The officials who murdered him were Jozabad son of Shimeath and Jehozabad son of Shomer. He died and was buried with his ancestors in the City of David. And Amaziah his son succeeded him as king. – 2 Kings 12:21

Today's Scripture Reading (March 18, 2026): 2 Kings 12

Joash's reign began with such promise, but it ended in disappointment. Joash made the right decisions as long as Jehoiada was present to help him, but after Jehoiada died, Joash lost the rudder that had steered his life. The rest of Joash's reign is marked by disaster after disaster. Finally, he empties the Temple of its treasure so that the Arameans would leave and go home. It was at this point that some lost patience with the King and had reached the end of the road with Joash. Jozabad and Jehozabad assassinated the King and placed his son, Amaziah, on the throne.

Although the experts seem to disagree with me, I do see some conflict between 2 Kings and 2 Chronicles in how they tell the story. Second Kings seems to downplay the negatives of Joash's reign after Jehoiada's death. The story in 2 Chronicles relates to the reader a tale that is a little clearer on what those negatives were.

But more importantly, the contradiction between the two stories is clear in the tale of the King's burial. According to 2 Kings, Joash "was buried with his ancestors in the City of David" (2 Kings 12:21). But Ezra in 2 Chronicles makes this comment; "So he [Joash] died and was buried in the City of David, but not in the tombs of the kings" (2 Chronicles 24:25). The conflict seems to be whether Joash was buried with the Kings or whether the end of Joash's reign and the murder of Jehoiada's son Zechariah had disqualified the King from such a burial.

Part of the problem is likely tied up in the place where Jehoiada was buried.

Now Jehoiada was old and full of years, and he died at the age of a hundred and thirty. He was buried with the kings in the City of David, because of the good he had done in Israel for God and his Temple (2 Chronicles 24:15-16).

After Joash ordered the execution of Zechariah, it no longer seemed appropriate to bury Joash in the same place where Zechariah's father had been buried. So, while 2 Kings doesn't mention it, 2 Chronicles reminds the reader that while Joash was buried in Jerusalem, it wasn't in the same place as his ancestors, because Jehoiada was buried there. It was Jehoiada who had been responsible for all the good that had taken place during the reign of Joash.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Joel 1