Bible Commentaries
2 Chronicles 23

Verse 1

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.

Strengthened himself, and took. — It was a weighty work he went about, and therefore he taketh the wisest course, the fittest time; on the Sabbath, when the congregation met; and in the temple, whither Athaliah and her courtiers seldom came; and not till the people had, for seven years before, borne Athaliah’s tyrannical government, and groaned after deliverance.

Verse 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.

And they went about in Judah. — But with so much silence and secrecy, that Athaliah knew nothing of the business See on 2 Kings 11:4 .

Verse 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.

Made a covenant with the king. — Swearing silence, allegiance, and obedience to him, that they would be his liege people, as he should be their liege lord.

Verse 4

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;

This is the thing that ye shall do. — See 2 Kings 11:9 .

Entering on the sabbath day. — The better day the better deed.

Verse 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.

At the gate of the foundation. — Called also the gate of Sur; and why, see on 2 Kings 11:6 . The Rabbis say that this gate had seven different names.

Verse 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.

Shall keep the watch of the Lord. — They shall observe to do in this service of the Lord what is given them in charge. Every man must move in his own orb to promote the work of reformation.

Verse 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.

And the Levites shall compass the king. — See 2 Kings 11:8 .

Verse 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.

Did according to all things. — See 2 Kings 11:9 .

Verse 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.

That had been king David’s. — See 2 Kings 11:10 . The very heathens consecrated their arma victricia, weapons wherewith they had done great exploits, to their gods; as giving them the honour of their victories.

Verse 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.

And he set all the people … by the king round about. — Subjects should stand by their princes, and defend them to their utmost; resolving to live and die with them. See 2 Kings 11:11 .

Verse 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.

Then they brought out the king’s son. — See 2 Kings 11:12 .

And Jehoiada and his sons anointed him. — Good Zechariah among the rest, who was afterwards, for his faithful discharge of his duty, put to death by this ungrateful prince. 2 Chronicles 24:21

And said, God save the king. — This they said out of a good and upright heart; not as Squire the traitor, in Queen Elizabeth’s days, who said cheerfully, God save the queen, and at the same time poisoned the pummel of her saddle, when she was about to ride abroad, with intent to have destroyed her. Speed.

Verse 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:

Now when Athaliah. — See 2 Kings 11:13 .

Verse 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.

Stood at his pillar. — See 2 Kings 11:14 .

And all the people of the land rejoiced. — Because they were now freed from Athaliah’s tyranny.

“ Post nubila Phaebus.

Flebile principium melior fortuna sequetur. ”

Verse 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.

Have her forth. — See 2 Kings 11:15 . Their fingers even itched to be slaying her in the very temple; so hateful had she made herself.

And whoso followeth her. — As none did in this condition. And the like befell her mother Jezebel, Nero, and other tyrants.

Verse 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.

So they laid hands on her. — Or, They made a lane for her. Which she once thought none durst have done; but the craftiest and strongest creatures are taken and slain by men.

“ Elephas grandis est, et occiditur:

Leo fortis est, et occiditur:

Cave multos, si singulos non times, ”

said the comedian covertly to Maximinus the emperor, who professed to fear no man: but when his head was soon after brought to Rome, all ran to the altars to thank the gods; and Balbinus, who succeeded him, sacrificed hecatombs, commanding the same to be done throughout the empire. b

Verse 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.

And Jehoiada made a covenant between him. — As God’s minister, representing his person in this action.

And between the king. — Whom he bindeth not to himself, as the Pope doth Christian princes, but to God.

Verse 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.

Then all the people. — See 2 Kings 11:18 . This was the joyful day that God’s people had so long prayed for. Pray and look up: an answer will surely come down.

Verse 18

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.

Also Jehoiada appointed. — See 2 Kings 11:18 .

Verse 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.

And he set the porters. — He rested not till he had set all to rights, though all could not be done at once. This was a good lord protector.

That none which was unclean in anything should enter in. — Oh that we also had store of such porters, to keep out the unclean from holy ordinances!

Verse 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.

And brought down the king. — See 2 Kings 11:19 .

Verse 21

And all the people of the land rejoiced: and the city was quiet, after that they had slain Athaliah with the sword.

And all the people of the land rejoiced. — So, and much more shall the whole community of God’s people do, when the whore of Rome is executed by Christ, the true Jehoiada, who shall throw her out of the temple, and burn her with fire, because she hath slain the seed royal, put down kings at her pleasure, usurped the government of the Church, set up altars and images to Baalim, called such traitors as seek to set the crown upon Christ’s head, … But how impudent and ungrateful was Rhiston the Jesuit, who being condemned to die, and yet pardoned by Queen Elizabeth, ran beyond sea, and railed on her in print, saying that she was worse than Athaliah, Maachah, Jezebel, Herodias, …