Verse-by-Verse Bible Commentary
2 Chronicles 23:20

Bridgeway Bible Commentary

Jezebel’s Baalism in Judah (21:1-23:21)

The Baalism of Ahab and Jezebel remained strong in the northern kingdom during the successive reigns of their sons Ahaziah and Joram (2 Kings 1:1-15). It spread to Judah in the reign of Jehoshaphat’s son Jehoram, who was married to Athaliah, the daughter of Ahab and Jezebel (21:1-20; see notes on 2 Kings 8:16-24).

Judah’s next king, Ahaziah, at the direction of his mother Athaliah and her northern relatives, cooperated with the idolatrous northern kingdom, and as a result met an early death (22:1-9; see notes on 2 Kings 8:25-29; 2 Kings 9:21-29; 2 Kings 10:12-14). The kings of both Judah and Israel were killed by Jehu, whose anti-Baal revolution in the northern kingdom is recorded in 2 Kings 9:1-36.

Upon the king of Judah’s death, Athaliah seized the throne for herself. She ruled for six years, during which she did all within her power to establish the northern Baalism of her parents in Judah. But the priests and Levites remained faithful to God. The Levites were the temple guards, and the writer emphasizes the part they played (in cooperation with the palace guards) in getting rid of Athaliah and restoring the throne to the Davidic dynasty. The Chronicler also points out that although the coup took place in the temple grounds, no one except the priests and Levites entered the temple buildings. People still had to respect the temple’s holiness (22:10-23:21; see notes on 2 Kings 11:1-20). The death of Athaliah marked the end of Jezebel’s Baalism in Judah.

Coffman's Commentaries on the Bible

JOASH WAS ESTABLISHED AS THE YOUNG KING OF JUDAH

“And Jehoiada made a covenant between himself, and all the people, and the king, that they should be Jehovah’s people. And 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. And Jehoiada appointed the officers of the house of Jehovah under the hand of the priests the Levites, whom David had distributed in the house of Jehovah, to offer the burnt-offerings of Jehovah, as it is written in the law of Moses, with rejoicing and with singing, according to the order of David. And he set the porters at the gates of the house of Jehovah, that none that was unclean in anything should enter in. 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 Jehovah: and they came through the upper gate unto the king’s house, and set the king upon t he throne of the kingdom. So all the people of the land rejoiced, and the city was quiet. And Athaliah they had slain with the sword.”

This whole chapter, along with the last three verses of the previous chapter, is parallel with 2 Kings 11. In my commentary on 2 Kings, I have written 10 pages of comments about these events, and I do not wish to add anything else here. See pp. 139-148 of my commentary in that volume. There are a few unimportant variations, but the narratives are essentially identical.

Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible

The high gate - See 2 Kings 11:19 note.

Dr. Constable's Expository Notes

G. Athaliah ch. 23

The Chronicler did not have much interest in Athaliah because she was not of the Davidic line; she was the daughter of Ahab. His concern in this chapter was with the events that brought the next Davidic king to the throne: Joash.

Instead of protecting the temple, as had all the good kings of Judah so far, Joash enjoyed protection in the temple. The temple was a visual symbol of the continuity of the Davidic dynasty. Even though there was no visible king during Athaliah’s usurpation, the temple reminded the people that God would fulfill His promise to David of an unbroken royal line.

Many years later, the returned exiles were in a similar situation. A Davidic king was not on the throne in their day, but the rebuilt temple gave hope that a successor to David would again sit on his throne. In their day, they could not set a king on their throne, because they were no longer a sovereign nation but only a province of the Persian Empire. Evidently the people had already rebuilt the temple when the Chronicler wrote this book (cf. 2 Chronicles 5:9). Clearly the restoration community’s hope of the fulfillment of the promise God made to David centered on the temple. As long as they had permission to rebuild the temple, there was hope that someday a successor to David might rule over them again. The temple was in that sense the protector of the promise to David, both in Athaliah’s day and in the Chronicler’s day.

The public presentation of Joash recalls the anointing of Solomon, which ended Adonijah’s vain attempt to succeed David (1 Kings 1:39-40; 1 Kings 1:45-46).

Jehoiada’s reforms indicated the extent to which Judah had departed from God’s ordained worship (2 Chronicles 23:16-17). Jehoiada was the Chronicler’s ideal high priest. [Note: Thompson, p. 313.] It is interesting to read that the popular reaction to Athaliah’s death was joy (2 Chronicles 23:21).

"All the people of the land rejoiced, a characteristic response found in Chronicles whenever the Lord’s will was being followed." [Note: Ibid., p. 311.]

The flame of love for Yahweh burned low, but it was still alive among His people. In the absence of a king, the Lord raised up the high priest as Judah’s spiritual leader.

"The story of Athaliah, like that of Jehoram and Ahaziah, is a testimony to the ephemeral and ultimately illusory character of brute power exercised in a self-serving way." [Note: McConville, p. 206.]

Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible

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Henry's Complete Commentary on the Bible

      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 music, 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.   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.   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.   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.

      Here we have, I. The people pleased, 2 Chronicles 23:12; 2 Chronicles 23:13. When the king stood at his pillar, whose right it was to stand there, all the people of the land rejoiced to see a rod sprung out of the stem of Jesse,Isaiah 11:1. When it seemed a withered root in a dry ground, to see what they despaired of ever seeing--a king of the house of David, what a pleasing surprise was it to them! They ran in transports of joy to see this sight, praised the king, and praised God, for they had with them such as taught to sing praise.

      II. Athaliah slain. She ran upon the point of the sword of justice; for, imagining her interest much better than it was, she ventured into the house of the Lord at that time, and cried, Treason, treason! But nobody seconded her, or sided with her. The pride of her heart deceived her. She thought all her own, whereas none were cordially so. Jehoiada, as protector in the king's minority, ordered her to be slain (2 Chronicles 23:14; 2 Chronicles 23:14), which was done immediately (2 Chronicles 23:15; 2 Chronicles 23:15), only care was taken that she should not be slain in the house of the Lord, that sacred place must not be so far disgraced, nor that wicked woman so far honoured.

      III. The original contract agreed to, 2 Chronicles 23:16; 2 Chronicles 23:16. In the Kings it is said that Jehoiada made a covenant between the Lord, the people, and the king, 2 Kings 11:17. Here it is said to be between himself, the people, and the king; for he, as God's priest, was his representative in this transaction, or a sort of mediator, as Moses was. The indenture was tripartite, but the true intent and meaning of the whole was that they should be the Lord's people. God covenanted by Jehoiada to take them for his people; the king and people covenanted with him to be his; and then the king covenanted with the people to govern them as the people of God, and the people with the king to be subject to him as the Lord's people, in his fear and for his sake. Let us look upon ourselves and one another as the Lord's people, and this will have a powerful influence upon us in the discharge of all our duty both to God and man.

      IV. Baal destroyed, 2 Chronicles 23:17; 2 Chronicles 23:17. They would not have done half their work if they had only destroyed the usurper of the king's right, and not the usurper of God's right--if they had asserted the honour of the throne, and not that of the altar. The greatest grievance of Athaliah's reign was the bringing in of the worship of Baal, and supporting of that; therefore that must be abolished in the first place. Down with Baal's house, his altars, his images; down with them all, and let the blood of his priests be mingled with his sacrifices; for God had commanded that seducers to idolatry should be put to death, Deuteronomy 13:5; Deuteronomy 13:6.

      V. The temple service revived, 2 Chronicles 23:18; 2 Chronicles 23:19. This had been neglected in the last reigns, the priest and people wanting either power or zeal to keep it up when they had princes that were disaffected to it. But Jehoiada restored the offices of the house of the Lord, which in the late times had been disturbed and invaded, to the proper course and proper hands. 1. He appointed the priests to their courses, for the due offering of sacrifices, according to the law of Moses. 2. The singers to theirs, according to the appointment of David. The sacrifices (it should seem) were offered with rejoicing and singing, and with good reason. We joy in God when we receive the atonement,Romans 5:11. 3. The porters were put in their respective posts as David ordered (2 Chronicles 23:19; 2 Chronicles 23:19), and their office was to take care that none who were upon any account ceremonially unclean should be admitted into the courts of the temple.

      VI. The civil government re-established, 2 Chronicles 23:20; 2 Chronicles 23:20. They brought the king in state to his own palace, and set him upon the throne of the kingdom, to give law, and give judgment, either in his own person or by Jehoiada his tutor. Thus was this happy revolution perfected. The generality of the people rejoiced in it, and the rest were quiet and made no opposition, 2 Chronicles 23:21; 2 Chronicles 23:21. When the Son of David is enthroned in the soul all is quiet and springs of joy are opened.