2 Kings 12:17 Komentář

This chapter gives us the history of the reign of Joash, which does not answer to that glorious beginning of it which we had an account of in the foregoing chapter; he was not so illustrious at forty years old as he was at seven, yet his reign is to be reckoned one of the better sort, and appears much worse in Chronicles (2 Chr. 24) than it does here, for there we find the blood of one of God's prophets laid at his door; here we are only told, I. That he did well while Jehoiada lived (Kg2 12:1-3). II. That he was careful and active to repair the temple (Kg2 12:4-16). III. That after a mean compact with Hazael (Kg2 12:17, Kg2 12:18) he died ingloriously (Kg2 12:19-21).

When Joash had revolted from God and become both an idolater and a persecutor the hand of the Lord went out against him, and his last state was worse than his first. I. His wealth and honour became an easy prey to his neighbours. Hazael, when he had chastised Israel (Kg2 10:32), threatened Judah and Jerusalem likewise, took Gath, a strong city (Kg2 12:17), and thence intended to march with his forces against Jerusalem, the royal city, the holy city, but whose defence, on account of its sinfulness, had departed. Joash had neither spirit nor strength to make head against him, but gave him all the hallowed things, and all the gold that was found both in his exchequer and in the treasures of the temple (Kg2 12:18), to bribe him to march another way. If it were lawful to do this for the public safety, better part with the gold of the temple than expose the temple itself; yet, 1. If he had not forsaken God, and forfeited his protection, his affairs would not have been brought to this extremity, but he might have forced Hazael to retire. 2. He diminished himself, and made himself very mean, lost the honour of a prince and a soldier, and of an Israelite too, in alienating the dedicated things. 3. He impoverished himself and his kingdom. And, 4. He tempted Hazael to come again, when he could carry home so rich a booty without striking a stroke. And it had this effect, for the next year the host of Syria came up against Jerusalem, destroyed the prince, and plundered the city, Ch2 24:23, Ch2 24:24. II. His life became an easy prey to his own servants. They conspired against him and slew him (Kg2 12:20, Kg2 12:21), not aiming at his kingdom, for they opposed not his son's succeeding him, but to be avenged on him for some crime he had committed; and we are told in Chronicles that his murdering the prophet, Jehoiada's son, was the provocation. In this, how unrighteous soever they were (vengeance was not theirs, nor did it belong to them to repay), God was righteous; and this was not the only time that he let even kings know that it was at their peril if they touched his anointed and did his prophets any harm, and that, when he comes to make inquisition for blood, the blood of prophets will run the account very high. Thus fell Joash, who began in the spirit and ended in the flesh. God usually sets marks of his displeasure upon apostates, even in this life; for they, of all sinners, do most reproach the Lord.

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, Kg2 12:1 how urgent he was to have the temple repaired, and what methods were taken for that purpose, Kg2 12:4, how meanly, as well as impiously, he behaved, when the king of Syria was about to come up to Jerusalem and besiege it, Kg2 12:17, and the chapter is closed with an account of his death, and the manner of it, Kg2 12:19.

For Jozachar the son of Shimeath,.... Said to be an Ammonitess, and this man's name Zabad, Ch2 24:26, and Jehozabad the son of Shomer, his servants; who is said in the same place to be the son of Shimrith a Moabitess: these smote him, and he died; justly did he fall by the hands of such persons for his idolatry: and they buried him with his fathers in the city of David; but not in the sepulchres of the kings, because of his idolatry and murder of a priest of the Lord: and Amaziah his son reigned in his stead; the conspirators not seeking the kingdom, but vengeance on him for his sins, which, whether right in them to do, was suffered by the Lord. Next: 2 Kings Chapter 13

Jehoash reigns well under the instructions of Jehoiada the priest, Kg2 12:1-3. He directs the repairing of the temple; the account of what was done, Kg2 12:4-16. Hazael takes Gath; and, proceeding to besiege Jerusalem, is prevented by Jehoash, who gives him all the treasures and hallowed things of the house of the Lord, Kg2 12:17, Kg2 12:18. The servants of Jehoash conspire against and slay him, Kg2 12:19-21.

Hazael - fought against Gath, and took it - This city, with its satrapy or lordship, had been taken from the Philistines by David, (see Sa2 8:1, and Ch1 18:1); and it had continued in the possession of the kings of Judah till this time. On what pretense Hazael seized it, we cannot tell; he had the ultima ratio regum, power to do it, and he wanted more territory.

JEHOASH REIGNS WELL WHILE JEHOIADA LIVED. (2Ki. 12:1-18) Jehoash did that which was right in the sight of the Lord--so far as related to his outward actions and the policy of his government. But it is evident from the sequel of his history that the rectitude of his administration was owing more to the salutary influence of his preserver and tutor, Jehoiada, than to the honest and sincere dictates of his own mind.

Then Hazael . . . fought against Gath--(See on Ch2 24:23).

Reign of King Joash of Judah, and Repairing of the Temple - 2 Kings 12 All that is recorded of the forty years' reign of Joash, in addition to the general characteristics of the reign (Kg2 12:1-4), is the repairing of the temple which was effected by him (Kg2 12:5-17), and the purchased retreat of the Syrians from their invasion of Judah (Kg2 12:18 and Kg2 12:19), and finally his violent death in consequence of a conspiracy formed against him, of which we have only a brief notice in Kg2 12:20-21. The parallel account in 2 Chron 24 supplies several additions to this: viz., concerning the wives of Joash, the distribution of the Levites at the repairing of the temple, the death of Jehoiada, and the seduction of Joash to idolatry by the chief men of Judah, and the stoning of the prophet Zechariah, who condemned this rebellion - all of which can easily be fitted into our account.

The brief account of Hazael's campaign against Jerusalem is completed by Ch2 24:23-24. Hazael had gone down along the coast after defeating Israel (see Kg2 13:3), for the purpose of making war upon Judah also, and had taken Gath, which Rehoboam had fortified (Ch2 11:8). He then set his face, i.e., determined, to advance to Jerusalem; and Joash took the temple treasures, etc. According to the Chronicles, he sent an army against Judah and Jerusalem, which destroyed all the princes of the nation and sent much booty to the king to Damascus, as the small army of the Syrians had smitten the very large army of Judah. To protect Jerusalem, after this defeat, from being taken by the Syrians, Joash sent all the treasures of the temple and palace to Hazael, and so purchased the withdrawal of the Syrians. In this way the two brief accounts of the war may be both reconciled and explained; whereas the opinion, still repeated by Thenius, that the two passages treat of different wars, has no tenable ground to rest upon. The Philistian city of Gath (see the Comm. on Jos 13:3) appears to have belonged at that time to the kingdom of Judah, so that the Gathites were not among the Philistines who made an incursion into Judah in the reign of Joram along with the Arabian tribes of the south (Ch2 21:16). And it is impossible to determine when Gath was wrested from the Syrians again; probably in the time of Joash the son of Jehoahaz of Israel, as he recovered from the Syrians all the cities which they had taken from the Israelites under Jehoahaz (Kg2 13:25), and even smote Amaziah the king of Judaea at Bethshemesh and took him prisoner (Kg2 14:13; Ch2 25:21.). "All the consecrated things, which Jehoshaphat, Joram, and Ahaziah had consecrated, and his own consecrated things," i.e., what he (Joash) himself had consecrated. The existence of such temple treasures is not at variance either with the previous account of the repairing of the temple, for Joash would not use the consecrated offerings for the restoration of the temple, as the current revenue of the temple was sufficient for the purpose, or with Ch2 24:7, where it is stated that Athaliah and her sons had applied all the יהוה בּית קרשׁי to the Baals (see at Kg2 12:5); for even if we are to understand by the sons of Athaliah not bastard sons (Ewald, Gesch. iii. p. 582), but the brethren of Joram whom the Philistines and Arabians had carried off, Ahaziah and Joram, although they both of them served Baal, may, from political considerations, have now and then made consecrated gifts to the temple, if only in a passing fit of religious fear.