Chapter 11

1 Jehoash, being saved by Jehosheba his aunt from Athaliah’s massacre of the seed royal, is hid six years in the house of God. 4 Jehoiada, giving order to the captains, in the seventh year anointeth him king. 13 Athaliah is slain. 17 Jehoiada restoreth the worship of God.

1. Athaliah. The death of Ahaziah at the hands of Jehu took place only a short time after the death of Joram in Israel (ch. 9:24, 27). However, the reign of Jehu began before the reign of Athaliah, although by only a very short time, possibly only a few days or weeks. Whether any particular significance is to be attached to the fact that the record of Jehu’s accession to the throne (ch. 9:12, 13) precedes that of Athaliah (ch. 11:1–3) cannot be determined (see p. 145). In view of the fact that Jehu is presented as taking the initiative in events leading up to his accession (ch. 9:1–11), it would be only natural to expect the writer of 2 Kings to preserve the continuity of the narrative by recording the proclamation of Jehu as king first. (see on Gen. 25:19; 27:1; 35:29; Ex. 16:33, 35; 18:25). To introduce Athaliah first would interrupt the continuity of the record.

All the seed royal. Athaliah seems to have inherited the stormy and bloodthirsty spirit of her mother Jezebel. As the wife of Jehoram and the mother of Ahaziah, she might be expected to have dominated the policy of Judah during these two reigns. The influence of Israel left a strong impress upon Judah during this period (ch. 8:18, 27). Now Athaliah proceeded to carry on in her own right. The slaughter of all her relatives in Israel was a severe blow to her. Before any plans could be formulated against her in Judah she struck first. She thought that she had utterly exterminated the posterity of David.

2. Jehosheba. Probably a half sister of Ahaziah—the daughter of Jehoram, not by Athaliah, but by another wife. She was the wife of Jehoiada the high priest (2 Chron. 22:11).

Which were slain. Joash was taken, not from among the bodies of those already slain, but from among the princes who were doomed to death.

In the bedchamber. Not in the palace, but in the Temple quarters of the priests. Jehosheba would hardly have been able to keep the child concealed in the palace, where everything would be under the watchful eye of the queen. But in the Temple quarters she could be expected to exercise a large measure of control.

3. Athaliah did reign. The record of Athaliah’s reign is brief. To such a degree was she held in contempt that the Hebrew recorders left no details concerning the nature of her reign. However, from a comparison of 2 Kings 12:5–14 with 11:18 and 2 Chron. 24:7, it is clear that Athaliah made an effort to put an end to the worship of Jehovah and to establish the exclusive worship of Baal. The Temple services seem to have been discontinued and the Temple itself was allowed to fall into a state of disrepair. The sacred vessels of the Temple formerly used in the worship of Jehovah were doubtless turned over to the priests of Baal.

4. The seventh year. Evidently of Athaliah’s reign. The mention of the revolution which brought an end to her rule as taking place in the “seventh year,” and the statement that her successor, Jehoash, began to reign in the seventh year of Jehu (ch. 12:1), make this clear.

Jehoiada. The high priest at this time must have been a venerable old man, of about 100 years. At the time of his death he was 130 years old. He died before the end of the reign of Jehoash (2 Chron. 24:15, 17), who ruled 40 years (2 Kings 12:1). From the lengths of the reigns of the preceding kings it would seem that Jehoiada could not have been born later than the early part of Rehoboam’s reign, possibly during the reign of Solomon. He had thus lived through many years of his country’s checkered history.

Rulers over hundreds. The passage reads literally, “rulers of the Carians and of the guards.” Five of these men are mentioned by name in 2 Chron. 23:1. The Carians were probably foreign mercenary troops employed for the royal guard, such as the Cherethites (see 1 Sam. 30:14; 2 Sam. 8:18; 15:18; 20:7, 23; 1 Kings 1:38, 44; 1 Chron. 18:17). The use of foreign mercenaries was common in the ancient Orient. The centurions invited by Jehoiada to a secret conference thus seem to have been the commanders of the royal guard. By such a bold stroke Jehoiada was making sure of the success of his mission, for he would have on his side the commanders whose duty it was to protect the king.

The king’s son. The captains of the guard were now shown the son of Ahaziah, the lad who was the rightful king of Judah, and the one whose duty it was for these captains and their men to guard.

5. Commanded them. Jehoiada gave his commands to the palace guard in his capacity as guardian of the king.

On the sabbath. It has been suggested that the Sabbath was chosen for the inauguration of the new regime. On the other hand the reference to the Sabbath may merely mean that the system of the division of labor on the Sabbath formed a convenient pattern for the present distribution of duties.

Of the king’s house. One company was to mount guard at the palace itself.

6. The gate of Sur. Also called “gate of the foundation” (2 Chron. 23:5). This gate has not been identified; it may have been the gate of the palace leading to the Temple.

The gate behind the guard. This gate likewise has not been identified; it may have been the gate at the rear of the palace. The object then would be to have the palace under complete control. The arrangement seems to have been that the men normally on duty at the palace were ordered to retain their positions there. Their presence would create no suspicions.

Broken down. Heb. massach. This word occurs only here, and its meaning is obscure. The LXX does not translate the word. Many Jewish commentators render it “without distraction of mind.”

7. That go forth. The men who were probably normally off duty on the Sabbath.

About the king. The guards normally not on duty at the palace on the Sabbath were to be in the Temple to keep watch over the young king.

8. Let him be slain. Whoever might even attempt to approach the ranks of the guards about the king was immediately to be slain. In the maneuver that was about to take place the most vital factor was the safeguarding of the life of the young king, for certainly the partisans of Athaliah would make every effort to put him to death.

10. David’s spears and shields. The old spears and shields of David were probably by this time regarded as sacred relics and were no longer in use by the guard. It is implied that the members of the guard who were to be in the Temple that day to keep watch over the new king, had come to the Temple unarmed. This was to allay suspicion. If the revolution was planned for the Sabbath (see on v. 5), it may be that the men had been told by their officers to be present at the Temple that Sabbath for some special purpose of worship; and if they were observers of the Sabbath, this would create no suspicion. If, however, they had been told to come to the Temple with their arms, on their day off, the secret would immediately have been out and the plot foiled.

11. His weapons in his hand. These men were ready for instant action. Those ancient weapons of David had seen much of valiant service, but seldom had they had the responsibility that was theirs this day. The safeguarding of the life of this young boy took on dramatic proportions in the light of God’s promises to David (see 1 Kings 2:4; 8:25). He was all that remained of those eligible to the throne.

The right corner. From the standpoint of facing east. The right corner of the Temple was the south and the left was the north.

By the altar. The altar of burnt offering stood directly in front of the Temple porch. It was on the porch of the Temple that the king was to be stationed, in full view of the worshipers in the court. The soldiers were drawn up, several ranks deep, across the entire front of the Temple, to prevent anyone from entering there. Orders had been expressly given that none were to “come into the house of the Lord, save the priests, and they that minister of the Levites” (2 Chron. 23:6).

12. The king’s son. The young prince had been hidden in the Temple, and after the guards were in their positions he was brought forth for the coronation ceremonies, to take his place by one of the pillars (2 Chron. 23:13) of the Temple porch. This was no ordinary occasion, and every possible preparation had been made in harmony with its importance. The Levites had been gathered from all the land, and also “the chief of the fathers of Israel” (2 Chron. 23:2).

The testimony. Heb. haФeduth, the term commonly used of the Ten Commandments. The “testimony” may have been the book of the law. If so, the use of this law in the coronation ceremony was to denote the king’s devotion to the law of the Lord, according to which he would regulate his life and rule his people. This passage of Scripture is the basis of the custom of placing a copy of the Bible in the hands of British monarchs during the coronation service.

God save the king. Literally, “let the king live.” These were the words employed at the coronation of Saul (1 Sam. 10:24), of Absalom (2 Sam. 16:16), Adonijah (1 Kings 1:25), and Solomon (1 Kings 1:39). On this occasion the words were more than a perfunctory phrase. Upon the saving of the life of this child would hang the destiny of the dynasty of David. The young king would have many enemies. If he were slain, that would be the end of the direct line of the house of David. The cry, “Let the king live,” ascended to heaven with many anxious and earnest prayers as well as with a note of great rejoicing. It was commonly thought that Athaliah had succeeded in destroying all the seed royal (2 Kings 11:1). When it was discovered that one of the princes had been spared and was now king, a shout of triumph must have sounded throughout the city.

13. Of the guard. The nation now had its rightful king and the guard its true master. After years of misrule by a scion of the house of Ahab, the guard must have accepted their new king and their new responsibility with loud shouts of joy. These shouts, mingled with the jubilation of the people, reached the ears of the hated queen and filled her with alarm and consternation.

She came to the people. The center of the shouting and of the festivities was clearly in the Temple, and thither the queen made her way. The indication is that she went alone. If she summoned her personal guard stationed about the palace, it no longer obeyed her orders, but stayed where it was, obedient to the orders of Jehoiada (vs. 5, 6).

14. By a pillar. On the Temple porch, by one of its great bronze pillars (see 1 Kings 7:15, 21).

The princes. That is, the captains. These were the commanders of the royal guard who had taken up their position next to the king.

All the people. A large multitude at this time filled the Temple court. Representatives were present from all the land (2 Chron. 23:2). If it was the Sabbath, large numbers would be there from Jerusalem and the surrounding countryside. Probably Jehoiada had announced preparations for some sort of festival that brought to the Temple an unusually large number of people.

Rent her clothes. One glance revealed that all was lost. Her own guards were there protecting the new king and taking part in the joyous festivities. Athaliah stood alone, forsaken by all. She could hope for nothing, and expected nothing, This was the end of everything for her. How different from the scene of Paul’s dark days in a Roman prison when, forsaken by men, he yet had the assurance that the Lord stood with him and strengthened him (2 Tim. 4:17).

15. Without the ranges. Or, “between the ranks,” that is, “under armed escort.” The queen was probably to be conducted outside of the Temple precincts to meet her death, with a row of soldiers on each side of her.

16. By the way. What a sad end for the once proud and haughty daughter of Jezebel! But it was a death that befitted her. She died as did her mother, abandoned, despised, and hated by all. Jezebel was trodden underfoot by horses in her own palace court, her daughter walked her last steps in the way of the horses leading to the palace, and there was ignominiously slain.

17. A covenant. Between the Lord on one side and the king and the people on the other. It was a renewal of the covenants of old, whereby the people accepted Jehovah as their Lord and promised that they would be obedient to His laws. No longer would they give recognition to Baal, whom Athaliah had endeavored to substitute as lord of the land instead of Jehovah.

Between the king. Such a covenant was desperately needed. Under the last three reigns the rights of the people had been sadly abused. The rulers had no scruples and did what they wished, regardless the rights of the people. Now that a new king was beginning to reign, a solemn agreement was made under the terms of which the king was bound to govern according to the laws of justice and the ways of the Lord and the people were to give their allegiance to the house of David and Jehovah their King.

18. The house of Baal. To such lengths had the daughter of Jezebel gone that under her dominance an actual temple for Baal had been established in or near Jerusalem. The purpose, of course, was to have it take the place of the Temple of God. This pagan temple was now completely demolished.

Images. Heb. salmim. Not the same word translated “images” in ch. 10:26. The salmim were images made in the likeness of the gods themselves.

Appointed officers. Evidently the house of God had been sadly neglected and even abused during the reign of Athaliah and perhaps that of her predecessor. Some have suggested that Athaliah may have established the house of Baal within the very precincts of the house of God, possibly in the outer court. Certain parts of the Temple and the accompanying buildings may even have been demolished to provide materials for the building of the temple of Baal. At least there were “breaches” that needed extensive repairs (ch. 12:5–12). A building so well constructed as the Temple would not have gone to pieces so quickly simply as a result of the natural processes of deterioration. According to 2 Chron. 24:7 the “sons of Athaliah, that wicked woman, had broken up the house of God; and also all the dedicated things of the house of the Lord did they bestow upon Baalim.” After the destruction of the house of Baal, officers were appointed whose duties were probably to supervise the reestablishment of the services of the Lord in the Temple, and to see to it that there would be no future desecration of the Temple precincts by sympathizers with the old regime (see 2 Chron. 23:19).

19. Gate of the guard. This was probably the main gate of the palace. Its exact location is not known.

20. They slew Athaliah. The death of Athaliah has already been mentioned (v. 16). But this is the conclusion of the account of her reign, and thus the mention of her death is in order. The account of Athaliah’s reign neither begins nor ends according to the usual formula.

21. Seven years old. Since this item is connected with the account of the reign of Jehoash, it would be more appropriate to have the entire verse as the first verse of ch. 12.

Ellen G. White comments

12  PK 215

14–16, 18PK 216