And Jehoash king of Judah took all the hallowed things that Jehoshaphat, and Jehoram, and Ahaziah, his fathers, kings of Judah, had dedicated, and his own hallowed things, and all the gold that was found in the treasures of the house of the LORD, and in the king’s house, and sent it to Hazael king of Syria: and he went away from Jerusalem.
So Jehoash, king of Judah, gathered all the sacred items that his ancestors, Jehoshaphat, Jehoram, and Ahaziah, had set apart for God, along with his own sacred treasures. He also took all the gold from the temple of the LORD and from the royal palace, and sent everything to Hazael, king of Syria. Then Hazael withdrew from Jerusalem.
King Jehoash paid off the Syrian king with sacred temple treasures and gold to stop him from attacking Jerusalem.
📚 Historical Context
In the books of Kings, which chronicle the history of the divided kingdoms of Israel and Judah, King Jehoash ruled Judah after being hidden as a child to escape assassination and later focused on restoring the temple. During his reign, the nation faced military threats from Hazael, the king of Syria, who was aggressively expanding his territory through conquests. To protect Jerusalem from invasion, Jehoash chose to send sacred and valuable items from the temple and palace as tribute to Hazael, reflecting the desperate diplomacy of the era.
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