losses. These notably included the destruction of those "princes" who had been le aders in the

movement that ended in the murder of Zechariah. The Book of Chronicles (24:24) is careful to

mark the hand of God in a defeat which formed so striking a contrast to the victory which the

LORD had given to Asa with an army greatly inferior to h is enemies (2 Chronicles 14:9, etc.) And

yet this was only the beginning of judgment upon Joash. According to the account in the Book of

Kings (2 Kings 12:18), Joash bought off the capture of his capital by handing to the conqueror all

the hallowed things of the Temple* and the treasures of the palace.

* The question why, if the Temple possessed so many valuables, a collection had to be made for

its necessary repairs, is easily answered by the consideration that the sale even for such a purpose

of things hallowed would have been looked upon as sacrilege. The things hallowed by previous

kings (2 Kings 12:18), and which Athaliah and her sons had removed for the service of Baal, were

no doubt restored to the Temple on the accession of Joash.

The withdrawal o f the Syrian army, under conditions so disastrous and humiliating to Judah, was

the signal for internal troubles. Joash lay sick and suffering, perhaps in consequence of wounds, in

the castelated palace Millo* (1 Kings 9:15), when he fell a victim to a palace conspiracy. Two of

his servants** murdered him as he lay in his bed. The Book of Chronicles traces his fate to the

murder of "the son [grandson]*** of Jehoiada" - not, indeed, in the sense of this having been the

motive of the conspirators, but as ma rking the real cause of his tragic end.

* The expression, "as one goeth down to Silla" (2 Kings 12:20), probably marks a locality, but is

difficult of explanation.

** The difference in the names in 2 Kings 12:21 and 2 Chronicles 24:26 is easily explain ed. The

first name in 2 Kings, Jozachar, is in 2 Chronicles Zabad, the initial "Jo" - Jehovah - being (as

easily perceived) dropped, and the Zachar ( rkz ) becoming, by a clerical error, Zabad ( dbz ). The

name of the mother of the second of the murderers is given in Chronicles in the fuller form of

Shimrith. We owe to the account in Chronicles the notice of the nationality of the two mothers.

*** The plural, "sons of Jehoiada," in 2 Chronicles 24:25, is evidently a clerical error - ynb for öb

. So also t he LXX. and Vulg.

No doubt the conspiracy itself was due to the unpopularity which the king had incurred in

consequence of the successive national disasters which marked the close of his reign. And even

those who had most wished to see the sternness of Jehovah-worship relaxed in favor of the service

of Baal must have felt that all the national calamities had been connected with the murder of

Zechariah in the Temple, which they would impute to the king. Thus, not only religion, but

superstition also, would be arrayed against Joash. Even his murder produced no revulsion in

popular feeling. Joash was indeed buried "in the city of David," but "not in the sepulchers of the

kings."*

* Rabbinic writings note the strict accordance between the fate of Joash and his conduct. He cast

off the yoke of the kingdom of God, so did his servants cast off the yoke of his rule; Joash forgot

what he owed to Jehoiada, so did his servants what they owed to their lord; Joash killed, and he

was killed; Joash heeded not the dignity of his victim, nor did his servants heed that he was a king,

the son of a king.

CHAPTER 3 - JOASH, (EIGHTH) KING OF JUDAH. JEHOASH, (TWELFTH AND

THIRTEENTH) KINGS OF ISRAEL