Melakhim B 12-13: Yo'ash's Reversal
YESHIVAT HAR ETZION
Israel KOSCHITZKY VIRTUAL BEIT MIDRASH (VBM)
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SEFER MELAKHIM BET:
THE SECOND BOOK OF KINGS
By Rav Alex Israel
For easy printing, see
http://vbm-torah.org/archive/melakhim2/14melakhim2.htm
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Dedicated in memory of
Joseph Y. Nadler zl, Yosef ben Yechezkel Tzvi
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Shiur #14: Chapters 12-13
YOASH'S REVERSAL
At the end of Yoash's reign, the kingdom takes a downturn. Chazael of
Aram threatens Yerushalayim (II Melakhim 12:18-22). Yoash
responds by paying a huge bribe to Chazael, thereby averting war. He sends
Chazael the gold reserves of the Temple and the royal treasury, as well as
specific Temple artifacts that had been consecrated to the Temple by Yoash and
his predecessors.[1]
With this huge payoff, Chazael abandons his military advance. Whereas Yoash's
sidestepping of armed conflict may be viewed as a skillful maneuver on the
king's part, some members of his inner circle think otherwise. Yoash's
courtiers conspire and assassinate him. Who are the perpetrators? From the
context, it would seem that these are his political opponents, maybe government
or military figures,[2]
outraged at his capitulation to the Aramean forces.
THE ACCOUNT IN DIVREI HA-YAMIM
But II Divrei Ha-yamim (ch. 24) offers a far more sinister record
of Yoash's reign. In truth, Melakhim offers a possible hint: "Yehoash
did that which was right in God's eyes, all his days that Yehoyada instructed
him" (12:3). This sentence may be read in one of two ways. Either we may say
that Yoash followed God all his life, due to Yehoyada's good teaching. Or we
may opt for a second possibility: Yoash adhered to service of God only under
Yehoyada's instruction or influence. The implication now[3]
is that after Yehoyada's death, Yehoash adopts an alternative path. That is
precisely what we read in II Divrei Ha-yamim:
But after the death of Yehoyada, the officers of Yehuda came, bowing low to the
king, and the king listened to them. They forsook the House of the Lord God of
their fathers to serve the Asheira and idols; and there was wrath upon Yehuda
and Yerushalayim because of this guilt of theirs. The Lord sent prophets among
them to bring them back to Him; they admonished them but they would not pay
heed. The spirit of God enveloped Zekharia son of Yehoyada the priest; he stood
above the people and said to them, "Thus says God: Why do you transgress the
commandments of the Lord when you cannot succeed? Since you have forsaken the
Lord, He has forsaken you." They conspired against him and pelted him with
stones in the court of the House of the Lord, by order of the king." (24:17-21)
As a child, Yoash was raised under the influence of the high priest, Yehoyada. Moreover, it is Yehoyada and the
priests who control the affairs of state while Yoash is a minor. But as a young
adult, Yoash seeks to rule independently. And so, he begins by flexing his
muscles in the arena of the Mikdash. When he accuses the kohanim
of neglecting the Temple and abusing its funds, he is in fact beginning to wrest
control of the Mikdash from priestly hands and to limit their enormous
power, thereby returning the king to his original place and sidelining the
national influence of the priesthood.
Now, after Yehoyada's death, the process of Yoash's independence gains
momentum, as the king engages new "advisors." In other words, he adopts a fresh
political and religious direction.[4]
This story presents two rival factions or lobbies: the "right-wing," inward
looking, priestly group, and the "left-wing," more cosmopolitan advisors, with
Achav-like tendencies. Yoash rejects the first faction which he knows so well.
Needing a new alliance and power base, he turns to the second group, which has a
more international agenda. The introduction of idolatry into the kingdom
indicates that the new officials advocate a political reorientation, opening the
country to other cultures, with a relaxed approach to foreign worship instead of
a strict monotheistic regime. Obviously, this sharp national cultural turnabout
leads Yoash into a direct clash with the priests who had controlled the agenda
up to this point. But Yoash seems set upon his new national priorities. At
first Yoash merely ignores the priests and prophets despite their opposition,
but as they become more vociferous, he soon becomes their bitter enemy. When the
new high priest, Zekharia, publically admonishes the king, "they conspired
against him," in other words, the king resorts to bloodshed in order to silence
his influential critic.
As opposed to the religiously positive account of Yoash in Sefer
Melakhim, Divrei Ha-yamim depicts Yoash's later life in terrifying
terms.[5]
The idolatry and murder are all the more shocking when we consider Yoash's
unique upbringing.
Yoash's sins are met by swift punishment, in the form of Chazael's attack
against Yerushalayim. Unlike the depiction in Melakhim, Divrei
Ha-yamim describes a military conflict in which God delivers Yoash's larger
army into the hands of the smaller Aramean force. The forces of Chazael loot
the country but also punish Yoash personally with severe injuries.
[6] Yoash's assassination is described in
the following manner:
His courtiers plotted against him because of the blood of the sons of Yehoyada
the priest; and they killed him in his bed
These were the men who conspired
against him: Zavad, son of Shimat the Ammonite, and Yehozavad son of Shimrit
the Moabite. (24:25-6)
TWO ACCOUNTS
Melakhim
and Divrei Ha-yamim differ in several significant details:
|
Melakhim |
Divrei
Ha-yamim |
Religious Waywardness |
- |
Yoash's adoption of Baal after Yehoyada's death. Yoash has Zekharia killed. |
The War |
Yoash averts war. |
Chazael attacks, and his army, though smaller in number, defeats Yoash. |
Tribute Spoils |
Yoash pays Chazael a large tribute. |
Chazael takes spoils of war. |
Assassination of the King |
--In the House of the Milo
--No explicit motive is mentioned. |
--In his bed
--Motive: to avenge Zekharia |
Burial of Yoash |
Buried with his fathers in City of David |
They did not bury him in the royal burial site. |
Many of the traditional commentaries[7]
solve the disparities in the depiction of the war by suggesting that both
Melakhim and Divrei Ha-yamim are historically correct, but each
depicts a different military campaign. Melakhim describes a first
war, which is averted by means of a bribe. But then, Yoash murders Zekharia,
and the following year Aram defeats Yehuda, as depicted in Divrei Ha-yamim.[8]
Similarly, commentaries suggest resolving the other contradictions on a local
level. For example, regarding the site of the assassination, Yoash's "bed" (Divrei
Ha-yamim) was placed in the "House of Milo" (Melakhim); regarding the
war, the spoils mentioned in Divrei Ha-yamim may be the same bribe that
is described in Melakhim. And hence, the two books complement one
another. Abarbanel builds an interesting
theory around this:
I have already written in my introduction to this book [Melakhim] that
the book does not intend to relate all the biographical and national details of
the kings
for this was recorded in the [royal] annals
With Yoash it states:
"Yehoash did that which was right in God's eyes, all the period that Yehoyada
instructed him"(12:3), and thus it indicates that after Yehoyada's death, he did
not perform that which was right in God's eyes and served Baal
But Ezra
[author of Divrei Ha-yamim] saw that in the course of time, the royal
annals had been lost. To ensure that the events not be entirely forgotten, he
wrote details that were essential in order to comprehend that which is written
in Sefer Melakhim, and in such a case, Divrei Ha-yamim
acts as an expansion of Sefer Melakhim.
Abarbanel is suggesting that originally, royal sources external to the Biblical
book would have recorded Yoash's move to idolatry, and Melakhim could be
read and understood on the backdrop of that common knowledge. However, with the
passage of time, as the history was forgotten, Divrei Ha-yamim included
much of the forgotten history.
With all this having been said, the variance between the "parallel" books is
considerable: a reader of Melakhim would be unaware of any of Yoash's
sins, whereas Divrei Ha-yamim depicts Yoash as a king who created a
violent and idolatrous regime. A full explanation as to why Melakhim
ignores Yoash's idolatry still eludes us.
EPITOME OF INGRATITUDE
King Yoash disregarded the loyalty (chesed) that his father Yehoyada had
shown him and killed his son. As he was dying, he said, May the Lord see and
require it." (II Divrei Ha-yamim 24:22)
The first point emphasized here is Yoash's absolute disloyalty, his cruel
deflection of the natural human instinct of gratitude in response to Yehoyada's
chesed. The depravity of Zekharia's murder is underscored by its
location: the Temple courtyard. The same Temple which provided a safe-haven for
the young Yoash now becomes a killing-ground, as he murders the son of the man
who saved him and raised him.
In the same vein, several aspects of Yoash's death are indicative of reciprocal
justice (mida ke-negged mida), evoking precisely Yoash's disloyalty to
the family of Yehoyada, as evidenced by the following:
·
"He received reciprocal punishment. He killed Zekharia, a person whose position
was safe and secure, due to his status as son of Yehoyada
and so he (Yoash)
was killed when he was calm and secure in his bed." (Rashi)
·
"Yoash violated God's Temple and commanded that Zekharia the Kohen be executed
in the House of God; and his [Yoash's] servants violated his authority, killing
him in his bed.
Just as Yoash repudiated the kindness done to him by Yehoyada,
similarly his servants ignored the kindness performed by their sovereign.
Yoash had no qualms regarding the execution of a kohen, a son of
a prophet, and his servants were undeterred in the killing of a king, son of a
king." (Abarbanel)
·
Yoash's death in his bed is reminiscent of his being hidden as a baby in a
bedroom (hadar ha-mittot).[9]
·
"Let the nation of ingrates take vengeance upon he who is ungrateful" (Mekhilta
Amalek, 1). The Mekhilta suggests that Yoash is murdered
specifically by a Moabite and an Ammonite (II Divrei
Ha-yamim 24:25).
These are two national identities singled out by the Torah for their
ingratitude: "No
Ammonite or Moabite
may be admitted to the assembly of God. These nations did
not welcome you with food and water when you came out of Egypt. Instead, they
hired Bilam
to curse you"
(Devarim 23:3-4). And so, in this damning epitaph, the Midrash
casts Yoash's ingratitude as his enduring legacy, his hallmark.
MAY THE LORD SEE AND REQUIRE IT
As he was dying, Zekharia said: May the Lord see and require it [ve-yidrosh].
This language evokes associations with God's warnings about murder in the
aftermath of the flood in Bereishit: "But for your life-blood, I
will require a reckoning; I will require it of every beast; of man
too will I require a reckoning for human life" (Bereishit 9:5).
Similarly, the term appears in Reuven's comment, after the sale of Yosef: "And
now comes the reckoning for his blood" (Bereishit 42:22).
The implication of these verses is clear: an act of murder is a moral outrage
which must be redressed and avenged. All these sources connect this idea with
the blood of the dead which cries out with injustice.[10]
Possibly, this is the reason that Chazal viewed Zekharia's blood as
everlasting, bubbling madly in the Temple, eternally unappeased until the day of
its destruction. The Talmud depicts the Babylonian aggressor Nevuzradan, as
being transfixed by Zekharia's blood, which he tries to avenge, with no success:
[After that] he [Nevuzradan] saw the blood of Zekharia bubbling.
What is this? he cried.
It is the blood of sacrifices, which has been spilled, they answered.
Then, he said, bring [some animal blood] and I will compare them to see
whether they are alike.
So he slaughtered animals and compared them, but they were dissimilar.
Disclose [the secret] to me, or if not, I will tear your flesh with iron
combs, he threatened.
They replied: This is [the blood of] a priest and a prophet, who foretold
the destruction of Yerushalayim to the Israelites, and they killed him.
I, he said, will appease him.
So he brought the scholars and slew them over him, yet it did not cease [to
boil]. He brought schoolchildren and slew them over him, still it did not rest.
He brought the young priests and slew them over him, and still it did not rest,
until he had slain ninety-four thousand, and still it did not rest.
Whereupon he approached him and cried out, Zekharia Zekharia! I have
destroyed the flower of them; do you desire that I massacre them all?
Straightway it rested.
Thoughts of repentance came into his mind: if they, who killed one person
only have been so [severely punished], what will be my fate? So he fled, sent
his testament to his house,, and became a proselyte. (Sanhedrin 96b)
CONCLUSION
Yoash is a king with great promise. Coming after the evil Atalia, and raised in
the Temple by the High priest, one would anticipate that this king would follow
God devotedly. Yoash, however, grows up and rejects the priests' influence in
affairs of state. This religious repudiation thrusts him in the direction of
advisors with a different agenda, and Yoash turns towards idolatry. One sin
causes the next, as events lead to the murder of the High priest, Zekharia. In
the final account Yoash has all the potential, but he fails to live up to these
high expectations.
[1]
These "kodashim," or consecrated objects remain undefined. In David's
time (see II Shmuel 8:11-12, I Melakhim 7:51) they
appear to be trophies of war. These were installed into the Beit Ha-mikdash
by Shlomo, but we do not understand the role they may have played in the Temple.
David and Shlomo's "kodashim" were looted by King Shishak (I
Melakhim 14:25-26). The verse here specifies that even Yoash's idolatrous
father and grandfather made these sacred donations to the Temple, which shows
that even though they were devoted to Baal, they did not ignore the Temple
service absolutely. Apparently the monotheistic tradition was sufficiently
strong to demand of kings that they follow the royal norms regarding the central
institute of God- worship.
[2]
The men responsible for the assassination appear to be officials of high
standing, as they remain in government long after Yoash's assassination; his
son, Amatzia, succeeds in killing the murderers only once "the kingdom is strong
in his hands" (14:5). In other words, he needs to muster considerable political
power in order to oust them.
[3]
Daat Mikra,
II Melakhim, pg. 611 (chapter summary).
[4]
The Midrash in Shemot Rabba, 8 presents a different dynamic: "Why
did they bow to the king? They turned him [the king] into a god. They said, 'If
it were not for the fact that you were a god, how could you have emerged
unscathed after residing in the Holy of Holies for seven years?' He replied,
Indeed! and willingly assumed the role of a deity, and caused his own
destruction." From the text, both in Melakhim and Divrei Ha-yamim,
we never find Yoash as an object of worship. Moreover, as noted by Daat
Mikra, bowing to the king is a gesture of respect to royalty and not a
gesticulation of worship. We may understand this midrash then, as
reflective of the norms of other kingdoms in which the king was perceived as a
god. In that case, it is an allusion to Yehuda's adoption, under Yoash, of
foreign religious paradigms. Alternatively, we may read the midrash more
psychologically, suggesting that precisely because Yoash was raised in the
Temple, he felt he could disregard its sanctity. He viewed himself as above it
all and was more prepared to disregard its authority than another monarch would
have been.
[5]
Some academics assert that Divrei Ha-yamim consistently hides the flaws
of the kings of Yehuda. Y. Kiel, in Daat Mikra, II Divrei Ha-yamim
(Mossad Harav Kook: Jerusalem, 1989) pg.767, suggests that
this story demonstrates that there are times when Melakhim hides the sins
of a particular king, while Divrei Ha-yamim exposes those crimes. See
also Y. Kaufman, The Religion
of Israel, from Its Beginnings to the Babylonian Exile,
(Tel Aviv: Bialik Institute-Dvir,
1947) vol. 4, pg. 474.
[6]
Mekhilta
Amalek talks of Yoash as in ingrate ("kafoy tova"). It also
details the "wounds" spoken of in II Divrei Ha-yamim 24:24-5 as a product
of terrible sexual torture inflicted by Chazael's men.
[7]
Radak in II Melakhim 12:22, Abarbanel, and Malbim.
[8]
A similar pattern of an initial advance by a conquering army followed by a
second attack may be found later in Melakhim, in the two attacks on
Yerushalayim by Sancherev (II Melakhim ch.18-19).
[9]
II Divrei Ha-yamim
22:11
[10]
Bereshit
4:11, Bemidbar 35:33-4
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