When they saw that there was much money in the chest, the king’s scribe and the high priest came up, and they put it in bags and counted the money that was found in Yahweh’s house. They gave the money that was weighed out into the hands of those who did the work, who had the oversight of Yahweh’s house; and they paid it out to the carpenters and the builders, who worked on Yahweh’s house, and to the masons and the stone cutters, and for buying timber and cut stone to repair the damage to Yahweh’s house, and for all that was laid out for the house to repair it.
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2 Kings 12:10-12 sits inside this longer paragraph.
The priests consented that they should take no more money from the people, and not repair the damage to the house. But Jehoiada the priest took a chest, and bored a hole in its lid, and set it beside the altar, on the right side as one comes into Yahweh’s house; and the priests who kept the threshold put all the money that was brought into Yahweh’s house into it. When they saw that there was much money in the chest, the king’s scribe and the high priest came up, and they put it in bags and counted the money that was found in Yahweh’s house. They gave the money that was weighed out into the hands of those who did the work, who had the oversight of Yahweh’s house; and they paid it out to the carpenters and the builders, who worked on Yahweh’s house, and to the masons and the stone cutters, and for buying timber and cut stone to repair the damage to Yahweh’s house, and for all that was laid out for the house to repair it. But there were not made for Yahweh’s house cups of silver, snuffers, basins, trumpets, any vessels of gold, or vessels of silver, of the money that was brought into Yahweh’s house; for they gave that to those who did the work, and repaired Yahweh’s house with it. Moreover they didn’t demand an accounting from the men into whose hand they delivered the money to give to those who did the work; for they dealt faithfully. The money for the trespass offerings, and the money for the sin offerings was not brought into Yahweh’s house. It was the priests’.
Parallel Translations
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When they saw that there was much money in the chest, the king’s scribe and the high priest came up, and they put it in bags and counted the money that was found in Yahweh’s house.
They gave the money that was weighed out into the hands of those who did the work, who had the oversight of Yahweh’s house; and they paid it out to the carpenters and the builders, who worked on Yahweh’s house,
and to the masons and the stone cutters, and for buying timber and cut stone to repair the damage to Yahweh’s house, and for all that was laid out for the house to repair it.
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And it was so, when they saw that there was much money in the chest, that the king’s scribe and the high priest came up, and they put up in bags, and told the money that was found in the house of the LORD.
And they gave the money, being told, into the hands of them that did the work, that had the oversight of the house of the LORD: and they laid it out to the carpenters and builders, that wrought upon the house of the LORD,
And to masons, and hewers of stone, and to buy timber and hewed stone to repair the breaches of the house of the LORD, and for all that was laid out for the house to repair it.
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(12-11) And it was so, when they saw that there was much money in the chest, that the king's scribe and the high priest came up, and they put up in bags and counted the money that was found in the house of the LORD.
(12-12) And they gave the money that was weighed out into the hands of them that did the work, that had the oversight of the house of the LORD; and they paid it out to the carpenters and the builders, that wrought upon the house of the LORD,
(12-13) and to the masons and the hewers of stone, and for buying timber and hewn stone to repair the breaches of the house of the LORD, and for all that was laid out for the house to repair it.
Cross-references (14)
- 2 Samuel 8:17 (v10) Zadok the son of Ahitub and Ahimelech the son of Abiathar were priests, Seraiah was scribe,
- 2 Kings 22:5-6 (vv11–12) Let them deliver it into the hand of the workmen who have the oversight of Yahweh’s house; and let them give it to the workmen who are in…
- 2 Kings 19:2 (v10) He sent Eliakim, who was over the household, Shebna the scribe, and the elders of the priests, covered with sackcloth, to Isaiah the…
- 2 Kings 22:12 (v10) The king commanded Hilkiah the priest, Ahikam the son of Shaphan, Achbor the son of Micaiah, Shaphan the scribe, and Asaiah the king’s…
- 2 Samuel 20:25 (v10) Sheva was scribe, and Zadok and Abiathar were priests,
Show all 13 cross-references
- 1 Kings 5:17-18 (v12) The king commanded, and they cut out large stones, costly stones, to lay the foundation of the house with worked stone. Solomon’s builders…
- 2 Kings 5:23 (v10) Naaman said, “Be pleased to take two talents.” He urged him, and bound two talents of silver in two bags, with two changes of clothing, and…
- 2 Kings 22:3-4 (v10) In the eighteenth year of king Josiah, the king sent Shaphan, the son of Azaliah the son of Meshullam, the scribe, to Yahweh’s house,…
- 2 Chronicles 24:11-12 (v11) Whenever the chest was brought to the king’s officers by the hand of the Levites, and when they saw that there was much money, the king’s…
- 2 Chronicles 34:9-11 (v11) They came to Hilkiah the high priest, and delivered the money that was brought into God’s house, which the Levites, the keepers of the…
- Ezra 3:7 (v12) They also gave money to the masons, and to the carpenters. They also gave food, drink, and oil to the people of Sidon and Tyre, to bring…
- Ezra 5:8 (v12) Be it known to the king that we went into the province of Judah, to the house of the great God, which is built with great stones, and…
- Luke 21:5 (v12) As some were talking about the temple and how it was decorated with beautiful stones and gifts, he said,
13 distinct cross-references across this passage (14 total citations).
Cross-references from openbible.info (CC BY 4.0)
Explain this passage (13 sources)
Historical commentary, presented as a primary source — not an endorsement.
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Geneva Bible translators 1599 · Public Domain On v11 For the King had appointed others which were meet…
For the King had appointed others which were meet for that purpose, 2 Kings 22:5.
Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain.
John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain On vv10–12 2Ki 12:10 And it was [so], when they saw…
2Ki 12:10 And it was [so], when they saw that [there was] much money in the chest, that the king’s scribe and the high priest came up, and they put up in bags, and told the money that was found in the house of the LORD.
Ver. 10. When they saw.] They stood at the door, and might easily see what any one put in. Lycurgus, the Lacedemonian lawgiver - who is thonght to have flourished about these times - enjoined his countrymen not to exceed in their offerings, lest they should grow weary of well doing; for, said he, God respecteth more the internal devotion than the external oblation.
John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Matthew Poole 1685 · Public Domain On vv10–12 The king’s scribe, who kept an exact account hereof…
The king’s scribe, who kept an exact account hereof in writing. See 2Ki 19:2; 22:3.
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain On vv10–12 And to masons, and hewers of stone,.... Which they…
And to masons, and hewers of stone,.... Which they cut out of the mountain, and the masons repaired the stone walls with:
and to buy timber; felled in Lebanon:
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and hewed stone; fitted for building with:
to repair the breaches of the house of the Lord; where both timber and stone were wanting:
and for all that was laid out for the house to repair it; in whatsoever else it needed, as iron and brass to mend it, Ch2 24:12.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain On v10 Verse 10. The king's scribe and the high priest]…
Verse 10. The king's scribe and the high priest] It was necessary to associate with the high priest some civil authority and activity, in order to get the neglected work performed.
Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Joseph Benson 1811 · Public Domain On v10 2Ki 12:10-11. The king’s scribe and the high-priest came…
2Ki 12:10-11. The king’s scribe and the high-priest came up, &c. — The king’s secretary and the high-priest emptied the chest, and took an account of the money, and then put it up in bags, which, it is likely, they sealed; and then they set the chest in its place again. This they did every day, as we read 2Ch 24:11. They gave the money to them that had the oversight, &c. — These bags of money were delivered by the king and Jehoiada, (2Ch 24:12,) not to the priests, whom the king had found tardy, and, perhaps, faulty, (converting the money to their own use,) but to some select persons, who had this peculiar business committed to them, to employ good workmen, pay them their wages, and see the temple properly repaired.
Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Albert Barnes 1834 · Public Domain On v10 The king’s scribe - Or “secretary” (1Ki 4:3 note).…
The king’s scribe - Or “secretary” (1Ki 4:3 note). Such persons are often seen in the Assyrian sculptures, with a roll, apparently of parchment, in one hand and a pen in the other, taking account for the king of the spoil brought in from foreign expeditions.
Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary 1859 · Public Domain On vv10–11 Priest, or his deputy. (Paralipomenon) (Calmet) --- Out. Protestants,…
Priest, or his deputy. (Paralipomenon) (Calmet) --- Out. Protestants, "put it up in bags," (Haydock) or tied and afterwards weighed it.
George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown 1871 · Public Domain On v11 they gave the money, being told, into the hands…
they gave the money, being told, into the hands of them that did the work--The king sent his secretary along with an agent of the high priest to count the money in the chest from time to time (Ch2 24:11), and deliver the amount to the overseers of the building, who paid the workmen and purchased all necessary materials. The custom of putting sums of certain amount in bags, which are labelled and sealed by a proper officer, is a common way of using the currency in Turkey and other Eastern countries.
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain On vv10–12 10. when they saw that there was much money…
10. when they saw that there was much money in the chest] They could tell this by lifting, and beside this the priests were eye-witnesses of the liberal contribution.
the king’s scribe] This was the royal secretary, through whom the king would be kept acquainted with the progress of the fund. It appears from 2Ch_24:11 that the chest was carried unopened unto the king’s office by the Levites, and that the examination and disposal of the contents took place there.
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the high priest] The Chronicler says ‘the high priest’s officer’. Josephus says the king was present at the opening. What is meant by these varying statements is that these two were always represented and that now and then no doubt both king and high priest were there in person.
came up] To the place whither the chest had been brought for examination and to be emptied.
put up in bags] The literal meaning ‘bound up’ is given on the margins of A.V. and R.V. The verb is used of putting money together in a packet (Deu_14:25). We must understand the proceeding to be in connexion with uncoined gold and silver. First it was tied up in some way into parcels, and then by weighing its value was found.
and told the money] i.e. As we should now say ‘counted’ it. But the total value was found by weighing. The old use of ‘tell’ for ‘count’ occurs several times in the O.T. ‘Cf. Psa_147:4 ‘He telleth the number of the stars’. So Jer_33:13, ‘The flocks pass under the hands of him that telleth them’. Compare Milton, L’Allegro 67,
‘And every shepherd tells his tale
Under the hawthorn in the dale’.
i.e. he counts the number of his sheep to see that none have been lost during the night.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers 1878 · Public Domain On vv10–12 (10) And it was so.—Rather, And it came to…
(10) And it was so.—Rather, And it came to pass. Whenever the chest was full the royal secretary and the high priest went up into the Temple, and emptied it.
Put up in bags, and told.—Literally, they bound up and counted. They put the pieces of silver into bags of a certain size, and then counted the bags, weighed, and sealed them up. These would be paid out as money. (Comp. 2Ki_5:23.) Instead of “they bound up,” Ewald prefers the word used in Chronicles, “they emptied,” which is very similar in Hebrew writing. The royal secretary came, as the king’s representative, to make a record of the amount.
A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Pulpit Commentary 1880 · Public Domain On vv10–12 And it was so, when they saw that there…
And it was so, when they saw that there was much money in the chest. "When they saw" means "when they perceived." They would not see that the chest was becoming full, but would know by the weight, and perhaps by the sound which the money made when it was dropped in. That the king"s scribe. "Royal secretaries" were common in ancient Persia, and often acted as the king"s commissioners (Herod., 3:128; Xen., "Cyrop.," 8:6. "AEcouom.," 4:8). Such persons are seen on the Assyrian sculptured slabs, with a roll of paper or parchment in one hand, and a pen in the other, taking account for the king of the spoil brought in from foreign countries (see "Ancient Monarchies," vol. 2. p. 86). And the high priest. Since the time of Joshua, the high priest had been called simply "the priest." The restoration of the full title (hae-cohen hag-gadol) marks the increasing power of the priests and the diminishing power of the kings under the later monarchy. Came up, and they put up in bags, and told, the money that was found in the house of the Lord. Money was ordinarily put up in bags, containing a certain definite amount, the mouth of the bag being then tied round with a string (see 2Ki_5:23; and Pro_7:20; Isa_46:6; Hag_1:6) Hence putting money up in bags was sometimes called, as in this place, "binding it." No doubt they "told," or counted, the money first, and put it in the bags afterwards; but u) proteron is a very common figure of speech.
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
unfoldingWord translationNotes 2017 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On v11 weighed out
weighed out
"counted"
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into the hands of men
Here "hands" refers to the men. AT: "to men" (See: Synecdoche)
who took care of the temple
"who repaired the temple"
carpenters
people who build and repair things made of wood
masons
people who build with stone
stonecutters
people who cut stones into the correct size and shape
for buying timber and cutting stone
"to buy wood and to cut stone"
for all that was needed to be paid to repair it
"to pay for all of the needed repairs"
unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.