Synopsis of the Chapter
King Joash restores the temple; then, in verse 18, he redeems Jerusalem from war and destruction by sending gold, both sacred and profane, to Hazael who is plotting war. Finally, in verse 20, he is killed by his servants.
Verse 3: He Did Not Remove the High Places ¶
3. Nevertheless he did not remove the high places — from fear of the people who were inclined toward them, lest they stir up sedition. See what I said above about the high places, III Kings iii, 2.
Verse 4: All the Money of the Sacred Things ¶
4. All the money of the sacred things — that is, of the sanctified or consecrated ones; meaning: let the priests receive all money offered to God and consecrated, etc. From those passing through. — In Hebrew: from one passing through, namely through the numbering and census, that is, from everyone who is numbered and pays the census tax. For only those who had reached or exceeded the twentieth year were obligated to this, Exodus xxx, 14. Which is offered for the price of a soul — that is, for their census tax. For God had commanded that each Hebrew in the census should pay for himself half a shekel, that is, two julii or two reales. This "price" is called the price "of a soul," that is, of the life or of a living person, both because the Hebrews, who were wholly dedicated to God, by this price redeemed their life, as it were, from Him; and because by 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 xxx, 12.
Verse 5: Let Them Repair the Breaches of the House ¶
5. And let them repair the breaches of the house — of God, that is, of the temple, namely to restore what through length of time had been consumed by age, corroded, and fallen into ruin, and what Athaliah had demolished and taken away. For as is said in II Paralipomenon xxiv, 7: "The most impious Athaliah and her sons destroyed the house of God, and adorned the temple of Baal with all the things that had been sanctified in the temple of God."
Verse 7: Why Do You Not Repair the Breaches of the Temple ¶
7. Why do you not repair the breaches of the temple? — The priests sinned in two ways: first, because they were negligent in collecting the money due to the temple as a census tax under the law of Exodus xxx, 12; second, because they did not spend it on the repairs of the temple, but on other purposes and even on their own private uses. Therefore King Joash justly remonstrated with them and took from them the office of collecting and keeping the money for the temple construction, and commanded them to put the money in the chest, verse 9.
Verse 8: The Priests Were Forbidden ¶
8. And the priests were forbidden — not unwillingly, but willingly and with consent. Hence for "they were forbidden" the Hebrew has ieatu, that is, they consented, wished, agreed. In Chaldean: they were content, because, as Josephus says, they knew that many of the people were reluctant to pay the census tax, and no one willingly spent money.
Verse 13: Nevertheless, from the Same Money were not Made Water Vessels of the Temple of the Lord, nor Forks, nor Censers, etc ¶
13. Nevertheless, from the same money were not made water vessels of the temple of the Lord, nor forks, nor censers, etc. — that is, as long as the restoration of the temple lasted: for this, being more necessary, had to take priority; and when it was completed, the remaining money was spent on water vessels and other vessels of the temple, as is evident from II Paralipomenon xxiv. So Abulensis, Cajetan, and others.
Verse 15: No Accounting Was Required ¶
15. And no accounting was required, etc. (that is, no account or reckoning was demanded from the receivers of the money, because all knew that) they dealt with it in good faith — namely that they spent everything on the construction of the temple, and diverted nothing to their own uses. So the Chaldean, Vatablus, and others.
Verse 16: But the Money for Guilt Offerings and the Money for Sin Offerings They Did not Bring Into the ¶
16. But the money for guilt offerings and the money for sin offerings they did not bring into the temple of the Lord, because it belonged to the priests. — Vatablus: the money left over after the victim for the guilt or sin offering had been purchased was not brought into the temple of the Lord, because it belonged to the priests. For those who lived far from the temple sent not a victim but money to one of the priests, who purchased the victim, and whatever money remained after the victim was purchased went for the benefit of the priests. So Vatablus. But Abulensis explains it as if this concerns a sin and offense committed against a priest, as when someone had taken what belonged to a priest from the sacrifices; for then, besides the damage inflicted and the victim for that sin, he had to offer in addition a fifth part in money to the priest. Hear the law of Leviticus v, 15: "If a soul, transgressing the ceremonies, through error shall sin in those things that are sanctified to the Lord, he shall offer for his offense an unblemished ram from the flock, which can be bought for two shekels according to the weight of the sanctuary: and he shall restore the damage itself that he has caused, and shall add a fifth part besides, delivering it to the priest." The same concerning offenses is established in Numbers v, 6. What the difference is between "guilt offering" and "sin offering" I explained in Leviticus vii, 1.
Verse 17: Then Hazael King of Syria Went Up, Etc., and Turned his Face to Go up Against Jerusalem ¶
17. Then Hazael king of Syria went up, etc., and turned his face to go up against Jerusalem. — Because God wished to chastise King Joash through Hazael, for after the death of Jehoiada, corrupted by the counselors of Athaliah, he turned aside to idols, and therefore killed Zechariah the son of Jehoiada, because he accused him of idolatry. And on account of this sacrilegious murder, Joash himself was slain by his own servants and was deprived of royal burial; all of which is narrated at length in II Paralipomenon xxiv. Moreover, to carry out this chastisement of idolaters, God had commanded Elijah to anoint Hazael as king of Syria, III Kings ch. xix, verse 16.
Verse 18: Joash Took All the Sacred Things ¶
18. Therefore Joash king of Judah took all the sacred things that Jehoshaphat, etc. had consecrated, and all the gold that could be found in the treasuries of the temple of the Lord and in the palace of the king: and he sent it to Hazael king of Syria, and he withdrew from Jerusalem. — From this example, Cajetan says it may be concluded that the money and treasures of churches may lawfully be spent to redeem the people from oppression, such as was here the siege of Jerusalem; but together with the entire royal treasury. For it would be unjust to begin the ransom with the plundering of churches: but where the public and royal treasury is insufficient, the resources of the churches should assist and supplement. So Cajetan. Hear St. Ambrose, book II of Offices, ch. xxviii, listing three cases in which it is lawful to convert sacred vessels to secular uses: "Certainly if anyone diverts them to his own profit, it is a crime; but if he distributes them to the poor, ransoms captives, 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 because the temple of God has been built; no one can be indignant because space has been provided for burying the remains of the faithful; no one can grieve because in the tombs of Christians the dead find rest. In these three categories it is lawful to break, melt down, and sell even consecrated vessels of the Church." These words of St. Ambrose are transcribed into Canon Law and appear in Causa XII, Question II, chapter aurum, paragraph nemo potest.