The Second Book of the Kings, commonly called the Fourth Book of the Kings
2 Kings 12
Chapter XII · Vol. II, pp. 783–784
1 Jehoash reigneth well all the days of Jehoiada. 4 He giveth order for the repair of the temple. 17 Hazael is diverted from his design against Jerusalem by a present of the hallowed treasures. 19 Jehoash being slain by his servants, Amaziah succeedeth him.
1 In thea seventh year of Jehu Jehoash began to reign; and forty years reigned he in Jerusalem. And his mother's name was Zibiah of bBeer-sheba.
2 And Jehoash did that which was cright in the sight of the LORD all his days wherein Jehoiada the priest instructed him.
3 But dthe high places were not taken 1away; the people still sacrificed and burnt incense in the high places.
d 1 Ki.15.4; 22.43. ch.14.4; 15.4,35. 2 Ch.33.17, i.e. high-places where God was worshipped.
1 Private altars on high places, where sacrifices were offered, and, no doubt, generally endeared by some interesting recollection of Joshua, Samuel, or some of the prophets or judges. They were not taken away, either for want of power, or from the unsettled state of the country, or were permitted to remain out of deference to popular prejudice, or the neighbourhood and interests of Levitical cities. Still, as they were contrary to the law, testimony continues to be borne against them.—Note, If you cannot reform sinners, at least testify against their sin. Your testimony may be unavailing now, it will work hereafter.—C.
4 And Jehoash said to the priests, All the money of the dedicated ethings2 that is brought into the house of the LORD, even the money of every one that fpasseth the account, the money that every man3 is gset at, and all the money that hcometh into any man's heart4 to bring into the house of the LORD,
5 Let the ipriests take it to them, every man of his acquaintance: and let them repair the breaches of the house, wheresoever any breach shall be found.
i 2 Ch.24.5. 1 Ch.29.6-9. Ezr.7.16; 8.25.
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 the other priests, and said unto them, Why repair ye not the breaches of the 5house? Now therefore kreceive no more money of your acquaintance, but deliver it for the breaches of the house.
5 He had assigned the following revenues: (1) Things dedicated by the king or others. (2) The half-shekel for every one who 'passed the account,' the muster or number from twenty years, Ex. 30. 13. (3) The estimation money for every man who had dedicated himself to God, Le.27.2. Ex.35.5. (4) Such voluntary contributions as came into any man's heart.—C.
k ver.4,5. 2 Ch.24.5,6; 29.4,5.
8 And the priests lconsented to receive no more money of the people, neither to repair the breaches of the house.6
6 The revolt of the ten tribes had greatly diminished the revenues of the Levitical priests, who seem all to have adhered to the throne of Judah and service of Jehovah. The money received had therefore been applied to their support, which they now generously resign, only bargaining that they are not to be held accountable for the repairs of the temple.—C.
9 But Jehoiada the priest mtook a chest, and bored a hole in the lid of it, and set it beside the naltar, on the right side as one cometh into the house of the LORD: and the priests that kept the odoor put therein all the money that was brought into the house of the LORD.
10 And it was so, when they saw that there was much money in the chest, that the king's pscribe and the high priest came up, and they put up7 in bags,8 and told the money that was found in the house of the LORD.
11 And they qgave the money, being told, into the hands of them that did the work, that had the oversight of the house of the LORD: and they laid it out9 to the carpenters and builders that wrought upon the house of the LORD,
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 out1 for the house to repair it.
1 Heb. went forth.
13 Howbeit rthere were not made for the house of the LORD bowls2 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:3
r 2 Ch.24.14. 1 Ki.7.50. Nu.10.2, i.e. they were not then, but afterwards, made.
2 That is, there were no vessels made for the service of the temple till all the outward repairs were completed. 'Hence we may learn in all our expenses to give that the preference which is most needful, and in dealing for the public to deal as we would for ourselves.'—I.
3 They sought first to finish the house before providing the furniture of the altar, trumpets, and lavers.—Note, Attend first to the essentials of religion, 'the kingdom of God (Ro. 14. 17), and his righteousness,' Mat. 6. 33; and if God see it good, then 'all other things will be added unto you.'—C.
14 But they gave that to the workmen, and repaired therewith the house of the LORD.
15 Moreover, sthey reckoned not with the men into whose hand they delivered the money to be bestowed on workmen; for they dealt faithfully.4
16 The ttrespass-money and sin-money was not brought into the house of the LORD: it was the priests'.
t Le.5.15,18; 4.3; 7.7. De.14.25. Nu.18.9.
17 Then5 Hazaelu king of Syria went up and fought against xGath,6 and took it: and Hazael yset his face to go up to Jerusalem.
5 B.C. 840.
u ch.8.12; 10.32; 13.3,7. 1 Ki.19.17.
x 1 Ch.8.13. 1 Sa.27.1,2.
6 A Philistine city twenty-three miles west of Jerusalem.—C.
y 2 Ch.24.23. Je.42.15. Lu.9.51.
18 And Jehoash king of Judah ztook all the hallowed things that Jehoshaphat, and Jehoram, and Ahaziah, his fathers, kings of Judah, had dedicated, and his own hallowed things,7 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 away8 from Jerusalem.
z 1 Ki.15.18. ch.16.8; 18.15,16.
7 He dearly bought a peace which was of short duration; for the next year Hazael returned, and Jehoash, having no more treasures, was obliged to hazard a battle, which he lost (along with the principal part of his nobility), so that Judah was totally ruined, and Jehoash shortly after slain in his bed by his own servants.—I.
8 Heb. went up.
19 Anda 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?
a 1 Ki.11.41; 14.29; 15.23; 22.45. ch.8.23.
20 And bhis servants arose, and made a conspiracy,9 and slew Joash1 in cthe house of Millo, which goeth down to Silla.
b 2 Ch.24.25,26. ch.14.5.
9 The cause of the conspiracy is traced, 2 Ch. 24. 22-25, to resentment against him for the ungrateful murder of the sons of Jehoiada, the friend and protector of his youth.—C.
1 B.C. 838.
c Or, Beth-millo, 2 Sa.5.9. 1 Ki.11.27, not Ju.9.6.
21 For 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:2 and Amaziah his son reigned in his stead.
2 But not in the 'sepulchres of the kings,' a circumstance which is supposed to express disapprobation of his conduct. Thus ended a reign full of hope in the beginning but of misery in the end. Many a promising youth turns aside to folly when his monitors are removed, as did this Joash after the death of Jehoiada the priest, ver. 2.—I.
Notes
[Ver. 4. The first clause of this verse contains a general command that all the money which was wont, according to law, to be given to the temple, should be applied by the priests for repairs. This money, or sacred tax, was of three kinds, and these are enumerated in the succeeding clauses of the verse, as follows:—1. 'The money of the numbered,' i.e. of those who, as ordered in Ex. 30. 13, give on being registered half a shekel[≈ 5.7 g · 0.2 oz] as an offering to the Lord. 2. 'The money at which each man is estimated,' i.e. the money which was to be paid to the Lord for redemption by any one who by a special vow had devoted himself, or any portion of his property, to God. 3. All money of a free-will offering. P.]
Reflections.—Old and evil customs are hard to root out: and rarely is the reformation of religion exactly answerable to the divine standard of God's word. Fear of men, or hopes that corruptions will die away of their own accord, often make good men to stop short. What a mercy it is for youth, particularly princes, to have pious, prudent, and faithful tutors! And often young hypocrites, under such care, manifest for a time more forwardness in the work of reformation than the aged servants of God. How hopeful it is when liberality in contributing for sacred purposes meets with prudence and fidelity in the disposal! But when men are only restrained from evil by the influence of others, their wickedness readily breaks out at last, and they destroy what they have built. Hypocrites will not always call on God, but will become foolish in their imaginations, and hasten their own ruin by the means which they use to prevent it. And upon none does God more readily imprint distinguished marks of his justice than upon apostate hypocrites, who chiefly dishonour his cause.
Measures in square brackets are modern equivalents added for this edition. They are not in the King James text or in Brown’s notes. They use common scholarly estimates: a cubit is about 45.7 cm (18 in), a shekel about 11.4 g (0.4 oz), an ephah about 22 litres. Money values give the worth of the silver or gold at spot prices on 28 October 2026, not what the sum would buy in the ancient world.