Wicked Athaliah deposed and the succession of boy king Joash
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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.
2 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. 3 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. |
1
- Jehoiada strengthened himself He needed
strength and courage from the Lord to face the crisis. He was the High
Priest
1 - Took captains Jehoiada probably knew who would be willing to be firm in the crisis. Compare 2ki1104. 4 - Ye shall do Instructions to priests and Levites. The account in 2 Kings records instructions to the palace guards. |
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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;
5 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. 6 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. |
6 - Save (except for) the priests Careful regard for the sacred area. |
| 7 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.
8 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
- All Judah Addressed through their representatives
who were present.
8 - On the sabbath See 2ki1105. 8 - Dismissed not They would not go home as usual when their shift was over. A strong force was needed. |
| 9 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.
10 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. .11 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 - The testimony This would probably have been a copy of the law 2ki1112, is0820. |
| 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:
13 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. 14 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. |
12
- Athaliah heard The text of verses 12-15 is essentially identical
to the account in 2ki1113-16.
13 - The king stood "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 2ch0612-17. |
| 15 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.
16 And Jehoiada made a covenant between him, and between all the people, and between the king, that they should be the LORD'S people. 17 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. |
16
- Covenant It was time to renew pledges to the Lord. The reign of
Athaliah, daughter of Jezebel, was over.
17 - People ... house of Baal. See on 2ki1118. |
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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.
19 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. 20 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. 21 And all the people of the land rejoiced: and the city was quiet, after that they had slain Athaliah with the sword. |
18
- Appointed officers This verse and the next expand the brief statement
at 2ki1118. On music, see
1ch25.
20 - Quiet After the death of Athaliah. |
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