1Jehoiada, having taken measures for his security, maketh Joash king. 12Athaliah is slain. 16Jehoiada restoreth the worship of God, and settleth the king on his throne to the great joy of the people.
1AND1 in the 2seventh 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 See likewise this history with some expositions 2 Kings 11:4, etc., where the same is first described.
2 Namely, after that Joash, the king’s son, had been hidden by Jehoshabeath, his aunt, lest he would be murdered by Athaliah, his grandmother; for, he was hid six years in the temple, 2 Chron. 22:12. This happened the year following; at which time also Joash was seven years old, 2 Chron. 24:1.
2And they went about in Judah, and gathered 3the Levites out of all the cities of Judah, and the chief of the fathers 4of Israel, and they came to Jerusalem.
3 Observe that two sorts of persons were gathered: I. the Levites, who were in the service of the church; II. the heads of the fathers, that is, of the fatherly houses or families. Understand the most important ones and the eldest of the congregation.
4 That is, of Judah and Benjamin, together with the cities of Israel, which joined themselves to them. Compare herewith 2 Chron. 15:17; 21:2, and the annotations.
3And all the congregation made a covenant with the king in the house of God. And 5he said unto them, Behold, the king's son shall reign, asa the LORD hath said of the sons of David.
5 Namely, the high priest Jehoiada.
a 2 Sam. 7:13; 2 Chron. 21:7.
4Thisbis 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 6of the doors;
b 2 Kings 11:5, etc.
6 Other, Sippim; holding it to be the name of a gate. See 2 Kings 11 on verse 6.
5And a third part shall be at the king's house; and a third part at the 7gate of the foundation: and 8all the people shall be in the 9courts of the house of the LORD.
7 The most important gate of the temple, standing eastward and called the gate of the foundation, because it was the lowermost, standing upon the foundation of the temple, at the greatest and lowermost court. It is also called the gate of Sur, 2 Kings 11:6, and the high gate, 2 Kings 15:35, likewise the beautiful gate, Acts 3:2.
8 Understand the other Levites, who then had not the ordinary guard, together with the common people.
9 That is, the outermost and great court, called the people’s court, because the congregation met there; it is put here in the plural number because of the diversity of parts which it had. Likewise the temple is called sanctuaries, because it consisted of different partitions, Lev. 26:31.
6But let none come into 10the house of the LORD, save the priests, and they that minister of the Levites; they shall go in, for they are 11holy: but all the people shall keep 12the watch of the LORD.
10 Understand the foremost part of the house of the Lord, called the holy place, 1 Kings 8:10.
11 Hebr. holiness, that is, separated to a holy service. Also Num. 16:5; Ezra 8:28.
12 Namely, to keep them out by force who would violently break in. Or, shall keep the watch of the Lord, that is, the command of the Lord, remaining in the court without entering into the holy place.
7And the 13Levites shall compass the king round about, every man with his weapons in his hand; and whosoever else cometh 14into the house, he shall be put to death: but be ye with the king 15when he cometh in, and when he 16goeth out.
13 Namely, those Levites who went out on the Sabbath; that is, those who had discharged their duty and had finished the function in their course, 2 Kings 11:7.
14 That is, into the temple, between the ranks and files of the guard which was appointed, 2 Kings 11:8.
15 Namely, into the temple, verse 11.
16 Namely, out of the temple, verse 20.
8So the Levites and all Judah did according to all things that Jehoiada the priest had commanded, and 17took every man 18his 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 19courses.
17 Namely, the captains of hundreds, of whom see verse 1, and compare 2 Kings 11:9.
18 Namely, those whom were appointed from the Levites by Jehoiada the high priest.
19 Of these courses see 1 Chronicles 23; 24; 25; 26. Out of these courses no man might step away unless he had leave given him to depart; which for the present Jehoiada would not grant even to those who came off from the guard, to the end that there might be a double watch to dispatch this business.
9Moreover Jehoiada the priest delivered to the captains of hundreds spears, and bucklers, and shields, 20that had been king David's, which were in the house of God.
20 See 2 Kings 11 on verse 10.
10And he 21set all the people, every man having his 22weapon in his hand, from the right side of the temple to the left side of the temple, along by the 23altar and the 24temple, by the king round about.
21 Namely, that no man might violently break into the priests’ court, or into the holy place. Compare herewith the end of verse 6.
22 The word in the original signifies properly such kind of weapon as a man throws out of his hand at another to hurt him therewith.
23 Understand the altar of burnt offering, which stood in the priests’ court.
24 The sanctuary.
11Then they brought 25out the king's son, and put upon him the 26crown, and gave him the 27testimony, and made him king. And Jehoiada and his sons anointed him, and said, 28God save the king.
25 Namely, out of his chamber, in which he had been hidden six years, 2 Chron. 22:11.
26 A head ornament, pertaining to kings, 2 Sam. 1:10; Psalm 89:39; 132:18.
27 See 2 Kings 11 on verse 12.
28 Compare 1 Sam. 10:24; 1 Kings 1:39.
12¶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:
13And she looked, and, behold, the king stood 29at his pillar at the 30entering in, and the 31princes and 32the trumpets by the king: and all the people of the land rejoiced, and 33sounded with trumpets, also the singers 34with instruments of musick, and such as taught to sing 35praise. Then Athaliah rent her clothes, and said, Treason, Treason.
29 Where the royal scaffold was; of which see also 2 Kings 11 on verse 14; 2 Chron. 6 on verse 13.
30 Namely, of the inner court, called the priests’ court, 2 Chron. 4:9; likewise the new court, 2 Chron. 20:5. See of it further 1 Kings 6 on verse 36.
31 Namely, of the Jewish people.
32 That is, the trumpeters.
33 Namely, by the priests, to whom that work properly belonged, as appears by the law, Num. 10:8, and by examples, 1 Chron. 15:24; 2 Chron. 5:12; 7:6.
34 That is, rejoiced, which word goes before, and may now again be inserted anew.
35 Namely, the Lord.
14Then Jehoiada the priest brought out the captains of hundreds that were set over the host, and said unto them, Have her forth 36of the ranges:c and whoso followeth her, let him be slain with the sword. For the priest said, Slay her not in the house of the LORD.
36 See 2 Kings 11 on verse 8.
c ranks of soldiers
15So 37they laid hands on her; and when she was come 38to the entering of the horse gate by the king's house, they slew her there.
37 Other, they made room for her. Or, they placed a side-guard upon her. Or, they gave her place, namely, to go forth out of the temple.
38 See 2 Kings 11 on verse 16.
16¶And Jehoiada made a covenant between 39him, and between all the people, and between the king, that they should be the LORD's people.
39 Namely, the Lord; as may be gathered from 2 Kings 11:17, and here from the end of this verse. Other, between himself, and between all the people, etc., meaning, that Jehoiada, the people and the king had bound themselves together in a firm league and covenant, to be the Lord’s people, or to be a people unto the Lord. See a similar example Joshua 24:25.
17Thend all the people went to the house of Baal, and brake it down, and brake his altars and his images in pieces, and slewe Mattan the priest of Baal before the altars.
d 2 Kings 11:18.
e Deut. 13:9.
18Also Jehoiada appointed the offices of the house of the LORD by the hand of the priests the Levites, whomf David had distributed in the house of the LORD, to offer the burnt offerings of the LORD, as it is written in the lawg of Moses, with rejoicing and with singing, 40as it was ordained by David.
f 1 Chronicles 23; 24; 25; 26.
g Lev. 1:3.
40 Hebr. according to David’s hands, that is, as David, by the direction of God’s Spirit, had ordained, and had delivered and left to the church of God. Also 2 Chron. 29:27; Ezra 3:10.
19And he set the porters at the gates of the house of the LORD, that none which was unclean in any thing should enter in.
20And he took the captains of hundreds, and the 41nobles, 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 42high gate into the king's house, and set the king upon the throne of the kingdom.
41 Or, the honorable, respectful, most excellent ones.
42 Some do understand hereby the greatest and the most important gate of the king’s house, at which the king’s guard kept watch, and is therefore called the guards’ gate, 2 Kings 11:19. In this sense this gate is to be distinguished from the gate of the temple, whereof verse 5. See the annotation there.
21And all the people of the land rejoiced: and the city was quiet, after that they had slain Athaliah with the sword.