Verse-by-Verse Commentary
The Book of 2 Kings
Chapter 12: To Repair the Breaches of the House
Joash, rescued and crowned as a child, does right so long as the godly priest Jehoiada guides him, and sets his heart on repairing the neglected house of the LORD. The money is gathered and the work done by faithful men who need no auditing. Yet the high places remain, and when Hazael threatens, Joash buys him off with the temple's treasures, and his reign ends in murder, a mixed record of real good and lasting flaws.
About This Commentary
This is a verse-by-verse study of 2 Kings chapter 12. For each section you will find the KJV text, the Hebrew words that sharpen the meaning, plain explanation, and a Gospel Focus. Every Scripture quotation is from the King James Version.
Joash and the Temple Repair (2 Kings 12:1-5)
Joash does right under Jehoiada's guidance and orders the neglected temple repaired.
All His Days Wherein Jehoiada Instructed Him
"In the seventh year of Jehu Jehoash began to reign; and forty years reigned he in Jerusalem. And his mother's name was Zibiah of Beersheba. And Jehoash did that which was right in the sight of the LORD all his days wherein Jehoiada the priest instructed him. But the high places were not taken away: the people still sacrificed and burnt incense in the high places. And Jehoash said to the priests, All the money of the dedicated things that is brought into the house of the LORD, even the money of every one that passeth the account, the money that every man is set at, and all the money that cometh into any man's heart to bring into the house of the LORD, Let the priests take it to them, every man of his acquaintance: and let them repair the breaches of the house, wheresoever any breach shall be found."
Word Study
"all his days wherein Jehoiada the priest instructed him," the crucial qualifying clause. Joash (Jehoash) "did that which was right in the sight of the LORD", but the verse adds a telling limit: "all his days wherein Jehoiada the priest instructed him." His goodness lasted as long as his godly mentor guided him; when Jehoiada died, Joash fell away and even had Jehoiada's son murdered (2 Chronicles 24:17-22). This is a sobering pattern: a faith propped up by another's influence rather than rooted in one's own heart. Borrowed convictions do not endure the loss of the one we borrowed them from. True and lasting faith must become our own before God. The recurring flaw also appears again: "the high places were not taken away", the same incomplete reform seen in earlier good kings. Even the best of Judah's kings left this compromise standing. Yet Joash's heart was, for now, set on a good work: repairing "the breaches of the house" of the LORD, which had fallen into disrepair and been plundered under the wicked reigns and Athaliah's neglect (2 Chronicles 24:7). The temple, the place of God's presence and worship, had been let go to ruin while idolatry flourished; Joash's zeal to restore it was right and commendable. The care of God's house is a mark of a heart that honors God, "the zeal of thine house hath eaten me up" (Psalm 69:9).
Explanation
Joash began his forty-year reign as a boy and "did that which was right in the sight of the LORD", but crucially, only "all his days wherein Jehoiada the priest instructed him." As long as his godly guardian directed him, he walked rightly; his later years, after Jehoiada's death, would tell a darker story. As with earlier good kings, the high places were not removed. Joash's great project was the restoration of the temple, which had fallen into disrepair. He ordered that all the money brought into the house of the LORD, dedicated gifts, assessed dues, and freewill offerings, be collected by the priests and used to repair the temple's breaches.
Gospel Focus
"All his days wherein Jehoiada the priest instructed him." This little clause carries a big warning. Joash was good while his godly mentor lived, but his faith was not his own, and when the prop was removed, he fell. A borrowed faith, leaning on a parent, a pastor, a friend, may look genuine for years, but it cannot stand the day it must stand alone. Each of us must have a faith rooted in our own heart before God, not merely absorbed from another. "The just shall live by his faith" (Habakkuk 2:4), his own, not his mentor's. Examine whether your walk with God would survive the loss of those who influence you. And yet, in his good days, Joash models something admirable: a heart to restore the house of God. Where others let God's house fall to ruin while chasing idols, Joash gave himself to repairing "the breaches." God's people should always care for the honor and worship of God. But let your zeal, unlike Joash's, spring from a faith that is truly your own, so that it endures to the end and does not collapse when the human supports are taken away.
The Chest and the Repairs (2 Kings 12:6-16)
When the repairs stall, a chest is set up, and the work is done by men who deal faithfully.
For They Dealt Faithfully
"But it was so, that in the three and twentieth year of king Jehoash the priests had not repaired the breaches of the house. Then king Jehoash called for Jehoiada the priest, and the other priests, and said unto them, Why repair ye not the breaches of the house? now therefore receive no more money of your acquaintance, but deliver it for the breaches of the house. And the priests consented to receive no more money of the people, neither to repair the breaches of the house. But Jehoiada the priest took a chest, and bored a hole in the lid of it, and set it beside the altar, on the right side as one cometh into the house of the LORD: and the priests that kept the door put therein all the money that was brought into the house of the LORD. And it was so, when they saw that there was much money in the chest, that the king's scribe and the high priest came up, and they put up in bags, and told the money that was found in the house of the LORD. And they gave the money, being told, into the hands of them that did the work, that had the oversight of the house of the LORD: and they laid it out to the carpenters and builders, that wrought upon the house of the LORD, And to masons, and hewers of stone, and to buy timber and hewed stone to repair the breaches of the house of the LORD, and for all that was laid out for the house to repair it. Howbeit there were not made for the house of the LORD bowls of silver, snuffers, basons, trumpets, any vessels of gold, or vessels of silver, of the money that was brought into the house of the LORD: But they gave that to the workmen, and repaired therewith the house of the LORD. Moreover they reckoned not with the men, into whose hand they delivered the money to be bestowed on workmen: for they dealt faithfully. The trespass money and sin money was not brought into the house of the LORD: it was the priests'."
Word Study
"for they dealt faithfully," Hebrew be'emunah (בֶּאֱמוּנָה), in faithfulness, with integrity and trustworthiness. The repairs stalled for years under the old collection system, so Joash reorganized it: a chest with a hole in the lid was set by the altar, the people gave directly into it, and the money was periodically counted by the king's scribe and the high priest together (accountability by two witnesses) and paid out to the workmen. The result is the chapter's shining commendation: "they reckoned not with the men... for they dealt faithfully." The workmen and overseers were so trustworthy that no accounting was required of them; their integrity made auditing unnecessary. This is a beautiful standard for handling God's money and doing God's work: faithfulness (emunah) that can be trusted without watching. "Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful" (1 Corinthians 4:2). Those who handle sacred things, money, ministry, responsibility, are called to such integrity that they need no policing. The care taken here, giving the money to the actual repairs rather than to fine vessels first, shows right priorities: fix the structure before furnishing the ornaments. And the transparency, two officials counting together, guards against both temptation and suspicion, "providing for honest things, not only in the sight of the Lord, but also in the sight of men" (2 Corinthians 8:21). Faithful men doing God's work with integrity is one of the quiet glories of this chapter.
Explanation
By the twenty-third year of Joash, the priests still had not carried out the repairs under the original arrangement, so Joash confronted them and changed the system. Jehoiada set up a chest with a hole in the lid beside the altar, into which offerings were placed. When it filled, the king's secretary and the high priest counted the money together and handed it directly to the overseers of the work, who paid the carpenters, builders, masons, and stonecutters and bought materials. The money went to the actual repairs rather than to making gold and silver vessels. Remarkably, no accounting was demanded of the overseers, because they were completely trustworthy. Only the trespass and sin offerings remained the priests' portion. The temple was faithfully restored.
Gospel Focus
"For they dealt faithfully." This is the heart of the passage and a high calling for all who handle the things of God. The workmen were so honest that no one needed to audit them; their integrity was above suspicion. In an age when the mishandling of money has shamed the name of God again and again, this ancient standard rebukes and instructs us: "it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful." Whether we handle the church's finances, our employer's resources, or the trust others place in us, we should aim to be so faithful that we could be trusted unwatched, and yet, wisely, welcome transparency (two counted the money together), for we provide for honest things "in the sight of men" as well as of God. Faithfulness in what is another's is the mark of a true servant, and Jesus tied it to eternal reward: "well done, thou good and faithful servant... enter thou into the joy of thy lord" (Matthew 25:21). Whatever God has entrusted to you, money, ministry, responsibility, deal faithfully with it. Integrity that needs no policing honors God, adorns the gospel, and reflects the faithfulness of the God who is Himself perfectly trustworthy.
Hazael's Threat and the End of Joash (2 Kings 12:17-21)
Joash buys off Hazael with the temple treasures, and his reign ends in murder.
He Sent It to Hazael King of Syria
"Then Hazael king of Syria went up, and fought against Gath, and took it: and Hazael set his face to go up to Jerusalem. And Jehoash king of Judah took all the hallowed things that Jehoshaphat, and Jehoram, and Ahaziah, his fathers, kings of Judah, had dedicated, and his own hallowed things, and all the gold that was found in the treasures of the house of the LORD, and in the king's house, and sent it to Hazael king of Syria: and he went away from Jerusalem. And the rest of the acts of Joash, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah? And his servants arose, and made a conspiracy, and slew Joash in the house of Millo, which goeth down to Silla. For Jozachar the son of Shimeath, and Jehozabad the son of Shomer, his servants, smote him, and he died; and they buried him with his fathers in the city of David: and Amaziah his son reigned in his stead."
Word Study
"the hallowed things... he sent it to Hazael," the sad emptying of the house Joash had filled. The chapter ends on a mournful note that hints at Joash's decline (fully told in 2 Chronicles 24, where after Jehoiada's death he turned to idolatry and murdered the priest's son). When Hazael of Syria threatened Jerusalem, Joash did not seek the LORD as his forefather Asa should have done, but stripped "the hallowed things" and "all the gold" from the temple and palace, the very house he had labored to restore, and bought off the enemy. The king who once gathered treasure to repair God's house now gives that treasure away to a pagan king to save himself. It is a picture of what happens when faith fails: we spend on our fears what we once devoted to God. Trusting the arm of flesh and the bribe rather than the LORD, Joash bought a reprieve at the cost of God's honor. And his end is grim: "his servants... made a conspiracy, and slew Joash", assassinated by his own men (in retribution, Chronicles says, for the priest's son he had murdered). The boy-king so wonderfully rescued and so promising in his early reign died a violent death, his later apostasy undoing his early good. Joash is the classic warning of a life that begins well and ends badly, a faith borrowed and not owned, a reform left incomplete, a trust that failed under pressure. "Let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall" (1 Corinthians 10:12); it is not how we begin but how we end that tells.
Explanation
When Hazael of Syria captured Gath and turned toward Jerusalem, Joash, instead of trusting God, stripped the temple and palace of their dedicated treasures and gold, including gifts from earlier kings, and sent them to Hazael as tribute, and Hazael withdrew. The account then closes Joash's reign abruptly: his own servants conspired against him and assassinated him at the house of Millo. He was buried in the city of David, and his son Amaziah succeeded him. The full reason for the conspiracy, Joash's later apostasy and his murder of Jehoiada's son Zechariah, is told in 2 Chronicles 24; here the sad, violent end of a once-promising king stands as a somber close.
Gospel Focus
The end of Joash is a solemn warning that a good beginning is no guarantee of a good end. The child miraculously rescued, the king who repaired God's house, faltered when his godly guide was gone: he stripped the very temple he had restored to bribe an enemy, and died by his own servants' hands. His tragedy teaches that faith must be our own and must endure to the end. Many begin the Christian race with promise and fall away when the props are removed or the pressure comes. "He that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved" (Matthew 24:13). It is possible to do much good and still finish badly if the heart was never wholly God's. And see the failure of trust: under threat, Joash spent on his fear what he had devoted to God. When we do not trust the LORD, we will sacrifice His honor to save ourselves. But the gospel offers what Joash lacked: a Savior who keeps us to the end, "he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ" (Philippians 1:6), and a faith rooted not in men but in Christ Himself. Do not merely begin well; ask God for a faith of your own that will finish, and lean on the One who is able to keep you from falling.
Chapter in Review
Second Kings 12 gives the mixed record of Joash, the child-king rescued in chapter 11. He did right "all his days wherein Jehoiada the priest instructed him," and set his heart on repairing the neglected house of the LORD. When the work stalled, a chest was set up and the money handled by men so trustworthy that "they reckoned not with them... for they dealt faithfully," a shining model of integrity in the things of God. Yet the flaws remained: the high places were left standing, his goodness leaned on his mentor rather than on his own faith, and when Hazael threatened, Joash stripped the temple treasures to buy him off rather than trusting the LORD. His reign ended in assassination. The chapter commends care for God's house and faithful stewardship, and warns that a borrowed faith and a good beginning are not enough; faith must be our own and must endure to the end.
Key Takeaways
- Faith must be your own. Joash was good only while Jehoiada guided him; borrowed convictions fail when the prop is removed.
- Care for the house of God. Joash's zeal to repair the temple honored God; His people should love His worship.
- Deal faithfully. The workmen needed no auditing; be so trustworthy that you could be trusted unwatched.
- Trust God under pressure. Joash spent on his fears what he had devoted to God; failing faith sacrifices God's honor.
- Endure to the end. A good beginning is not enough; "he that shall endure unto the end shall be saved."
Questions for Reflection
- Is your faith truly your own, able to stand if those who influence you were gone?
- Do you care for the honor and worship of God, or let His house fall to neglect while other things flourish?
- Are you so faithful with what is entrusted to you that you could be trusted unwatched?
- Under pressure, do you trust the LORD, or spend on your fears what belongs to God?
- Are you not only beginning well but seeking the grace to endure to the end?
References
- Scripture: 2 Kings 12:1-21, King James Version.
- Cross-references: 2 Chronicles 24:1-27; Psalm 69:9; Habakkuk 2:4; Matthew 24:13; 25:21; 1 Corinthians 4:2; 10:12; 2 Corinthians 8:21; Philippians 1:6.
- Hebrew word meanings: standard lexical sources (Strong's, BDB) for be'emunah; historical background of the temple repairs, Hazael of Syria, and Joash's reign.