2 Kings 12:4

4 And Joash said to the priests, All the money of [the] holy things, that is brought of men passing forth into the temple of the Lord, and that is offered for the price of [the] soul, and that men bring willfully, and by freedom of their heart, into the temple of the Lord, [the] priests by their order take it. (And Joash said to the priests, All the money of the dedicated things, that is brought into the Temple of the Lord by men passing forth, and that is offered for the price of the soul, and that men willingly bring, in the freedom of their hearts, into the Temple of the Lord, the priests take it by their order.)

2 Kings 12:4 Meaning and Commentary

2 Kings 12:4

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 Exodus 30:14 ) 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 2 Chronicles 24:9 )

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 27:1-8 ) 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 12:4 In-Context

2 And Joash did rightfulness before the Lord in all the days, in which Jehoiada, the priest, taught him. (And Joash did what was right before the Lord in all the days, in which Jehoiada, the priest, taught him.)
3 Nevertheless he did not away the high things; for yet the people made sacrifice, and burnt incense in (the) high things. (But he did not do away the hill shrines; for yet the people made sacrifice, and burned incense at the hill shrines.)
4 And Joash said to the priests, All the money of [the] holy things, that is brought of men passing forth into the temple of the Lord, and that is offered for the price of [the] soul, and that men bring willfully, and by freedom of their heart, into the temple of the Lord, [the] priests by their order take it. (And Joash said to the priests, All the money of the dedicated things, that is brought into the Temple of the Lord by men passing forth, and that is offered for the price of the soul, and that men willingly bring, in the freedom of their hearts, into the Temple of the Lord, the priests take it by their order.)
5 And the priests repair the coverings of the house, if they see anything needful in repairing.
6 Soothly the priests repaired not the coverings of the temple, unto the three and twentieth year of king Joash. (But the priests did not make any repairs to the Temple, unto twenty-third year of King Joash.)
Copyright © 2001 by Terence P. Noble. For personal use only.