And Jehoiada took for him two wives; and he begat sons and daughters.
The verse belongs to the record of the kings in Judah, specifically to the forty-year reign of Joash. It stands at the beginning of the closing section of Second Chronicles dealing wholly with Judah, covering the reigns of Joash, Amaziah, Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, Hezekiah, Manasseh, Amon, Josiah, Jehoahaz, Jehoiakim, Jehoiachin, and Zedekiah, ending with the destruction of Jerusalem and the full captivity to Babylon. It belongs to the history of the weak Joash under Jehoiada the priest, which is counted among the good rulers. It records that Jehoiada took two wives for Joash, and Joash then had sons and daughters.
It shows the faithful priest Jehoiada guiding King Joash to do right, so that the human credit for the good done during Joash's reign belongs to Jehoiada rather than to Joash. Joash began his reign when young and was strong to do right only while held to faithfulness under Jehoiada's strong guiding hand, but as soon as Jehoiada died and that restraining hand was removed he yielded to evil and went into wickedness. Although some of the teachings of his ancestors had taken root in his heart, when Jehoiada was removed Joash went into the way of the house of Ahab. In this Joash is unlike Josiah, who also began his reign when young yet developed strength of character to stand for God and to put forth every effort to reform the people by himself alone.
The practice in the verse is an example of the polygamy practiced by Judah's kings, which was a hateful sin and the later fruit of Solomon's example. The verse teaches that doing duty brings blessing, in contrast to departing from God bringing strife and captivity and great loss. It shows God's willingness to turn to help His people and to work mightily for them when they seek Him with all the heart. It belongs with lessons on the awfulness of sin, the sure judgments that sooner or later follow sin, and God's wonderful mercy in pardoning His people when they return to Him, shown strikingly in the wickedness of Manasseh and the marvelous pardon of the repentant king.
The verse belongs to the record of the kings in Judah, specifically to the forty-year reign of Joash. It stands at the beginning of the closing section of Second Chronicles dealing wholly with Judah, covering the reigns of Joash, Amaziah, Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, Hezekiah, Manasseh, Amon, Josiah, Jehoahaz, Jehoiakim, Jehoiachin, and Zedekiah, ending with the destruction of Jerusalem and the full captivity to Babylon. It belongs to the history of the weak Joash under Jehoiada the priest, which is counted among the good rulers. It records that Jehoiada took two wives for Joash, and Joash then had sons and daughters.
It shows the faithful priest Jehoiada guiding King Joash to do right, so that the human credit for the good done during Joash's reign belongs to Jehoiada rather than to Joash. Joash began his reign when young and was strong to do right only while held to faithfulness under Jehoiada's strong guiding hand, but as soon as Jehoiada died and that restraining hand was removed he yielded to evil and went into wickedness. Although some of the teachings of his ancestors had taken root in his heart, when Jehoiada was removed Joash went into the way of the house of Ahab. In this Joash is unlike Josiah, who also began his reign when young yet developed strength of character to stand for God and to put forth every effort to reform the people by himself alone.
The practice in the verse is an example of the polygamy practiced by Judah's kings, which was a hateful sin and the later fruit of Solomon's example. The verse teaches that doing duty brings blessing, in contrast to departing from God bringing strife and captivity and great loss. It shows God's willingness to turn to help His people and to work mightily for them when they seek Him with all the heart. It belongs with lessons on the awfulness of sin, the sure judgments that sooner or later follow sin, and God's wonderful mercy in pardoning His people when they return to Him, shown strikingly in the wickedness of Manasseh and the marvelous pardon of the repentant king.