2 Kings 12:19 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).

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.

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.

The rest of the acts of Joash - We have already seen that this man, so promising in the beginning of his reign, apostatized, became an idolater, encouraged idolatry among his subjects, and put the high priest Zechariah, the son of Jehoiada his benefactor, to death; and now God visited that blood upon him by the hands of the tyrannous king of Syria, and by his own servants.

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.

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.

Conspiracy against Joash. - Not long after the departure of the Syrians, who had left Joash, according to Ch2 24:25, with many wounds, his servants formed a conspiracy against him and slew him upon his bed in the house Millo, which goeth down to Silla. This description of the locality is perfectly obscure for us. The conjecture that בּית־מלּא was the house in the castle of Millo which is so frequently mentioned (see at Kg1 9:15 and Sa2 5:9), is precluded by the fact that this castle is always called המּלּא (with the article). סלּא is regarded by many as an abbreviation of מסלּה, "which goes down by the road;" and Thenius supposes that the reference is to the road which ran diagonally through the city from the Joppa gate to the Haram-area, corresponding to the present David's road. Others regard סלּא as the proper name of a place in the neighbourhood of Jerusalem. It is impossible to get any certain meaning out of it, unless we alter the text according to arbitrary assumptions, as Thenius has done. The conspirators were Jozachar the son of Shimeath, and Jehozabad the son of Shomer, according to Kg2 12:21; but according to the Chronicles (v. 26), they were Zabad the son of Shimeath the Ammonitess, and Jehozabad the son of Shimrith the Moabitess. The identity of the first names is perfectly obvious. זבד is a copyist's error for זכר, and this is the contracted form of יוזכר. The difference in the second: son of Shomer according to our text, and son of the Shimrith according to the Chronicles, has probably also arisen from a slip of the pen, since שׁמר might easily be occasioned by the dropping out of the ת from the defectively written שׁמרת, although it is also possible that Shomer may be the name of the grandfather. Joash was buried with his father sin the city of David; but according to v. 25 of the Chronicles he was not buried in the graves of the kings. The two statements are not irreconcilable; and there may be good historical ground for the account in the Chronicles, as Bertheau acknowledges with perfect justice, in spite of the suspicion which has been cast upon it by Thenius.