2 Kings 11:1-20

II. TURMOIL IN JUDAH 11:1-12:21

In 2 Kings 11:1 the history of Judah is taken up where it left off at the end of chapter 8. The forty-five years covered in Chapter s 11-12 are. characterized for the most part by political turmoil. The brief and turbulent reign of Athaliah (2 Kings 11:1-20) was followed by the lengthy but disappointing reign of Joash (2 Kings 11:21 2 Kings 12:21).

A. THE REIGN OF ATHALIAH IN JUDAH 11:1-20

The revolution of 841 B.C. is crucial in the history of Judah as well as of Israel. King Ahaziah and forty-two members of the royal house were slain by the zealot Jehu. This set the stage for a usurper to take over the throne of David in Jerusalem. Chapter 11 tells of (1) the usurpation of Athaliah (2 Kings 11:1-3); (2) the coronation of Joash (2 Kings 11:4-12); (3) the death of Athaliah (2 Kings 11:13-16); and (4) the enthronement of another descendant of David (2 Kings 11:17-20).

1. THE USURPATION OF ATHALIAH (2 Kings 11:1-3)

TRANSLATION

(1) When Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead, she arose, and destroyed all the royal seed. (2) But Jehosheba the daughter of King Jehoram, the sister of Ahaziah, took Joash the son of Ahaziah, and stole him from the midst of the sons of the king which were being slain; he and his nurse were hidden in the chamber of mattresses from Athaliah, and he was not slain. (3) And he was with her hidden in the house of the LORD for six years. And Athaliah reigned over the land.

COMMENTS

Athaliah, the daughter of Ahab and Jezebel, was married to Jehoram the son of Jehoshaphat the king of Judah. It was her son Ahaziah who was killed by Jehu. This woman inherited much of her mother's evil character. Through her influence, King Jehoram had introduced the worship of the Tyrian Baal into Judah (2 Kings 8:18; 2 Chronicles 21:5; 2 Chronicles 21:11). When Ahaziah was slain, the powerful position of Athaliah as queen mother was jeopardized. The regular line of succession would require that one of her grandsons, the eldest son of Ahaziah, would now be enthroned, and this would mean that the position of queen mother would pass on to the widow of Ahaziah. For this reason Athaliah ordered all the members of the house of David put to death.[567] This would include Ahaziah's sons, Athaliah's own grandsons, and probably other descendants of David belonging to branches of the house other than that of Rehoboam (2 Kings 11:1). Athaliah's design to wipe out completely the house of David was frustrated by the determined efforts of Jehosheba, the sister of Ahaziah.[568] From the royal nursery she stole away the youngest son of Ahaziah, the infant Joash. The prince and his nurse were safely hidden away in the chamber of mattresses, i.e., the room where the mattresses and blankets were stored, where they escaped the attention of Athaliah's executioners (2 Kings 11:2). After a few days of concealment there, Jehosheba found an opportunity to transfer the child to one of the numerous chambers in the Temple where he was to remain for six years. Jehosheba was married to Jehoiada the high priest (2 Chronicles 22:11), and hence would have ready access to the Temple precincts. For six years Athaliah ruled the land of Judah (2 Kings 11:3). During that period, Baalism was temporarily triumphant. The Temple of the Lord was allowed to fall into decay (2 Kings 12:5), and a temple of Baal was erected in Jerusalem to rival and supersede it (2 Kings 11:18). The usurper was held in check to some extent by the Yahwistic party. She apparently was afraid openly to challenge the position of Jehoiada, and he was left in charge of the Temple with its treasures and armories (2 Kings 11:10). She allowed the Temple services to continue (2 Chronicles 23:4-7), and permitted the priests and Levites to serve in their regular courses (2 Chronicles 23:8). Nonetheless, the zealous Yahwists and royalists chafed under the arrogant and oppressive rule of the Jezebel of Judah.

[567] The royal house had already been greatly depleted by Jehoram's murder of his brothers (2 Chronicles 21:4), by Arab marauders (2 Chronicles 21:17) and Jehu's murder of the brethren of Ahaziah (2 Kings 10:14).

[568] While she was the sister of Ahaziah, she probably was not the daughter of Athaliah. According to Josephus, she was the daughter of Joram by a secondary wife, not Athaliah, and therefore actually a half-sister of Ahaziah (Ant. IX, 7 1,).

2. THE CORONATION OF JOASH (2 Kings 11:4-12)

TRANSLATION

(4) And in the seventh year, Jehoiada sent and took the cap. tains over hundreds of the Carites, and the guard, and brought them unto him into the house of the LORD; and he made a covenant with them, and made them swear in the house of the LORD, and then he showed them the son of the king. (5) And he commanded them, saying, This is the thing which you shall do: A third part of you that enter on the sabbath, shall be keepers of the watch of the king's house; (6) and a third part shall be at the gate Sur, and a third part at the gate behind the guard. So shall you keep the watch of the house and be a barrier.[569] (7) And two parts of you, all who go out on the Sabbath, even they shall keep watch of the house of God about the king. (8) And you shall compass about the king every man with his weapons in his hand, and the one who comes within the ranks, let him be slain. Be with the king as he goes out and comes in. (9) And the captains of the hundreds did according to all which Jehoiada the priest commanded them; and they took each man his men who were to come in on the Sabbath with those who should go out on the Sabbath, and they came unto Jehoiada the priest. (10) And the priest gave to the captains of the hundreds the spears and shields which belonged to David which were in the house of the LORD. (11) And the guards stood each man with his weapons in his hand from the right side of the house unto the left side of the house, by the altar and the sanctuary, round about the king. (12) And he brought out the son of the king, and put upon him the crown and the testimony; and they made him king, and anointed him; and they clapped their hands, and said, May the king live!

[569] The translation of the last word in this verse is uncertain since it occurs nowhere else. The Septuagint omits it altogether.

COMMENTS

After waiting impatiently for six long years, and seeing the young prince grow from an infant to a boy of seven years of age, Jehoiada deemed that the time had come to make the effort to restore the throne to the line of David. Of course it was necessary for him to make careful arrangements beforehand. His first step was to summon to the Temple the five captains (2 Chronicles 23:1) of the royal guard for a secret interview. The Carites, here mentioned for the first time, are generally believed to be identical with the Cherethites of earlier times (cf. 2 Samuel 8:18; 1 Kings 1:38), foreign mercenary troops responsible for guarding the person of the king. These men reluctantly had entered the service of Athaliah under the notion that the house of David was extinct. But by long standing tradition, the Carites were strongly attached to David and his seed. Jehoiada made these men take an oath of support to the cause of the young king; then they were introduced into his presence (2 Kings 11:4).

The account of these events in Chronicles makes it clear that a considerable interval of time separates the events of 2 Kings 11:5 from those of 2 Kings 11:4. The immediate arrangement made between Jehoiada and the captains was that they should visit the cities of Judah and gather a strong force of Levites, priests, and other representative men. That force was brought to Jerusalem and placed at the disposal of Jehoiada, under an oath similar to that which the captains had taken. Jehoiada then waited, completed his arrangements, and finally gave two chargesone to the captains which is given here (2 Kings 11:5-8), and the other to the force collected from the cities, which is given in Chronicles (2 Chronicles 23:4-7). All of this was carried out in such a way that the suspicions of Athaliah were not aroused.

The royal bodyguard consisted of five divisions, each probably of a hundred men, and each commanded by its own captain (2 Chronicles 23:1). It was usual on the sabbath for three divisions out of the five to be on guard around the royal palace complex, and for the other two to be engaged outside, keeping order in the city and around the Temple. For the public coronation of Joash, Jehoiada deployed the royal guard as follows: one company was assigned to the palaceits courts, halls and antechambers; a second was stationed at the palace entrance called Sur; and the third company was placed at the gate of the guard, which seems to have been towards the east, where the palace fronted the Temple. The object of this deployment was to prevent the queen from leaving the palace until all was in readiness (2 Kings 11:5-6).

Jehoiada commanded the remaining companies of guards to enter the Temple and protect the young king (2 Kings 11:7). According to Chronicles (2 Chronicles 23:7) the large force recruited from the cities of Judah was also to be in the Temple to assist in the protection of the young monarch. The guard was to take up a position in front of and behind the king, and they were to extend their ranks across the Temple court from one wall to the other. Anyone who tried to penetrate those ranks was to be slain. Whatever movements were made by the king during the coronation ceremonies were to be carefully guarded (2 Kings 11:8). On the appointed day, all of the captains carried out the exact instructions which Jehoiada had given them (2 Kings 11:9). To those guards Jehoiada issued shields and spears which David many years earlier had captured in battle and had deposited in the Temple (2 Kings 11:10). Nothing could have been more appropriate than for the restoration of the Davidic house to be effected with the aid of weapons which belonged to David himself. Armed with these weapons the guards took up their positions in ranks stretching from one side of the Temple court to the other, both before and behind the king, in the area immediately in front of the altar of burnt offerings and the porch of the Temple (2 Kings 11:11).

When all was ready, Jehoiada brought forth the young king and placed the crown upon his head. The crown was probably a band of gold, either plain, or set with jewels. At the same time the high priest laid on the head of Joash a copy of the Law of Moses, or some significant portion thereof.[570] This was a symbolic act designed to demonstrate that the king must rule in subjection to and in accordance with the Word of God. So far as can be determined, this ceremony was a new feature of Israelite coronations. Then the priests (cf. 2 Chronicles 23:11) anointed the young prince with oil and declared him to be king. The people present expressed their appreciation and approval by clapping their hands and shouting, May the king live! (2 Kings 11:12).

[570] The decalogue is often called the testimony. See Exodus 16:34; Exodus 25:16; Exodus 25:21 etc.

3. THE DEATH OF ATHALIAH (2 Kings 11:13-16)

TRANSLATION

(13) And Athaliah heard the sound of the guards and the people; and she came unto the people In the house of the LORD. (14) And she saw, and behold the king was standing upon the platform as the manner was, and the princes and the trumpeters by the king; and all the people of the land rejoiced and blew trumpets; and Athaliah tore her garments, and cried, Treason! Treason! (15) And Jehoiada the priest commanded the captains of hundreds, officers of the army, and he said unto them, conduct her out between your ranks, and the one who goes after her, slay with the sword; for the priest said, Let her not be slam in the house of the LORD. (16) And they formed two lines on either side of her, and she went by the way which horses came into the king's house, and she was slam there.

COMMENTS

When Athaliah heard the noise accompanying the coronation she was naturally suspicious. Though it was not her custom to enter the Temple of Yahweh, on this occasion she hurried across the short distance from the palace to the house of God to learn the cause of the commotion. It does not appear that she brought any guards or attendants, but it is possible that both were with her (2 Kings 11:13). Entering the courtyard, she was astonished to see young Joash standing upon the special platform which, it would appear, the king occupied when he attended Temple services. Beside him were the captains of the guard and royal trumpeters. People of the city had heard rumors of what was to transpire that day, and had come prepared with trumpets to join in the festivities.

In a single glance Athaliah assessed the scene and realized that the fatal hour had come. In utter dismay she ripped her royal robes and shouted Treason! Jehoiada then ordered the soldiers to close ranks about the queen and conduct her out of the courtyard. This order probably was intended to protect the queen from violence at the hands of the people within the Temple precincts, and at the same time to discourage those who might be inclined to attempt to rescue her. Anyone who made any attempt on her behalf was to be slain; but the queen herself was not to be slain in the Temple (2 Kings 11:15). The soldiers escorted Athaliah from the Temple, and when the party reached the gate which gave access to the royal stables, she was slain (2 Kings 11:16). The location of this gate is unknown.

4. THE ENTHRONEMENT OF JO ASH (2 Kings 11:17-20)

TRANSLATION

(17) And Jehoiada made a covenant between the LORD and the king and the people, that they would be the people of the LORD; also between the king and the people. (18) And all the people of the land came to the house of Baal, and broke it down; his altar and his images they smashed thoroughly, and Mattan the priest of Baal they slew before the altars. And the priest appointed officers over the house of the LORD. (19) And he took the captains of hundreds, and the Carites, and the guards, and all the people of the land, and they brought down the king from the house of the LORD; and they came by the way of the gate of the guards to the house of the king, and he sat on the throne of the kings. (20) And all the people of the land rejoiced; and the city was quiet when they had slain Athaliah with the sword at the house of the king.

COMMENTS

In Jehoiada's view, three things needed to be done immediately after the death of Athaliah. First, some solemn covenants needed to be madethe old covenant between king and people on the one hand, and with God on the other. The apostasy of Jehoram, Ahaziah, and Athaliah was regarded as having put an end to the old covenant, and therefore it was now remade or renewed. This covenant pledged the people to maintain the worship of the Lord. A second covenant was then made between the king and his subjects. This covenant probably bound the king to govern the people according to the Law, and the people to remain faithful to the king (2 Kings 11:17).

The second post-coronation act, probably suggested by Jehoiada, was the destruction of the Baal temple which had been erected during the six years Athaliah had ruled the land. The people who had come to Jerusalem from various cities of the land marched to the house of Baal and razed it. The altars and images of Baal were smashed, and the priest of Baal slain.

The third action taken by Jehoiada after the coronation was the appointment of officers over the house of the Lord (2 Kings 11:18). The Chronicler amplifies this action of Jehoiada (2 Chronicles 23:18-19). The officers included priests and Levites who would officiate in the sacrificial services ordained by Moses and who would provide the elaborate musical accompaniment ordained by David. Porters were also set at the gates of the Temple to prohibit any who were ceremonially unclean from entering those sacred precincts. During Athaliah's reign, Temple services had been curtailed, breaches had been broken in the outer walls, and neither the priests nor the porters had served in their regular order. Apparently there had been no morning or evening sacrifice and no antiphonal psalm-singing during that period. Jehoiada re-established the regular courses of officers and the worship.

The final activity on that busy coronation day was the removal of Joash from the Temple, and his installation in the palace of his ancestors. The high priest formed a procession from the five captains and their menthe Carites and the guardsand the people, which escorted the young king to the royal palace. The gate of the guard (cf. 2 Kings 11:6) must have been the main entrance to the palace on its eastern side. The long day ended when Joash was finally seated on the throne of the kings of Judah (2 Kings 11:19). The whole land was content with the revolution which had taken place. No opposition showed itself. Tranquility settled over the capital once Athaliah was removed from the scene (2 Kings 11:20).