Now when Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead, she arose and destroyed all the royal offspring of the house of Judah. But Jehoshabeath, the king’s daughter, took Joash the son of Ahaziah, and stealthily rescued him from among the king’s sons who were slain, and put him and his nurse in the bedroom. So Jehoshabeath, the daughter of king Jehoram, the wife of Jehoiada the priest (for she was the sister of Ahaziah), hid him from Athaliah, so that she didn’t kill him. He was with them hidden in God’s house six years while Athaliah reigned over the land.
Parallel Translations
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Now when Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead, she arose and destroyed all the royal offspring of the house of Judah.
But Jehoshabeath, the king’s daughter, took Joash the son of Ahaziah, and stealthily rescued him from among the king’s sons who were slain, and put him and his nurse in the bedroom. So Jehoshabeath, the daughter of king Jehoram, the wife of Jehoiada the priest (for she was the sister of Ahaziah), hid him from Athaliah, so that she didn’t kill him.
He was with them hidden in God’s house six years while Athaliah reigned over the land.
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But when Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead, she arose and destroyed all the seed royal of the house of Judah.
But Jehoshabeath, the daughter of the king, took Joash the son of Ahaziah, and stole him from among the king’s sons that were slain, and put him and his nurse in a bedchamber. So Jehoshabeath, the daughter of king Jehoram, the wife of Jehoiada the priest, (for she was the sister of Ahaziah,) hid him from Athaliah, so that she slew him not.
And he was with them hid in the house of God six years: and Athaliah reigned over the land.
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Now when Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead, she arose and destroyed all the seed royal of the house of Judah.
But Jehoshabeath, the daughter of the king, took Joash the son of Ahaziah, and stole him away from among the king's sons that were slain, and put him and his nurse in the bed-chamber. So Jehoshabeath, the daughter of king Jehoram, the wife of Jehoiada the priest — for she was the sister of Ahaziah — hid him from Athaliah, so that she slew him not.
And he was with them hid in the house of God six years; and Athaliah reigned over the land.
Cross-references (19)
- 2 Kings 11:1-3 (v10) Now when Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead, she arose and destroyed all the royal offspring. But Jehosheba, the…
- 2 Samuel 7:13 (v11) He will build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.
- 1 Kings 15:4 (v11) Nevertheless for David’s sake, Yahweh his God gave him a lamp in Jerusalem, to set up his son after him, and to establish Jerusalem;
- 2 Kings 11:2 (v11) But Jehosheba, the daughter of king Joram, sister of Ahaziah, took Joash the son of Ahaziah, and stole him away from among the king’s sons…
- 2 Chronicles 21:7 (v11) However Yahweh would not destroy David’s house, because of the covenant that he had made with David, and as he promised to give a lamp to…
Show all 19 cross-references
- 2 Chronicles 22:2-4 (v10) Ahaziah was forty-two years old when he began to reign, and he reigned one year in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Athaliah the daughter…
- 2 Chronicles 23:1 (v11) In the seventh year, Jehoiada strengthened himself, and took the captains of hundreds, Azariah the son of Jeroham, Ishmael the son of…
- Psalms 12:8 (v12) The wicked walk on every side, when what is vile is exalted among the sons of men.
- Psalms 27:5 (v12) For in the day of trouble, he will keep me secretly in his pavilion. In the secret place of his tabernacle, he will hide me. He will lift…
- Psalms 33:10 (v11) Yahweh brings the counsel of the nations to nothing. He makes the thoughts of the peoples to be of no effect.
- Psalms 73:14 (v12) For all day long I have been plagued, and punished every morning.
- Psalms 73:18-19 (v12) Surely you set them in slippery places. You throw them down to destruction. How they are suddenly destroyed! They are completely swept away…
- Psalms 76:10 (v11) Surely the wrath of man praises you. The survivors of your wrath are restrained.
- Proverbs 21:30 (v11) There is no wisdom nor understanding nor counsel against Yahweh.
- Isaiah 65:8 (v11) Yahweh says, “As the new wine is found in the cluster, and one says, ‘Don’t destroy it, for a blessing is in it:’ so I will do for my…
- Jeremiah 12:1 (v12) You are righteous, Yahweh, when I contend with you; yet I would like to reason the cause with you. Why does the way of the wicked prosper?…
- Ezekiel 40:45-46 (v11) He said to me, “This room, which faces toward the south, is for the priests, the keepers of the duty of the house. The room which faces…
- Habakkuk 1:12 (v12) Aren’t you from everlasting, Yahweh my God, my Holy One? We will not die. Yahweh, you have appointed him for judgment. You, Rock, have…
- Acts 4:28 (v11) to do whatever your hand and your council foreordained to happen.
Cross-references from openbible.info (CC BY 4.0)
Explain this passage (15 sources)
Historical commentary, presented as a primary source — not an endorsement.
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Geneva Bible translators 1599 · Public Domain On vv10, 12 To the intent that there should be none to…
To the intent that there should be none to make title to the crown, and so she might usurp the government.
Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain.
John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain On vv10–11 2Ch 22:10 But when Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah…
2Ch 22:10 But when Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead, she arose and destroyed all the seed royal of the house of Judah.
Ver. 10. But when Athaliah.] See 2Ki 11:1.
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Destroyed all the seed royal.] Such another wicked woman was the mother of King Edward, called the martyr, whom she basely butchered; and because his brother Ethelred, who succeeded him, being but ten years of age, mourned for him, his mother was so enraged thereat, that taking wax candles which were readiest at hand, therewith she scorched him so sore, that he could never after endure wax candles to be burnt before him. {a}
{a} Mr Clark’s Martyrol., p. 31.
John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Matthew Poole 1685 · Public Domain On v10 Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah: this, and 2Ch 22:11,12,…
Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah: this, and 2Ch 22:11,12, are explained on 2Ki 11:1-3.
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Matthew Henry 1710 · Public Domain On v10 We have here what we had before, Kg2 11:1,…
We have here what we had before, Kg2 11:1, etc. 1. A wicked woman endeavouring to destroy the house of David, that she might set up a throne for herself upon the ruins of it. Athaliah barbarously cut off all the seed-royal (Ch2 22:10), perhaps intending to transmit the crown of Judah after herself to some of her own relations, that though her family was cut off in Israel by Jehu it might be planted in Judah. 2. A good woman effectually preserving it from being wholly extirpated. One of the late king's sons, a child of a year old, was rescued from among the dead, and saved alive by the care of Jehoiada's wife (Ch2 22:11, Ch2 22:12), that a lamp might be ordained for God's anointed; for no word of God shall fall to the ground.
Matthew Henry's Commentary on the Whole Bible (1708–1710) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain On vv10, 12 Verse 10. All the seed royal of the house…
Verse 10. All the seed royal of the house of Judah] Nothing but the miraculous intervention of the Divine providence could have saved the line of David at this time, and preserved the prophecy relative to the Messiah. The whole truth of that prophecy, and the salvation of the world, appeared to be now suspended on the brittle thread of the life of an infant of a year old, (see 2Ch 24:1,) to destroy whom was the interest of the reigning power! But God can save by few as well as by many. He had purposed, and vain were the counter-exertions of earth and hell.
Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Joseph Benson 1811 · Public Domain On v10 2Ch 22:10. But when Athaliah, &c. — This and…
2Ch 22:10. But when Athaliah, &c. — This and 2Ch 22:11-12, are explained 2Ki 11:1-3.
Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Albert Barnes 1834 · Public Domain On v10 Compare the marginal reference and notes.
Compare the marginal reference and notes.
Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary 1859 · Public Domain On vv10–11 All, except Joas, (v. 11., and 4 K. xi.…
All, except Joas, (v. 11., and 4 K. xi. 1.; C.) ninety-five years after Solomon’s death. Mariana) D.
George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown 1871 · Public Domain On vv10, 12 ATHALIAH, DESTROYING THE SEED ROYAL SAVE JOASH, USURPS THE…
ATHALIAH, DESTROYING THE SEED ROYAL SAVE JOASH, USURPS THE KINGDOM. (Ch2 22:10-12)
Athaliah . . . arose and destroyed all the seed royal--(See on Kg2 11:1-3). Maddened by the massacre of the royal family of Ahab, she resolved that the royal house of David should have the same fate. Knowing the commission which Jehu had received to extirpate the whole of Ahab's posterity, she expected that he would extend his sword to her. Anticipating his movements, she resolved, as her only defense and security, to usurp the throne and destroy "the seed royal," both because they were hostile to the Phœnician worship of Baal, which she was determined to uphold, and because, if one of the young princes became king, his mother would supersede Athaliah in the dignity of queen mother.
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain On vv10–12 10–12 (= 2Ki_11:1-3). The Reign of Athaliah
10–12 (= 2Ki_11:1-3). The Reign of Athaliah
10. But when] R.V. Now when.
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destroyed] This is the reading of Kings and of the LXX. of Chron. The Heb. reads spake with, which is perhaps a euphemism; cp. the English “deal with.”
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers 1878 · Public Domain On vv10–12 ATHALIAH SEIZES THE GOVERNMENT (2Ch_22:10-12).
ATHALIAH SEIZES THE GOVERNMENT (2Ch_22:10-12).
(Comp. 2Ki_11:1-3.)
Read full note →
(10) But when Athaliah.—See 2Ki_11:1, with which this verse nearly coincides.
Destroyed.—So Kings and some Hebrew MSS., and all the versions. Hebrew text, she spake, a mistake of some scribe.
All the seed royal.—Even after the massacres described in 2Ch_22:1; 2Ch_22:8, there would doubtless be left a number of persons more or less nearly connected with the royal family, besides the immediate offspring of Ahaziah, who are, in the first instance, intended by this phrase.
A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Pulpit Commentary 1880 · Public Domain On vv10–12 But when Athaliah. For parallel to the end of…
But when Athaliah. For parallel to the end of the chapter, see 2Ki_11:1-3. The words, of the house of Judah, are here carefully supplied, wanting in parallel.
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Biblical Illustrator 1887 · Public Domain On v12 And Athaliah reigned over the land.
2Ch_22:12
And Athaliah reigned over the land.
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The evil effects of royal marriages
A distinguished authority on European history is fond of pointing to the evil effects of royal marriages as one of the chief drawbacks to the monarchical system of government. A crown may at any time devolve upon a woman, and by her marriage with a powerful reigning prince her country may virtually be subjected to a foreign yoke. If it happens that the new sovereign professes a different religion from that of his wifes subjects, the evils arising from the marriage are seriously aggravated. Some such fate befell the Netherlands as the result of the marriage of Mary of Burgundy with the Emperor Maximilian, and England was only saved from the danger of transference to Catholic dominion by the caution and patriotism of Queen Elizabeth. Athaliahs usurpation was a bold attempt to reverse the usual process and transfer the husbands dominions to the authority of faith of the wifes family. It is probable that Athaliahs permanent success would have led to the absorption of Judah in the northern kingdom. Our own history furnishes numerous illustrations of the evil influences that come in the train of foreign queens. Edward II suffered grievously at the hands of his French queen; Henry VI.s wife, Margaret of Anjou, contributed considerably to the prolonged bitterness of the struggle between York and Lancaster; and to Henry VIIIs marriage with Catherine of Aragon the country owed the miseries and persecutions inflicted by Mary Tudor. But no foreign queen of England has had the opportunities for mischief that were enjoyed and fully utilised by Athaliah. The peace and honour and prosperity of godly families in all ranks of life have been disturbed, and often destroyed, by the marriage of one of their members with a woman of alien spirit mad temperament. (W. H. Bennett, M.A.)
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The Biblical Illustrator, edited by Joseph S. Exell (c. 1880s–1900s) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
unfoldingWord translationNotes 2017 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On v10 she arose and killed all the royal children
she arose and killed all the royal children
Here the writer speaks of Athaliah as if she killed the children herself, but the reader should understand that she would have ordered her servants to kill them. AT: "she commanded her servants to kill all the royal children" (See: Metonymy)
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all the royal children
This refers only to the males, because they could become king. Verse 11 confirms that the sons were the ones who were killed. (See: Assumed Knowledge and Implicit Information)
the house of Judah
The word "house" is a metonym for the family that lives in the house. In this case, it refers to the kingdom of Judah. AT: "Judah" or "the kingdom of Judah" (See: Metonymy)
Jehosheba, a daughter of the king, ... a daughter of King Jehoram
Here "the king" refers to Jehoram, the father of Ahaziah. (See: How to Translate Names)
his nurse
This refers to a person who cares for a child, not to a medical person.
into a bedroom
Verse 12 makes it clear that this bedroom was located in the temple. Jehosheba could access that room because she was married to Jehoiada who was a priest.
Jehoiada
This is a man's name. (See: How to Translate Names)
He was with them
"Joash was with Jehosheba and Jehoiada"
translationWords
Athaliah
die
king
priest
house of God
reign
unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.
Tyndale Open Study Notes 2022 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On v10 22:10-12 Athaliah was never regarded as a legitimate monarch;…
22:10-12 Athaliah was never regarded as a legitimate monarch; she was given no royal formula of age or length of reign as were other rulers. Her destruction of the rest of Judah’s royal family concentrated on potential male successors; those who were ineligible to reign, such as Ahaziah’s sister, survived the slaughter. Jehosheba was Ahaziah’s half sister, the daughter of King Jehoram by a wife other than Athaliah. The six years of Athaliah’s reign were from 841 to 835 BC.
Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.