2 Chronicles 24:23
New International Version
At the turn of the year, the army of Aram marched against Joash; it invaded Judah and Jerusalem and killed all the leaders of the people. They sent all the plunder to their king in Damascus.

New Living Translation
In the spring of the year the Aramean army marched against Joash. They invaded Judah and Jerusalem and killed all the leaders of the nation. Then they sent all the plunder back to their king in Damascus.

English Standard Version
At the end of the year the army of the Syrians came up against Joash. They came to Judah and Jerusalem and destroyed all the princes of the people from among the people and sent all their spoil to the king of Damascus.

Berean Standard Bible
In the spring, the army of Aram went to war against Joash. They entered Judah and Jerusalem and destroyed all the leaders of the people, and they sent all the plunder to their king in Damascus.

King James Bible
And it came to pass at the end of the year, that the host of Syria came up against him: and they came to Judah and Jerusalem, and destroyed all the princes of the people from among the people, and sent all the spoil of them unto the king of Damascus.

New King James Version
So it happened in the spring of the year that the army of Syria came up against him; and they came to Judah and Jerusalem, and destroyed all the leaders of the people from among the people, and sent all their spoil to the king of Damascus.

New American Standard Bible
Now it happened at the turn of the year that the army of the Arameans came up against Joash; and they came to Judah and Jerusalem, destroyed all the officials of the people from among the people, and sent all their spoils to the king of Damascus.

NASB 1995
Now it happened at the turn of the year that the army of the Arameans came up against him; and they came to Judah and Jerusalem, destroyed all the officials of the people from among the people, and sent all their spoil to the king of Damascus.

NASB 1977
Now it came about at the turn of the year that the army of the Arameans came up against him; and they came to Judah and Jerusalem, destroyed all the officials of the people from among the people, and sent all their spoil to the king of Damascus.

Legacy Standard Bible
Now it happened at the turn of the year that the military force of the Arameans came up against him; and they came to Judah and Jerusalem, destroyed all the officials of the people from among the people, and sent all their spoil to the king of Damascus.

Amplified Bible
Now it happened at the end of the year, that the army of Aram (Syria) went up against Joash. They came to Judah and Jerusalem and killed all the leaders among the people and sent all their spoil to the king of Damascus.

Christian Standard Bible
At the turn of the year, an Aramean army attacked Joash. They entered Judah and Jerusalem and destroyed all the leaders of the people among them and sent all the plunder to the king of Damascus.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
At the turn of the year, an Aramean army went to war against Joash. They entered Judah and Jerusalem and destroyed all the leaders of the people among them and sent all the plunder to the king of Damascus.

American Standard Version
And it came to pass at the end of the year, that the army of the Syrians came up against him: and they came to Judah and Jerusalem, and destroyed all the princes of the people from among the people, and sent all the spoil of them unto the king of Damascus.

Contemporary English Version
In the spring of the following year, the Syrian army invaded Judah and Jerusalem, killing all of the nation's leaders. They collected everything of value that belonged to the people and took it back to their king in Damascus.

English Revised Version
And it came to pass at the end of the year, that the army of the Syrians came up against him: and they came to Judah and Jerusalem, and destroyed all the princes of the people from among the people, and sent all the spoil of them unto the king of Damascus.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
At the end of the year, the Aramean army attacked Joash. They came to Judah and Jerusalem and destroyed all the people's leaders. The Arameans sent all the loot they took from Judah and Jerusalem to the king of Damascus.

Good News Translation
When autumn came that year, the Syrian army attacked Judah and Jerusalem, killed all the leaders, and took large amounts of loot back to Damascus.

International Standard Version
At the end of that year, the Aramean army attacked Joash. They invaded Judah and Jerusalem, destroyed every senior official among the people, and sent all of their possessions to the king of Damascus.

Majority Standard Bible
In the spring, the army of Aram went to war against Joash. They entered Judah and Jerusalem and destroyed all the leaders of the people, and they sent all the plunder to their king in Damascus.

NET Bible
At the beginning of the year the Syrian army attacked Joash and invaded Judah and Jerusalem. They wiped out all the leaders of the people and sent all the plunder they gathered to the king of Damascus.

New Heart English Bible
It happened at the end of the year, that the army of the Arameans came up against him. And they came to Judah and Jerusalem, and destroyed all the leaders of the people from among the people, and sent all their spoil to the king in Damascus.

Webster's Bible Translation
And it came to pass at the end of the year, that the army of Syria came up against him: and they came to Judah and Jerusalem, and destroyed all the princes of the people from among the people, and sent all the spoil of them to the king of Damascus.

World English Bible
At the end of the year, the army of the Syrians came up against him. They came to Judah and Jerusalem, and destroyed all the princes of the people from among the people, and sent all their plunder to the king of Damascus.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
And it comes to pass, at the turn of the year, the force of Aram has come up against him, and they come to Judah and Jerusalem, and destroy all the heads of the people from the people, and they have sent all their spoil to the king of Damascus,

Young's Literal Translation
And it cometh to pass, at the turn of the year, come up hath the force of Aram against him, and they come in unto Judah and Jerusalem, and destroy all the heads of the people from the people, and all their spoil they have sent to the king of Damascus,

Smith's Literal Translation
And it will be at the circuit of the year, the power of Aram came up against him: and they will come to Judah and Jerusalem, and destroy all the chiefs of the people from the people, and all their spoil they sent to the king of Darmesek.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
And when a year was come about, the army of Syria came up against him: and they came to Juda and Jerusalem, end killed all the princes of the people, and they sent all the spoils to the king of Damascus.

Catholic Public Domain Version
And when a year had turned, the army of Syria ascended against him. And they went to Judah and Jerusalem. And they put to death all the leaders of the people. And they sent all the spoils to the king of Damascus.

New American Bible
At the turn of the year a force of Arameans came up against Joash. They invaded Judah and Jerusalem, killed all the princes of the people, and sent all their spoil to the king of Damascus.

New Revised Standard Version
At the end of the year the army of Aram came up against Joash. They came to Judah and Jerusalem, and destroyed all the officials of the people from among them, and sent all the booty they took to the king of Damascus.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
And it came to pass at the end of the year, the army of Aram came up against him; and they came to Judah and Jerusalem, and destroyed all the princes of the people, and sent all their spoil to the king of Damascus.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
And it was at the end of the year the army of Edom went up against him, and it came against Yehuda and against Jerusalem, and they destroyed all the Princes of the people, and all their captives they sent to the King at Darmsuq.
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
And it came to pass, when the year was come about, that the army of the Arameans came up against him; and they came to Judah and Jerusalem, and destroyed all the princes of the people from among the people, and sent all the spoil of them unto the king of Damascus.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And it came to pass after the end of the year, that the host of Syria went up against him, and came against Juda and Jerusalem: and they slew all the chiefs of the people among the people, and all their spoils they sent to the king of Damascus.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
The Death of Joash
23 In the spring, the army of Aram went to war against Joash. They entered Judah and Jerusalem and destroyed all the leaders of the people, and they sent all the plunder to their king in Damascus. 24Although the Aramean army had come with only a few men, the LORD delivered into their hand a very great army. Because Judah had forsaken the LORD, the God of their fathers, judgment was executed on Joash.…

Cross References
2 Kings 12:17-18
At that time Hazael king of Aram marched up and fought against Gath and captured it. Then he decided to attack Jerusalem. / So King Joash of Judah took all the sacred objects dedicated by his fathers—Jehoshaphat, Jehoram, and Ahaziah, the kings of Judah—along with his own consecrated items and all the gold found in the treasuries of the house of the LORD and the royal palace, and he sent them to Hazael king of Aram. So Hazael withdrew from Jerusalem.

2 Kings 24:2
And the LORD sent Chaldean, Aramean, Moabite, and Ammonite raiders against Jehoiakim in order to destroy Judah, according to the word that the LORD had spoken through His servants the prophets.

Isaiah 10:5-6
Woe to Assyria, the rod of My anger; the staff in their hands is My wrath. / I will send him against a godless nation; I will dispatch him against a people destined for My rage, to take spoils and seize plunder, and to trample them down like clay in the streets.

Jeremiah 25:9
behold, I will summon all the families of the north, declares the LORD, and I will send for My servant Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, whom I will bring against this land, against its residents, and against all the surrounding nations. So I will devote them to destruction and make them an object of horror and contempt, an everlasting desolation.

2 Chronicles 36:17-19
So He brought up against them the king of the Chaldeans, who put their young men to the sword in the sanctuary, sparing neither young men nor young women, neither elderly nor infirm. God gave them all into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar, / who carried off everything to Babylon—all the articles of the house of God, both large and small, and the treasures of the house of the LORD and of the king and his officials. / Then the Chaldeans set fire to the house of God and broke down the wall of Jerusalem. They burned down all the palaces and destroyed every article of value.

2 Kings 18:9-12
In the fourth year of Hezekiah’s reign, which was the seventh year of the reign of Hoshea son of Elah over Israel, Shalmaneser king of Assyria marched against Samaria and besieged it. / And at the end of three years, the Assyrians captured it. So Samaria was captured in the sixth year of Hezekiah, which was the ninth year of Hoshea king of Israel. / The king of Assyria exiled the Israelites to Assyria and settled them in Halah, in Gozan by the Habor River, and in the cities of the Medes. ...

2 Kings 17:5-6
Then the king of Assyria invaded the whole land, marched up to Samaria, and besieged it for three years. / In the ninth year of Hoshea, the king of Assyria captured Samaria and carried away the Israelites to Assyria, where he settled them in Halah, in Gozan by the Habor River, and in the cities of the Medes.

2 Kings 25:1-4
So in the ninth year of Zedekiah’s reign, on the tenth day of the tenth month, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon marched against Jerusalem with his entire army. They encamped outside the city and built a siege wall all around it. / And the city was kept under siege until King Zedekiah’s eleventh year. / By the ninth day of the fourth month, the famine in the city was so severe that the people of the land had no food. ...

Isaiah 7:18-20
On that day the LORD will whistle to the flies at the farthest streams of the Nile and to the bees in the land of Assyria. / And they will all come and settle in the steep ravines and clefts of the rocks, in all the thornbushes and watering holes. / On that day the Lord will use a razor hired from beyond the Euphrates—the king of Assyria—to shave your head and the hair of your legs, and to remove your beard as well.

Jeremiah 21:4-7
this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: ‘I will turn against you the weapons of war in your hands, with which you are fighting the king of Babylon and the Chaldeans who besiege you outside the wall, and I will assemble their forces in the center of this city. / And I Myself will fight against you with an outstretched hand and a mighty arm, with anger, fury, and great wrath. / I will strike down the residents of this city, both man and beast. They will die in a terrible plague.’ ...

Ezekiel 23:22-24
Therefore, Oholibah, this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘I will incite your lovers against you, those from whom you turned away in disgust. And I will bring them against you from every side— / the Babylonians and all the Chaldeans, the men of Pekod, Shoa, and Koa, and all the Assyrians with them—all desirable young men, governors and commanders, officers and men of renown, mounted on horses. / They will come against you with a host of peoples, with weapons, chariots, and wagons. They will array themselves against you on every side with buckler and shield and helmet. I will delegate judgment to them, and they will punish you according to their own standards.

2 Kings 19:32-34
So this is what the LORD says about the king of Assyria: ‘He will not enter this city or shoot an arrow into it. He will not come before it with a shield or build up a siege ramp against it. / He will go back the way he came, and he will not enter this city, declares the LORD. / I will defend this city and save it for My own sake and for the sake of My servant David.’”

2 Kings 23:33-35
And Pharaoh Neco imprisoned Jehoahaz at Riblah in the land of Hamath so that he could not reign in Jerusalem, and he imposed on Judah a levy of a hundred talents of silver and a talent of gold. / Then Pharaoh Neco made Eliakim son of Josiah king in place of his father Josiah, and he changed Eliakim’s name to Jehoiakim. But Neco took Jehoahaz and carried him off to Egypt, where he died. / So Jehoiakim paid the silver and gold to Pharaoh Neco, but to meet Pharaoh’s demand he taxed the land and exacted the silver and the gold from the people, each according to his wealth.

2 Kings 24:10-14
At that time the servants of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon marched up to Jerusalem, and the city came under siege. / And Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to the city while his servants were besieging it. / Jehoiachin king of Judah, his mother, his servants, his commanders, and his officials all surrendered to the king of Babylon. So in the eighth year of his reign, the king of Babylon took him captive. ...

2 Chronicles 28:5-6
So the LORD his God delivered Ahaz into the hand of the king of Aram, who attacked him and took many captives to Damascus. Ahaz was also delivered into the hand of the king of Israel, who struck him with great force. / For in one day Pekah son of Remaliah killed 120,000 valiant men in Judah. This happened because they had forsaken the LORD, the God of their fathers.


Treasury of Scripture

And it came to pass at the end of the year, that the host of Syria came up against him: and they came to Judah and Jerusalem, and destroyed all the princes of the people from among the people, and sent all the spoil of them to the king of Damascus.

A.

1 Kings 20:22,26
And the prophet came to the king of Israel, and said unto him, Go, strengthen thyself, and mark, and see what thou doest: for at the return of the year the king of Syria will come up against thee…

the host

Deuteronomy 32:35
To me belongeth vengeance, and recompence; their foot shall slide in due time: for the day of their calamity is at hand, and the things that shall come upon them make haste.

2 Kings 12:17,18
Then Hazael king of Syria went up, and fought against Gath, and took it: and Hazael set his face to go up to Jerusalem…

princes

2 Chronicles 24:17,18
Now after the death of Jehoiada came the princes of Judah, and made obeisance to the king. Then the king hearkened unto them…

Psalm 2:10,11
Be wise now therefore, O ye kings: be instructed, ye judges of the earth…

Psalm 58:10,11
The righteous shall rejoice when he seeth the vengeance: he shall wash his feet in the blood of the wicked…

Damascus [heb] Darmesek.

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Arameans Army Damascus Destroyed End Host Jerusalem Judah Officials Princes Spoil Syria Syrians Turn
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Arameans Army Damascus Destroyed End Host Jerusalem Judah Officials Princes Spoil Syria Syrians Turn
2 Chronicles 24
1. Joash reigns well all the days of Jehoiada
4. He gives order for the repair of the temple
15. Jehoiada's death and honorable burial
17. Joash, falling into idolatry, slays Zechariah the son of Jehoiada
23. Joash is spoiled by the Syrians, and slain by Zabad and Jehozabad
27. Amaziah succeeds him














At the turn of the year
This phrase indicates a specific time, likely the spring, which was traditionally the season when kings went to war (2 Samuel 11:1). The Hebrew word for "turn" (תְּקוּפָה, tequfah) suggests a cyclical event, emphasizing the regularity and inevitability of God's judgment when His people stray from His commandments. This timing underscores the divine orchestration of events, reminding believers of God's sovereignty over time and history.

the army of Aram
Aram, known today as Syria, was a significant power in the ancient Near East. The Hebrew term for Aram (אֲרָם, Aram) reflects a long-standing adversarial relationship with Israel and Judah. Historically, the Arameans were often instruments of God's judgment against His people when they turned away from Him. This serves as a reminder of the consequences of disobedience and the importance of faithfulness to God.

marched against Joash
Joash, the king of Judah, had initially followed God under the guidance of Jehoiada the priest but later turned to idolatry. The Hebrew verb for "marched" (עָלָה, alah) implies an aggressive, upward movement, symbolizing the rising threat against a king who had fallen from grace. This highlights the theme of divine retribution and the vulnerability of those who forsake God's protection.

They invaded Judah and Jerusalem
The invasion of Judah and its capital, Jerusalem, signifies a direct assault on the heart of God's chosen people. The Hebrew word for "invaded" (בּוֹא, bo) conveys a sense of entering forcefully, indicating the severity of the threat. This invasion serves as a stark warning of the spiritual and physical dangers that accompany national and personal apostasy.

destroyed all the leaders of the people
The destruction of the leaders (שָׂרִים, sarim) underscores the collapse of Judah's political and spiritual structure. Leaders are often held accountable for guiding the people, and their downfall reflects the broader moral and spiritual decay. This phrase serves as a cautionary tale about the responsibility of leadership and the impact of its failure on a nation.

and they sent all the plunder to the king of Damascus
The act of sending plunder to Damascus, the capital of Aram, symbolizes the complete subjugation and humiliation of Judah. The Hebrew word for "plunder" (שָׁלָל, shalal) indicates the spoils of war, representing the loss of God's blessings due to disobedience. This transfer of wealth serves as a tangible reminder of the consequences of turning away from God and the futility of relying on earthly power and riches.

THE LORD'S VENGEANCE, viz., THE SYRIAN INVASION AND SLAUGHTER OF THE PRINCES, AND THE MURDER OF JOASH (2Chronicles 24:23-27). (Comp. 2Kings 12:17-21.)

(23) At the end of the year.--At the running out of the year, viz., the year of the murder of Zechariah. (See for the phrase, Exodus 34:22.)

The host of Syria came up against him.--Comp. 2Kings 12:17. Our passage seems to show that a small part (2Chronicles 24:24) of the besieging army was detached, and sent against Jerusalem. (Comp. 2Kings 18:14; 2Kings 18:17.) The princes of Judah (2Chronicles 24:17) at the head of a large force met the invaders in the field; but the Syrians routed them, and "destroyed all the princes of the people from among the people." We may suppose that they made it their special aim to cut off the leaders of the Jewish host. (Comp. 2Chronicles 18:30.) Thus the apostate princes were overtaken by the prophetic doom. (LXX., "the princes of the people among the people; "Syriac and Vulg. and Arabic omit "from among the people." But comp. Isaiah 7:8.) . . .

Verse 23. - At the end of the year; Hebrew, תְּקוּפַת; margin, both of the Authorized Version and the Revised Version, revolution. The word is found three other times, Exodus 34:22; 1 Samuel 1:20; Psalm 19:7. The versions, of course, express correctly what is meant, but probably the season of spring is also conveyed (2 Samuel 11:1; 1 Chronicles 20:1). The host of Syria. Their king was Hazael (2 Kings 12:17), whether actually with them is perhaps not certain, but the last clause in the verse just quoted would seem to convey that impression. He was King of Damascus (Aram, or Syria), and having already temporarily mastered Israel (2 Kings 13:3, 4, 22), the way was paved to Gath (2 Chronicles 11:8; 2 Chronicles 17:11), whence wistful eyes were bent on Jerusalem, nearly thirty miles distant thence. Destroyed all the princes of the people; i.e. as in the next verse. And sent all the spoil. Whether intended so here or not, probably the strict subject of the verb in this clause is Joash and his counsellors (ver. 18 in parallel), in their fright - and just fright - helpless after the slaughter chronicled in our following verse, bribing off Hazael and his host, as in parallel. The suggestion is most plausible that tidings of Zechariah's martyrdom and of the occasion of it were the very incentive to Hazael's incursion, and an illustration of the "means" by which God works, and by which he wrought his purpose in this instance. The spoil of them. If this means only the spoil of the defeated army strictly, then our text gives no trace of the contents of ver. 18 in parallel just alluded to; but the frequent dislocation incident to copied extracts and matter borrowed from original sources, and so often evidenced in the present history, when we have been comparing the two derived accounts to which we are indebted for it, incline us to the above view, as one quite open at any rate to possibility.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
At the turn
לִתְקוּפַ֣ת (liṯ·qū·p̄aṯ)
Preposition-l | Noun - feminine singular construct
Strong's 8622: A revolution, course, lapse

of the year,
הַשָּׁנָ֗ה (haš·šā·nāh)
Article | Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 8141: A year

the army of Aram
אֲרָם֒ (’ă·rām)
Noun - proper - feminine singular
Strong's 758: Aram -- Syria

went to war
עָלָ֣ה (‘ā·lāh)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 5927: To ascend, in, actively

against Joash.
עָלָיו֮ (‘ā·lāw)
Preposition | third person masculine singular
Strong's 5921: Above, over, upon, against

They entered
וַיָּבֹ֗אוּ (way·yā·ḇō·’ū)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine plural
Strong's 935: To come in, come, go in, go

Judah
יְהוּדָה֙ (yə·hū·ḏāh)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3063: Judah -- 'praised', a son of Jacob, also the southern kingdom, also four Israelites

and Jerusalem
וִיר֣וּשָׁלִַ֔ם (wî·rū·šā·lim)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - proper - feminine singular
Strong's 3389: Jerusalem -- probably 'foundation of peace', capital city of all Israel

and destroyed
וַיַּשְׁחִ֛יתוּ (way·yaš·ḥî·ṯū)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Hifil - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine plural
Strong's 7843: Perhaps to go to ruin

all
כָּל־ (kāl-)
Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 3605: The whole, all, any, every

the leaders
שָׂרֵ֥י (śā·rê)
Noun - masculine plural construct
Strong's 8269: Chieftain, chief, ruler, official, captain, prince

of the people,
הָעָ֖ם (hā·‘ām)
Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 5971: A people, a tribe, troops, attendants, a flock

and they sent
שִׁלְּח֖וּ (šil·lə·ḥū)
Verb - Piel - Perfect - third person common plural
Strong's 7971: To send away, for, out

all
וְכָל־ (wə·ḵāl)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 3605: The whole, all, any, every

the plunder
שְׁלָלָ֥ם (šə·lā·lām)
Noun - masculine singular construct | third person masculine plural
Strong's 7998: A prey, spoil, plunder, booty

to their king
לְמֶ֥לֶךְ (lə·me·leḵ)
Preposition-l | Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 4428: A king

in Damascus.
דַּרְמָֽשֶׂק׃ (dar·mā·śeq)
Noun - proper - feminine singular
Strong's 1834: Damascus -- a city in Aram (Syria)


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OT History: 2 Chronicles 24:23 It happened at the end (2 Chron. 2Ch iiCh ii ch 2 chr 2chr)
2 Chronicles 24:22
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