Verse-by-Verse Bible Commentary

Adam Clarke Commentary

The king's scribe and the high priest - It was necessary to associate with the high priest some civil authority and activity, in order to get the neglected work performed.

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible

The king‘s scribe - Or “secretary” (1 Kings 4:3 note). Such persons are often seen in the Assyrian sculptures, with a roll, apparently of parchment, in one hand and a pen in the other, taking account for the king of the spoil brought in from foreign expeditions.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible

And it was so, when they saw that there was much money in the chest,.... Which might easily be guessed at by the number of the people which contributed:

that the king's and the high priest came up; to the temple; the high priest did not choose to come alone, lest he should be suspected, but to have the king's secretary with him, that the money might be taken out of the chest, and told in the presence of them both: in 2 Chronicles 24:11 instead of the "high priest", it is the "high priest's officer", which the Targum there calls the Sagan of the high priest, or his deputy, who, perhaps, attended when the high priest could not:

and they put up in bags, and told the money that was found in the house of the Lord; that is, they poured the money out of the chest, or emptied it, as in 2 Chronicles 24:11 and counted it, and very likely set down the sum in writing, and put it up in bags, very probably sealed.

Keil & Delitzsch Old Testament Commentary

“And when they saw that there was much money in the chest, the king's writer and the high priest came, and bound up and reckoned the money that was found in the house of Jehovah.” צוּר, to bind up the money in bags (cf. 2 Kings 5:23). The binding is mentioned before the reckoning, because the pieces of money were not counted singly, but packed at once into bags, which were then weighed for the purpose of estimating the amount received.

John Trapp Complete Commentary

2 Kings 12:10 And it was [so], when they saw that [there was] much money in the chest, that the king’s scribe and the high priest came up, and they put up in bags, and told the money that was found in the house of the LORD.

Ver. 10. When they saw.] They stood at the door, and might easily see what any one put in. Lycurgus, the Lacedemonian lawgiver - who is thonght to have flourished about these times - enjoined his countrymen not to exceed in their offerings, lest they should grow weary of well doing; for, said he, God respecteth more the internal devotion than the external oblation.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible

The king’s scribe, who kept an exact account hereof in writing. See 2 Kings 19:2 22:3.

George Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary

Priest, or his deputy. (Paralipomenon) (Calmet) --- Out. Protestants, "put it up in bags," (Haydock) or tied and afterwards weighed it.

E.W. Bullinger's Companion Bible Notes

told = counted.

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(10) And it was so.—Rather, And it came to pass. Whenever the chest was full the royal secretary and the high priest went up into the Temple, and emptied it.

Put up in bags, and told.—Literally, they bound up and counted. They put the pieces of silver into bags of a certain size, and then counted the bags, weighed, and sealed them up. These would be paid out as money. (Comp. 2 Kings 5:23.) Instead of “they bound up,” Ewald prefers the word used in Chronicles, “they emptied,” which is very similar in Hebrew writing. The royal secretary came, as the king’s representative, to make a record of the amount.

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

the king's

19:2; 22:3,12; 2 Samuel 8:17; 20:25

scribe

or, secretary. put up. Heb. bound up.

5:23

in bags

Sir J. Chardin informs us, "it is a custom of Persia always to seal up bags of money; and the money of the king's treasure is not told, but is received by bags sealed up." These are what are called in the East purses; each of which, as Maillet informs us, contains money to the amount of 1,500 livres, or about 63£. of our money. The money thus collected for the reparation of the temple, seems, in like manner, to have been reckoned in bags of equal value to each other; as we can scarcely imagine the placing it in bags would otherwise have been mentioned. The value of a Jewish purse is unknown; but the bags mentioned in ch. 5:23, amounted to a talent.