2 Kings 12:16

The trespass money and sin money was not brought into the house of the LORD: it was the priests'.

EXPOSITORY (ENGLISH BIBLE)

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(16) The.—The definite article should be omitted.

Trespass money and sin money.—See Lev. V. 15-18; Numbers 5:8; Leviticus 6:26-29.

Was not brought.—Was not wont to be brought i.e., put into the chest for the restoration fund.

It was the priests’.—Literally to the priests they (these moneys) used to fall, or continued to accrue. The general sense is that the priests were not deprived of their lawful revenues by the new arrangement. They received their ancient dues from the trespass and sin offerings. The change initiated by Jehoash consisted in this, that henceforth gifts intended for the sanctuary itself were kept apart from the gifts intended for the priesthood.

Benson Commentary

2 Kings 12:16. The trespass-money and sin-money, &c. — “Besides the money paid to the priests for trespasses committed in holy things it is thought that persons living at a distance sent money to the priests to purchase trespass- offerings and sin-offerings, and sacrifice them in their names: and, as they commonly sent more than the sacrifices cost, the surplus became a perquisite, under the name of trespass-money and sin-money.” — Scott. This money was not employed toward the reparation of the house, because, as it follows, it was the priests’: it was given to them for their private use and maintenance.

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary

12:1-16 It is a great mercy to young people, especially to all young men of rank, like Jehoash, to have those about them who will instruct them to do what is right in the sight of the Lord; and they do wisely and well for themselves, when willing to be counselled and ruled. The temple was out of repair; Jehoash orders the repair of the temple. The king was zealous. God requires those who have power, to use it for the support of religion, the redress of grievances, and repairing of decays. The king employed the priests to manage, as most likely to be hearty in the work. But nothing was done effectually till the twenty-third year of his reign. Another method was therefore taken. When public distributions are made faithfully, public contributions will be made cheerfully. While they were getting all they could for the repair of the temple, they did not break in upon the stated maintenance of the priests. Let not the servants of the temple be starved, under colour of repairing the breaches of it. Those that were intrusted did the business carefully and faithfully. They did not lay it out in ornaments for the temple, till the other work was completed; hence we may learn, in all our expenses, to prefer that which is most needful, and, in dealing for the public, to deal as we would for ourselves.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

The trespass money and the sin money - In all cases of injury done to another, a man was bound by the Law to make compensation, to the sufferer, if possible; if not, to his nearest kinsman. If the man was dead and had left no kinsman, then the compensation was to be made to the priest Numbers 5:8. This would form a part of the trespass and sin money. The remainder would accrue from the voluntary gifts made to the priests by those who came to make atonement for sins or trespasses Numbers 5:10. On the difference between "sins" and "trespasses," see Leviticus 5:14 note.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

13-16. Howbeit there were not made … bowls, &c.—When the repairs of the temple had been completed, the surplus was appropriated to the purchase of the temple furniture. The integrity of the overseers of the work being undoubted, no account was exacted of the way in which they applied the money given to them, while other moneys levied at the temple were left to the disposal of the priests as the law directed (Le 5:16; Nu 5:8).

Matthew Poole's Commentary

i.e. It was not employed towards the reparation of the house, because, as it follows, it was the priests’; it was given to them for their private use and maintenance.

Quest. If this reason was weighty, how could the money of them that passed the account, or the money that every man was set at, be thus employed, as they were, 2 Kings 12:4, for these also may seem to have been the priests’?

Answ. They were not appropriated to the priests, but for the service of the tabernacle of the congregation, as is said of the former, Exodus 30:16; or, for the Lord, Leviticus 27:2,9,14,23.

Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

The trespass money and sin money was not brought into the house of the Lord,.... Which was the money persons at a distance sent for their trespass and sin offerings instead of cattle, with which the sacrifices were bought; and what remained of the money was not brought into the temple, and made use of in the above manner:

it was the priest's; the overplus of it, and such of the sacrifices which by the law were appropriated to them.

Geneva Study Bible

The trespass money and sin money was not brought into the house of the LORD: it was the priests'.

EXEGETICAL (ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)

Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

16. The trespass money] R.V. The money for the guilt offerings. ‘Guilt offering’ was adopted by R.V. in Leviticus 5:1-6 and throughout the law for the ‘trespass-offering’ of A.V., to accord with the verb and the adjective which are rendered in that leading passage ‘to be guilty’ and ‘guilty’. ‘Trespass money’ occurs nowhere else but in this verse.

sin money] R.V. the money for the sin-offering. On this see Leviticus 5:7-12. ‘Sin money’ is found nowhere else.

it was the priests’] See Leviticus 14:13. ‘For as the sin-offering is the priest’s, so is the trespass (R.V. guilt) offering’.

Pulpit Commentary

Verse 16. - The trespass money. When a man had injured another, he was bound by the Law to make compensation to the injured party at the valuation of the priest, with the addition of one-fifth more than the value (Leviticus 6:2-6; Numbers 5:6-8). The compensation was, primarily, to be made to the man himself; secondarily, if he were dead, to his nearest kinsman; finally, if he had left no kinsman, to the priest. And sin money. According to the Law, the priest was entitled to no money with a sin offering; but it seems to have become customary to make the priest who offered it a voluntary gift, to compensate him for his trouble. Such free gifts the priest was by the Law (Numbers 5:10) entitled to receive. Was not brought into the house of the Lord - i.e. it was not deposited in the chest, or applied to the repairs, but - it was the priests'. 2 Kings 12:16

Keil and Delitzsch Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament

The money obtained from trespass-offerings and sin-offerings was not brought into the house of Jehovah, i.e., was not applied to the repairing of the temple, but was left for the priests. In the case of the trespass-offering compensation had to be made for the earthly debt according to the valuation of the priest, with the addition of a fifth in money; and this was assigned to the priests not only in the case of a מעל committed against Jehovah, but also when a neighbour had been injured in his property, if he had died in the meantime (see at Leviticus 5:16 and Numbers 5:9). On the other hand, in the case of the sin-offerings the priests received no money according to the law. Most of the commentators therefore assume, that those who lived at a distance had sent money to the priests, that they might offer sin-offerings with it, and what money as over they had retained for themselves. But there is not the slightest trace of any such custom, which is quite at variance with the idea of the sin-offering. It may probably have become a customary thing in the course of time, for those who presented these offerings to compensate the officiating priest for his trouble by a free-will gift.