2 Kings 12:21 - Exposition

For Jozachar the son of Shimeath ; called in Chronicles "Zabad," probably through a corruption of the text. His mother, Shimeath, was, according to Chronicles ( 2 Chronicles 24:26 ), an Ammonitess. And Jehozabad the son of Shomer. For "Shomer" we have in Chronicles "Shimrith," which is the feminine form of "Shomer," and we are told that she was a Moabitess. The Jews were at all times fond of taking wives from Moab and Ammon ( Ruth 1:4 ; 1 Kings 11:1 ; Ezra 9:1 , Ezra 9:2 ; Nehemiah 13:23 ), despite the prohibition of mixed marriages in the Law (see Deuteronomy 7:3 ). His servants, smote him, and he died (for their motives, see the introductory paragraph), and they buried him with his fathers in the city of David. Some critics (as Thenius and Dean Stanley) see a contradiction between this statement and that of 2 Chronicles 24:25 , that he was "not buried in the sepulchers of the kings;" but, as Bertheau, Keil, and Bahr observe. "the two statements are not irreconcilable," since he may have been regarded as "buried with his fathers," if his grave was anywhere in Jerusalem, even though he was excluded from the royal burying-place. And Amaziah his son reigned in his stead. (For the reign of Amaziah, see 2 Kings 14:1-20 .)