Paul Kretzmann Commentary - 2 King 11:13 - 11:21

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Paul Kretzmann Commentary - 2 King 11:13 - 11:21


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Athaliah Slain

v. 13. And when Athaliah heard the noise of the guard and of the people,
as they hailed the king with delight, she came to the people into the Temple of the Lord, driven by curiosity, to find out what the outcry was about.

v. 14. And when she looked, behold, the king,
who was still a very young boy, stood by a pillar, as the manner was, at the place reserved for the king by ancient usage, apparently a platform, and the princes and the trumpeters by the king, the latter being Levites or priests blowing the Temple trumpets, as on festival occasions, and all the people of the land rejoiced and blew with trumpets. And Athaliah, who took in the situation at a glance, rent her clothes, in great fear and terror, and cried, Treason, treason!

v. 15. But Jehoiada, the priest, commanded the captains of the hundreds, the officers of the host, and said unto them, Have her forth without the ranges,
they should lead her out through the ranks, so that she would not be able to communicate with any adherents; and him that followeth her, making a show of taking her part, kill with the sword. For the priest had said, Let her not be slain in the house of the Lord, which would have been desecrated by the blood of the usurper and murderess.

v. 16. And they laid hands on her, they made way for her to escort her out; and she went by the way by the which the horses came into the king's house,
inside the city walls; and there was she slain.

v. 17. And Jehoiada made a covenant between the Lord and the king and the people that they should be the Lord's people;
he solemnly renewed the covenant which had been broken by the idolatry of Athaliah, between the king also and the people, pledging the king to rule according to the Law and the people to give a cheerful obedience to their lawful ruler.

v. 18. And all the people of the land went into the house of Baal,
the temple which had been erected to the heathen idol at Jerusalem, and brake it down; his altars and his images brake they in pieces thoroughly, thus removing all the evidences of idol worship in the city of God, and slew Mattan, the priest of Baal, before the altars. And the priest, Jehoiada,appointed officers over the house of the Lord, thus renewing the position of overseers which had been created by David, 1 Chronicles 25.

v. 19. And he took the rulers over hundreds, and the captains, and the guard, and all the people of the land; and they brought down the king from the house of the Lord, and came by the way of the gate of the guard,
the chief entrance to the royal palace, to the king's house. And he sat on the throne of the kings, as acknowledged ruler of the kingdom of Judah.

v. 20. And all the people of the land rejoiced, and the city was in quiet. And they slew Athaliah with the sword beside the king's house,
none of her adherents daring to resent her execution or to venture a hostile demonstration.

v. 21. Seven years old was Jehoash when he began to reign.
The last member of the house of Ahab was now removed, and the legitimate authority of the house of David was restored. The Church of God usually emerges from persecutions intended to take her last strength filled with new power and zeal for the pure Word and Sacraments.