Bible Strands
2 Kings 12:18
So King Joash of Judah took all the sacred objects dedicated by his fathers—Jehoshaphat, Jehoram, and Ahaziah, the kings of Judah—along with his own consecrated items and all the gold found in the treasuries of the house of the LORD and the royal palace, and he sent them to Hazael king of Aram. So Hazael withdrew from Jerusalem.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — King Joash of Judah acts while Hazael king of Aram prepares to besiege Jerusalem after capturing Gath. He gathers consecrated vessels, royal gold, and palace treasuries to send to the invading commander.
The words — וַ/יִּקַּ֞ח (va/yi.kach) means "and he took," and הַ/קֳּדָשִׁ֡ים (ha./ko.da.shim) translates to "the holy things." These terms anchor the narrative in Joash’s active seizure of sacred and royal assets.
The thread — This strategy of transferring treasury wealth to secure a military withdrawal appears in 1 Kings 15:18 and 2 Kings 18:15. It contrasts with 1 Kings 14:26, where an invading force forcibly seizes the same treasuries.
Why it lands — The text records a political transaction where sacred and royal gold are transferred to halt an advance. It notes the immediate historical result: Hazael withdraws from Jerusalem.
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 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.
Cross-references
- 1 Kings 15:18 So Asa withdrew all the silver and gold that remained in the treasuries of the house of the LORD and the royal palace. He entrusted it to his servants and sent them with this message to Ben-hadad son of Tabrimmon, the son of Hezion, the king of Aram, who was ruling in Damascus:
- 2 Kings 18:15 Hezekiah gave him all the silver that was found in the house of the LORD and in the treasuries of the royal palace.
- 1 Kings 14:26 He seized the treasures of the house of the LORD and of the royal palace. He took everything, including all the gold shields that Solomon had made.
- 2 Kings 12:4 Then Joash said to the priests, “Collect all the money brought as sacred gifts into the house of the LORD—the census money, the money from vows, and the money brought voluntarily into the house of the LORD.
- 2 Kings 16:8 Ahaz also took the silver and gold found in the house of the LORD and in the treasuries of the king’s palace, and he sent it as a gift to the king of Assyria.
- 2 Chronicles 16:2 So Asa withdrew the silver and gold from the treasuries of the house of the LORD and the royal palace, and he sent it with this message to Ben-hadad king of Aram, who was ruling in Damascus: