2 Kings 12:10

when they saw thatthere was much money in the chest They could tell this by lifting, and beside this the priests were eye-witnesses of the liberal contribution.

the king's scribe This was the royal secretary, through whom the king would be kept acquainted with the progress of the fund. It appears from 2 Chronicles 24:11 that the chest was carried unopened unto the king's office by the Levites, and that the examination and disposal of the contents took place there.

the high priest The Chronicler says -the high priest's officer". Josephus says the king was present at the opening. What is meant by these varying statements is that these two were always represented and that now and then no doubt both king and high priest were there in person.

came up To the place whither the chest had been brought for examination and to be emptied.

put upin bags] The literal meaning -bound up" is given on the margins of A.V. and R.V. The verb is used of putting money together in a packet (Deuteronomy 14:25). We must understand the proceeding to be in connexion with uncoined gold and silver. First it was tied up in some way into parcels, and then by weighing its value was found.

and told the money i.e. As we should now say -counted" it. But the total value was found by weighing. The old use of -tell" for -count" occurs several times in the O.T. -Cf. Psalms 147:4 -He telleththe number of the stars". So Jeremiah 33:13, -The flocks pass under the hands of him that telleth them". Compare Milton, L'Allegro67,

-And every shepherd tells his tale

Under the hawthorn in the dale".

i.e. he counts the number of his sheep to see that none have been lost during the night.