallowed things that is brought into the house of Jehovah, in current money, the money of the persons for whom each man is rated, and all the money that it cometh into any man’s heart to bring into the house of Jehovah, ​
5
let the priests take it to them, every man from his acquaintance; and they shall repair the breaches of the house, wheresoever any breach shall be found.
6
But it was so, that in the three and twentieth year of king Jehoash the priests had not repaired the breaches of the house. ​
7
Then king Jehoash called for Jehoiada the priest, and for the other priests, and said unto them, Why repair ye not the breaches of the house? now therefore take no more money from your acquaintance, but deliver it for the breaches of the house.
8
And the priests consented that they should take no more money from the people, neither repair the breaches of the house. ​
9
But Jehoiada the priest took a chest, and bored a hole in the lid of it, and set it beside the altar, on the right side as one cometh into the house of Jehovah: and the priests that kept the threshold put therein all the money that was brought into the house of Jehovah. ​
10
And it was so, when they saw that there was much money in the chest, that the king’s scribe and the high priest came up, and they put up in bags and counted the money that was found in the house of Jehovah.
11
And they gave the money that was weighed out into the hands of them that did the work, that had the oversight of the house of Jehovah: and they paid it out to the carpenters and the builders, that wrought upon the house of Jehovah,
12
and to the masons and the hewers of stone, and for buying timber and hewn stone to repair the breaches of the house of Jehovah, and for all that was laid out for the house to repair it.
13
But there were not made for the house of Jehovah cups of silver, snuffers, basins, trumpets, any vessels of gold, or vessels of silver, of the money that was brought into the house of Jehovah; ​
14
for they gave that to them that did the work, and repaired therewith the house of Jehovah.
15
Moreover they reckoned not with the men, into whose hand they delivered the money to give to them that did the work; for they dealt faithfully. ​
16
The money for the trespass-offerings, and the money for the sin-offerings, was not brought into the house of Jehovah: it was the priests’. ​

Syrian Threat and Tribute 17–18

17
Then Hazael king of Syria went up, and fought against Gath, and took it; and Hazael set his face to go up to Jerusalem. ​
18
And Jehoash king of Judah took all the hallowed things that Jehoshaphat and Jehoram and Ahaziah, his fathers, kings of Judah, had dedicated, and his own hallowed things, and all the gold that was found in the treasures of the house of Jehovah, and of the king’s house, and sent it to Hazael king of Syria: and he went away from Jerusalem. ​

Death of Jehoash 19–21

19
Now the rest of the acts of Joash, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah?
20
And his servants arose, and made a conspiracy, and smote Joash at the house of Millo, on the way that goeth down to Silla. ​
21
For Jozacar 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 stead.

Bible text: American Standard Version (1901) · Public domain

Study Notes for 2 Kings 12

Verse 1

In the seventh year of Jehu Jehoash began to reign — The date counts from Jehu, who had killed Ahaziah (9:27), and follows the six years of Athaliah (11:3). 'Forty years' agrees with 2 Chr 24:1. 'Jehoash' is the same name as 'Joash' in 11:2. His mother 'Zibiah of Beersheba' is named, as Athaliah is for her son in 8:26.

Verse 2

wherein Jehoiada the priest instructed him — 'Instructed' is yarah, to teach, the verb that torah, law, comes from. His right-doing is tied to the years of that teaching, and 2 Chr 24:17 tells what followed Jehoiada's death: 'came the princes of Judah, and made obeisance to the king. Then the king hearkened unto them.'

Verse 3

the high places were not taken away — The same complaint is made of Asa (1 Kgs 15:14), Jehoshaphat (1 Kgs 22:43), Amaziah (2 Kgs 14:4), Azariah (2 Kgs 15:4) and Jotham (2 Kgs 15:35): 'the people' still sacrifice and burn incense there. Of Hezekiah it is written, 'He removed the high places' (2 Kgs 18:4).

Verse 4

every one that passeth the account — Three kinds of money are named. 'Passeth the account' echoes the half-shekel of 'every one that passeth among them that are numbered' (Ex 30:13). 'Every man is set at' is the valuation of persons vowed to the LORD (Lev 27:2, 'by thy estimation', the same Hebrew word). 'Cometh into any man's heart' is the gift of 'a willing heart' (Ex 35:5).

Verse 6

in the three and twentieth year — By the king's arrangement (v.5) the priests were to take money 'every man of his acquaintance' and repair the breaches. In his twenty-third year the breaches were still unrepaired. 2 Chr 24:5 records the same delay, 'Howbeit the Levites hastened it not', and 2 Chr 24:7 says Athaliah's sons had broken up the house of God.

Verse 8

consented to receive no more money — 'Consented' is uth, to agree. The priests answer the king's question in v.7, 'Why repair ye not the breaches of the house?', by giving up both tasks: taking the people's money and repairing the house. The collection passes to a new arrangement under Jehoiada in v.9.

Verse 9

took a chest, and bored a hole in the lid of it — 'Chest' is aron, the word of the ark of God (2 Sam 6:2) and of Joseph's coffin (Gen 50:26). It is set 'beside the altar, on the right side as one cometh into the house of the LORD', and the priests at the door put the money in. Christ later 'sat over against the treasury' (Mark 12:41).

Verse 13

Howbeit there were not made… bowls of silver, snuffers, basons, trumpets — The money went first to the workmen and the repairs. 'Snuffers' and 'basons' are among the vessels of Solomon's house (1 Kgs 7:50). 2 Chr 24:14 adds that 'when they had finished it, they brought the rest of the money before the king and Jehoiada, whereof were made vessels for the house of the LORD'.

Verse 15

for they dealt faithfully — 'Faithfully' is emunah, faithfulness. The same account is given of the repairs under Josiah: 'there was no reckoning made with them of the money… because they dealt faithfully' (2 Kgs 22:7). It is the standard of stewards, 'that a man be found faithful' (1 Cor 4:2).

Verse 16

The trespass money and sin money — These are the payments of the trespass offering (asham) and the sin offering (chattath), which belonged to the priests: 'As the sin offering is, so is the trespass offering: there is one law for them: the priest that maketh atonement therewith shall have it' (Lev 7:7). The trespass offering was paid 'by shekels of silver' (Lev 5:15).

Verse 17

Hazael set his face to go up to Jerusalem — Gath falls, and the king whom Elisha had named (8:13) turns toward Jerusalem. 'Set his face' (sum paneh) is the idiom for fixing a course. 2 Chr 24:23 puts the Syrian host in the land: 'they came to Judah and Jerusalem, and destroyed all the princes of the people from among the people'.

Verse 18

took all the hallowed things — The gifts of Jehoshaphat, Jehoram and Ahaziah, and his own, go to Hazael, as Asa once sent the silver and gold of the temple and the king's house to Benhadad (1 Kgs 15:18). Hezekiah later pays Assyria from the same treasuries (2 Kgs 18:15–16). 2 Chr 24:24 gives the cause: 'because they had forsaken the LORD God of their fathers.'

Verse 20

made a conspiracy — 'Conspiracy' is qesher, the word of Athaliah's cry 'Treason' (11:14). 2 Chr 24:25 says his servants conspired 'for the blood of the sons of Jehoiada the priest', and v.21 names them, Jozachar and Jehozabad. 'Silla' is named only here, and 'Millo' also appears in David's building of the city (2 Sam 5:9).