2 Chronicles 24 21

2 Chronicles 24:21 kjv

And they conspired against him, and stoned him with stones at the commandment of the king in the court of the house of the LORD.

2 Chronicles 24:21 nkjv

So they conspired against him, and at the command of the king they stoned him with stones in the court of the house of the LORD.

2 Chronicles 24:21 niv

But they plotted against him, and by order of the king they stoned him to death in the courtyard of the LORD's temple.

2 Chronicles 24:21 esv

But they conspired against him, and by command of the king they stoned him with stones in the court of the house of the LORD.

2 Chronicles 24:21 nlt

Then the leaders plotted to kill Zechariah, and King Joash ordered that they stone him to death in the courtyard of the LORD's Temple.

2 Chronicles 24 verses

2 Chronicles 24 21 Meaning

2 Chronicles 24:21 details a pivotal moment of deep spiritual apostasy: the conspiracy and murder of Zechariah, son of Jehoiada the priest, at the direct command of King Joash. This act, committed within the very courts of the Temple, represented a heinous rejection of God's prophet and, by extension, God's Word, plunging the nation into severe moral and spiritual decline immediately following the death of the righteous priest Jehoiada. It was an ultimate act of ingratitude and defiance against the divine mercy previously extended to Joash himself.

2 Chronicles 24 21 Context

Chapter 24 of 2 Chronicles narrates the reign of King Joash of Judah. Joash ascended the throne at a young age, saved by the priest Jehoiada from the massacre orchestrated by Athaliah (2 Chron 22-23). Under Jehoiada's guidance, Joash began his reign righteously, leading reforms and repairing the Temple of the Lord (2 Chron 24:1-14). However, upon Jehoiada's death at a very old age, the positive influence waned. King Joash quickly turned away from the Lord, listening instead to the wicked counsel of Judah's officials, who began serving Asherim and idols (2 Chron 24:17-18). God sent prophets to call them back, but they would not listen (2 Chron 24:19). It was in this environment of escalating apostasy and rejection of God's word that Zechariah, Jehoiada’s son and a faithful prophet filled with the Spirit of God, rose to confront the king and the people with their sin (2 Chron 24:20). Verse 21 then details the king's egregious response to this divine rebuke.

2 Chronicles 24 21 Word Analysis

• And they conspired against him:

  • conspired: From the Hebrew verb קָשַׁר (qāšar), meaning "to tie, bind, conspire, form an alliance." Here, it signifies a deliberate, treacherous, and illicit plot to overthrow or harm. The implication is a malicious agreement, not a just trial. This action, driven by the king's command, highlights the deep level of moral decay in the leadership and society.

• and stoned him with stones:

  • stoned: From the Hebrew verb רָגַם (rāgam), meaning "to stone." Stoning was a prescribed method of capital punishment in the Mosaic Law for severe religious offenses such as idolatry, blasphemy, or violating the Sabbath. Its public nature underscored the communal condemnation of the transgression. In this case, it was a gross perversion of justice, used against a righteous prophet who spoke for God. It signified the ultimate public rejection of God's word.
  • The act of stoning also speaks to the profound hatred and anger of those involved, as it was often a violent and visceral form of execution.

• at the command of the king:

  • command: From the Hebrew מִצְוַת (mitswat), meaning "command, order." This phrase is critically important, emphasizing King Joash's direct culpability. This was not a spontaneous mob action but an order sanctioned by the highest authority in the land. It represents a horrifying betrayal by a king who had been saved and raised to power by the prophet's own father, Jehoiada. The very king who benefited from divine favor and priestly intervention turned his power against God's messenger.

• in the court of the house of the Lord:

  • court of the house of the Lord: This specific location intensifies the heinousness of the crime. The Temple courts were sacred spaces, designated for worship and the presence of God. Killing a prophet there was an act of profound sacrilege, defiling holy ground and openly defying God in His very sanctuary. It was a demonstration of utter contempt for God's authority and His presence among His people. The act made a mockery of all that the Temple stood for and desecrated the place where sacrifices for sin were offered.

• Words-group by words-group analysis:

  • They conspired against him and stoned him with stones: This sequence emphasizes the deliberateness and brutality of the act. "Conspired" indicates pre-meditated evil intent, while "stoned him" points to a public, violent, and officially sanctioned murder that twisted legal execution into a barbaric act against a righteous messenger. The "they" includes not only the people, but the officials mentioned in the earlier verses (2 Chron 24:17).
  • At the command of the king: This phrase highlights Joash's responsibility and the tragic irony of his reign. He, who was once a protected infant in the Temple and restored to the throne by Zechariah's father, now abuses his power to kill Jehoiada's son in the very place he was preserved, and for speaking God's truth. This marked a profound turning point in Joash's reign and foreshadowed his own ignominious end.
  • In the court of the house of the Lord: This specifies the scene of the crime, underlining the unparalleled audacity and blasphemy of the act. The place meant for reconciliation and worship became the site of unholy bloodshed, representing a direct assault on God's holiness and His divine messengers. It symbolized the depth of Judah's spiritual corruption.

2 Chronicles 24 21 Bonus section

The account of Zechariah's martyrdom is exceptionally significant due to Jesus's explicit reference to it in Matthew 23:35 and Luke 11:50-51. Jesus links "the blood of righteous Abel" (from Gen 4) to "the blood of Zechariah the son of Berechiah" (or Jehoiada in Chronicles), effectively encompassing the entire sweep of Old Testament prophetic martyrdom within the canonical arrangement of the Hebrew Bible (which often placed Chronicles as the last book). This signifies Zechariah's death as the climax of prophetic persecution in the Old Covenant narrative.

Some scholars have noted that while Chronicles states "Zechariah the son of Jehoiada," Matthew and Luke mention "Zechariah son of Berechiah." It is widely believed in Christian tradition that Jesus referred to this specific Zechariah from 2 Chronicles. Possible explanations include a double name (Berechiah possibly being Jehoiada's grandfather or an alternate name for Jehoiada), or a prophetic conflation, pointing to a culmination of faithful martyrs, possibly also alluding to Zechariah the prophet (Zechariah the son of Berechiah, Zech 1:1), or another Zechariah who suffered martyrdom. Regardless, the association by Jesus cements the Chronicler's account as a monumental act of sin, carrying significant theological weight regarding accountability for rejecting divine truth. This event also highlights the repeated pattern throughout Israel's history: periods of reform are often followed by rapid decline when leaders turn from God, inevitably leading to divine judgment, as evidenced by Judah's subsequent defeat and Joash's own tragic end.

2 Chronicles 24 21 Commentary

The stoning of Zechariah, son of Jehoiada, marks one of the darkest episodes in the history of Judah and highlights the profound ingratitude and rapid spiritual decline of King Joash. Joash, saved by Jehoiada and trained in righteousness, abandoned his godly foundation upon the priest's death. When Zechariah, filled with the Spirit, delivered God's convicting message concerning their idolatry and abandonment of the Lord, Joash responded with murderous intent, betraying the very family that had safeguarded his life and crown. The execution, by stoning, often associated with offenses against God, was ironically carried out against God's messenger. The choice of the Temple court as the location intensified the sacrilege, polluting God's sanctuary with innocent blood and demonstrating utter contempt for divine authority. Zechariah's final words, "May the Lord see and avenge!" serve as a prophetic imprecation, and indeed, divine judgment quickly followed, culminating in Judah's defeat and Joash's own assassination by his servants, marking an ignominious end to a reign that began with such promise. This event is cited by Jesus in the New Testament as emblematic of Israel's long history of rejecting and killing God's prophets, making Zechariah's martyrdom a significant touchstone for understanding God's righteous judgment against those who scorn His word.