Hebrew Bible Study
Hebrew Bible Study

Midrash for II Chronicles 24:23

וַיְהִ֣י ׀ לִתְקוּפַ֣ת הַשָּׁנָ֗ה עָלָ֣ה עָלָיו֮ חֵ֣יל אֲרָם֒ וַיָּבֹ֗אוּ אֶל־יְהוּדָה֙ וִיר֣וּשָׁלִַ֔ם וַיַּשְׁחִ֛יתוּ אֶת־כָּל־שָׂרֵ֥י הָעָ֖ם מֵעָ֑ם וְכָל־שְׁלָלָ֥ם שִׁלְּח֖וּ לְמֶ֥לֶךְ דַּרְמָֽשֶׂק׃

And it came to pass, when the year was come about, that the army of the Arameans came up against him; and they came to Judah and Jerusalem, and destroyed all the princes of the people from among the people, and sent all the spoil of them unto the king of Damascus.

Mekhilta d'Rabbi Yishmael

Others say: Let Amalek, the ingrate, come and exact payment of the ingrate people (Israel). Similarly, (II Chronicles 24:26) "And these are the men who rebelled against him (Yoash), etc.": Let these ingrates come and exact payment of the ingrate Yoash, viz. (Ibid. 22) "and King Yoash did not remember the lovingkindness that (Zechariah's) father Yehoyada had done for him, and he killed his son. As he was dying, he said: "May G d see this and demand redress." What was his punishment? (Ibid. 23) "And it happened at the turn of the year that the army of Aram attacked (Yoash) …and the L rd delivered into their hands a great host." Why? (Ibid. 24) "for they had forsaken the L rd, the G d of their fathers. And with Yoav they effected shefatim." Do not read it "shefatim" (judgment), but "shoftim" (judges). How so? They appointed over him cruel guards, who had never known a woman in their lives and who tortured him with sodomy, as it is written (Hoshea 5:5) "And the pride of Israel (Yoash) will be tortured, etc." (II Chronicles 24:25) "and when they left him (Yoash) — for they left him with many wounds — his servants rebelled against him because of the blood of the sons of Yehoyada the Cohein, and they killed him on his bed and he died."
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