Annotations Upon the Historical Books Part 2, 2 Kings · Chapter 12
CHAP. XII.
Verſ. 3. BUt the high places were not taken away, &c.] So long had the people been inured to this erroneous worſhip of God, that it ſeems even Jehoiada himſelf durſt not advice the king to proceed to the reformation of this evil alſo, for fear of cauſing ſome tumult amongſt them.
Verſ. 4. And Jehoaſh ſaid to the priests, all the the money of the dedicated things, &c.] The Temple was at this time ſallen into great decay, through the wickedneſſe of former kings, but eſpecially of Athaliah For the ſonnes of Athaliah that wicked woman, 2. Chron. 24.7. had broken up the houſe of God, and alſo all the dedicate things of the houſe of the Lord did the beſtow upon Baalim: the firſt act therefore that Jehoaſh took in hand when he began to rule without a protectour, was the reparation of that holy place; as indeed moſt requiſite it was that he ſhould be carefull to uphold the Temple, that had been the nurſery of his infancy, and the beſt means to ſecure his life, and to uphold his juſt title to the crown of Judah, and to this end he enjoyned the prieſts carefully to gather all the money of the dedicated things, that is, all the money dedicated to the ſervice and repair of the Temple, and then the particulars are expreſſed (purpoſely I conceive to diſtinguiſh this money from that which was brought in for the uſe of the prieſts themſelves, as the money for the redemption of the firſt born and ſuch like) namely, firſt, the money of every one that paſſeth the account: that is, the half ſhekel that they were to pay when they were numbred from twenty years old and upward, Exod. 30.12, 13. which is therefore called, 2. Chron. 24.6. the collection of Moſes the ſervant of the Lord, and of the congregation of Iſrael for the tabernacle of witneſſe; and verſ. 9. the collection that Moſes the ſervant of God, laid upon Iſrael in the wilderneſſe: concerning which, ſee the notes, Exod. 30.12, 13. ſecondly, the money that every man is ſet at; that is, the money which any man ſhall by the prieſt be appointed to pay for his redemption, when he hath vowed himſelf to God, according to that law, Levit. 27.2. &c. of which ſee the note there: and thirdly, all the money that cometh into any mans heart to bring into the houſe of the Lord; that is, which any man ſhall voluntarily give for the reparation of the houſe.
Verſ. 5. Let the prieſts take it to them, every man of his acquaintance. In 2. Chron. 24.5. it is ſaid that Joaſh appointed them to go out unto the cities of Judah, and gather this money from yeare to yeare; this receiving it therefore every man of his acquaintance, is meant of their gathering it in the ſeverall cities where they dwelt; (for the Levites were diſperſed in ſeverall cities of Judah) where they were acquainted, and well known amongſt the people.
Verſ. 7. Now therefore receive no more money of your acquaintance, but deliver it in for the breaches of the houſe.] That is, he enjoyned them to meddle no more with the receiving of the money, but to pay in that which they had already received, when the king firſt ſet on foot this work: as he appointed them to collect the moneyes above mentioned for the repairing of the temple, ſo alſo he charged them to haſten the work, 2. Chron. 24.5. Go out unto the cities of Judah, and gather of all Iſrael money to repair the houſe of your God from yeare to yeare, and ſee that ye haſten the matter: when therefore in the twenty third yeare of his reigne, he ſaw that yet nothing was done, he took it for granted that either they had been negligent in collecting the money, or that they did not faithfully pay in what they received; or at leaſt, that the people ſuſpecting their diverting of it to their own private uſes, did not pay it ſo willingly as otherwiſe they would; and therefore he took the work out of their hands, and appointed another way for the gathering of the money as is afterward expreſſed.
Verſ. 9. But Jehoiada the prieſt took a cheſt, and bored a hole in the lid of it, &c.] To wit, by the command of the king, 2. Chron. 24.8. to prevent all ſuſpicion for the time to come of any corruption in this buſineſſe: firſt, they made this cheſt whereinto the money ſhould be put, and wherein it ſhould be kept; and then they made a proclamation throughout the kingdome, that every man ſhould bring in the appointed contribution, which accordingly was done with much alacrity and willingneſſe, 2. Chron. 24.9, 10.
Verſ. 10. The kings Scribe, and the high prieſt came up, and they put it up in baggs, &c.] In 2. Chron. 24.11. it is, the kings Scribe, and the high prieſts officers came up, and emptied the cheſt, &c.
Verſ. 13. Howbeit, there were not made for the houſe of the Lord, bowls of ſilver, ſnuffers, &c.] That is, not till the temple was fully repaired, but when that work was finiſhed, the money that was left was imployed in making theſe veſſels for the houſe, 2. Chron. 24.14.
Verſ. 16. The treſpaſſe-money, and ſinne-money was not brought into the houſe of the Lord: it was the prieſts.] That is, the money which by the law thoſe men were to pay by way of ſatisfaction, according to the eſtimation of the prieſts that had any way wronged the Lord in his holy things, Levit. 5.15. whether it were done ignorantly or wittingly, in both the caſes ſatisfaction was to be made, and the one of theſe is called treſpaſſe-money, and the other ſinne-money.
Verſ. 17. Then Hazael king of Syria went up.] Notwithſtanding this fair beginning of Jehoaſh his reigne, no ſooner was Jehoiada dead, but by his flattering princes he was drawn away to the worſhip of idols, and ſo wrath came upon Judah and Jeruſalem for this their treſpaſſe, 2. Chron. 24.17, 18. namely, by Gods letting looſe Hazael king of Syria upon them, as is here ſaid; from whom they were fain to purchaſe their peace by a great ſumme of money, as is expreſſed, verſ. 18.
Verſ. 20. And his ſervants aroſe, and made a conſpiracie, and ſlew Joaſh, &c.] Some other paſſages are recorded in the Chronicles not here expreſſed, as firſt, when ſundry prophets had in vain laboured to reclaim both king and people from their idolatry, at length Zachariah the ſonne of Jehoiada the prieſt, was by the Spirit of the Lord ſtirred up to admoniſh them of their wickedneſſe, who did it accordingly with great courage, aſſuring them that this was the cauſe of Hazaels prevailing againſt them: whereupon a conſpiracie was made againſt him, and by the kings commandment (who forgat what his father Jehoiada had done for him) he was ſtoned to death: ſecondly, that according to the prayer of this bleſſed Martyr at his death, the Lord look upon it, and require it, before that yeare was expired, the Syrians invaded the land again, and executed the judgements of God with great ſeveritie, for though the Syrians it ſeems came rather to pillage, then to perform any great action (for they came with a ſmall company of men) and Jehoaſh went out againſt them with a very great army, yet by the providence of God, this ſmall band of Syrian rovers, overthrew that great hoſt of Judah, wherewith being encouraged, they went up againſt Jeruſalem, and deſtroyed all the Princes of the people, who had drawn away their king from the worſhip of the true God, and ſent all the ſpoil of them to the king of Damaſcus; and as for Jehoaſh they left him in ſore diſeaſes (perhaps by tortures they had put him to) which advantage two of his ſervants apprehending they made a conſpiracie againſt him, and ſlew him in his bed when he had reigned fourty years, verſ. 1. to wit, two and twenty years with Jehu, and the reſt with his ſonne Jehoahaz, and his grandchild Jehoaſh, which is largely related, 2. Chron. 24.18,—25.
Verſ. 21. For Jozachar the ſonne of Shimeath, and Jehozabad the ſonne of Shomer, his ſervants, ſmote him, and he died.] This Jozachar was alſo called Zabad, 2. Chron. 24.26. where alſo it is expreſſed that Shimeah was an Ammoniteſſe, and that Shomer, there called Shimrith, was a Moabiteſſe; And theſe are they that conſpired againſt him, Zabad the ſonne of Shimeath an Ammoniteſſe, and Jehozabad the ſonne of Shimrith a Moabiteſſe.
And they buried him with his fathers in the citie of David.] But not in the ſepulchres of the kings, 2, Chron. 24.25.