By asking questions at the outset, he made his audience feel involved; he challenged them. The two questions together suggest a growing absurdity, appealing to the public’s common sense. Joash threatened them to be considered stupid. Then, he threatened their lives; he appealed to their fear and instinct to survival. The speech was rude. Moreover, he boosted a feeling of unity in the village community with himself as leader. He did this by designating a common enemy who would be excluded from the group. However, the narrator does not intend to either praise or rebuke Joash.
31 But Joash said to all who stood against him, “Will you contend for Baal? Or will you save him? Whoever contends for him shall be put to death by morning. If he is a god, let him contend for himself, because his altar has been broken down.”