2 Chronicles 24:20

20 Then the Spirit of God came upon Zechariah son of Jehoiada the priest. He stood before the people and said, “This is what God says: Why do you disobey the LORD ’s commands and keep yourselves from prospering? You have abandoned the LORD, and now he has abandoned you!”

2 Chronicles 24:20 Meaning and Commentary

2 Chronicles 24:20

And the Spirit of the Lord came upon Zechariah the son of
Jehoiada the priest
The spirit of prophecy, as the Targum; he was moved and influenced by it to speak what is after related:

which stood above the people;
in a desk, or sort of pulpit, in which the priests stood when they taught the people, that they might be the better heard, like that which Ezra used, ( Nehemiah 8:4 )

and said unto them, thus saith God;
being moved and directed by his Spirit, he spake in his name:

why transgress ye the command of the Lord, that ye cannot prosper?
by committing idolatry, than which nothing could more hinder prosperity, both in things spiritual and temporal, in soul and body:

because ye have forsaken the Lord, he hath also forsaken you;
because they had forsaken the worship of God, as the Targum, God had forsaken them, and was about to give them up into the hand of their enemies.

2 Chronicles 24:20 In-Context

18 They decided to abandon the Temple of the LORD, the God of their ancestors, and they worshiped Asherah poles and idols instead! Because of this sin, divine anger fell on Judah and Jerusalem.

19 Yet the LORD sent prophets to bring them back to him. The prophets warned them, but still the people would not listen.

20 Then the Spirit of God came upon Zechariah son of Jehoiada the priest. He stood before the people and said, “This is what God says: Why do you disobey the LORD ’s commands and keep yourselves from prospering? You have abandoned the LORD, and now he has abandoned you!”

21 Then the leaders plotted to kill Zechariah, and King Joash ordered that they stone him to death in the courtyard of the LORD ’s Temple.

22 That was how King Joash repaid Jehoiada for his loyalty—by killing his son. Zechariah’s last words as he died were, “May the LORD see what they are doing and avenge my death!”