- 23-
kingdom of Israel (2 Kings 13:3, 7, 22). Having conquered the territory east, and
subjected that west of the Jordan, when Gilead specially suffered (Amos 1:3), Hazael
seems next to have marched into Philistine territory, either for personal conquest or
perhaps even at the request of the people. The latter seems suggested, as we shall see,
alike by the siege and capture of Gath, and by the conjunction of the Philistine cities with
Hazael in the prophecies of Amos (1:6-10; comp. also 6:2). These imply that the
Philistine cities had been conspicuous by their traffic in the captives whom Hazael had
taken in Judea.
The varying history of Gath deserves special notice. In the reign of Solomon it seems to
have had a king of its own, although apparently under the suzerainty of Judea (1 Kings
2:39). During the reign of Rehoboam, the son and successor of Solomon, Gath is
mentioned as one of the cities fortified for the defense of Judah (2 Chronicles 11:8). The
suzerainty of Judah over Philistia seems to have continued up to the time of Jehoshaphat
(2 Chronicles 17:11). We have no means of judging how the Egyptian expedition in the
time of Asa affected the later condition of Philistia; but we know that in this, as in other
hostile attacks upon Judah, the Philistines took an active part (2 Chronicles 21:16, 17).
On all these grounds it seems likely that the native population of Gath, apparently the
only city held by Judah, had called in the aid of the Syrians on their occupation of the
kingdom of Israel, and that this had been the occasion for the siege of Gath by Hazael.
From Gath to Jerusalem the distance is only about thirty miles, and the defeat of the
Judean garrison in the Philistine fortress was naturally followed by an incursion of Judea
proper. Although the Syrian force was numerically much inferior to that of Judah, the
army of Joash was defeated with heavy losses. These notably included the destruction of
those "princes" who had been leaders in the movement that ended in the murder of
Zechariah. The Book of Chronicles (24:24) is careful to mark the hand of God in a defeat
which formed so striking a contrast to the victory which the LORD had given to Asa with
an army greatly inferior to his enemies (2 Chronicles 14:9, etc.) And yet this was only the
beginning of judgment upon Joash. According to the account in the Book of Kings (2
Kings 12:18), Joash bought off the capture of his capital by handing to the conqueror all
the hallowed things of the Temple* and the treasures of the palace.
- The question why, if the Temple possessed so many valuables, a collection had to be
made for its necessary repairs, is easily answered by the consideration that the sale even
for such a purpose of things hallowed would have been looked upon as sacrilege. The
things hallowed by previous kings (2 Kings 12:18), and which Athaliah and her sons had
removed for the service of Baal, were no doubt restored to the Temple on the accession
of Joash.
The withdrawal of the Syrian army, under conditions so disastrous and humiliating to
Judah, was the signal for internal troubles. Joash lay sick and suffering, perhaps in
consequence of wounds, in the castelated palace Millo* (1 Kings 9:15), when he fell a
victim to a palace conspiracy. Two of his servants** murdered him as he lay in his bed.
(^)