2 Chronicles 24:6 - Exposition

Jehoiada the chief ; so. priest, for comp. our 2 Chronicles 24:11 ; 2 Chronicles 19:11 ; 2 Chronicles 26:20 . In each of those instances the Hebrew text shows הָראשׁ , and the Authorized Version "chief" except inconsistently in our 2 Chronicles 26:11 . Revised Version "chief" in all the instances. The name "priest" occurs just about six hundred and sixty-six times in the Old Testament, the title "high" or "chief priest" only about twenty-six times, the first occurrence being in Le 2 Chronicles 21:10 , the last Zechariah 6:11 ; and both set forth by the Hebrew adjective גָּדוֹל , as also in fifteen other of the occurrences. Seven times the word ראֹשׁ is the word employed, and שָׂרֵי the other two times. In these last two cases, however ( Ezra 8:24 , Ezra 8:29 ; Ezra 10:5 ), it is not "high priests" nor "chief priests" that are perhaps even really intended, but the "princes" of the priests, or those who, for whatever reasons of personal characteristics, were chief. Out of Judah and out of Jerusalem . The statement here is precise, that the call of money was to be made both in the cities of Judah and in the metropolis Jerusalem. The collection ; Hebrew, מַשְׁאַת ; Revised Version, better, the tax of, etc. Of this we read in Exodus 30:13-15 ; Exodus 38:25 , Exodus 38:26 ; Numbers 1:30 . It was of the uniform amount of half a sanctuary shekel, for rich or poor, and was ordered to be set apart "for the service of the tabernacle of the conregation, " here called in the Authorized Version the tabernacle of witness ; Revised Version, the tent of the testimony. Exodus has מוֹעֵד for our חָעֵדוּת . This source of money for the holy design of Joash is again most specifically stated in our verse 9. The version of this whole transaction seems rather confusing as given in the parallel, where verse 4 mentions three sources of money, without any quotation as such of the ordained tax of Moses, which was apparently the first of those three, and where verse 8, at first blush at any rate, might seem to imply recusant priests. The meaning, however, is probably the contrary, the verse purporting that the priests consented to forego what they had been accustomed on receiving to apply to some personal or current-funds purpose, and who consented to forego the superintending of the outlay of the money on. the repairing, that it might be done with more expedition by "scribe" and high priest" (verse 10; comp. verse 16; both of the parallel). All these details the writer of Chronicles passes over, only pursuing the essential business, Joash's pious resolve, the delay in its execution, and how he finally overcame the obstructive delay.