2 Kings 12

1 In the seventh year of Yehu began Yeho'ash to reign; and he reigned forty years in Yerushalayim: and his mother's name was Tzivyah of Be'er-Sheva.

2 Yeho'ash did that which was right in the eyes of the LORD all his days in which Yehoiada the Kohen instructed him.

3 However the high places were not taken away; the people still sacrificed and burnt incense in the high places.

4 Yeho'ash said to the Kohanim, All the money of the holy things that is brought into the house of the LORD, in current money, the money of the persons for whom each man is rated, and all the money that it comes into any man's heart to bring into the house of the LORD,

5 let the Kohanim take it to them, every man from his acquaintance; and they shall repair the breaches of the house, wherever any breach shall be found.

6 But it was so, that in the three and twentieth year of king Yeho'ash the Kohanim had not repaired the breaches of the house.

7 Then king Yeho'ash called for Yehoiada the Kohen, and for the [other] Kohanim, and said to them, Why don't you repair the breaches of the house? now therefore take no [more] money from your acquaintance, but deliver it for the breaches of the house.

8 The Kohanim consented that they should take no [more] money from the people, neither repair the breaches of the house.

9 But Yehoiada the Kohen took a chest, and bored a hole in the lid of it, and set it beside the altar, on the right side as one comes into the house of the LORD: and the Kohanim who kept the threshold put therein all the money that was brought into the house of the LORD.

10 It was so, when they saw that there was much money in the chest, that the king's Sofer and the Kohen Gadol came up, and they put up in bags and counted the money that was found in the house of the LORD.

11 They gave the money that 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 to the masons and the stone cutters, and for buying timber and hewn stone to repair the breaches of the house of the LORD, and for all that was laid out for the house to repair it.

13 But there were not made for the house of the LORD cups of silver, snuffers, basins, trumpets, any vessels of gold, or vessels of silver, of the money that was brought into the house of the LORD;

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

15 Moreover they didn't demand an accounting from the men into whose hand they delivered the money to give to those who did the work; for they dealt faithfully.

16 The money for the trespass-offerings, and the money for the sin-offerings, was not brought into the house of the LORD: it was the Kohanim'.

17 Then Haza'el king of Aram went up, and fought against Gat, and took it; and Haza'el set his face to go up to Yerushalayim.

18 Yeho'ash king of Yehudah took all the holy things that Yehoshafat and Yehoram and Achazyah, his fathers, kings of Yehudah, had dedicated, and his own holy things, and all the gold that was found in the treasures of the house of the LORD, and of the king's house, and sent it to Haza'el king of Aram: and he went away from Yerushalayim.

19 Now the rest of the acts of Yo'ash, and all that he did, aren't they written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Yehudah?

20 His servants arose, and made a conspiracy, and struck Yo'ash at the house of Millo, [on the way] that goes down to Silla.

21 For Yozakhar the son of Shim`at, and Yehozavad the son of Shomer, his servants, struck him, and he died; and they buried him with his fathers in the city of David: and Amatzyah his son reigned in his place.

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.

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.