And in the seventh year Jehoiada strengthened himself, and took the captains of hundreds, Azariah the son of Jeroham, and Ishmael the son of Jehohanan, and Azariah the son of Obed, and Maaseiah the son of Adaiah, and Elishaphat the son of Zichri, into covenant with him.
1. in the seventh year Jehoiada . .
. took the captains of hundreds, c.—(See on ). The five
officers mentioned here had been probably of the royal guard, and
were known to be strongly disaffected to the government of Athaliah.
And they went about in Judah, and gathered the Levites out of all the cities of Judah, and the chief of the fathers of Israel, and they came to Jerusalem.
2. chief of all the fathers of
Israel—This name is frequently used in Chronicles for Judah and
Benjamin, now all that remained of Israel. Having cautiously
entrusted the secret of the young prince's preservation to all the
leading men in the kingdom, he enlisted their interest in the royal
cause and got their pledge to support it by a secret oath of
fidelity.
they came to Jerusalem—The
time chosen for the grand discovery was, probably, one of the annual
festivals, when there was a general concourse of the nation at the
capital.
And all the congregation made a covenant with the king in the house of God. And he said unto them, Behold, the king's son shall reign, as the LORD hath said of the sons of David.
This is the thing that ye shall do; A third part of you entering on the sabbath, of the priests and of the Levites, shall be porters of the doors;
4-9. This is the thing that ye shall
do—The arrangements made for defense are here described. The
people were divided into three bodies; one attended as guards to the
king, while the other two were posted at all the doors and gates, and
the captains and military officers who entered the temple unarmed to
lull suspicion, were furnished with weapons out of the sacred armory,
where David had deposited his trophies of victory and which was
reopened on this occasion.
And a third part shall be at the king's house; and a third part at the gate of the foundation: and all the people shall be in the courts of the house of the LORD.
But let none come into the house of the LORD, save the priests, and they that minister of the Levites; they shall go in, for they are holy: but all the people shall keep the watch of the LORD.
And the Levites shall compass the king round about, every man with his weapons in his hand; and whosoever else cometh into the house, he shall be put to death: but be ye with the king when he cometh in, and when he goeth out.
So the Levites and all Judah did according to all things that Jehoiada the priest had commanded, and took every man his men that were to come in on the sabbath, with them that were to go out on the sabbath: for Jehoiada the priest dismissed not the courses.
8. Jehoiada . . . dismissed not the
courses—As it was necessary to have as large a disposable force
as he could command on such a crisis, the high priest detained those
who, in other circumstances, would have returned home on the expiry
of their week of service.
Moreover Jehoiada the priest delivered to the captains of hundreds spears, and bucklers, and shields, that had been king David's, which were in the house of God.
4-9. This is the thing that ye shall
do—The arrangements made for defense are here described. The
people were divided into three bodies; one attended as guards to the
king, while the other two were posted at all the doors and gates, and
the captains and military officers who entered the temple unarmed to
lull suspicion, were furnished with weapons out of the sacred armory,
where David had deposited his trophies of victory and which was
reopened on this occasion.
And he set all the people, every man having his weapon in his hand, from the right side of the temple to the left side of the temple, along by the altar and the temple, by the king round about.
Then they brought out the king's son, and put upon him the crown, and gave him the testimony, and made him king. And Jehoiada and his sons anointed him, and said, God save the king.
11. Then they brought out the king's
son, and put upon him the crown, and gave him the testimony—Some
think that the original word rendered "testimony," as its
derivation warrants, may signify here the regalia, especially the
bracelet (2 Samuel 1:10); and this
view they support on the ground that "gave him" being
supplemented, the text properly runs thus, "put upon him the
crown and testimony." At the same time, it seems equally
pertinent to take "the testimony" in the usual acceptation
of that term; and, accordingly, many are of opinion that a roll
containing a copy of the law (2 Samuel 1:10) was placed in the king's hands, which he held as a scepter
or truncheon. Others, referring to a custom of Oriental people, who
when receiving a letter or document from a highly respected quarter,
lift it up to their heads before opening it, consider that Joash,
besides the crown, had the book of the law laid upon his head (see
Job 31:35; Job 31:36).
God save the king—literally,
"Long live the king."
Job 31:36. ATHALIAH
SLAIN.
Now when Athaliah heard the noise of the people running and praising the king, she came to the people into the house of the LORD:
12. Athaliah heard the noise of the
people—The unusual commotion, indicated by the blast of the
trumpets and the vehement acclamations of the people, drew her
attention, or excited her fears. She might have flattered herself
that, having slain all the royal family, she was in perfect security;
but it is just as likely that, finding on reflection, one had escaped
her murderous hands, she might not deem it expedient to institute any
enquiries; but the very idea would keep her constantly in a state of
jealous suspicion and irritation. In that state of mind, the wicked
usurper, hearing across the Tyropoeligon the outburst of popular joy,
rushed across the bridge to the temple grounds, and, penetrating from
a single glance the meaning of the whole scene, raised a shriek of
"Treason!"
And she looked, and, behold, the king stood at his pillar at the entering in, and the princes and the trumpets by the king: and all the people of the land rejoiced, and sounded with trumpets, also the singers with instruments of musick, and such as taught to sing praise. Then Athaliah rent her clothes, and said, Treason, Treason.
13. behold, the king stood at his
pillar at the entering in—The king's pillar was in the people's
court, opposite that of the priests'. The young king, arrayed in the
royal insignia, had been brought out of the inner, to stand forth in
the outer court, to the public view. Some think that he stood on the
brazen scaffold of Solomon, erected beside the pillar [see on ].
Then Jehoiada the priest brought out the captains of hundreds that were set over the host, and said unto them, Have her forth of the ranges: and whoso followeth her, let him be slain with the sword. For the priest said, Slay her not in the house of the LORD.
14, 15. Slay her not in the house of
the Lord . . . and when she was come to the entering of the horse
gate by the king's house, they slew her there—The high priest
ordered her immediately to be taken out of the temple grounds and put
to death. "And they laid hands on her; and she went by the way
by the which horses came into the king's house: and there was she
slain" (2 Kings 11:16). "Now,
we are not to suppose that horses came into [the king's house] of
residence, but into the king's (horses') house or hippodrome (the
gate of the king's mules) [JOSEPHUS],
he had built for them on the southeast of the temple, in the
immediate vicinity of the horse gate in the valley of Kedron—a
valley which was at that time a kind of desecrated place by the
destruction of idols and their appurtenances" (2 Kings 23:2;
2 Kings 23:6; 2 Kings 23:12)
[BARCLAY, City of the
Great King].
2 Kings 23:12. JEHOIADA
RESTORES THE WORSHIP
OF GOD, AND SETTLES
THE KING.
So they laid hands on her; and when she was come to the entering of the horse gate by the king's house, they slew her there.
And Jehoiada made a covenant between him, and between all the people, and between the king, that they should be the LORD's people.
16. Jehoiada made a covenant—(See
on ).
Then all the people went to the house of Baal, and brake it down, and brake his altars and his images in pieces, and slew Mattan the priest of Baal before the altars.
Also Jehoiada appointed the offices of the house of the LORD by the hand of the priests the Levites, whom David had distributed in the house of the LORD, to offer the burnt offerings of the LORD, as it is written in the law of Moses, with rejoicing and with singing, as it was ordained by David.
And he set the porters at the gates of the house of the LORD, that none which was unclean in any thing should enter in.
And he took the captains of hundreds, and the nobles, and the governors of the people, and all the people of the land, and brought down the king from the house of the LORD: and they came through the high gate into the king's house, and set the king upon the throne of the kingdom.
And all the people of the land rejoiced: and the city was quiet, after that they had slain Athaliah with the sword.
