1Jehoash reigneth well so long as Jehoiada liveth. 4The repair of the house of the Lord having been first left to the priests, and neglected, Jehoash provideth more effectually for it. 17Hazael is diverted from his design against Jerusalem by a present out of the hallowed and royal treasures. 19Jehoash is slain by a conspiracy of his servants: Amaziah succeedeth him.
1IN the seventha year of 1Jehu 2Jehoash began to reign; and forty years reigned he in Jerusalem. And his mother's name was 3Zibiah of 4Beer-sheba.
a 2 Chron. 24:1.
1 King of Israel; of whom see chapters 9 and 10.
2 Hebr. Jehoasch.
3 Hebr. Tsibja.
4 See of this city Gen. 21 on verse 31.
2And Jehoash did that which was right in the sight of the LORD all his days 5wherein Jehoiada the priest instructed him.
5 But after the death of Jehoiada the high priest, whose good doctrine he forgot, fell to false worship, and was also punished for it. See 2 Chron. 24:17, 18.
3But the high places were not taken away: the people still sacrificed and burnt incense in the high places.
4¶And Jehoash said to the priests, Allb the money 6of the dedicated things that is brought into the house of the LORD, even the money 7of every one that passeth 8the account, 9the money that every 10man is set at, and 11all the money that 12cometh into any man's heart to bring into the house of the LORD,
b 2 Kings 22:3, etc.
6 Hebr. holinesses: that is, which are hallowed unto the Lord, and dedicated to His service, and now were to be employed about the building and repairing of the temple. Of these certain kinds are here mentioned, as the following words do show.
7 Hebr. of the passer by, or goer over; namely, among or to those who are numbered; that is, who was counted among those who were to be taxed. These now are all those who were twenty years old and upward, who, when the numbering was made, were to give every man half a shekel for his head or person, Exod. 30:13. This was the first kind of consecrated things.
8 These words are here inserted, based on Exod. 30:13: … every one that passeth among them that are numbered, …
9 Hebr. the man’s money of the souls of his taxing, that is, the money wherewith the priest taxed a man who had made a vow unto the Lord that he might redeem and free himself. See the law concerning this, Lev. 27:2. This was the second kind of consecrated things.
10 Hebr. souls. This word is here taken for persons, or men. See Gen. 12 on verse 5.
11 The third kind of consecrated things was, which any man offered most freely and willingly unto the Lord, without being compelled thereunto by any law, but indeed stirred up by exhortation, 2 Chron. 24:5, 6. Compare Exod. 35:5.
12 Hebr. cometh up, or ascendeth.
5Let the priests take it to them, every man of his acquaintance: and let them 13repair the breaches of the house, wheresoever 14any breach shall be found.
13 Hebr. strengthen, fortify: and so in the sequel.
14 Understand whatsoever was rent, split, wasted away, or decayed through the aging of the building, or demolished and destroyed by wicked Athaliah. See 2 Chron. 24:7.
6But it was so, that in the three and twentieth year of king Jehoash the priests had not repaired the breaches of the house.
7Then king Jehoash called for Jehoiada the priest, and the other priests, and said unto them, Why repair ye not the breaches of the house? now therefore 15receive no more money of your acquaintance, 16but deliver it for the breaches of the house.
15 As you did before; see verses 4, 5.
16 As you indeed promised, but did not perform.
8And the priests consented to receive no more money of the people, neither to repair the breaches of the house.
9But Jehoiada the priest 17took a chest, and bored a hole in the 18lid of it, and set it beside the altar, 19on the right side as one cometh into the house of the LORD: and the priests that kept the 20door put therein all the money that was brought into the house of the LORD.
17 With the consent and at the command of the king, 2 Chron. 24:8.
18 Hebr. in the door.
19 Understand at the post, or beside the door, where they entered into the court of the priests, where the altar of burnt offering stood, at the end of the great court; for so far all Israel was permitted to come, as the Levites there kept the watch at the threshold of this door, Num. 18:4. Such an offering chest was also yet in the temple at the time of Jesus Christ. See Mark 12:41; Luke 21:1.
20 Namely, of the gate of the priests’ court, and that according to the Lord’s prescript, Num. 18:4.
10And it was so, when they saw that there was much money in the chest, that the king’s 21scribe and the high priest came up, and they 22put up in bags, and toldc the money that was found in the house of the LORD.
21 That is, notary, or secretary. So 2 Kings 19:2; 22:3. Likewise 2 Sam. 8:17.
22 Namely, in bundles or bags.
c counted*
11And they gave the money, being told, into the hands of 23them that did the work, that had the oversight of the house of the LORD: and they laid it out to the 24carpenters and builders, that wrought upon the house of the LORD,
23 Hebr. doers of that work. Also 2 Kings 22:5. That is, who were appointed as overseers over this work of the temple.
24 Hebr. artificers or workmen of the wood.
12And to 25masons, and hewers of stone, and to buy timber and 26hewed stone to repair the breaches of the house of the LORD, and for all that was 27laid out for the house to repair it.
25 The Hebrew word signifies generally those who make stone walls, wooden walls, and fences. Also 2 Kings 22:6; Isa. 58:12; Ezek. 22:30. Here it is taken for masons.
26 Hebr. stones of hewing out, or cutting. That is, which are hewed out of the earth, and after that must be squared and fashioned by hewing, or cutting for certain use.
27 Hebr. that went out, etc., that is, which was disbursed or otherwise laid out, toward the repairing of the temple.
13Howbeit there 28were not made for the house of the LORD 29bowls of silver, snuffers, basons, trumpets, any vessels of gold, or vessels of silver, of the money that was brought into the house of the LORD:
28 That is, they furthered the building of the temple so much, that they made not the vessels belonging to the worship of God, until the entire building was finished, but after that they made also all manner of vessels of the residue or remainder of the money. See 2 Chron. 24:14.
29 See of these vessels, 1 Kings 7:50.
14But they gave that to the workmen, and repaired therewith the house of the LORD.
15Moreover they 30reckoned not with the men, into whose hand they delivered the money to be bestowed on workmen: for they dealt 31faithfully.
30 Or, caused not the men to make any account, or demanded no account of the men.
31 Hebr. in truth or faithfulness, that is, in good faith. The meaning is: As the money was trusted to their honesty, so they did likewise faithfully laid it out and applied it.
16The trespass money and sin money was not brought into the house of the LORD: it was the priests'.
17 ¶ 32Thend Hazael king of Syria went up, and fought against 33Gath, and took it: ande Hazael 34set his face to go up to Jerusalem.
32 Namely, after that Jehoiada was dead, and Joash had corrupted his ways, 2 Chron. 24:22, 23.
d 2 Kings 13:25.
33 See 1 Kings 2 on verse 39.
e 2 Kings 8:12; 2 Chron. 24:23.
34To set one’s face towards somewhere, is to attempt or undertake a thing earnestly. See 2 Chron. 20:3; Jer. 42:15; Ezek. 21:2; Dan. 9:3; Luke 9:51.
18Andf 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 35hallowed things, and all the gold that was found in the treasures of the house of the LORD, and in the king's house, and sent it to Hazael king of Syria: and he went away from Jerusalem.
f 2 Kings 18:15.
35 Hebr. holinesses; as verse 4. See Lev. 5 on verse 15.
19¶And 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?
20Andg his servants arose, and made a conspiracy, and slew Joash 36in the house of Millo, which goeth down to 37Silla.
g 2 Kings 14:5.
36 Other, Bethmillo. See Judges 9 on verse 6.
37 The name of a place. From the characteristic of the word some conjecture, that this was a certain raised way which Solomon may have made to go from the city of David into the temple, 2 Chron. 9:11. Others perceive that Silla was the name of a city, situated not far from the house of Millo.
21For 38Jozachar the son of 39Shimeath, and 40Jehozabad the son of 41Shomer, his servants, smote him, and he died; and they buried him with his fathers in the 42city of David: and Amaziah his son reigned in his stead.
38 Otherwise called Zabad, 2 Chron. 24:26.
39 The name of a woman of the Ammonites, 2 Chron. 24:26.
40 Or, Josabat. Hebr. Jehozabad.
41 Other, of Shimrith. This was a Moabitish woman, 2 Chron. 24:26.
42 But not in the sepulchre of the kings of Judah, 2 Chron. 24:25.