2 Kings 12:10 - Exposition

And it was so, when they saw that there was much money in the chest. "When they saw" means "when they perceived." They would not see that the chest was becoming full, but would know by the weight, and perhaps by the sound which the money made when it was dropped in. That the king's scribe. "Royal secretaries" were common in ancient Persia, and often acted as the king's commissioners (Herod; 3.128; Xen; 'Cyrop.,' 8.6. § 16; ' AE couom.,' 4.8). Such persons are seen on the Assyrian sculptured slabs, with a roll of paper or parchment in one hand, and a pen in the other, taking account for the king of the spoil brought in from foreign countries. And the high priest. Since the time of Joshua, the high priest had been called simply "the priest." The restoration of the full title ( hac-cohen hag-gadol ) marks the increasing power of the priests and the diminishing power of the kings under the later monarchy. Came up, and they put up in bags, and told, the money that was found in the house of the Lord. Money was ordinarily put up in bags, containing a certain definite amount, the mouth of the bag being then tied round with a string (see 2 Kings 5:23 ; and comp. Proverbs 7:20 ; Isaiah 46:6 ; Haggai 1:6 ). Hence putting money up in bags was sometimes called, as in this place, "binding it." No doubt they "told," or counted, the money first, and put it in the bags afterwards; but ὒστερον πρότερον is a very common figure of speech.