Commentaria in IV Regum
Chapter 12. Synopsis of the Chapter
King Joas restores the temple, v. 4 ff.; he buys off war and the destruction of Jerusalem with gold, sacred and profane, sent to Hazael, who was preparing war. Finally, v. 20, he is slain by his servants.
1. In the seventh year of Jehu, Joas began to reign: and he reigned forty years in Jerusalem: his mother’s name was Sebia of Bersabee. 2. And Joas did that which was right before the Lord all the days that Joiada the priest taught him. 3. But the high places he took not away: for the people still sacrificed and burnt incense in the high places. 4. And Joas said to the priests: All the money of the sanctified things, which is brought into the temple of the Lord by those that pass, which is offered for the price of a soul, and which they bring of their own accord and of their own free will into the temple of the Lord: 5. Let the priests take it according to their order, and let them repair the repairs of the house, if they see any thing that needs to be repaired. 6. Now until the three and twentieth year of king Joas the priests did not make the repairs of the temple. 7. And king Joas called Joiada the high priest and the priests, saying to them: Why do you not repair the repairs of the temple? Take you no more money according to your order, but restore it for the repairing of the temple. 8. And the priests were forbidden to take any more money of the people, and to make the repairs of the house. 9. And Joiada the high priest took a chest, and bored a hole in the top, and set it by the altar at the right hand of them that came into the house of the Lord: and the priests that kept the doors put therein all the money that was brought to the temple of the Lord. 10. And when they saw that there was very much money in the chest, the king’s scribe and the high priest came up, and poured it out, and counted the money that was found in the house of the Lord: 11. And they gave it out by number and measure into the hands of them that were over the builders of the house of the Lord: and they laid it out to the carpenters, and to the masons that wrought in the house of the Lord, 12. And made the repairs: and to them that cut stones, and to buy timber, and stones to be hewed, so that the repairing of the house of the Lord might be completed in all things that required charges to fortify the house. 13. But there were not made of the same money for the temple of the Lord, bowls, or fleshhooks, or censers, or trumpets, or any vessel of gold and silver, of the money that was brought into the temple of the Lord: 14. For it was given to them that did the work, that the temple of the Lord might be repaired: 15. And no reckoning was asked of the men that received the money to distribute it to the workmen, but they dealt faithfully. 16. But the money for trespass, and the money for sins, they did not bring into the temple of the Lord, because it was for the priests. 17. Then Hazael king of Syria went up and fought against Geth, and took it: and he set his face to go up to Jerusalem. 18. Wherefore Joas king of Juda took all the sanctified things which Josaphat and Joram and Ochozias his fathers, kings of Juda, had consecrated, and which he had offered himself, and all the silver that could be found in the treasures of the temple of the Lord, and in the king’s palace: and sent it to Hazael king of Syria, and he went off from Jerusalem. 19. And the rest of the acts of Joas, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the words of the days of the kings of Juda? 20. And his servants arose, and conspired among themselves, and slew Joas in the house of Mello, in the descent of Sella. 21. For Josachar the son of Semaath, and Jozabad the son of Somer, his servants, struck him, and he died: and they buried him with his fathers in the city of David, and Amasias his son reigned in his stead.
3. BUT THE HIGH PLACES HE TOOK NOT AWAY,—through fear of the people, who were inclined to them, lest he should stir up sedition. See what I said above on the high places, 3 Kings 3:2.
4. ALL THE MONEY OF THE SANCTIFIED THINGS,—that is, of things sanctified or consecrated; as if to say: let the priests take all the money offered and consecrated to God, etc.
BY THOSE THAT PASS.—In Hebrew, by him who passes, namely into the number and census, that is, by everyone who is numbered and pays the census. For to this only those were bound who had reached or passed the twentieth year, Exodus 30:14.
WHICH IS OFFERED FOR THE PRICE OF A SOUL,—that is, for his census. For God had commanded that every Hebrew in the census should pay half a shekel for his head, that is, two Julii or two royals. This is called the “price of a soul,” that is, of life or of a living man, both because the Hebrews, who were wholly dedicated to God, with this price as it were redeemed their life from him; and because in paying this price they tacitly asked and obtained from God that he would prolong their life and make it long, healthy and prosperous, as I said on Exodus 30:12.
5. AND LET THEM REPAIR THE REPAIRS OF THE HOUSE—of God, namely the temple, that is, let them restore what by length of time has been consumed by age, eaten away and ruinous, and what Athalia demolished and took away. For as it is said in 2 Paralipomenon 24:7: “The most wicked Athalia and her sons destroyed the house of God, and of all the things that had been sanctified in the temple of God they adorned the temple of Baalim.”
7. WHY DO YOU NOT REPAIR THE REPAIRS OF THE TEMPLE?—The priests sinned in two ways: first, that they were negligent in exacting the money due to the temple for the census by the law of Exodus 30:12; second, that they spent it not on the repairs of the temple, but on other things and so on private and personal uses. Wherefore king Joas rightly remonstrated with them, and took from them this office of collecting and keeping the money for the building of the temple, and commanded them to put the money into the chest, v. 9.
8. AND THE PRIESTS WERE FORBIDDEN,—not unwillingly but willingly and consenting. Hence for “were forbidden” the Hebrew has yeothu, that is, they consented, were willing, agreed. The Chaldee: they were content, because, as Josephus says, they knew that many of the people were hard to be brought to pay the census, and that no one gives money willingly.
13. BUT THERE WERE NOT MADE OF THE SAME MONEY BOWLS OF THE TEMPLE OF THE LORD, OR FLESHHOOKS, OR CENSERS, etc.,—namely as long as the restoration of the temple lasted; for this, as being more necessary, had to come first; when it was finished, the rest of the money was spent on bowls and other vessels of the temple, as is plain from 2 Paralipomenon 24. So Abulensis, Cajetan and others.
15. AND NO RECKONING WAS ASKED, etc. (as if to say: no account and reckoning was required from the receivers of the money, because all knew that) THEY DEALT FAITHFULLY,—namely that they spent everything on the temple, and took nothing for their own uses. So the Chaldee, Vatablus and others.
16. BUT THE MONEY FOR TRESPASS, AND THE MONEY FOR SINS, THEY DID NOT BRING INTO THE TEMPLE OF THE LORD, BECAUSE IT WAS FOR THE PRIESTS.—Vatablus: the money that was left over after the victim for trespass or sins was bought was not brought into the house of the Lord, because it belonged to the priests. For those who dwelt far from the temple sent not a victim but money to one of the priests, who bought the victim, and what remained of the money after the victim was bought went to the benefit of the priests. So Vatablus. Abulensis, however, explains it as if it concerned a trespass and sin committed against the priest, as if someone had taken away what of the victims belonged to the priest; for then, besides the damage done and the victim for that sin, he had also to offer to the priest a fifth part more in money. Hear the law, Leviticus 5:15: “If a soul by mistake, through ignorance, shall transgress the ceremonies in those things that are sanctified to the Lord, he shall offer for his trespass a ram without blemish out of the flocks, which may be bought for two sicles, according to the weight of the sanctuary: and he shall make good the damage he has done, and shall add the fifth part besides, giving it to the priest.” The same is decreed for trespass in Numbers 5:6. What the difference is between “trespass” and “sin” I said on Leviticus 7:1.
17. THEN HAZAEL KING OF SYRIA WENT UP, etc., AND SET HIS FACE TO GO UP TO JERUSALEM.—Because God wished to chastise by Hazael king Joas, who after the death of Joiada, corrupted by the counsellors of Athalia, turned aside to idols, and therefore killed Zacharias the son of Joiada, because he rebuked him for idolatry. And for this sacrilegious slaughter Joas himself was slain by his servants, and lacked a royal burial; all of which is related at length in 2 Paralipomenon 24. Further, to carry out this chastisement of the idolaters, God had commanded Elias to anoint Hazael king of Syria, 3 Kings chapter 19,
18. WHEREFORE JOAS KING OF JUDA TOOK ALL THE SANCTIFIED THINGS WHICH JOSAPHAT, etc., HAD CONSECRATED, AND ALL THE GOLD THAT COULD BE FOUND IN THE TREASURES OF THE TEMPLE OF THE LORD, AND IN THE KING’S PALACE: AND SENT IT TO HAZAEL KING OF SYRIA, AND HE WENT OFF FROM JERUSALEM.—From this example Cajetan says it is gathered that the money and treasures of Churches may lawfully be spent to redeem the people from affliction, such as was this siege of Jerusalem; yet together with the whole royal treasure. For it would be unjust to begin the ransom from the plundering of Churches; but where the public and royal treasure does not suffice, the wealth of the Churches ought to come to help and supply. So Cajetan. Hear St. Ambrose, De officiis, book 2, ch. 28, reckoning three cases in which it is lawful to turn sacred vessels to lay uses: “Surely if anyone diverts them to his own profit, it is a crime; but if he spends them on the poor, if he ransoms a captive, it is mercy. For no one can say, Why does the poor man live? No one can complain that captives have been ransomed; no one can accuse that the temple of God has been built; no one can be indignant that room has been enlarged for burying the remains of the faithful; no one can grieve that in the burial-places of Christians there is rest for the dead. For these three purposes it is lawful to break up, melt down and sell even the consecrated vessels of the Church.” These words of St. Ambrose have been transcribed into the Canon Law, and are found in 12, Q. 2, ch. Aurum, § Nemo potest.