2 Kings 12

IN the seventh year of Jehu, Jehoash began to reign; and forty years reigned he in Jerusalem: and his mothers name was Zibiah of Beersheba

And Jehoash did that which was right in the sight of the LORD To wit, for the matter of it, though not with an honest and sincere mind, but only by the influence of his good Tutor and Restorer, as the words here following plainly imply. all his days, wherein Jehoiada the priest instructed him.

But the high places were not taken away To which the people were so fondly and strangely addicted, that the foregoing Kings, though men of riper years, and great power and courage, and finally settled in their Thrones, could not take them away; and therefore it is not strange if Iehoiada could not now remove them, when the King was very young and tender, and not well settled in his Kingdom, and when the people were more corrupt and disorderly through Athaliah's male - Administration.: the people still sacrificed, and burnt incense in the high places. c To God.

¶ And Jehoash said to the priests Remembring that he owed his preservation and restauration to the Temple, and that he was made by God the Guardian of his Temple and Worship, and that he had covenanted to be so, he now takes care to repair it., All the money of the dedicated things This may be; Either, First, The general designation of the Money, the particulars whereof here follow. Or rather, Secondly, A special branch of it, the Money which had been either formerly or lately vowed or dedicated to the use and service of God and of his House, either by the former Kings; of which see below, ver. 18. and compare 1 King. 7. 51. and 15. 15 2 King. 12. 18. 2 Chron. 15. 18. or, by this King or his people. that is brought Or rather, that shall be brought: for though the people might Vow to bring it thither in convenient time, yet it is not likely they would bring much Money thither in the Tyrannical and Idolatrous Reign of Athaliah: or, if they did, that Athaliah would not seize it for her own use. into the house of the LORD, even the money of every one that passeth the account i. e. The half Shekel, which was paid for every one that was numbred from 20 Years old and upward; of which the very same Phrase is used, Ex. 30. 13. compare 2 Chr. 24. 5, 6, 9., the money that every man is set at Heb. the money of souls or persons according to his taxing, i. e. the Money which every man that had Vowed his person to God, paid according to the rate which the Priest put upon him; Of which see Levit. 27. 2, &c., and all the money that cometh into any mans heart All that shall be freely offered. See Exod. 25. 2. and 35. 5. to bring into the house of the LORD.

Let the priests take it to them Let them go abroad through all the parts of the Land, as they have acquaintance and interest, and gather up the Money, and bring it to Ierusalem., every man of his acquaintance, and let them repair the breaches of the house, wheresoever any breach shall be found Either through decay; or, by ill accidents; or, by the malice of Athaliah or her Relations: Of which see 2 Chron. 24. 7..

But it was so, that in the three and twentieth year of king Jehoash, the priests had not repaired the breaches of the house Either, because the people were generally corrupt and backward to the Worship of God, especially where it cost them any thing: or, because the persons employed in making the Collections, were negligent, or unfaithful, perverting the Money received, to their own uses, as may seem probable from the contrary character of other persons, of whom it is noted that they dealt faithfully, below, v. 15. or, because the people did not like this way of Collection, and had no good opinion of the Collectors Faithfulness..

Then 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 receive no more money of your acquaintance, but deliver it i. e. The Money which you have already received. for the ‖ breaches of the house.

And the priests consented to receive no more money of the people, neither to repair the breaches of the house Nor to take the charge of that work which the King had committed unto them, but freely to resign it to whom the King should appoint..

But Jehoiada the priest By the Kings consent, 2 Chron 24. 8. took a chest, and bored a hole in the lid of it, and set it beside the altar y, on the right side, as one cometh into the house of the LORD: and the priest that kept the door The Door of the Priests Court, which, together with the Temple and all its utensils, was committed to the charge of th... Priests and Levites, Numb. 18. 4. 1 Chron. 9. 26, &c., put therein all the money that was brought into the house of the LORD. p. In the Priests Court. Obj. It was placed without, at the gate of the house of the Lord, 2 Chron. 24. 8. Ans. Either, First, It was first placed by the Altar, and afterwards thence removed to the Gate of the Court, for the peoples greater satisfaction, that they might come thither, and put in their Money with their own hands. Or, Secondly, That place 2 Chron. speaks of the Gate of the Temple strictly so called, nigh unto which the Altar of Burnt-Offerings was. Or, Thirdly, It was placed near the entrance into the Priests Court, which was over against the Altar, and not far from it, so as the people standing in their own Court, might either put their Money into it, or see when the Priests put it in.

And it was so, when they saw that there was much money in the chest, that the kings scribe Who kept an exact account hereof in writing. See 2 King. 19. 2. and 22. 3., and the high priest came up, and they put up in bags, and told the money that was found in the house of the LORD.

And they gave the money, being told, into the hands of them that did the work, that had the oversight of the house of the LORD Who were chosen out of the people, not without a reflection upon the Priests for their neglect or unfaithfulness.: and they laid it out to the carpenters and builders, that wrought upon the house of the LORD;

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 And for all other things which were necessary for the reparation of the House..

Howbeit, there were not made To wit, until all the breaches of the House were repaired: but, when that was done, they laid it out for these things, as is noted 2 Chron. 24. 14. for the house of the LORD, bowls of silver, snuffers, basons, trumpets, any vessels of gold, or vessels of silver, of the money that was broughr into the house of the LORD.

But they gave that to the workmen, and repaired therewith the house of the LORD.

Moreover, they reckoned not with the men, into whose hand they delivered the money to be bestowed on workmen: for they dealt faithfully For they perceived by many experiments that they were Faithful..

The trespass-money, and sin-money was not brought into the house of the LORD i. e. It, was not employed towards the reparation of the House, because, as it follows, it was the Priests; it was given to them for their private use and maintenance. Quest. If this reason was weighty, how could the money of them that passed the account, or, the money that every man was set at, be thus employed, as they were, ver. 4. for these also may seem to have been the Priests? Ans. They were not appropriated to the Priests, but for the service of the tabernacle of the congregation, as is said of the former, Exod. 30. 16. Or, for the Lord, Levit. 27. 2, 9, 14, 23.: it was the priests.

¶ Then i. e. In this Kings days, when Iehoiada was dead, and Ioash revolted from God: of which see 2 Chron. 24. 17 &c. Hazael king of Syria went up, and sought against Gath Once a City of the Philistines, but taken by David, 1 Chr. 18. 1. and now a part of the Kingdom of Iudah., and took it: and Hazael set his face i. e. Directed his March, and led his Forces. Or, undertook in good earnest. So the same Phrase is used 2 Chron. 20. 3. Ier. 21. 10. Ezek. 35. 2. to go up to Jerusalem.

And Jehoash king of Judah took all the hallowed things That necessity of saving his Kingdom and People by this means, which otherwise might seem to excuse the fact, was brought upon himself by his Apostacy from God. See on 1 King. 15. 18. that Jehoshaphat, and Jehoram, and Ahaziah his fathers, kings of Judah, had dedicate, and his own hallowed things, and all the gold that was found in the treasures of the house of the LORD, and in the kings house, and sent it to Hazael king of Syria, and he went away from Jerusalem.

¶ 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?

And his servants arose, and made a conspiracy, and slew Joash Of which see 2 Chron. 24. 25. in the house of Millo Either, in that strong and famous place in Ierusalem called Millo: of which see 2 Sam. 5. 9. 1 King. 9. 15, 24. and 11. 27. into which he possibly retired for his security, being afraid even of his own Subjects and Servants. Or, in some other place called by the same name, for some resemblance it had with it., which goeth down to Silla i. e. Which standeth upon the descent to Silla, or upon that descending causeway which leadeth from Millo to the Kings House. Some refer this to Ioash, and render the place thus, They slew him at or near the house of Millo, descending, or as he was going down to Silla, to escape their hands..

For Jozachar Called also Zabad, 2 Chron. 24. 26. the son of Shimeath, and Jehozabad the son of Shomer h, his servants, smote him, and he died; and they buried him with his fathers i. e. In the same City, but not in the same Royal Sepulchre, 2 Chron. 24. 25. in the city of David, and A... naziah his son reigned in his stead. t Called Shimrith, 2 Chron. 24. 26. Except Shomer be the Fathers name, and Shimrith the Mothers.