And the king called for Jehoiada the chief, and said unto him, Why hast thou not required of the Levites to bring in out of Judah and out of Jerusalem the collection, according to the commandment of Moses the servant of the LORD, and of the congregation of Israel, for the tabernacle of witness?
The king called for Jehoiada the chief priest and asked him, 'Why haven't you required the Levites to collect money from Judah and Jerusalem? This collection was commanded by Moses, the Lord's servant, and by the people of Israel to maintain the tabernacle.'
King Joash is questioning why the chief priest hasn't been collecting the required offerings from the people to maintain and repair God's temple.
📚 Historical Context
This occurs during King Joash's reign when he was trying to repair the temple that had been neglected and damaged during previous reigns. The collection refers to the half-shekel tax that Moses had established for maintaining the tabernacle, which later applied to the temple. Jehoiada the priest had been Joash's mentor and regent, but apparently the temple repairs were proceeding too slowly.
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