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2 Kings Chapter
Eleven
New King James Version (NKJV)
INTRODUCTION TO 2 KINGS 11
This
chapter relates how that Joash the son of Ahaziah, king of Judah, being hid and
preserved, when his grandmother murdered all the seed royal, after six years
was produced, 2 Kings 11:1, when
Jehoiada the priest set a sufficient guard about him, and the king's house, and
anointed him king, 2 Kings 11:4, and
Athaliah his grandmother, who had reigned six years, was put to death by the
order of the priest, 2 Kings 10:13, and
then a covenant was made between the Lord, and the king, and the people, and
between the king and the people; and he was placed on the throne, to the
satisfaction of the people, and the quiet thereof, 2 Kings 10:17.
2 Kings 11:1 When
Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead, she arose and
destroyed all the royal heirs.
YLT
1And Athaliah [is] mother of
Ahaziah, and she hath seen that her son [is] dead, and she riseth, and
destroyeth all the seed of the kingdom;
And when Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead,.... Who was
the daughter of Ahab, and granddaughter of Omri 2 Kings 8:18, she
arose:
and destroyed all the seed royal; that were left, for many
had been slain already; the sons of Jehoshaphat, the brothers of Joram, were
slain by him, 2 Chronicles 21:4
and all Joram's sons, excepting Ahaziah, were slain by the Arabians, 2 Chronicles 22:1,
and the sons of the brethren of Ahaziah were slain by Jehu, 2 Kings 11:8, these
therefore seem to be the children of Ahaziah, the grandchildren of this brutish
woman, whom she massacred out of her ambition of rule and government, which
perhaps she was intrusted with while her son went to visit Joram king of
Israel; other reasons are by some assigned, but this seems to be the chief. For
the same reason Laodice, who had six sons by Ariarathes king of the
Cappadocians, poisoned five of them; the youngest escaping her hands, was
murdered by the peopleF24Justin. e Trogo, l. 37. c. 1. , as this
woman also was.
2 Kings 11:2 2 But Jehosheba, the
daughter of King Joram, sister of Ahaziah, took Joash the son of Ahaziah, and
stole him away from among the king’s sons who were being murdered; and
they hid him and his nurse in the bedroom, from Athaliah, so that he was not
killed.
YLT
2and Jehosheba daughter of
king Joram, sister of Ahaziah, taketh Joash son of Ahaziah, and stealeth him
out of the midst of the sons of the king who are put to death, him and his
nurse, in the inner part of the bed-chambers, and they hide him from the
presence of Athaliah, and he hath not been put to death,
But Jehosheba, the daughter of King Joram,.... Not by
Athaliah, but another woman; for an high priest, as her husband was, would not
have married the daughter of such an idolatrous woman, nor would she have married
her to him:
sister of Ahaziah, took Joash the son of Ahaziah, and stole him
from among the king's sons which were slain: among whom he lay;
either being cast there by the murderer, or her associates, supposed to be
dead, or by his nurse, that he might be thought to be so, who acquainting his
aunt with it, went and privately took him away:
and they hid him, even him and his nurse, in the bedchamber from
Athaliah, so that he was not slain; that is, Jehosheba and
her husband hid him and his nurse in a bedchamber; or "chamber of
beds"F25בחדר המטות
"in cubiculo lectorum", Pagninus, Montanus. So Sept. &c. , in
which there were more beds than one; one of the chambers of the priests and
Levites in the temple, that is, which were adjoining to it; for into the
sanctuary itself it was not usual to bring bedsF26T. Bab. Tamid, c.
1. fol. 26. 2. ; wherefore
the house of the Lord, in the next verse, must
be understood largely as including all the appendages of it.
2 Kings 11:3 3 So he was hidden with her
in the house of the Lord
for six years, while Athaliah reigned over the land.
YLT
3and he is with her, in the
house of Jehovah, hiding himself, six years, and Athaliah is reigning over the
land.
And he was with her hid in the house of the Lord six years,.... In the
temple; not in the holy of holies, as Jarchi, but in a chamber of the priests
and Levites, of which there were several in a temple, as Kimchi, and others;
and the husband of Jehosheba, being high priest, had one of them for his own
use; and here the child was hid six years, so that he was but a year old when
he was first taken and preserved, for he was made king when seven years of age,
2 Kings 11:21,
and Athaliah did reign over the land; the only
instance we hear of a woman reigning in Israel, and this was not by right, but
by usurpation; and so, according to the Jewish canons, a woman might not rule;
which thus runsF1Maimon. Hilchot Melachim, c. 1. sect. 5. , they do
not set a woman in the kingdom, as it is said, Deuteronomy 17:15,
"a king over them", not a queen; and so, in all places of power and
authority in Israel, they put in them none but a man.
2 Kings 11:4 4 In the seventh year
Jehoiada sent and brought the captains of hundreds—of the bodyguards and the
escorts—and brought them into the house of the Lord to him. And he
made a covenant with them and took an oath from them in the house of the Lord, and showed
them the king’s son.
YLT
4And in the seventh year
hath Jehoiada sent and taketh the heads of the hundreds, of the executioners
and of the runners, and bringeth them in unto him, to the house of Jehovah, and
maketh with them a covenant, and causeth them to swear in the house of Jehovah,
and sheweth them the son of the king,
And the seventh year Jehoiada sent and fetched the rulers over
hundreds, with the captains and the guard,.... This was the husband
of Jehosheba, who was high priest, 2 Chronicles 22:11
these
rulers over hundreds were not those appointed
over the people for civil affairs, as by the advice of Jethro, but over the
priests and Levites in their courses; five of whom are mentioned by name, and
were employed in gathering together the Levites, and the chief of the fathers,
throughout all the cities of Judah, 2 Chronicles 23:1,
and the "captains" here are the heads of the fathers there, who were
the heads of the courses they were sent to gather; and the "guard",
those of the late king, whom Athaliah had turned out of their post, and took in
others in their room, unless rather the temple guard is meant:
and brought them to him into the house of the Lord; the temple,
that part of it where was the court of the priests and Levites:
and made a covenant with them; to join with him, assist
him, and stand by him in the restoration of the king, and the reformation of
the kingdom:
and took an oath of them in the house of the Lord; to keep
secrecy, and be faithful to him:
and showed them the king's son; for the truth of which he
could produce his wife, the sister of the late king, and also the nurse of this
child with him.
2 Kings 11:5 5 Then he commanded them,
saying, “This is what you shall do: one-third of you who come on duty on
the Sabbath shall be keeping watch over the king’s house,
YLT
5and commandeth them,
saying, `This [is] the thing that ye do; The third of you [are] going in on the
sabbath, and keepers of the charge of the house of the king,
And he commanded them, saying, this is the thing that ye shall do,.... These
were the rulers over hundreds among the priests and Levites, and which he, as
high priest, could command, and whom he could convene without suspicion, being
such as he had a connection with, and were unarmed men: and for the better
understanding of what follows, it should be observed, that the priests, in the
times of David, were divided into twenty four courses, which were by turns to
serve a week in the temple; the course that came in entered when the sabbath
began, and that which went out went out when it ended, and each course
consisted of a thousand men: now with respect to both these courses, both that
which went in and that which went out, Jehoiada gave them the following charge:
a third part of you that enter in on the sabbath; on the
beginning of it, to do duty in the temple the week following:
shall even be keepers of the watch of the king's house, which,
according to some, was that part of the temple where the king was hid and
brought up, supposed to be the north part of it: or rather these were set at
the north gate of the temple, which led to the royal palace, lest any should
rush out of that, and kill the king.
2 Kings 11:6 6 one-third shall be
at the gate of Sur, and one-third at the gate behind the escorts. You shall
keep the watch of the house, lest it be broken down.
YLT
6and the third [is] at the
gate of Sur, and the third at the gate behind the runners, and ye have kept the
charge of the house pulled down;
And a third part shall be at the gate of Sur,.... Generally
thought by the Jews to be the eastern gate, so called, as they say, because
such as were defiled were bid to depart, or go back, as this word signifies,
and not enter the temple; it is called "the gate of the foundation", 2 Chronicles 23:5
because, according to Ben Gersom, here the foundation of the sanctuary was
first laid; it is saidF2T. Hieros. Yoma apud Beckium in Targ. in 2
Chron. xxiii. 5. to have five other names besides these:
and a third part at the gate behind the guard; the temple
guard, which had a captain of them, Acts 4:1 this gate
is supposed to be the same with "sippim", or the threshold gate, 2 Chronicles 23:4
and to be the southern one:
so shall ye keep the watch of the house, that it be not broken
down; guard the temple, that none break or rush into it, of Athaliah's
party.
2 Kings 11:7 7 The two contingents of you
who go off duty on the Sabbath shall keep the watch of the house of the Lord for the king.
YLT
7and two parts of you, all
going out on the sabbath -- they have kept the charge of the house of Jehovah
about the king,
And two parts of all you that go forth on the sabbath,.... The
course that went out of service at the end of the sabbath; these were not
suffered, not any of them, to go into the country, but were detained for the
present purpose, and divided into two parts:
even they shall keep the watch of the house of the Lord about the
king, these were placed in the temple where the king was, or where he
should be brought forth, and be a guard on his right and left; this
interpretation seems to be agreeably to the order of the text here, and is the
sense of Jarchi; but there is this objection to it, that, by such a
distribution of both courses, no provision is made for the services of the
temple; wherefore Dr. LightfootF3Prospect of the Temple, c. 20.
divides them into six parts, each into three, one third of the course that came
in for service, the other to keep the watch at the king's house, and the other
third at the gate Sur; and the course that went out, one third of them was
placed at the gate behind the guard, and the other two to keep the watch of the
house for the king's safety; but according to the account in 2 Chronicles 23:4,
there were but three ranks or orders of them in all; wherefore the sense of
Kimchi, Ben Gersom, and Abarbinel, seems most agreeable, that the first
consisted of those that went in on the sabbath, not of all, but half of them,
the other half being employed in the service of the sanctuary; and the other
two of the course that went out, even all of them, they being entirely at
leisure, who were divided into two parts, and disposed of as above.
2 Kings 11:8 8 But you shall surround the
king on all sides, every man with his weapons in his hand; and whoever comes
within range, let him be put to death. You are to be with the king as he goes
out and as he comes in.”
YLT
8and ye have compassed the
king round about, each with his weapons in his hand, and he who is coming unto
the ranges is put to death; and be ye with the king in his going out and in his
coming in.'
And ye shall compass the king round about, every man with his
weapons in his hand,.... Afterwards given them, 2 Kings 11:10,
and he that cometh within the ranges, let him be slain; any strange
man that was not of them, that came into the ranks in which they were formed,
was to be put to death as a spy, who might go and inform the queen what was
doing; according to Jarchi, the word for "ranges" signifies the place
through which the king went from his own house to the house of GodF4Vid.
David. de Pomis Lexic. fol. 205. 3. ; and here it seems the guards were placed:
and be ye with the king as he goeth out and as he cometh in when brought
forth to be crowned and anointed, and returned again.
2 Kings 11:9 9 So the captains of the
hundreds did according to all that Jehoiada the priest commanded. Each of them
took his men who were to be on duty on the Sabbath, with those who were going
off duty on the Sabbath, and came to Jehoiada the priest.
YLT
9And the heads of the
hundreds do according to all that Jehoiada the priest commanded, and take each
his men going in on the sabbath, with those going out on the sabbath, and come
in unto Jehoiada the priest,
And the captains over the hundreds did according to all things
that Jehoiada the priest commanded,.... Of whom see 2 Kings 11:4.
and they took every man his men; everyone his hundred:
that were to come in on the sabbath, with them that should go out
on the sabbath; both the courses, of which see 2 Kings 11:5.
and came to Jehoiada the priest; with the said courses,
at least as many of them as were to be employed in the present service.
2 Kings 11:10 10 And the priest gave the
captains of hundreds the spears and shields which had belonged to King
David, that were in the temple of the Lord.
YLT
10and the priest giveth to
the heads of the hundreds the spears and the shields that king David had, that
[are] in the house of Jehovah.
And to the captains over hundreds did the priest give King David's
spears and shields, that were in the temple of the Lord. Such as he had
taken in war from his enemies, and had dedicated for the service of the temple,
to defend it on occasion, and laid up there; those the priests gave to the
captains, to arm their men with, who came unarmed, and so unsuspected, and in
this way might be armed without being seen and known.
2 Kings 11:11 11 Then the escorts stood,
every man with his weapons in his hand, all around the king, from the right
side of the temple to the left side of the temple, by the altar and the house.
YLT
11And the runners stand, each
with his weapons in his hand, from the right shoulder of the house unto the
left shoulder of the house, by the altar and by the house, by the king round
about;
And the guard stood, every man with his weapons in his hand, round
about the king,.... As ordered, 2 Kings 11:8.
from the right corner of the temple to the left corner of the
temple from the northeast to the southeast:
along by the altar and the temple: the altar of burnt
offering, which stood in the court.
2 Kings 11:12 12 And he brought out the
king’s son, put the crown on him, and gave him the Testimony;[a] they made
him king and anointed him, and they clapped their hands and said, “Long live
the king!”
YLT
12and he bringeth out the son
of the king, and putteth on him the crown, and the testimony, and they make him
king, and anoint him, and smite the hand, and say, `Let the king live.'
And he brought forth the king's son,.... Out of the apartment
in the temple where he had been brought up:
and put the crown upon him; the crown royal, which
seems to have been kept in the temple:
and gave him the testimony; the book of the law, which
he was to read in all his days, and according to it govern the people; and
which was a testimony of the will of God both to him and them: Kimchi and Ben
Melech interpret it of royal garments put upon him:
and they made him king, and anointed him; proclaimed
and declared him king, and anointed him, for the confirmation of it, because of
the pretension Athaliah made to the kingdom; otherwise, as the Jewish writers
say, the son of a king was not anointed; and hence, they say, it was, that
Solomon was anointed, because of the claim of Adonijah:
and they clapped their hands; in token of joy:
and said, God save the king; or, "let the king
live"; or, "may he prosper", as the Targum; may health and
prosperity attend him in his government. In 2 Chronicles 23:11,
it is said; "Jehoiada and his sons anointed him", and said those
words; among whom must be Zechariah, whom this king afterwards slew, which was
an instance of great ingratitude, 2 Chronicles 24:20.
2 Kings 11:13 13 Now when Athaliah heard
the noise of the escorts and the people, she came to the people in
the temple of the Lord.
YLT
13And Athaliah heareth the
voice of the runners [and] of the people, and she cometh in unto the people, to
the house of Jehovah,
And when Athaliah heard the noise of the guard, and of the people,.... Their
acclamations and shouts at the coronation of the king; for by this time the
people had some knowledge of the affair, and ran, and came flocking to see the
new king, and express their joy on this occasion, and whom they greatly
praised, 2 Chronicles 23:12.
she came to the people into the temple of the Lord; the outward
court, where the people were assembled; and she seems to come alone,
unattended, in great surprise and consternation, and was admitted to pass the
guards, being the queen, and alone, and perhaps by the particular order of
Jehoiada, though contrary to the general orders he gave, 2 Kings 11:8.
2 Kings 11:14 14 When she looked, there was
the king standing by a pillar according to custom; and the leaders and the
trumpeters were by the king. All the people of the land were rejoicing and
blowing trumpets. So Athaliah tore her clothes and cried out, “Treason!
Treason!”
YLT
14and looketh, and lo, the
king is standing by the pillar, according to the ordinance, and the heads, and
the trumpets, [are] by the king, and all the people of the land are rejoicing,
and blowing with trumpets, and Athaliah rendeth her garments, and calleth,
`Conspiracy! conspiracy!'
And when she looked, behold, the king stood by a pillar, as the
manner was,.... Of kings, when they came into the temple on any occasion,
civil or religious, therefore it is called his pillar, 2 Chronicles 23:13,
some think this was the brazen scaffold erected by Solomon, 2 Chronicles 6:13,
though VitringaF5Proleghom. de Synagog. Vet. c. 4. p. 32. and Bishop
Patrick suppose it to be the post of the east gate of the inner court, from Ezekiel 46:2,
according to Jacob LeoF6Apud Wagenseil. Sotah, p. 680. , this was
the royal throne in the court of the Israelites, near the high or upper gate,
on a marble pillar, where the kings of the house of David sat, when they came
into the sanctuary to see the Lord in the second temple; this throne was like
an high tower, standing upon two pillars, each twenty cubits high, and their
circumference twelve; here sat Joash, and Hezekiah, and Josiah; however,
Athaliah saw Jehoash with the crown on his head, and in the place where kings
used to sit or stand:
and the princes and the trumpeters by the king; the rulers of
the courses of the priests, and the Levites, blowing the trumpets:
and all the people of the land rejoiced, and blew with trumpets; it is added,
in 2 Chronicles 23:13
that the singers played also on musical instruments; that were then and there
assembled:
and Athaliah rent her clothes; through grief, and as
one almost distracted:
and cried, treason, treason! to try if she could get
any to take her part, and seize on the new king, and those that set him up.
2 Kings 11:15 15 And Jehoiada the priest
commanded the captains of the hundreds, the officers of the army, and said to
them, “Take her outside under guard, and slay with the sword whoever follows
her.” For the priest had said, “Do not let her be killed in the house of the Lord.”
YLT
15And Jehoiada the priest
commandeth the heads of the hundreds, inspectors of the force, and saith unto
them, `Bring her out unto the outside of the ranges, and him who is going after
her, put to death by the sword:' for the priest had said, `Let her not be put
to death in the house of Jehovah.'
But Jehoiada the priest commanded the captains of the hundreds,
the officers of the host,.... Of the priests and Levites:
and said unto them, have her forth without the ranges; the ranks of
the guards, which were at the gate leading to the palace, or rather
"within" themF7מבית לשדרת "intra ordines", Munster, Junius,
Tremellius, Piscator, Noldius, p. 79. No. 365. So Jarchi, Kimchi, Ben Gersom,
& Ben Melech. ; the meaning is, that he ordered her to be had out of the
court of the temple, and be put within their ranks, and enclosed by them, that
her blood might not be shed in the temple, and yet not escape them:
and him that followeth her, kill with the sword: that takes
her part, and offers to help and assist her, passing through the ranks after
her, dispatch him at once:
for the priest had said, let her not be slain in the house of the
Lord: that it might not be defiled with her blood; by which it appears
that the guards had orders concerning her before, should she come to the
temple, see 2 Kings 11:13.
2 Kings 11:16 16 So they seized her; and
she went by way of the horses’ entrance into the king’s house, and there
she was killed.
YLT
16And they make for her
sides, and she entereth the way of the entering in of the horses to the house
of the king, and is put to death there.
And they laid hands on her,.... Or rather,"set
a place for her',as the Targum; so Jarchi and Kimchi; made a space, opened a
way for her to come out of the temple into their ranks, that she might be there
taken and slain, and not in the temple:
and she went by the way by the which the horses came into the
king's house; either the high road in which the horses and carriages went to
the palace, or the way to the king's stables near the palace: and there was she
slain; they let her go so far, which was far enough from the temple, and then
they slew her.
2 Kings 11:17 17 Then Jehoiada made a covenant
between the Lord,
the king, and the people, that they should be the Lord’s people, and also
between the king and the people.
YLT
17And Jehoiada maketh the
covenant between Jehovah and the king and the people, to be for a people to
Jehovah, and between the king and the people.
And Jehoiada made a covenant between the Lord and the king and the
people, that they should be the Lord's people,.... Renewed the covenant
between the Lord on the one part, and the king and the people on the other;
assuring them, that as God had declared that he would be their God, he would
yet be their God to bless and protect them, they continuing in obedience to
him; and obliging them to promise that they would serve the Lord their God, and
him only, and root out all idolatry from the land, and restore, and continue
in, the pure worship of God:
between the king also and the people; he promising,
on his part, that he would govern them according to the law of God, and protect
them in their rights and properties, privileges and liberties; and they, on
their part, that they would honour and obey him, and be his faithful subjects.
In 2 Chronicles 23:16
Jehoiada is said to make this covenant between him, &c. which may be
understood of the Lord; or if of himself, the meaning is, that it was made
between him, the king and people, and the Lord.
2 Kings 11:18 18 And all the people of the
land went to the temple of Baal, and tore it down. They thoroughly broke in
pieces its altars and images, and killed Mattan the priest of Baal before the
altars. And the priest appointed officers over the house of the Lord.
YLT
18And all the people of the
land go in to the house of Baal, and break it down, its altars and its images
they have thoroughly broken, and Mattan priest of Baal they have slain before
the altars; and the priest setteth inspectors over the house of Jehovah,
And all the people of the land,.... That were at
Jerusalem, and the parts adjacent, that came from the country, hearing what was
done: went into the house of Baal; a temple of his Athaliah had built, either
in Jerusalem, or near it; perhaps on the mount of Olives, called the mount of
corruption, 2 Kings 23:13 from
the idolatry there committed:
and brake it down, his altars and his images brake they in pieces
thoroughly; made an entire destruction of them all, temple, altars, the
images of Baal and other deities:
and slew Mattan the priest of Baal before the altar; either as he
was sacrificing, or that he might be a sacrifice, or where he had fled for
refuge:
and the priest appointed officers over the house of the Lord; priests to
offer sacrifices, Levites to sing the praises of God, porters at the door of
the temple, and watches in it, and restored the courses of the priests, and
everything to its proper order, which had been neglected, or had ceased, during
the usurpation of Athaliah; see 2 Chronicles 23:18.
2 Kings 11:19 19 Then he took the captains
of hundreds, the bodyguards, the escorts, and all the people of the land; and
they brought the king down from the house of the Lord, and went by
way of the gate of the escorts to the king’s house. Then he sat on the throne
of the kings.
YLT
19and taketh the heads of the
hundreds, and the executioners, and the runners, and all the people of the
land, and they bring down the king from the house of Jehovah, and come by the
way of the gate of the runners, to the house of the king, and he sitteth on the
throne of the kings.
And he took the rulers over hundreds, and the captains, and the
guard,.... Of which 2 Kings 11:4 and
all the people of the land; as many as were assembled together on this
occasion:
and they brought down the king from the house of the Lord; the temple,
which was built on an eminence:
and came by the way of the gate to the king's house; the gate of
the royal palace, where the king's guards were placed, and did their duty: and
he sat on the throne of the kings: where the kings of Judah used to sit, and
this finished the formality of his being made king.
2 Kings 11:20 20 So all the people of the
land rejoiced; and the city was quiet, for they had slain Athaliah with the
sword in the king’s house.
YLT
20And all the people of the
land rejoice, and the city [is] quiet, and Athaliah they have put to death by
the sword in the house of the king;
And all the people of the land rejoiced,.... That one
of the house of David was set upon the throne, which they might fear was
extinct, as it very near was; the lamp of David was almost quenched, only this
single life left, from whom a line of kings proceeded, and the King Messiah;
the promise of God cannot fail see Psalm 132:11, this
occasioned great joy:
and the city was quiet: was very easy at, yea,
pleased with, the dethroning and death of Athaliah; there was no tumult on
account thereof, nor such disturbances as she occasioned in her life:
and they slew Athaliah with the sword beside the king's house; as related in
2 Kings 11:16 where
she was buried, or what became of her carcass, is not said; some have thought
she was cast into the brook Kidron, because Josephus saysF8Antiqu.
l. 9. c. 7. sect. 3. Jehoiada ordered her to be had into that valley, and there
slain.
2 Kings 11:21 21 Jehoash was seven
years old when he became king.
YLT
21a son of seven years is
Jehoash in his reigning.
Seven years old was Jehoash when he began to reign. Being a year
old when his father was killed and having been hid six years in the temple.
──《John Gill’s
Exposition of the Bible》
New King James
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