2 Kings 12 Study Notes

12:1-21 In terms of the structure of the royal records, the preceding chapter was introduction and background for the reign of Joash. The record of his reign begins here with its formal opener.

12:2-3 Joash was a good king as long as Jehoiada instructed him. Due to the restrained nature of the condemnation, the high places, both here and for the next three kings, were probably not centers for pagan worship; instead, they were likely illegal shrines for worshiping Yahweh outside of Jerusalem. These breeches did not prevent a new cycle of blessing, but they may have previewed a popular, pervasive spiritual blindness that was coming (Is 6:9-10). At some point this spiritual blindness made judgment inevitable.

12:4-5 Joash’s own revival activities seem to have begun with renovating the Lord’s temple. He directed that some of the gifts coming into the temple should be designated for temple refurbishing. The text is not clear about which temple taxes or gifts the king selected from the list given here. This list mentioned dedicated silver (lit “silver of the holy things”), census silver, possibly from the annual census of males (Ex 30:13-14), and silver from vows (voluntary gifts).

12:6-8 The words had not repaired indicate that the priests had been negligent in repairing the temple. Perhaps after some conflict between temple officials and the king over who would direct the expenditure of the revenues, the king assumed control of some temple revenues and designated them for repairing the Lord’s temple. It is possible that Joash only took control over taxes and gifts designated for the renovation operations. Later data (v. 16) demonstrates that he did not seize all the temple income.

12:9-12 These designated taxes were directed into a treasury chest earmarked for the temple’s refurbishing, and then, by the king’s order, these funds were disbursed to rebuild or repair the temple.

12:13-15 The record is positive concerning the overseers, saying they were so honest that no accounting was necessary. Yet, at this point, funds were inadequate for replacing the utensils necessary for the temple worship. Later, funds became available for this purpose (2Ch 24:14).

12:16 This verse clarifies v. 4.

12:17-18 Second Kings omits any record of Joash’s late unfaithfulness to the Lord (2Ch 24:17-22). A plundering expedition by King Hazael of Aram was judgment for early stages of Joash’s unfaithfulness. This campaign demonstrated the collapse of joint Israelite power. Just two decades earlier, when Jehu seized the throne of Israel, Israel was competing with Hazael for Ramoth-gilead on nearly equal terms. Now, Hazael apparently marched freely through the territory of Israel to the coast and then south along the coast to capture Gath. With Gath captured and Judah weak, the route to Jerusalem was open. Joash sent the treasures of the palace and the temple to buy off Hazael.

From Chronicles we learn that after more years of Joash’s unfaithfulness, Aram, likely under Ben-hadad, again invaded Judah, entered Jerusalem (2Ch 24:23), killed many people, and seized still more plunder. Several factual differences distinguish this actual penetration of Jerusalem from Hazael’s threat to Jerusalem mentioned above. Though revival formally began with Joash, it was short-lived and shallow. This could explain why the return of prosperity, power, and blessing was delayed until later.

12:19-21 After the formula sentences about the end of Joash’s reign, the text reports that he died by assassination—a tragedy almost certainly instigated by his idolatry and the plundering of Jerusalem. The assassination occurred at Beth-millo. Similarities in root meaning hint that Silla might be another word for the ramp or descending highway just southeast of Jerusalem. This possibility could give the meaning “the Beth-millo that goes down parallel to the highway.”