Ch. 2 Chronicles 24:1-3 (= 2 Kings 11:21 to 2 Kings 12:3). Joash begins to Reign

3. And Jehoiada, etc.] This ver. is not in Kings. It was the duty of a Jewish father to provide his son with a wife; Jehoiada standing in loco parentis does this for Joash.

4–14 (= 2 Kings 12:4-16). The Restoration of the Temple

4. to repair] R.V. to restore, Heb. “to renew.” Cp. 2 Chronicles 24:12.

5. and the Levites] Not in Kings; cp. 2 Chronicles 23:2 (note).

Go out unto the cities of Judah] Nothing is said in Kings about collecting money outside Jerusalem, but the restoration fund was to consist of a poll tax (paid at the Temple at the Great Feasts, Exodus 23:14-17) and of free-will offerings paid in money.

hastened it not] In Kings, “in the three and twentieth year of king Jehoash the priests had not repaired the breaches of the house.”

6. of the Levites] See note on 2 Chronicles 24:5.

the collection, according to the commandment of Moses] R.V. the tax of Moses; cp. Exodus 30:14-16; Exodus 38:25-26.

the taberna43cle of Witness] R.V. the tent of the testimony. “The testimony” refers to the Ten Commandments, which contained the substance of God’s testimony (protestation) to Israel. The two tables of stone were called “tables of the testimony” (Exodus 31:18, R.V.); the ark which contained them was called the “ark of the testimony” (Exodus 25:22); the vail which hung before the ark was the “vail of the testimony” (Leviticus 24:3); the tent which contained the ark was either the “tabernacle (Heb. miskan) of the testimony” (Exodus 38:21, R.V.) or the “tent (Heb. ôhel) of the testimony” (Numbers 9:15). The tabernacle, with all its contents, was to be a standing protest to Israel that Jehovah was with His people according to covenant, and that every breach of the covenant would call forth punishment. Cp. Deuteronomy 4:25-26; Deuteronomy 8:19, etc.

7. the sons of Athaliah] To be understood figuratively, “the adherents of Athaliah.” So “a son of the apothecaries” (Nehemiah 3:8; cp. A.V. with R.V.) is “a member of the apothecaries’ guild” and “the sons of the prophets” (2 Kings 2:15 etc.) are “the adherents (or ‘scholars’) of the prophets.” So again in Psalm 137:8 Edom is called “daughter of Babylon” as having attached herself to the Chaldeans at the destruction of Jerusalem.

had broken up] Rather, had broken into.

all the dedicate things] Cp. 2 Chronicles 15:18; 1 Chronicles 18:10-11. Probably gold, silver and brass.

did they bestow upon Baalim] Or, did they make into images of Baal. Cp. Hosea 2:8, R.V. mg.

8. And at the king’s commandment] R.V. So the king commanded, and.…

a chest] Heb. a single chest (to receive all contributions).

9. to the Lord the collection] R.V. for the LORD the tax. Kings has nothing corresponding to this ver.; cp. 2 Chronicles 24:5 (note).

11. at what time … by the hand of the Levites] This clause is not in Kings.

the chief priest’s officer] According to Kings the high priest was present himself.

12. to repair] R.V. to restore (as 2 Chronicles 24:4).

to mend] R.V. to repair.

13. they set] R.V. they set up.

in its state] i.e. according to its former state.

14. the rest of the money] Thus expressed this ver. does not directly conflict with 2 Kings 12:13-14, which states that the money gathered was not spent on gold and silver vessels for the Temple but was given to the workmen who repaired the house.

continually] Perhaps primarily in allusion to the morning and evening daily sacrifice (Numbers 28:3-6), but having also a wider reference to the whole round of sacrifices.

15–19 (no parallel in 2 Kin.). The Apostasy of Joash

15. when he died] R.V. and he died.

an hundred and thirty years] The age of Jacob (Genesis 47:9).

16. among the kings] Cp. 2 Chronicles 24:25 and 2 Chronicles 21:20.

17. made obeisance] Obeisance foreshadowed a request; cp. 1 Kings 1:16.

18. they left the house of the Lord] Cp. 2 Chronicles 29:6, “[they] have turned away their faces from the habitation of the Lord.” These phrases are a kind of euphemism meaning “to commit apostasy.”

served groves and idols] R.V. served the Asherim and the idols; cp. 2 Chronicles 14:3 (note).

wrath] Heb. qeçeph; cp. 2 Chronicles 19:2 (note).

wrath came] Cp. 2 Chronicles 24:25-26.

their trespass] R.V. their guiltiness; cp. 2 Chronicles 19:10 (A.V. and R.V.).

19. he sent prophets] Cp. 2 Chronicles 36:15.

to them] Rather, among them.

20. came upon] Heb. “clothed itself with”; cp. Jdg 6:34; 1 Chronicles 12:18.

stood above the people] Cp. Jeremiah 36:10 (Baruch reads Jeremiah’s words from the window of an upper chamber to the people assembled in the court below); Nehemiah 8:4 (Ezra reads the Law from a pulpit of wood).

they conspired against him] Perhaps the proceedings were the same as in the case of Naboth (1 Kings 21:9-10), viz., a mock trial and a formal execution (“at the commandment of the king”).

in the court] An aggravation of the murder; cp. 2 Chronicles 23:14. The altar of burnt-offering stood in the court (cp. 2 Chronicles 8:12) and the execution (Luke 11:51) took place between this altar and the Temple itself.

20–22 (no parallel in 2 Kin.). The Martyrdom of Zechariah

This martyrdom is referred to by our Lord in Luke 11:51, “from the blood of Abel unto the blood of Zachariah who perished between the altar and the house,” i.e. “the temple” (cp. Matthew 23:35). As Chronicles is reckoned last in the Jewish Canon, “From Abel to Zachariah” practically includes the whole Old Testament. In the text of Matt. Zachariah is called “son of Barachiah” by a confusion with Zechariah the contemporary of Haggai.

22. The Lord look upon it, and require it] Cp. 2Ma 14:45-46, and contrast Acts 7:60.

23. at the end of the year] Rather, in the course of a year, i.e. when the same time of year had come round again.

the host of Syria] R.V. the army of the Syrians (as in 2 Chronicles 24:24).

the princes] Who had been leaders in the apostasy (2 Chronicles 24:17).

from among the people] The reading of the Heb. is doubtful; the words should perhaps be expunged.

23, 24 (cp. 2 Kings 12:17-18). The Syrian Invasion

In 2 Kin. the invasion is not represented as a judgment on Joash, for no sin is mentioned for which this could be the punishment.

As regards the campaign itself 2 Kin. simply says that the Syrians were bought off with a heavy bribe from attacking Jerusalem; nothing is said of the amount of damage done during the invasion. The Chronicler on the contrary says nothing of the cause of the withdrawal of the Syrians, but simply says that a small force of them inflicted great loss and took much spoil. The two accounts supplement rather than contradict each other.

25–27 (2 Kings 12:19-21). The End of Joash

25. for the blood of the sons of Jehoiada] No reason is alleged for the conspiracy in Kings.

sons] LXX. and Vulg. “son”; cp. 2 Chronicles 24:20.

on his bed] In Kings it is simply “smote Joash at the house of Millo, on the way that goeth down to Silla” (R.V.).

26. Zabad … a Moabitess] In Kings “Jozacar the son of Shimeath, and Jehozabad the son of Shomer” (nothing being said of the nationality of the murderers). The Chronicler’s object no doubt is to trace a connexion between the apostasy of Joash and its punishment, between the king’s foreign worship and his murder by men of foreign descent.

27. the burdens laid upon him] Render (with R.V. mg.), the burdens uttered against him. Cp. 2 Chronicles 24:19. The Heb. text of the first half of the verse is uncertain.

the repairing] R.V. the rebuilding.

the story] R.V. the commentary (Heb. midrash). Cp. Introduction, § 5.