2 Kings 12

Please see License for Copyright notice and Licensing information.
[ Previous | Next ]

2 Kings 12

1 In the seventh year of Jehu Jehoash began to reign; and forty years reigned he in Jerusalem. And his mother's name was Zibiah of Beersheba.

2 And Jehoash did that which was right in the sight of the Lord all his days wherein Jehoiada the priest instructed him.

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

4 And Jehoash said to the priests, All the money of the dedicated things that is brought into the house of the Lord, even the money of every one that passeth the account, the money that every man is set at, and all the money that cometh into any man's heart to bring into the house of the Lord,

5 Let the priests take it to them, every man of his acquaintance: and let them repair the breaches of the house, wheresoever any breach shall be found.

6 But it was so, that in the three and twentieth year of king Jehoash the priests had not repaired the breaches of the house.

7 Then king Jehoash called for Jehoiada the priest, and the other priests, and said unto them, Why repair ye not the breaches of the house? now therefore receive no more money of your acquaintance, but deliver it for the breaches of the house.

8 And the priests consented to receive no more money of the people, neither to repair the breaches of the house.

9 But Jehoiada the priest took a chest, and bored a hole in the lid of it, and set it beside the altar, on the right side as one cometh into the house of the Lord: and the priests that kept the door put therein all the money that was brought into the house of the Lord.

10 And it was so, when they saw that there was much money in the chest, that the king's scribe and the high priest came up, and they put up in bags, and told the money that was found in the house of the Lord.

11 And they gave the money, being told, into the hands of them that did the work, that had the oversight of the house of the Lord: and they laid it out to the carpenters and builders, that wrought upon the house of the Lord,

12 And to masons, and hewers of stone, and to buy timber and hewed 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 Howbeit there were not made for the house of the Lord bowls of silver, snuffers, basons, trumpets, any vessels of gold, or vessels of silver, of the money that was brought into the house of the Lord:

14 But they gave that to the workmen, and repaired therewith the house of the Lord.

15 Moreover they reckoned not with the men, into whose hand they delivered the money to be bestowed on workmen: for they dealt faithfully.

16 The trespass money and sin money was not brought into the house of the Lord: it was the priests'.

17 Then Hazael king of Syria went up, and fought against Gath, and took it: and Hazael set his face to go up to Jerusalem.

18 And Jehoash king of Judah took all the hallowed things that Jehoshaphat, and Jehoram, and Ahaziah, his fathers, kings of Judah, had dedicated, and his own hallowed things, and all the gold that was found in the treasures of the house of the Lord, and in the king's house, and sent it to Hazael king of Syria: and he went away from Jerusalem.

19 And the rest of the acts of Joash, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah?

20 And his servants arose, and made a conspiracy, and slew Joash in the house of Millo, which goeth down to Silla.

21 For Jozachar the son of Shimeath, and Jehozabad the son of Shomer, his servants, smote him, and he died; and they buried him with his fathers in the city of David: and Amaziah his son reigned in his stead.

Notes

Cross Reference

Commentary

Rashi

Verse 3

<html>All his days, as Yehoyoda the kohein instructed him. But after Yehoyoda died, the officers of Yehudah came to prostrate themselves before the king, and they deified him. They said to him, “One who enters the Holy of Holies for only a moment is in danger of dying, yet were hidden there for six years, so you are fit to be a deity.” Then the king listened to them.¹Shemos Rabboh 8:2.²Accordingly, the meaning of the verse is “all his days as Yehoyada the kohein instructed him,” i.e., as long as Yehoyada was alive.—Radak Or, “all his days” refers to Yehoyada’s days. After Yehoyada died, Yoash began to worship asheirohs and other idols. When Zecharyoh prophesied against him, Yoash had him killed, and the following year Arom attacked Yerusholayim.</html>

Verse 5

<html>The half-shekel [given by every male over twenty,] and donations representing the value of one’s age. Two types of money are mentioned here. “Everyone who passes the numbering,”³Shemos 30:13-14. [The first type is] the money of anyone who passes the numbering, i.e., the money of the annual shekalim, about which it is stated, and [the second type is] anyone who volunteers his own value, i.e., one who says, “My value shall be incumbent upon me [to donate].”⁴See Vayikra 27:1-8. All monies that [a person’s heart] inspires him, etc. E.g., one who says, “I obligate myself to donate a maneh for making repairs to the Beis [Hamikdosh],</html>

Verse 6

<html>Let take [the money] for themselves—the kohanim. [I.e.,] it will be theirs, and [in return] they will obligate themselves to make the [necessary] repairs to the Beis [Hamikdosh] from their own [funds] . From his friend. From his acquaintance who frequently visits him. Restoration. Split[s] and crack[s] in the wall.⁵בֶּדֶק means “examination.” One must examine splits and cracks to determine their method of repair.—Radak</html>

Verse 8

<html>And now do not take the money. Anymore, and do not repair the Beis [Hamikdosh] with your money.⁶Although the Beis Hamikdosh was only 155 years old at the time, it was in need of extensive repair because Atalyoh and her sons made breaches in its wall. See II Divrei Hayomim 24:7.—Radak But for the restoration of the Beis [Hamikdosh]—you should give it over Whether it will be less [than needed], let it be less, and if it will be more [than needed], let it be left over.</html>

Verse 10

<html>Near the altar. In the [Temple] Court. To the right, as a person enters. On the right [side] where the people come in. The guards of the threshold. The thresholds of the [Temple] Court, [i.e.,] those in charge of the keys of the [Temple] Court,⁷Alternatively, these were the custodians of the Temple’s vessels.—Ralbag for [Targum] Yonoson rendered it as, “אֲמַרְכְּלַיָּא [=custodian of the keys],” and there were seven אֲמַרְכָּלִים, for the seven gates of the [Temple] Court. [This is stated in] Tosefta of [Maseches] Shekalim.⁸2:15.</html>

Verse 11

<html>Whenever. A daily occurrence (constantly).⁹I.e., when they saw that the boxes were full they would “bag and count the money.”—Radak They saw that there was much money in the box, and they would go up—the king’s scribe [and the Kohein Gadol] etc.</html>

Verse 12

<html>They gave the counted money. They would give the counted money, i.e., after it was taken out of the chest and weighed¹⁰Alternatively, the money was “minted and counted,” i.e., the coins without a stamp were minted so that they could be spent.—Metzudas Dovid and counted, they would give it into the hands of the treasurers who were in charge of the workers. The counted. [מְתֻכָּן is] an expression of a number, as in, “and the number [=וְתוֹכֵן] of bricks you shall give.”¹¹Shemos 5:18. Who were [thus] appointed. Who were appointed. They paid. [וַיּוֹצִיאֻהוּ is] an expression of spending, for the purpose of hiring carpenters. And the builders. They are the architects, the stone smiths, whose colleagues worked under their orders, [i.e., בּוֹנִים were] the supervisors of the craftsmen.</html>

Verse 13

<html>And the masons. The builders of the wall, the architects’ apprentices. And for the stone cutters. From the mountain.</html>

Verse 14

<html>Silver pitchers, musical instruments. They are musical instruments.¹²Although Scripture in II Divrei Hayomim 24:14 indicates that they used this money for making ministering vessels, the Gemara in Maseches Kesubos 106b explains that the primary purpose of this money was for repairs. However, if there was money left over, it could be used for making utensils, instruments, etc. for the Temple.—Radak¹³Rashi maintains that סִפּוֹת are musical instruments in accordance with his view in I Melochim 7:50. Alternatively, they are vessels used to receive blood of sacrifices or wine of libations.—Ralbag</html>

Verse 16

<html>They did not demand and accounting from the men. The supervisors would not make an accounting with the treasurers that the supervisors would give the money—continually—into whose hand to give it to the workers, because they were not suspect in their eyes, for they worked with integrity.</html>

Verse 17

<html>Money for guilt-offerings and money for sin-offerings. If one sets aside money for his sin-offering or for his guilt-offering, and purchased the animal, and there was money left over. Was not brought to the Beis [Hamikdosh] of Adonoy. For repairing the damage of the Beis [Hamikdosh]. It was for the kohanim. And they would [use the funds to] buy burnt-offerings, “fruit” for the altar; the flesh was for a burnt-offering and the hides were theirs [the kohanim’s]. Thus we learned in [Maseches] Temurah.¹⁴23b. Yehoyoda the kohein expounded on this as follows: Everything that comes from the remainder of a sin-offering and of a guilt-offering should be used to purchase burnt-offerings.¹⁵See Maseches Zevachim 103a.</html>

Verse 18

<html>Then Chazoeil [the king of Arom] went up. After the death of Yehoyoda, Yoash made himself for a god.</html>

Verse 21

<html>At Beis Millo. In that place. Millo. The name of a place. Selo. The name of a place.¹⁶Scripture describes the location of Beis Millo, “that leads down to Selo” which was near Yerusholayim, because there was another Beis Millo near Shechem mentioned in Shoftim 9:6, 20.—Malbim</html>

Verse 22

<html>Yozochor the son of Shimos, and Yehozovod the son of Shomeir. In Divrei Hayomim it is written, “[Zovod, son of] Shimos the Amonite and Yehozovod, son of Shimris the Moavite.”¹⁷II Divrei Hayomim 24:26. These men are listed as the ones who rebelled against Yehoash. Why did Scripture specify? To teach us that the Holy One, Blessed Is He, requited him through people with traits similar to his. Let the ungrateful Amonites and Moavites, who ignored our father Avrohom’s favor, which he did for Lot, (that he fought with the kings to rescue him, yet they hired Bilaam to curse his descendants), and he will requite Yoash who ignored the favor of Yehoyoda, and killed Zecharyohu his son, as it is explained [in Scripture].¹⁸Ibid. v. 21-22. This Midrash is in Sifrei.</html>

ARC Wiki

Table of Contents

2 Kings 12

2 Kings 12

Notes

Cross Reference

Commentary

Rashi

Verse 3

Verse 5

Verse 6

Verse 8

Verse 10

Verse 11

Verse 12

Verse 13

Verse 14

Verse 16

Verse 17

Verse 18

Verse 21

Verse 22