Discovery Box2 Kings 12:4-18 
Context12:4 Jehoash said to the priests, “I place at your disposal 1 all the consecrated silver that has been brought to the Lord’s temple, including the silver collected from the census tax, 2 the silver received from those who have made vows, 3 and all the silver that people have voluntarily contributed to the Lord’s temple. 4 12:5 The priests should receive the silver they need from the treasurers and repair any damage to the temple they discover.” 5
12:6 By the twenty-third year of King Jehoash’s reign the priests had still not repaired the damage to the temple. 12:7 So King Jehoash summoned Jehoiada the priest along with the other priests, and said to them, “Why have you not repaired the damage to the temple? Now, take no more silver from your treasurers unless you intend to use it to repair the damage.” 6 12:8 The priests agreed 7 not to collect silver from the people and relieved themselves of personal responsibility for the temple repairs. 8
12:9 Jehoiada the priest took a chest and drilled a hole in its lid. He placed it on the right side of the altar near the entrance of 9 the Lord’s temple. The priests who guarded the entrance would put into it all the silver brought to the Lord’s temple. 12:10 When they saw the chest was full of silver, the royal secretary 10 and the high priest counted the silver that had been brought to the Lord’s temple and bagged it up. 11 12:11 They would then hand over 12 the silver that had been weighed to the construction foremen 13 assigned to the Lord’s temple. They hired carpenters and builders to work on the Lord’s temple, 12:12 as well as masons and stonecutters. They bought wood and chiseled stone to repair the damage to the Lord’s temple and also paid for all the other expenses. 14 12:13 The silver brought to the Lord’s temple was not used for silver bowls, trimming shears, basins, trumpets, or any kind of gold or silver implements. 12:14 It was handed over 15 to the foremen who used it to repair the Lord’s temple. 12:15 They did not audit the treasurers who disbursed 16 the funds to the foremen, for they were honest. 17 12:16 (The silver collected in conjunction with reparation offerings and sin offerings was not brought to the Lord’s temple; it belonged to the priests.)
12:17 At that time King Hazael of Syria attacked 18 Gath and captured it. Hazael then decided to attack Jerusalem. 19 12:18 King Jehoash of Judah collected all the sacred items that his ancestors Jehoshaphat, Jehoram, and Ahaziah, kings of Judah, had consecrated, as well as his own sacred items and all the gold that could be found in the treasuries of the Lord’s temple and the royal palace. He sent it all 20 to King Hazael of Syria, who then withdrew 21 from Jerusalem.
1 tn The words “I place at your disposal” are added in the translation for clarification.
2 tn Heb “the silver of passing over a man.” The precise meaning of the phrase is debated, but עָבַר (’avar), “pass over,” probably refers here to counting, suggesting the reference is to a census conducted for taxation purposes. See M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 137.
3 tn Heb “the silver of persons, his valuation.” The precise meaning of the phrase is uncertain, but parallels in Lev 27 suggest that personal vows are referred to here. See M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 137.
4 tn Heb “all the silver which goes up on the heart of a man to bring to the house of the
5 tn Heb “Let the priests take for themselves, each from his treasurer, and let them repair the damage of the temple, with respect to all the damage that is found there.” The word מַכָּר (makar), translated here “treasurer,” occurs only in this passage. Some suggest it means “merchant” or “benefactor.” Its usage in Ugaritic texts, where it appears in a list of temple officials, suggests that it refers in this context to individuals who were in charge of disbursing temple funds.
6 tn Heb “Now, do not take silver from your treasurers, because for the damages to the temple you must give it.”
7 tn Outside of this passage the verb אוּת (’ut) appears only in Gen 34:15-22.
8 tn Heb “and not to repair the damages to the temple.” This does not mean that the priests were no longer interested in repairing the temple. As the following context makes clear, the priests decided to hire skilled workers to repair the damage to the temple, rather than trying to make the repairs themselves.
9 tn Heb “on the right side of the altar as a man enters.”
10 tn Heb “the king’s scribe.”
11 tn Heb “went up and tied [it] and counted the silver that was found in the house of the
12 tn Heb “would give.”
13 tn Heb “doers of the work.”
14 tn Heb “and for all that which was going out concerning the house for repair.”
15 tn Heb “was given.”
16 tn Heb “gave.”
17 tn Heb “and they did not conduct a reckoning of the men who gave the silver into their hand to give to the doers of the work, for in honesty they were working.”
18 tn Heb “went up and fought against.”
19 tn Heb “Hazael set his face to go up against Jerusalem.”
20 tn The object (“it all”) is supplied in the translation for clarification.
21 tn Heb “went up.”
