2 Kings 12

Joash (Jehoash) Reigns over Judah

1 In the seventh year of Jehu, ¹Jehoash became king, and he reigned forty years in Jerusalem; and his mother's name was Zibiah of Beersheba.

2 Jehoash did right in the sight of the LORD all his days in which Jehoiada the priest instructed him.

3 Only ²the high places were not taken away; the people still sacrificed and burned incense on the high places.

The Temple to Be Repaired

4 Then Jehoash said to the priests, "All the money of the sacred things ³which is brought into the house of the LORD, in current money, both ⁴the money of each man's assessment and all the money which any man's heart prompts * him to bring into the house of the LORD,

5 let the priests take it for themselves, each from his acquaintance; and they shall repair the damages of the house wherever * * any damage may be found."

6 But it came about that in the twenty-third * year of King Jehoash ⁵the priests had not repaired the damages of the house.

7 Then King Jehoash called for Jehoiada the priest, and for the other priests and said to them, "Why do you not repair the damages of the house? Now therefore take no more money from your acquaintances, but pay it for the damages of the house."

8 So the priests agreed that they would take no more money from the people, nor repair the damages of the house.

9 But ⁶Jehoiada the priest took a chest and bored a hole in its lid and put it beside the altar, on the right side as one comes into the house of the LORD; and the priests who guarded the threshold put in it all the money which was brought into the house of the LORD.

10 When they saw that there was much money in the chest, ⁷the king's scribe and the high priest came up and tied it in bags and counted the money which was found in the house of the LORD.

11 They gave the money which was weighed out 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 the builders who worked on the house of the LORD;

12 and ⁸to the masons and the stonecutters *, and for buying timber and hewn stone to repair the damages to the house of the LORD, and for all that was laid out for the house to repair it.

13 But ⁹there were not made for the house of the LORD ¹⁰silver cups, snuffers, bowls, trumpets, any vessels of gold, or vessels of silver from the money which was brought into the house of the LORD;

14 for they gave that to those who did the work, and with it they repaired the house of the LORD.

15 Moreover, ¹¹they did not require an accounting from the men into whose hand they gave the money to pay to those who did the work, for they dealt faithfully.

16 The ¹²money from the guilt offerings and ¹³the money from the sin offerings was not brought into the house of the LORD; ¹⁴it was for the priests.

17 Then ¹⁵Hazael king of Aram went up and fought against Gath and captured it, and ¹⁶Hazael set his face to go up to Jerusalem.

18 ¹⁷Jehoash king of Judah took all the sacred things that Jehoshaphat and Jehoram and Ahaziah, his fathers, kings of Judah, had dedicated, and ¹⁸his own sacred things and all the gold that was found among the treasuries of the house of the LORD and of the king's house, and sent them to Hazael king of Aram. Then he went away from Jerusalem.

Joash (Jehoash) Succeeded by Amaziah in Judah

19 Now 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?

20 ¹⁹His servants arose and made a conspiracy and ²⁰struck down Joash at ²¹the house of Millo as he was going down to Silla.

21 For Jozacar the son of Shimeath and Jehozabad the son of ²²Shomer, his servants, struck him and he died; and they buried him with his fathers in the city of David, and ²³Amaziah his son became king in his place.

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2 Kings 12 Commentary

Chapter 12

Jehoash orders the repair of the temple. (1-16) He is slain by his servants. (17-21)

Verses 1-16 It is a great mercy to young people, especially to all young men of rank, like Jehoash, to have those about them who will instruct them to do what is right in the sight of the Lord; and they do wisely and well for themselves, when willing to be counselled and ruled. The temple was out of repair; Jehoash orders the repair of the temple. The king was zealous. God requires those who have power, to use it for the support of religion, the redress of grievances, and repairing of decays. The king employed the priests to manage, as most likely to be hearty in the work. But nothing was done effectually till the twenty-third year of his reign. Another method was therefore taken. When public distributions are made faithfully, public contributions will be made cheerfully. While they were getting all they could for the repair of the temple, they did not break in upon the stated maintenance of the priests. Let not the servants of the temple be starved, under colour of repairing the breaches of it. Those that were intrusted did the business carefully and faithfully. They did not lay it out in ornaments for the temple, till the other work was completed; hence we may learn, in all our expenses, to prefer that which is most needful, and, in dealing for the public, to deal as we would for ourselves.

Verses 17-21 Let us review the character of Jehoash, and consider what we may learn from it. When we see what a sad conclusion there was to so promising a beginning, it ought to make us seek into our spiritual declinings. If we know any thing of Christ as the foundation of our faith and hope, let us desire to know nothing but Christ. May the work of the blessed Spirit on our souls be manifest; may we see, feel, and be earnest, in seeking after Jesus in all his fulness, suitableness, and grace, that our souls may be brought over from dead works to serve the living and true God.

Taken from Matthew Henry Commentary on the Whole Bible (Concise)

Cross References 23

1. 2 Chronicles 24:1
2. 2 Kings 14:4; 2 Kings 15:35
3. 2 Kings 22:4
4. Exodus 30:13-16; Exodus 35:5, 22, 29; 1 Chronicles 29:3-9
5. 2 Chronicles 24:5
6. Mark 12:41; Luke 21:1
7. 2 Samuel 8:17; 2 Kings 19:2; 2 Kings 22:3, 4, 12
8. 2 Kings 22:5, 6
9. 2 Chronicles 24:14
10. 1 Kings 7:48, 50
11. 2 Kings 22:7; 1 Corinthians 4:2; 2 Corinthians 8:20
12. Leviticus 5:15-18
13. Leviticus 4:24, 29
14. Leviticus 7:7; Numbers 18:19
15. 1 Kings 19:17; 2 Kings 8:12; 2 Kings 10:32, 33
16. 2 Chronicles 24:23, 24
17. 1 Kings 14:26; 1 Kings 15:18; 2 Kings 16:8; 2 Kings 18:15, 16
18. 2 Kings 12:4
19. 2 Chronicles 24:25-27
20. 2 Kings 14:5
21. Judges 9:6; 2 Samuel 5:9; 1 Kings 11:27
22. 2 Chronicles 24:26
23. 2 Kings 14:1

Footnotes 4

[a]. Lit "which it comes into...to bring"
[b]. Lit "breaches," and so through v 12
[c]. Lit "brought"
[d]. Lit "went out"

Chapter Summary

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, 2Ki 12:1-3 how urgent he was to have the temple repaired, and what methods were taken for that purpose, 2Ki 12:4-16, how meanly, as well as impiously, he behaved, when the king of Syria was about to come up to Jerusalem and besiege it, 2Ki 12:17,18, and the chapter is closed with an account of his death, and the manner of it, 2Ki 12:19-21.

Taken from John Gill's Exposition of the Bible