2 Kings12

King Jehoash began his 40-year reign in Jerusalem, doing right by the Lord under Jehoiada the priest's guidance, though high places persisted. He initiated a temple repair project, initially managed by priests, but later reformed the collection system to ensure funds directly reached the workmen. Towards the end of his reign, he appeased Hazael of Syria with temple treasures and was ultimately assassinated by his servants.

Listen to this chapter

Jehoash Begins His Reign

In the seventh year of Jehu, Joash became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem forty years. His mother’s name was Zibiah; she was from Beersheba.

And Joash did what was right in the eyes of the LORD all the days he was instructed by Jehoiada the priest.

Nevertheless, the high places were not removed; the people continued sacrificing and burning incense there.

Funding the Temple Restoration

Then Joash said to the priests, “Collect all the money brought as sacred gifts into the house of the LORD—the census money, the money from vows, and the money brought voluntarily into the house of the LORD.

Let every priest receive it from his constituency, and let it be used to repair any damage found in the temple.”

By the twenty-third year of the reign of Joash, however, the priests had not yet repaired the damage to the temple.

So King Joash called Jehoiada and the other priests and said, “Why have you not repaired the damage to the temple? Now, therefore, take no more money from your constituency, but hand it over for the repair of the temple.”

So the priests agreed that they would not receive money from the people and that they would not repair the temple themselves.

Then Jehoiada the priest took a chest, bored a hole in its lid, and set it beside the altar on the right side as one enters the house of the LORD. There the priests who guarded the threshold put all the money brought into the house of the LORD.

Whenever they saw that there was a large amount of money in the chest, the royal scribe and the high priest would go up, count the money brought into the house of the LORD, and tie it up in bags.

Then they would put the counted money into the hands of those who supervised the work on the house of the LORD, who in turn would pay those doing the work—the carpenters, builders,

masons, and stonecutters. They also purchased timber and dressed stone to repair the damage to the house of the LORD, and they paid the other expenses of the temple repairs.

However, the money brought into the house of the LORD was not used for making silver basins, wick trimmers, sprinkling bowls, trumpets, or any articles of gold or silver for the house of the LORD.

Instead, it was paid to those doing the work, and with it they repaired the house of the LORD.

No accounting was required from the men who received the money to pay the workmen, because they acted with integrity.

The money from the guilt offerings and sin offerings was not brought into the house of the LORD; it belonged to the priests.

Syrian Threat and Tribute

At that time Hazael king of Aram marched up and fought against Gath and captured it. Then he decided to attack Jerusalem.

So King Joash of Judah took all the sacred objects dedicated by his fathers—Jehoshaphat, Jehoram, and Ahaziah, the kings of Judah—along with his own consecrated items and all the gold found in the treasuries of the house of the LORD and the royal palace, and he sent them to Hazael king of Aram. So Hazael withdrew from Jerusalem.

Death of Jehoash

As for the rest of the acts of Joash, along with all his accomplishments, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah?

And the servants of Joash rose up and formed a conspiracy and killed him at Beth-millo, on the road down to Silla.

His servants Jozabad son of Shimeath and Jehozabad son of Shomer struck him down, and he died. And they buried him with his fathers in the City of David, and his son Amaziah reigned in his place.

Study Notes for 2 Kings 12

Verse 1

Jehoash (also called Joash) was the sole surviving son of Ahaziah, saved from Athaliah's purge (2 Ki 11). His reign of forty years is one of the longest in Judah's history.

Verse 2

Jehoash’s righteousness was conditional, tied directly to the mentorship of Jehoiada the priest, who had protected him as a child. This suggests his devotion was derived rather than inherent.

Verse 3

The 'high places' (Bamot) were local shrines where unauthorized worship occurred. The failure of even the best kings to remove them illustrates the deep syncretism and popular resistance to centralized worship in Jerusalem.

Verse 4

The three categories of money mentioned cover dedicated vows, mandatory census/tax money, and freewill offerings. This shows the king’s comprehensive plan to fund the necessary repairs.

Verse 6

This delay, lasting 23 years into Jehoash's reign, suggests the priests were either mismanaging the funds or prioritizing their own needs over the Temple structure.

Verse 8

The priests agreed to stop handling the money directly, recognizing the failure of the trust-based system, but also forfeited their role in supervising the repair work.

Verse 9

This new system—a centralized collection chest accessible to all—was designed to bypass clerical corruption and establish clear accountability for the building funds.

Verse 13

All funds were strictly allocated for structural repair (necessity) rather than for new decorative or liturgical items (luxury), emphasizing the urgency of the restoration.

Verse 15

The administration was so trustworthy and transparent that no accounting audit was required from the foremen. This is a rare biblical commendation of integrity in public works.

Verse 16

The money derived from sin and trespass offerings was legally designated for the priests' subsistence (Lev 5:14–16). This verse clarifies that the building funds were kept distinct from the established sacrificial income.

Verse 17

Hazael’s expansion into Philistia (Gath) brought the powerful Aramean kingdom directly to the borders of Judah, posing a grave threat to Jerusalem.

Verse 18

The irony is tragic: after successfully repairing the Temple, Jehoash was forced to strip both the Temple and the palace of dedicated treasures to pay tribute, showing the limits of his political strength.

Verse 20

Jehoash was assassinated by his own servants, possibly as retaliation for his later apostasy and the murder of Jehoiada's son, Zechariah (2 Chron 24). The 'house of Millo' likely refers to a royal citadel or fortress in Jerusalem.

Use ← → arrow keys to navigate

2 Kings12

Jehoash Begins His Reign

Funding the Temple Restoration

Syrian Threat and Tribute

Death of Jehoash

Reading Style

Typeface

Font Size 19px

Reading Width 45 chars

Options