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2 Kings Chapter
Twelve
New King James Version (NKJV)
INTRODUCTION TO 2 KINGS 12
In
this chapter some account is given of the reign of Jehoash, that it was long,
and the beginning of it good, during the life of Jehoiada, 2 Kings 12:1 how
urgent he was to have the temple repaired, and what methods were taken for that
purpose, 2 Kings 12:4, how
meanly, as well as impiously, he behaved, when the king of Syria was about to
come up to Jerusalem and besiege it, 2 Kings 12:17, and
the chapter is closed with an account of his death, and the manner of it, 2 Kings 12:19.
2 Kings 12:1 In
the seventh year of Jehu, Jehoash[a] became
king, and he reigned forty years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was
Zibiah of Beersheba.
YLT
1In the seventh year of Jehu
reigned hath Jehoash, and forty years he hath reigned in Jerusalem, and the
name of his mother [is] Zibiah of Beer-Sheba,
In the seventh year of Jehu Jehoash began to reign,.... So that
he reigned twenty one or twenty two years contemporary with Jehu's reign, for
Jehu reigned twenty eight years:
and forty years reigned he in Jerusalem; the same
number of years David and Solomon reigned:
and his mother's name was Zibiah of Beersheba; a city in the
tribe of Simeon, in the extreme part of the land of Canaan southward; her name
in the Chaldee dialect is Tabitha, the same with Dorcas in Greek, Acts 9:36.
2 Kings 12:2 2 Jehoash did what was
right in the sight of the Lord all the days in which Jehoiada
the priest instructed him.
YLT
2and Jehoash doth that which
is right in the eyes of Jehovah all his days in which Jehoiada the priest
directed him,
And Jehoash did that which was right in the sight of the Lord all
his days,.... Worshipping the only true God, and ruling and walking
according to the law of God:
wherein Jehoiada the priest instructed him; and so long
as he observed his instructions, and as long as that priest lived, he reigned
well; for to that period "all his days must be limited"; for after
his death he was seduced by the princes of Judah to idolatry, and lived
scandalously, and died ignominiously; see 2 Chronicles 24:2.
2 Kings 12:3 3 But the high places were
not taken away; the people still sacrificed and burned incense on the high
places.
YLT
3only, the high places have
not turned aside, still are the people sacrificing and making perfume in high
places.
But the high places were not taken away,.... Used
before the temple was built, or set up in Rehoboam's time, 1 Kings 14:23
contrary to the law of God, which required that sacrifices should only be
offered in the place the Lord chose to dwell in, Deuteronomy 12:4
the people still sacrificed and burnt incense in the high places; as they had
done in the times of Athaliah, and though the pure worship of God was restored
at Jerusalem; and indeed this they did in all preceding reigns; nor was it in
the power of the best of kings, at least they did not think it safe to attempt
to remove them till Hezekiah's time; so fond were the people of them because of
their antiquity and supposed sanctity, and for the sake of ease.
2 Kings 12:4 4 And Jehoash said to the
priests, “All the money of the dedicated gifts that are brought into the house
of the Lord—each
man’s census money, each man’s assessment money[b]—and
all the money that a man purposes in his heart to bring into the house of the Lord,
YLT
4And Jehoash saith unto the
priests, `All the money of the sanctified things that is brought in to the
house of Jehovah, the money of him who is passing over, each the money of his
valuation, all the money that it goeth up on the heart of a man to bring in to
the house of Jehovah,
And Jehoash said to the priests,.... Being minded or
having it in his heart, to repair the temple, as in 2 Chronicles 24:4
not only because it was the sanctuary of the Lord, though that chiefly, but
because it had been a sanctuary to him, where he was hid and preserved six
years:
all the money of the dedicated things that is brought into the
house of the Lord: or rather, "that is to be brought", as De Dieu, and
others render it, the particulars of which follow:
even the money of everyone that passeth the account; or that
passeth among them that are numbered, as in Exodus 30:13 that
were upwards of twenty years of age, and bound to pay the half shekel for the
ransom of their souls; and it is called the collection or burden Moses laid on
them in the wilderness, 2 Chronicles 24:6.
the money that every man is set at; the price the priest set
upon or estimated a man at, or whomsoever that belonged to him, that he devoted
to the Lord, which by the law he was bound to pay for his redemption, and, till
that was done, he and they were not his, but the Lord's, of which see Leviticus 27:1 and
here the Targum calls it, the money of the redemption of souls, which is the
gift of a man for the redemption of his soul:
and all the money that cometh into any man's heart to bring into
the house of the Lord: vows and freewill offerings made of their own accord.
2 Kings 12:5 5 let the priests take it
themselves, each from his constituency; and let them repair the damages of the
temple, wherever any dilapidation is found.”
YLT
5do the priests take to
them, each from his acquaintance, and they strengthen the breach of the house,
in all [places] where there is found a breach.'
Let the priests take it to them, every man of his acquaintance,.... Of those
that were most known by them; for the priests had cities assigned them in
several parts of the land, and they that dwelt with them in them, or in the
parts adjacent to them, were best known by them; and they were sent into all
the cities, some to one and some to another, where they were most acquainted,
to collect money, both what was due by law, and what the people should freely
give, see 2 Chronicles 24:5.
and let them repair the breaches of the house, wheresoever any
breach shall be found: that is, of the temple, which, according to the Jewish
chronologyF9Seder Olam Rabba, c. 18. , had been built but one
hundred and fifty five years; and being built very strong, would have needed no
considerable repairs as yet, but that it had been broken up and misused by
Athaliah and her sons, 2 Chronicles 24:7.
2 Kings 12:6 6 Now it was so, by the
twenty-third year of King Jehoash, that the priests had not repaired the
damages of the temple.
YLT
6And it cometh to pass, in
the twenty and third year of king Jehoash, the priests have not strengthened
the breach of the house,
But it was so, that in the twenty and third year of King Jehoash,
the priests had not repaired the breaches of the house. Either the
people being backward to pay in the money, or the priests converted it to their
own use: or, however, were negligent of doing the work enjoined them by the
king, either in collecting the money, or in using it as they were directed.
2 Kings 12:7 7 So King Jehoash called
Jehoiada the priest and the other priests, and said to them, “Why have
you not repaired the damages of the temple? Now therefore, do not take more
money from your constituency, but deliver it for repairing the damages of the
temple.”
YLT
7and king Jehoash calleth to
Jehoiada the priest, and to the priests, and saith unto them, `Wherefore are ye
not strengthening the breach of the house? and now, receive no money from your
acquaintances, but for the breach of the house give it.'
Then King Jehoash called for Jehoiada the priest, and the other
priests,.... The common priests, Jehoiada being high priest:
and said unto them, why repair ye not the breaches of the house? in which they
appeared to him very dilatory; the reason might be, the people were not forward
to pay in their money, and they might not choose to begin the repairs until
they had got it all in, or at least what was sufficient to carry them through
them:
now therefore receive no more money of your acquaintance; suspecting
that what they had received they kept for their own use:
but deliver it for the breaches of the house; into other
hands for that use, and so dismissed them at once from collecting the money,
and being concerned in the repairs of the temple.
2 Kings 12:8 8 And the priests agreed
that they would neither receive more money from the people, nor repair
the damages of the temple.
YLT
8And the priests consent not
to receive money from the people, nor to strengthen the breach of the house,
And the priests consented to receive no more money of the
people,.... And delivered up what they had:
neither to repair the breaches of the house; being very
willing to be stop both services, and especially since they seemed to be
suspected.
2 Kings 12:9 9 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 comes into the house of the Lord; and the
priests who kept the door put there all the money brought into the house of the
Lord.
YLT
9and Jehoiada the priest
taketh a chest, and pierceth a hole in its lid, and putteth it near the altar,
on the right side, as one cometh in to the house of Jehovah, and the priests
keeping the threshold have put there all the money that is brought in to the
house of Jehovah.
But Jehoiada the priest took a chest,.... By the
commandment of the king, 2 Chronicles 24:8,
to put the money collected into, to prevent any fraud, or suspicion of any:
and bored a hole in the lid of it; to drop the money into,
by which means it could not be taken out without taking off the lid:
and set it beside the altar; the altar of burnt
offering, in the court:
on the right side, as one cometh into the house of the Lord; that is, on
the north; for the entrance into the temple was at the east: in 2 Chronicles 24:8,
it is said to be set without at the gate of the house; which Dr. LightfootF11Prospect
of the Temple, ch. 30. p. 20, 22. thinks respects another time, and that either
another chest was made, or the same that was first placed by the altar, in the
court of the priests, and so in their hands, and the money not coming in apace,
was removed without the court at the entrance of it, whither the people brought
it readily:
and the priests that kept the door; the door of the outward
court, the levites, the porters, or rather, as the Targum, the priests, the
treasurers, who were appointed to this service in the room of the others
dismissed; and so Kimchi and other Jewish commentators interpret this of the
keepers of the vessels of the sanctuary, and not of the doors of it:
these put therein all the money that was brought into the house of
the Lord; by the people from the several parts of the country, who, by
proclamation, were required so to do, and very readily did, 2 Chronicles 24:9.
2 Kings 12:10 10 So it was, whenever they
saw that there was much money in the chest, that the king’s scribe and
the high priest came up and put it in bags, and counted the money that was
found in the house of the Lord.
YLT
10And it cometh to pass, at
their seeing that the money [is] abundant in the chest, that there goeth up a
scribe of the king, and of the high priest, and they bind [it] up, and count
the money that is found [in] the house of Jehovah,
And it was so, when they saw that there was much money in the
chest,.... Which might easily be guessed at by the number of the people
which contributed:
that the king's and the high priest came up; to the
temple; the high priest did not choose to come alone, lest he should be
suspected, but to have the king's secretary with him, that the money might be
taken out of the chest, and told in the presence of them both: in 2 Chronicles 24:11
instead of the "high priest", it is the "high priest's
officer", which the Targum there calls the Sagan of the high priest, or
his deputy, who, perhaps, attended when the high priest could not:
and they put up in bags, and told the money that was found in the
house of the Lord; that is, they poured the money out of the chest, or emptied it,
as in 2 Chronicles 24:11
and counted it, and very likely set down the sum in writing, and put it up in
bags, very probably sealed.
2 Kings 12:11 11 Then they gave the money,
which had been apportioned, into the hands of those who did the work, who had
the oversight of the house of the Lord; and they paid it out to
the carpenters and builders who worked on the house of the Lord,
YLT
11and have given the weighed
money into the hands of those doing the work, those inspecting the house of
Jehovah, and they bring it out to those working in the wood, and to builders
who are working in the house of Jehovah,
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
appointed overseers of the workmen employed in the repairs of the temple; which
overseers were laymen, and not priests, they being discharged from any concern
in the repairs: this money "told", Kimchi interprets of its being
coined; he supposes money coined and uncoined to be brought, which was put in
separate bags; and that, which was not coined, they coined it before they
delivered it to the overseers to pay the workmen with:
and they laid it out to the carpenters and builders that wrought
upon the house of the Lord; paid them with it, some that wrought in
cutting the timber, and others in building with it.
2 Kings 12:12 12 and to masons and
stonecutters, and for buying timber and hewn stone, to repair the damage of the
house of the Lord,
and for all that was paid out to repair the temple.
YLT
12and to those [repairing]
the wall, and to hewers of stone, and to buy wood and hewn stones to strengthen
the breach of the house of Jehovah, and for all that goeth out on the house, to
strengthen it.
And to masons, and hewers of stone,.... Which they cut out
of the mountain, and the masons repaired the stone walls with:
and to buy timber; felled in Lebanon:
and hewed stone; fitted for building with:
to repair the breaches of the house of the Lord; where both
timber and stone were wanting:
and for all that was laid out for the house to repair it; in whatsoever
else it needed, as iron and brass to mend it, 2 Chronicles 24:12.
2 Kings 12:13 13 However there were not
made for the house of the Lord basins of silver,
trimmers, sprinkling-bowls, trumpets, any articles of gold or articles of
silver, from the money brought into the house of the Lord.
YLT
13Only, there is not made for
the house of Jehovah basins of silver, snuffers, bowls, trumpets, any vessel of
gold, and vessel of silver, out of the money that is brought into the house of
Jehovah;
Howbeit there were not made for the house of the Lord, bowls of
silver,.... Either to hold the blood of the sacrifices, or the drink
offerings of wine:
snuffers; to trim the lamps; or, as Jarchi and other writers, both Jewish
and Christian, musical instruments:
basins; vessels to sprinkle the blood with, as the word signifies:
trumpets; silver ones, to call the assembly, blow over the sacrifices,
&c.
any vessels of gold, or vessels of silver; for any other
use: these were not made
of the money that was brought into the house of the Lord; yet, in 2 Chronicles 24:14,
it is said they were, which is to be reconciled thus; they did not make any of
those things at first, until the house was repaired, and the charges of it defrayed;
and then of what remained they made vessels for the house, which were wanting,
that Athaliah had bestowed on Baalim, 2 Chronicles 24:7.
2 Kings 12:14 14 But they gave that to the
workmen, and they repaired the house of the Lord with it.
YLT
14for to those doing the work
they give it, and they have strengthened with it the house of Jehovah,
But they gave that to the workmen, and repaired therewith the
house of the Lord. They took care that the workmen should first be paid for the
repairs of the temple.
2 Kings 12:15 15 Moreover they did not
require an account from the men into whose hand they delivered the money to be
paid to workmen, for they dealt faithfully.
YLT
15and they do not reckon with
the men into whose hand they give the money to give to those doing the work,
for in faithfulness they are dealing.
Moreover, they reckoned not with the men into whose hand they
delivered the money to be bestowed on the workmen,.... That is,
the king's secretary and the high priest, or his officer, never called to
account the overseers of the workmen, to whom they committed the money to pay
them with; never examined how they laid it out, and for what:
for they dealt faithfully; they saw they acted such
an honest and upright part, and such an high opinion had they of them, that
they never examined their accounts, or called for their bills.
2 Kings 12:16 16 The money from the
trespass offerings and the money from the sin offerings was not brought into
the house of the Lord.
It belonged to the priests.
YLT
16The money of a
trespass-offering, and the money of sin-offerings is not brought in to the
house of Jehovah -- for the priests it is.
The trespass money and sin money was not brought into the house of
the Lord,.... Which was the money persons at a distance sent for their
trespass and sin offerings instead of cattle, with which the sacrifices were
bought; and what remained of the money was not brought into the temple, and
made use of in the above manner:
it was the priest's; the overplus of it, and
such of the sacrifices which by the law were appropriated to them.
2 Kings 12:17 17 Hazael king of Syria went
up and fought against Gath, and took it; then Hazael set his face to go up to
Jerusalem.
YLT
17Then go up doth Hazael king
of Aram, and fighteth against Gath, and captureth it, and Hazael setteth his
face to go up against Jerusalem;
Then Hazael king of Syria went up and fought against Gath, and
took it,.... When Jehoiada was dead, and Jehoash was become an apostate,
the Lord suffered the king of Syria to be a scourge to him; who first attacked
Gath, and took it, which was formerly one of the principalities of the
Philistines, but was subdued by David, and had been in the hands of the
Israelites ever since; the king of Syria began with this, as nearest to him, to
open the way for what he had further in view:
and Hazael set his face to go up to Jerusalem; he made such
preparations, and took such measures, as plainly indicated what his design was.
2 Kings 12:18 18 And Jehoash king of Judah
took all the sacred things that his fathers, Jehoshaphat and Jehoram and
Ahaziah, kings of Judah, had dedicated, and his own sacred things, and all the
gold found in the treasuries of the house of the Lord and in the
king’s house, and sent them to Hazael king of Syria. Then he went away
from Jerusalem.
YLT
18and Jehoash king of Judah
taketh all the sanctified things that Jehoshaphat, and Jehoram, and Ahaziah,
his fathers, kings of Judah, had sanctified, and his own sanctified things, and
all the gold that is found in the treasures of the house of Jehovah and of the
house of the king, and sendeth to Hazael king of Aram, and he goeth up from off
Jerusalem.
And Jehoash king of Judah took all the hallowed things that
Jehoshaphat, and Jehoram, and Ahaziah, his fathers, kings of Judah, had
dedicated,.... To sacred uses, and had laid up in the temple:
and his own hallowed things: which he had devoted to
the same uses:
and all the gold that was found in the treasures of the
house of the Lord: which were gifts and presents from divers persons for sacred
services:
and sent it to Hazael king of Syria, and he went away from
Jerusalem; to bribe him, that he might desist from his purpose; which
showed a meanness of spirit, and was the effect of his idolatry and apostasy,
having forsaken the Lord, and being forsaken by him; in whom should have been
his trust and confidence, and then he need not have been afraid to meet the king
of Syria.
2 Kings 12:19 19 Now the rest of the acts
of Joash,[c] and all
that he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the
kings of Judah?
YLT
19And the rest of the matters
of Joash, and all that he did, are they not written on the book of the
Chronicles of the kings of Judah?
And the rest of the acts of Jehoash, and all that he did, are they
not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah? In the
registers and annals of those princes; some of them are to be met with in 2 Chronicles 24:1.
2 Kings 12:20 20 And his servants arose and
formed a conspiracy, and killed Joash in the house of the Millo,[d] which goes
down to Silla.
YLT
20And his servants rise, and
make a conspiracy, and smite Joash in the house of Millo, that is going down to
Silla:
And his servants arose,.... This was after he
had slain Zechariah the son of Jehoiada, who reproved him for his idolatry; and
after a second expedition of the king of Syria, who came to Jerusalem, and
spoiled it, and left Jehoash diseased, as is recorded in 2 Chronicles 24:23,
and made a conspiracy; not to get the kingdom
into their hands, for his son succeeded him, but to avenge the death of
Zechariah:
and slew Jehoash in the house of Millo, which goeth down to Silla; these are
both names of places; perhaps the latter is mentioned, to distinguish this
Bethmillo from Millo in Zion; or rather that itself is meant, and described by
the descent from it to a causeway, as Silla may signify, which led to the royal
palace.
2 Kings 12:21 21 For Jozachar[e] the son of
Shimeath and Jehozabad the son of Shomer,[f] his
servants, struck him. So he died, and they buried him with his fathers in the
City of David. Then Amaziah his son reigned in his place.
YLT
21yea, Jozachar son of
Shimeath, and Jehozabad son of Shemer, his servants, have smitten him, and he
dieth, and they bury him with his fathers in the city of David, and reign doth
Amaziah his son, in his stead.
For Jozachar the son of Shimeath,.... Said to be an
Ammonitess, and this man's name Zabad, 2 Chronicles 24:26,
and Jehozabad the son of Shomer, his servants; who is said
in the same place to be the son of Shimrith a Moabitess:
these smote him, and he died; justly did he fall by
the hands of such persons for his idolatry:
and they buried him with his fathers in the city of David; but not in
the sepulchres of the kings, because of his idolatry and murder of a priest of
the Lord:
and Amaziah his son reigned in his stead; the conspirators
not seeking the kingdom, but vengeance on him for his sins, which, whether
right in them to do, was suffered by the Lord.
──《John Gill’s
Exposition of the Bible》
New King James
Version (NKJV)