Bible Strands
2 Chronicles 24:8
At the king’s command a chest was made and placed outside, at the gate of the house of the LORD.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The narrative records King Joash’s directive to the temple officials at the sanctuary gate following the desecration of the house of God by Athaliah’s sons. This command initiates a structural response to restore temple funding and repair.
The words — The Hebrew אֲר֣וֹן ('a.Ron) denotes a designated chest or container, while בְּ/שַׁ֥עַר (be./Sha.'ar) specifies its placement at the gate of the house of the LORD. These terms establish a physical locus for the collected funds rather than leaving them with the priests.
The thread — The placement of a public collection chest recurs in 2 Kings 12:8, where temple repair funding bypasses the priests, and appears in Mark 12:41 as Jesus observes the treasury. Both references track the movement of sacred funds from private handling to public accountability.
Why it lands — The verse demands that religious administration be visibly separated from priestly discretion to prevent misappropriation. It requires readers to recognize that institutional transparency is a structural safeguard for sacred resources.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
And at the king’s commandment they made a chest, and set it without at the gate of the house of the Lord.
Cross-references
- 2 Kings 12:8 So the priests agreed that they would not receive money from the people and that they would not repair the temple themselves.
- Mark 12:41 As Jesus was sitting opposite the treasury, He watched the crowd putting money into it. And many rich people put in large amounts.