King James Version

What Does 2 Chronicles 24:23 Mean?

“And it came to pass at the end of the year, that the host of Syria came up against him: and they came to Judah and Jerusalem, and destroyed all the princes of the people from among the people, and sent all the spoil of them unto the king of Damascus. at the: Heb. in the revolution of the year Damascus: Heb. Darmesek”

Context

And they conspired against him, and stoned him with stones at the commandment of the king in the court of the house of the LORD.

Thus Joash the king remembered not the kindness which Jehoiada his father had done to him, but slew his son. And when he died, he said, The LORD look upon it, and require it.

And it came to pass at the end of the year, that the host of Syria came up against him: and they came to Judah and Jerusalem, and destroyed all the princes of the people from among the people, and sent all the spoil of them unto the king of Damascus. at the: Heb. in the revolution of the year Damascus: Heb. Darmesek

For the army of the Syrians came with a small company of men, and the LORD delivered a very great host into their hand, because they had forsaken the LORD God of their fathers. So they executed judgment against Joash.

And when they were departed from him, (for they left him in great diseases,) his own servants conspired against him for the blood of the sons of Jehoiada the priest, and slew him on his bed, and he died: and they buried him in the city of David, but they buried him not in the sepulchres of the kings.

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Commentary

Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

**THE LORD’S VENGEANCE, viz., THE SYRIAN INVASION AND SLAUGHTER OF THE PRINCES, AND THE MURDER OF JOASH** (2Chronicles 24:23-27). (Comp. 2Kings 12:17-21.) (23) **At the end of the year.**—*At the running out of the year,* viz., the year of the murder of Zechariah. (See for the phrase, Exodus 34:22.) **The host of Syria came up against him.**—Comp. 2Kings 12:17. Our passage seems to show that a small part (2Chronicles 24:24) of the besieging army was detached, and sent against Jerusalem. (Comp. 2Kings 18:14; 2Kings 18:17.) The princes of Judah (2Chronicles 24:17) at the head of a large force met the invaders in the field; but the Syrians routed them, and “destroyed all the princes of the people from among the people.” We may suppose that they made it their special aim to cut off the leaders of the Jewish host. (Comp. 2Chronicles 18:30.) Thus the apostate princes were overtaken by the prophetic doom. (LXX., “the princes of the people among the people; *“*Syriac and Vulg. and Arabic omit “from among the people.” But comp. Isaiah 7:8.) **And sent all the spoil of them.**—To Hazael, who was probably still at Gath with the main body of his troops.

Charles John Ellicott (1819–1905). Public Domain.

Historical Context

This verse is found in the book of 2 Chronicles. Understanding the historical and cultural background helps illuminate its meaning for the original audience and for us today.

Theological Significance

2 Chronicles 24:23 contributes to our understanding of God's character and His relationship with humanity. Consider how this verse connects to the broader themes of Scripture.