þ 3. e The Book of the Law, which he put into the Kings ad, to mind him of his Duty at his entrance upon his Kingdom, whic was to Read and Write out that Holy Book, Devt:17:18. and to Go- vern himſelf and his Kingdom by it ; the Law of God being fre» quently and moſt properly called a Teſtimony, as Pſal:$:78: 5:and 132- 12. Iſa $:16,20. See alſo Deut: 6: 17, 20. 2 Amgs 23: 3. becauſe it 1s a Witneſs of Gods Will, and Man's Duty. # As they uſed to do un
doubrful caſes, when there was any competition or queſtion about the Crown, as now there was.
13 © And when Atkalizh heard the noiſe of the guard, and of the people &, ſhe came to the people / into the temple of the LORD m. : i
k Who came thither upon the hearing of the Noiſe and Tidings ; of what was done, 1 To onquire into the Cauſe of this great Noiſe ; being hitherto kept in deep Ignorance, partly, becauſe it was managed with ſo much Secreſic.and in the Temple : and part- ly,becauſe the People univerſally hated her,&wiſhed her downfall. *n 2. e. Into the Courts : whither by Jehoiadah's Dire&tion ſhe was permitted to enter, though contrary to his general Order. wer. 8. that ſo he might draw her into his Net. :
14 And when ſhe looked, behold, the king ſtood by a pillar || as the manner was, and the princes and the trumpeters by the king, and all the peopie of the land rejoyced, and blew with trumpets : and Achaliah rent
of the LORD «a all his days, wherein Jehoiada the Prieſt inftructed him.
a To wit, for the matter of it, though not with an honeſt and ſincere mind, but only by the influence of his good Tutor and Reſtorer, as the words here following plainly imply
Bur the high places were not taken away 6 : the
people ſtill ſacrificed, and burnt incenſe in the high
places c.
bTo which the people were ſo fondly & ſtrangely addifted,that the foregoing Kings, though men of riper years, and great power and courage, and finally ſettled in their Thrones, could not take them away ; and therefore ir is not'ſtrange if 7eho/ads could nor now remove them, when the King was very young and tender,and not well ſettled in his Kingdom, and when the people were more moves and diſorderly through A4thaliah's male-Adminiſtration.
c To God.
C And Jehoafh ſaid*o the prieſts 4, * All the mo- * Chap, ney of the || + dedecated things e thar is brought f into |{, +, , the houſe of the LOR D,eves ||the money of every man pug, * is ſet at g, and all the money that F cometh into any t Heb4j. mans heart h to bring into the houſe of the LORD, ine.
4 Remembering that he owed his preſervation & reſtauration to Or. and, the Temple, and that he was made by God the Guardian of his fl a Temple and Worihip,and that he had covenanted to be ſo,he now Fe money takes care to repair it. e This may be, Either, Firſt, The general f deſignation of the Money,the particulars whereof here follow. Or - 5of rather, Secondly, A ſpecial branch of it,the Money which had been 7” eſtian
her clothes, and cried, Treaſon, treaſon.
| Poſſibly by one of the two famous Pillars of theTemple;of which ſee 1 Kings7:21. nigh unto which the Throne was erre&ted. If it be ſaid, That none but Prieſts might come hither : I anſwer, ordinarily they mighr not :but the King being a Sacred Perſon,e'pecially upon ſuch extraordinary occaſions might be there. Or,upon » ſcaffold. poſ- ſibly that Brazen Scaffold which $So/omon ereQed, 2 Chron: 6: 13.and left there for ſuch purpoſes. See 2 Kings 23: 3. :
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 » : and him that followeth her s, kill with the ſword : for the prieſt had ſaid, Lether ;otbeſlain in the houſe of cheLORD p.
m Of theſe Companies of Levites, who are elſewhere called the Lords Hoſt, and now were the Kings Hoff. » Of which, ſee above, wer. 8. If the will not go out of them of her own accord, force her out «f them. o If any of the People come hither upon this occaſion, ſhall ſtand up for her help- p i. e. In the Court of the Temple, leſt it be polluted with her Blood.
16 And they laid hands on her q,and ſhe went by the way by which the horſes came into the king's houſe 7,
and there was ſheſlain 5s.
g Or, they gave her ſpace or room,to wit,to go out of the Court of theTemple,and did not keep her within it,as they could have done. Or, they appointed bands for her * they ordered two Bands of the Le- wvites to follow her,and kill her. » By the great and publick Road in which Horſes and Chariots went to the Palace. s In an ignomi- nious place and manner ; as her Mother Jezebel had been. ,
17 T And Jehoiada made a Covenaat between the LORD.and the king,and the people ?, that they ſhould be the LORD's people ; between the king alſo and the people «; |
e A SacredCovenant, whereby he ſolemnly ingaged both the King, and People,as it here follows,that they ſhould be the Lords People ; i. e. Thar they ſhould renounce,and root out all Idolatry,and ſer up and maintain Gods true Worſhip. Comp. 2 Kings:23.10« u This wasa Civil Covenant, whereby the King engaged himſelf to Rule them ju/Hy and in the fear of God ; and the People obliged themſelves to Defend and Obey him. Comp. 2 Sam: 5; 3.
18And all che people of the land went into the houſe
_ of Baal,. and brake it down, his altars and his images
brake they in pieces chroughly, and ſlew Mattan the Prieſt of Baal before the altar x : and the prieſt appoin- red officers | over the houſe of the LORD y.
z To which poſſibly he fled forRefuge:or rather, he was brought thither as a fit Sacrifice to his God, » Of which ſee more parti- cularly, 2 Chron. 23: 18, 19.
\* I9 And he took the rulers over hundreds, and the captains of the guard, and all che 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 z et the kings houſe, and he fat on the throne of the ings. 3 e. By the Gate of the Royal Palace,where the Kings Guard
ood.
20 And all the people of the land rejoyced, and the City was in quiet ; and they flew Athaliah with the ſword b:/5de the kings houſe.
22 Seven years old was Jehoaſh when he began to
reign. CHAP. XIL Jehoaſb reigneth well all the days of Jehoiada : He giveth order for the repair of the Temple, 1 16. He diverteth Hazaecl from Jeruſalem,
by a preſent of the hallowed Treaſures : He is flain by his ſervants ; 4- maziah ſucceedeth him, 17 = 2s