7For the sons of Athaliah, that wicked woman, had broken up the house of God; and also all the dedicated things of the house of the LORD did they bestow upon the Baalim. 8So the king commanded, and they made a chest, and set it without at the gate of the house of the LORD. 9And they made a proclamation through Judah and Jerusalem, to bring in for the LORD the tax that Moses the servant of God laid upon Israel in the wilderness. 10And all the princes and all the people rejoiced, and brought in, and cast into the chest, until they had made an end. 11And it was so, that at what time the chest was brought unto the king's [1]office [2]by the hand of the Levites, and when they saw that there was much money, the king's [3]scribe and the chief priest's officer came and emptied the chest, and took it, and carried it to its place again. Thus they did day by day, and gathered money in abundance. 12And the king and Jehoiada gave it to such as did the work of the service of the house of the LORD; and they hired masons and carpenters to restore the house of the LORD, and also such
tabernacle, with all its contents, was to be a standing protest to Israel that Jehovah was with His people according to covenant, and that every breach of the covenant would call forth punishment. Cp. Deut. iv. 25, 26, viii. 19, etc.
7. the sons of Athaliah] To be understood figuratively, "the adherents of Athaliah." So "a son of the apothecaries" (Neh. iii. 8; cp. A.V. with R.V.) is "a member of the apothecaries' guild" and "the sons of the prophets" (2 Kin. ii. 15, etc.) are "the adherents (or 'scholars') of the prophets."
had broken up] Rather, had broken into.
all the dedicated things] Cp. xv. 18; 1 Chr. xviii. 10, 11. Probably gold, silver and brass.
did they bestow upon the Baalim] Or, did they make into images of Baal. Cp. Hos. ii. 8, R.V. mg.
9. Kings has nothing corresponding to this ver.; cp. ver. 5 (note).
11. at what time . . . by the hand of the Levites] This clause is not in Kings.
the chief priest's officer] According to Kings the high-priest was present himself. It would seem as if the Chronicler was concerned for the dignity of the high-priest, and desired to equate it with that of the king; if the latter was to be represented only by an officer, the former must be also.
