2 Chronicles — Chapter 24

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1Joash was seven years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem forty years. His mother’s name was Zibiah; she was from Beersheba.

2And Joash did what was right in the eyes of the LORD all the days of Jehoiada the priest.

3Jehoiada took for him two wives, and he had sons and daughters.

4Some time later, Joash set his heart on repairing the house of the LORD.

5So he gathered the priests and Levites and said, “Go out to the cities of Judah and collect the money due annually from all Israel, to repair the house of your God. Do it quickly.” The Levites, however, did not make haste.

6So the king called Jehoiada the high priest and said, “Why have you not required the Levites to bring from Judah and Jerusalem the tax imposed by Moses the servant of the LORD and by the assembly of Israel for the Tent of the Testimony?”

7For the sons of that wicked woman Athaliah had broken into the house of God and had even used the sacred objects of the house of the LORD for the Baals.

8At the king’s command a chest was made and placed outside, at the gate of the house of the LORD.

9And a proclamation was issued in Judah and Jerusalem that they were to bring to the LORD the tax imposed by Moses the servant of God on Israel in the wilderness.

10All the officers and all the people rejoiced and brought their contributions, and they dropped them in the chest until it was full.

11Whenever the chest was brought by the Levites to the king’s overseers and they saw that there was a large amount of money, the royal scribe and the officer of the high priest would come and empty the chest and carry it back to its place. They did this daily and gathered the money in abundance.

12Then the king and Jehoiada would give the money to those who supervised the labor on the house of the LORD to hire stonecutters and carpenters to restore the house of the LORD, as well as workers in iron and bronze to repair the house of the LORD.

13So the workmen labored, and in their hands the repair work progressed. They restored the house of God according to its specifications, and they reinforced it.

14When they were finished, they brought the rest of the money to the king and Jehoiada, and with it were made articles for the house of the LORD—utensils for the service and for the burnt offerings, dishes, and other objects of gold and silver. Throughout the days of Jehoiada, burnt offerings were presented regularly in the house of the LORD.

15When Jehoiada was old and full of years, he died at the age of 130.

16And Jehoiada was buried with the kings in the City of David, because he had done what was good in Israel for God and His temple.

17After the death of Jehoiada, however, the officials of Judah came and paid homage to the king, and he listened to them.

18They abandoned the house of the LORD, the God of their fathers, and served the Asherah poles and idols. So wrath came upon Judah and Jerusalem for this guilt of theirs.

19Nevertheless, the LORD sent prophets to bring the people back to Him and to testify against them, but they would not listen.

20Then the Spirit of God came upon Zechariah son of Jehoiada the priest, who stood up before the people and said to them, “This is what God says: ‘Why do you transgress the commandments of the LORD so that you cannot prosper? Because you have forsaken the LORD, He has forsaken you.’”

21But they conspired against Zechariah, and by order of the king, they stoned him in the courtyard of the house of the LORD.

22Thus King Joash failed to remember the kindness that Zechariah’s father Jehoiada had extended to him. Instead, Joash killed Jehoiada’s son. As he lay dying, Zechariah said, “May the LORD see this and call you to account.”

23In the spring, the army of Aram went to war against Joash. They entered Judah and Jerusalem and destroyed all the leaders of the people, and they sent all the plunder to their king in Damascus.

24Although the Aramean army had come with only a few men, the LORD delivered into their hand a very great army. Because Judah had forsaken the LORD, the God of their fathers, judgment was executed on Joash.

25And when the Arameans had withdrawn, they left Joash severely wounded. His own servants conspired against him for shedding the blood of the son of Jehoiada the priest, and they killed him on his bed. So he died and was buried in the City of David, but not in the tombs of the kings.

26Those who conspired against Joash were Zabad son of Shimeath the Ammonitess and Jehozabad son of Shimrith the Moabitess.

27The accounts of the sons of Joash and the many pronouncements about him, and of the restoration of the house of God, are indeed written in the Treatise of the Book of the Kings. And his son Amaziah reigned in his place.

1Joash was seven years old when he began to reign, and he reigned forty years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name also was Zibiah of Beer-sheba.

2And Joash did that which was right in the sight of the LORD all the days of Jehoiada the priest.

3And Jehoiada took for him two wives; and he begat sons and daughters.

4And it came to pass after this, that Joash was minded to repair the house of the LORD.

5And he gathered together the priests and the Levites, and said to them, Go out unto the cities of Judah, and gather of all Israel money to repair the house of your God from year to year, and see that ye hasten the matter. Howbeit the Levites hastened it not.

6And the king called for Jehoiada the chief, and said unto him, Why hast thou not required of the Levites to bring in out of Judah and out of Jerusalem the collection, according to the commandment of Moses the servant of the LORD, and of the congregation of Israel, for the tabernacle of witness?

7For the sons of Athaliah, that wicked woman, had broken up the house of God; and also all the dedicated things of the house of the LORD did they bestow upon Baalim.

8And at the king’s commandment they made a chest, and set it without at the gate of the house of the LORD.

9And they made a proclamation through Judah and Jerusalem, to bring in to the LORD the collection that Moses the servant of God laid upon Israel in the wilderness.

10And all the princes and all the people rejoiced, and brought in, and cast into the chest, until they had made an end.

11Now it came to pass, that at what time the chest was brought unto the king’s office by the hand of the Levites, and when they saw that there was much money, the king’s scribe and the high priest’s officer came and emptied the chest, and took it, and carried it to his place again. Thus they did day by day, and gathered money in abundance.

12And the king and Jehoiada gave it to such as did the work of the service of the house of the LORD, and hired masons and carpenters to repair the house of the LORD, and also such as wrought iron and brass to mend the house of the LORD.

13So the workmen wrought, and the work was perfected by them, and they set the house of God in his state, and strengthened it.

14And when they had finished it, they brought the rest of the money before the king and Jehoiada, whereof were made vessels for the house of the LORD, even vessels to minister, and to offer withal, and spoons, and vessels of gold and silver. And they offered burnt offerings in the house of the LORD continually all the days of Jehoiada.

15But Jehoiada waxed old, and was full of days when he died; an hundred and thirty years old was he when he died.

16And they buried him in the city of David among the kings, because he had done good in Israel, both toward God, and toward his house.

17Now after the death of Jehoiada came the princes of Judah, and made obeisance to the king. Then the king hearkened unto them.

18And they left the house of the LORD God of their fathers, and served groves and idols: and wrath came upon Judah and Jerusalem for this their trespass.

19Yet he sent prophets to them, to bring them again unto the LORD; and they testified against them: but they would not give ear.

20And the Spirit of God came upon Zechariah the son of Jehoiada the priest, which stood above the people, and said unto them, Thus saith God, Why transgress ye the commandments of the LORD, that ye cannot prosper? because ye have forsaken the LORD, he hath also forsaken you.

21And they conspired against him, and stoned him with stones at the commandment of the king in the court of the house of the LORD.

22Thus Joash the king remembered not the kindness which Jehoiada his father had done to him, but slew his son. And when he died, he said, The LORD look upon it, and require it.

23And it came to pass at the end of the year, that the host of Syria came up against him: and they came to Judah and Jerusalem, and destroyed all the princes of the people from among the people, and sent all the spoil of them unto the king of Damascus.

24For the army of the Syrians came with a small company of men, and the LORD delivered a very great host into their hand, because they had forsaken the LORD God of their fathers. So they executed judgment against Joash.

25And when they were departed from him, (for they left him in great diseases,) his own servants conspired against him for the blood of the sons of Jehoiada the priest, and slew him on his bed, and he died: and they buried him in the city of David, but they buried him not in the sepulchres of the kings.

26And these are they that conspired against him; Zabad the son of Shimeath an Ammonitess, and Jehozabad the son of Shimrith a Moabitess.

27Now concerning his sons, and the greatness of the burdens laid upon him, and the repairing of the house of God, behold, they are written in the story of the book of the kings. And Amaziah his son reigned in his stead.

1Joash was seven years old when he began to reign; and he reigned forty years in Jerusalem: and his mother`s name was Zibiah, of Beer-sheba.

2And Joash did that which was right in the eyes of Jehovah all the days of Jehoiada the priest.

3And Jehoiada took for him two wives; and he begat sons and daughters.

4And it came to pass after this, that Joash was minded to restore the house of Jehovah.

5And he gathered together the priests and the Levites, and said to them, Go out unto the cities of Judah, and gather of all Israel money to repair the house of your God from year to year; and see that ye hasten the matter. Howbeit the Levites hastened it not.

6And the king called for Jehoiada the chief, and said unto him, Why hast thou not required of the Levites to bring in out of Judah and out of Jerusalem the tax of Moses the servant of Jehovah, and of the assembly of Israel, for the tent of the testimony?

7For the sons of Athaliah, that wicked woman, had broken up the house of God; and also all the dedicated things of the house of Jehovah did they bestow upon the Baalim.

8So the king commanded, and they made a chest, and set it without at the gate of the house of Jehovah.

9And they made a proclamation through Judah and Jerusalem, to bring in for Jehovah the tax that Moses the servant of God laid upon Israel in the wilderness.

10And all the princes and all the people rejoiced, and brought in, and cast into the chest, until they had made an end.

11And it was so, that, at what time the chest was brought unto the king`s officers by the hand of the Levites, and when they saw that there was much money, the king`s scribe and the chief priest`s officer came and emptied the chest, and took it, and carried it to its place again. Thus they did day by day, and gathered money in abundance.

12And the king and Jehoiada gave it to such as did the work of the service of the house of Jehovah; and they hired masons and carpenters to restore the house of Jehovah, and also such as wrought iron and brass to repair the house of Jehovah.

13So the workmen wrought, and the work of repairing went forward in their hands, and they set up the house of God in its state, and strengthened it.

14And when they had made an end, they brought the rest of the money before the king and Jehoiada, whereof were made vessels for the house of Jehovah, even vessels wherewith to minister and to offer, and spoons, and vessels of gold and silver. And they offered burnt-offerings in the house of Jehovah continually all the days of Jehoiada.

15But Jehoiada waxed old and was full of days, and he died; a hundred and thirty years old was he when he died.

16And they buried him in the city of David among the kings, because he had done good in Israel, and toward God and his house.

17Now after the death of Jehoiada came the princes of Judah, and made obeisance to the king. Then the king hearkened unto them.

18And they forsook the house of Jehovah, the God of their fathers, and served the Asherim and the idols: and wrath came upon Judah and Jerusalem for this their guiltiness.

19Yet he sent prophets to them, to bring them again unto Jehovah; and they testified against them: but they would not give ear.

20And the Spirit of God came upon Zechariah the son of Jehoiada the priest; and he stood above the people, and said unto them, Thus saith God, Why transgress ye the commandments of Jehovah, so that ye cannot prosper? because ye have forsaken Jehovah, he hath also forsaken you.

21And they conspired against him, and stoned him with stones at the commandment of the king in the court of the house of Jehovah.

22Thus Joash the king remembered not the kindness which Jehoiada his father had done to him, but slew his son. And when he died, he said, Jehovah look upon it, and require it.

23And it came to pass at the end of the year, that the army of the Syrians came up against him: and they came to Judah and Jerusalem, and destroyed all the princes of the people from among the people, and sent all the spoil of them unto the king of Damascus.

24For the army of the Syrians came with a small company of men; and Jehovah delivered a very great host into their hand, because they had forsaken Jehovah, the God of their fathers. So they executed judgment upon Joash.

25And when they were departed for him (for they left him very sick), his own servants conspired against him for the blood of the sons of Jehoiada the priest, and slew him on his bed, and he died; and they buried him in the city of David, but they buried him not in the sepulchres of the kings.

26And these are they that conspired against him: Zabad the son of Shimeath the Ammonitess, and Jehozabad the son of Shimrith the Moabitess.

27Now concerning his sons, and the greatness of the burdens [laid] upon him, and the rebuilding of the house of God, behold, they are written in the commentary of the book of the kings. And Amaziah his son reigned in his stead.

1Joash was seven years old when he began to reign. He reigned for forty years in Jerusalem. His mother was Zibiah, who was from Beer Sheba.

2Joash did what the Lord approved throughout the lifetime of Jehoiada the priest.

3Jehoiada chose two wives for him who gave him sons and daughters.

4Later, Joash was determined to repair the Lord’s temple.

5He assembled the priests and Levites and ordered them, “Go out to the cities of Judah and collect the annual quota of silver from all Israel for repairs on the temple of your God. Be quick about it!” But the Levites delayed.

6So the king summoned Jehoiada the chief priest, and said to him, “Why have you not made the Levites collect from Judah and Jerusalem the tax authorized by Moses the Lord’s servant and by the assembly of Israel at the tent containing the tablets of the law?”

7(Wicked Athaliah and her sons had broken into God’s temple and used all the holy items of the Lord’s temple in their worship of the Baals.)

8The king ordered a chest to be made and placed outside the gate of the Lord’s temple.

9An edict was sent throughout Judah and Jerusalem requiring the people to bring to the Lord the tax that Moses, God’s servant, imposed on Israel in the wilderness.

10All the officials and all the people gladly brought their silver and threw it into the chest until it was full.

11Whenever the Levites brought the chest to the royal accountant and they saw there was a lot of silver, the royal scribe and the accountant of the high priest emptied the chest and then took it back to its place. They went through this routine every day and collected a large amount of silver.

12The king and Jehoiada gave it to the construction foremen assigned to the Lord’s temple. They hired carpenters and craftsmen to repair the Lord’s temple, as well as those skilled in working with iron and bronze to restore the Lord’s temple.

13They worked hard and made the repairs. They followed the measurements specified for God’s temple and restored it.

14When they were finished, they brought the rest of the silver to the king and Jehoiada. They used it to make items for the Lord’s temple, including items used in the temple service and for burnt sacrifices, pans, and various other gold and silver items. Throughout Jehoiada’s lifetime, burnt sacrifices were offered regularly in the Lord’s temple.

15Jehoiada grew old and died at the age of 130.

16He was buried in the City of David with the kings, because he had accomplished good in Israel and for God and his temple.

17After Jehoiada died, the officials of Judah visited the king and declared their loyalty to him. The king listened to their advice.

18They abandoned the temple of the Lord God of their ancestors and worshiped the Asherah poles and idols. Because of this sinful activity, God was angry with Judah and Jerusalem.

19The Lord sent prophets among them to lead them back to him. They warned the people, but they would not pay attention.

20God’s Spirit energized Zechariah son of Jehoiada the priest. He stood up before the people and said to them, “This is what God says: ‘Why are you violating the commands of the Lord? You will not be prosperous. Because you have rejected the Lord, he has rejected you!’”

21They plotted against him and by royal decree stoned him to death in the courtyard of the Lord’s temple.

22King Joash disregarded the loyalty Zechariah’s father Jehoiada had shown him and killed Jehoiada’s son. As Zechariah was dying, he said, “May the Lord take notice and seek vengeance!”

23At the beginning of the year the Syrian army attacked Joash and invaded Judah and Jerusalem. They wiped out all the leaders of the people and sent all the plunder they gathered to the king of Damascus.

24Even though the invading Syrian army was relatively weak, the Lord handed over to them Judah’s very large army, for the people of Judah had abandoned the Lord God of their ancestors. The Syrians gave Joash what he deserved.

25When they withdrew, they left Joash badly wounded. His servants plotted against him because of what he had done to the son of Jehoiada the priest. They murdered him on his bed. Thus he died and was buried in the City of David, but not in the tombs of the kings.

26The conspirators were Zabad son of Shimeath (an Ammonite woman) and Jehozabad son of Shimrith (a Moabite woman).

27The list of Joash’s sons, the many prophetic oracles about him, and the account of his building project on God’s temple are included in the record of the Scroll of the Kings. His son Amaziah replaced him as king.

1Joash was seven years old when he began to reign, and he reigned forty years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Zibiah, of Beersheba.

2Joash did that which was right in Yahweh’s eyes all the days of Jehoiada the priest.

3Jehoiada took for him two wives, and he became the father of sons and daughters.

4After this, Joash intended to restore Yahweh’s house.

5He gathered together the priests and the Levites, and said to them, “Go out to the cities of Judah, and gather money to repair the house of your God from all Israel from year to year. See that you expedite this matter.” However the Levites didn’t do it right away.

6The king called for Jehoiada the chief, and said to him, “Why haven’t you required of the Levites to bring in the tax of Moses the servant of Yahweh, and of the assembly of Israel, out of Judah and out of Jerusalem, for the Tent of the Testimony?”

7For the sons of Athaliah, that wicked woman, had broken up God’s house; and they also gave all the dedicated things of Yahweh’s house to the Baals.

8So the king commanded, and they made a chest, and set it outside at the gate of Yahweh’s house.

9They made a proclamation through Judah and Jerusalem, to bring in for Yahweh the tax that Moses the servant of God laid on Israel in the wilderness.

10All the princes and all the people rejoiced, and brought in, and cast into the chest, until they had filled it.

11Whenever the chest was brought to the king’s officers by the hand of the Levites, and when they saw that there was much money, the king’s scribe and the chief priest’s officer came and emptied the chest, and took it, and carried it to its place again. Thus they did day by day, and gathered money in abundance.

12The king and Jehoiada gave it to those who did the work of the service of Yahweh’s house. They hired masons and carpenters to restore Yahweh’s house, and also those who worked iron and brass to repair Yahweh’s house.

13So the workmen worked, and the work of repairing went forward in their hands. They set up God’s house as it was designed, and strengthened it.

14When they had finished, they brought the rest of the money before the king and Jehoiada, from which were made vessels for Yahweh’s house, even vessels with which to minister and to offer, including spoons and vessels of gold and silver. They offered burnt offerings in Yahweh’s house continually all the days of Jehoiada.

15But Jehoiada grew old and was full of days, and he died. He was one hundred thirty years old when he died.

16They buried him in David’s city among the kings, because he had done good in Israel, and toward God and his house.

17Now after the death of Jehoiada, the princes of Judah came, and bowed down to the king. Then the king listened to them.

18They abandoned the house of Yahweh, the God of their fathers, and served the Asherah poles and the idols, so wrath came on Judah and Jerusalem for this their guiltiness.

19Yet he sent prophets to them, to bring them again to Yahweh, and they testified against them; but they would not listen.

20The Spirit of God came on Zechariah the son of Jehoiada the priest; and he stood above the people, and said to them, “Thus says God, ‘Why do you disobey Yahweh’s commandments, so that you can’t prosper? Because you have forsaken Yahweh, he has also forsaken you.’”

21They conspired against him, and stoned him with stones at the commandment of the king in the court of Yahweh’s house.

22Thus Joash the king didn’t remember the kindness which Jehoiada his father had done to him, but killed his son. When he died, he said, “May Yahweh look at it, and repay it.”

23At the end of the year, the army of the Syrians came up against him: and they came to Judah and Jerusalem, and destroyed all the princes of the people from among the people, and sent all their plunder to the king of Damascus.

24For the army of the Syrians came with a small company of men; and Yahweh delivered a very great army into their hand, because they had forsaken Yahweh, the God of their fathers. So they executed judgment on Joash.

25When they had departed from him (for they left him very sick), his own servants conspired against him for the blood of the sons of Jehoiada the priest, and killed him on his bed, and he died. They buried him in David’s city, but they didn’t bury him in the tombs of the kings.

26These are those who conspired against him: Zabad the son of Shimeath the Ammonitess and Jehozabad the son of Shimrith the Moabitess.

27Now concerning his sons, the greatness of the burdens laid on him, and the rebuilding of God’s house, behold, they are written in the commentary of the book of the kings. Amaziah his son reigned in his place.

Summary
Authorship & Background
Map & Geography
Commentary
Videos
Articles
Reflection

Summary

Joash becomes king at seven and does what is right throughout the lifetime of the priest Jehoiada, who arranges his marriages (vv. 1-3). He orders the priests and Levites to collect funds for repairing the temple, and when they are slow to act he has a chest set up at the gate to gather the tax Moses had prescribed, funding a full restoration of the temple and its vessels (vv. 4-14). After Jehoiada dies at a very old age, the princes of Judah persuade Joash to abandon the temple for the worship of Asherah poles and idols, provoking God's wrath (vv. 17-18). When Jehoiada's son Zechariah, filled with the Spirit, denounces this apostasy, Joash has him stoned to death in the temple courtyard, showing no gratitude for his father's kindness (vv. 20-22). Judah is then defeated by a small Syrian force, and Joash, left badly wounded, is assassinated in his own bed by his own servants avenging Zechariah's blood (vv. 23-25).

Authorship & Background

Author: Traditionally attributed to Ezra the scribe. Originally one book with 1 Chronicles. Written post-exile (approximately 450-400 BC). 2 Chronicles covers Solomon's reign through the Babylonian exile and Cyrus's decree of return (approximately 970-538 BC). The Chronicler focuses exclusively on Judah (ignoring the northern kingdom) and emphasizes Temple worship, reform movements, and the principle of 2 Chronicles 7:14: "If my people... shall humble themselves, and pray... then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land."
Historical Context: Chapter 24 presents one of Scripture's most tragic character studies — King Joash, who did right "all the days of Jehoiada the priest" (v.2) but collapsed into apostasy and murder after his mentor's death. The chapter divides sharply into two halves: Joash's Temple restoration under Jehoiada's guidance (vv.1-14) and his catastrophic apostasy after Jehoiada's death (vv.15-27). This structure communicates the Chronicler's painful lesson: external reform without internalized faith cannot survive the loss of godly influence.
Classification: Historical Narrative
Key Themes: A verdict bounded explicitly by another man's lifetime, right all the days of Jehoiada the priest, a first fundraising method that fails and the text says why without excusing anyone, the Levites hastened it not, a chest set outside that works because it removes the human middleman entirely, the one man in the whole book given a royal burial though he was never a king, and a mentor's death followed immediately by the very collapse his life had been holding back, ending in Zechariah's stoning and Joash's own murder in his bed
The Chest at the Gate, and the House Repaired (vv.1-14): Joash is seven when he begins, and the verdict on him is bounded by a lifetime, he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD all the days of Jehoiada the priest. His project is the temple, and the reason it needs one is given plainly: the sons of Athaliah had broken up the house of God and spent the dedicated things on Baalim. His first method fails, an instruction to the Levites to collect from the cities yearly, and the text says why without excusing anyone, the Levites hastened it not. The second method works, and it works because it removes the intermediary. A chest is set outside at the gate, the tax that Moses laid on Israel in the wilderness is proclaimed, and the princes and all the people cast in willingly until they had made an end. Masons, carpenters and workers in iron and brass set the house in its state, and what is left over is made into vessels.
Jehoiada Dies, and Zechariah Is Stoned in the Court (vv.15-22): Jehoiada dies at a hundred and thirty and is buried among the kings, because he had done good in Israel, the only man in Chronicles who is not a king given a royal burial. What the previous section's careful phrasing was pointing at now happens. The princes come and make obeisance, the king hearkens to them, and Judah leaves the house of the LORD for groves and idols. Prophets are sent and are not heard. Then the Spirit of God comes on Zechariah, Jehoiada's son, who states the principle and is killed for it: because ye have forsaken the LORD, he hath also forsaken you. He is stoned in the court of the house of the LORD at the king's own commandment, and the Chronicler adds the detail that makes it unbearable, Joash remembered not the kindness which Jehoiada his father had done to him. His dying words are not forgiveness, the LORD look upon it, and require it. When Jesus speaks in Matthew 23 of a Zechariah killed between the temple and the altar, this is the murder most readers take him to mean, and since Chronicles stands last in the Hebrew order, naming it reaches from one end of the canon to the other.
The Syrian Raid, and the King Killed in His Bed (vv.23-27): The reckoning is quick and the Chronicler makes the disproportion the point: the host of Syria came up with a small company of men, and the LORD delivered a very great host into their hand, because they had forsaken the LORD God of their fathers. They leave Joash in great diseases, and his own servants finish it, and the motive is stated, for the blood of the sons of Jehoiada the priest. He is killed on his bed and buried in the city of David but not in the sepulchres of the kings, the same distinction drawn over Jehoram three chapters earlier.

Map & Geography

  • Parallels 1-2 Kings but focuses exclusively on Judah (the southern kingdom). Jerusalem and the Temple are the theological center throughout.
  • Key locations include various battle sites, reform locations, and high places destroyed or rebuilt by successive kings.
  • The book ends with exile to Babylon (586 BC) and Cyrus's decree permitting return — the geographic arc moves from Jerusalem to Babylon and back.

Places on this map

  • JerusalemJerusalemA hill town about 2,500 feet up in the central spine of Judah, roughly 35 miles inland from the Mediterranean and 15 miles west of the Jordan. It sits on no trade route and has no river, which is why it mattered as a fortress and a sanctuary rather than as a market. Wikipedia
  • Babylonnear Hillah, IraqOn the Euphrates about 55 miles south of modern Baghdad. Judah's exiles were marched roughly 900 miles to get here, the long way round the Arabian desert, which is why the journey took months and the return was a genuine undertaking rather than a short trip home. Wikipedia

Towns sit on their excavated or traditional site. Regions, rivers and seas are ringed rather than dotted, because for those a single point is only an anchor. Coastlines from Natural Earth.

Commentary

  • Enduring Word (David Guzik): enduringword.com Guzik stresses the tragedy of secondhand faith: Joash never developed personal conviction independent of Jehoiada's influence. He notes that Jehoiada's burial among kings — while the king himself was denied royal burial — is a dramatic irony illustrating that faithfulness outranks position in God's economy. The priest received kingly honor; the king received common burial.
  • Jamieson-Fausset-Brown (1871): blueletterbible.org A critical and explanatory commentary on the whole Bible, more concise than Matthew Henry and closer to the Hebrew and Greek, with attention to historical and geographical detail. Public domain.
  • Matthew Henry's Exposition (1710): blueletterbible.org A devotional verse-by-verse commentary in the Puritan tradition, still among the most widely read three centuries on. Public domain.

Videos

2 Chronicles 24 Summary: 5 Minute Bible Study
2BeLikeChrist

2 Chronicles 23-24 | The King and His Priest | Bible Study
Spoken Gospel

Articles

  • GotQuestions.org: gotquestions.org On the whole book: an overview of the book of 2 Chronicles -- who wrote it, when, why, and how it fits the rest of Scripture.

Links open on the publisher's own site. Nothing here is reproduced on this page.

Reflection

  • A Faith That Needs Its Own Roots (v.2) — Joash does right only "all the days of Jehoiada the priest," suggesting his devotion depended more on his mentor's influence than on a conviction of his own. Whose faith are you currently leaning on that you need to make genuinely yours?
  • Joyful, Willing Generosity (v.10) — When the call goes out to repair the temple, the people bring their gifts eagerly and keep giving until the work is fully funded. Does your giving toward what matters to God come from genuine joy, or reluctant obligation?
  • Losing Direction When Godly Influence Is Gone (vv.17-18) — As soon as Jehoiada dies, Joash listens to different voices and abandons the Lord's house for idols. What happens to your own convictions when the people who've kept you accountable are no longer around?
  • Silencing the Warning Instead of Heeding It (vv.20-21) — When Zechariah confronts the nation's sin, instead of repenting they have him killed in the very courtyard of God's house. How do you typically respond when someone's words convict you: do you consider them, or try to silence the discomfort?
  • Forgetting Kindness Shown to You (v.22) — Joash orders the death of the son of the very man who saved his life and placed him on the throne, forgetting all Jehoiada had done for him. Whose past kindness toward you deserves more gratitude than you're currently giving it?
  • Outcomes Belong to God, Not Numbers (v.24) — A small Syrian force defeats Judah's much larger army simply because the Lord had been forsaken. Are you trusting in your own resources and strength more than in staying faithful to God?