The Pulpit Commentary — 2 Kings — Section 188

in Chroniclos (2 Ohron; xxiii. 5) "the gate dreda-i.e. the five centurions of the guard, of the foundation" (iio: 1)1~) instead of Azari11h the son of Jerohe.m, Azariah the "the gate of Bur" (1101]1~), as-here-the one eon of Obed, Ishmael, Mo.aseiah, and Eli- rending having evidently nrisen out of the shap~o.t-did according to all things that other by a corruption. We must understand J'eho1e.da the priest oomme.nded, The Becnle.r one of the palace gates, but whirh of them e.rm placed itself entirelv at the disposal of is uncertain. And e. third pa.rt e.t the ga.te the spiritualty, e.nd was content for once to behind the guard; called in ver. 19 "the b~ subordinate. And they took every man gate of the gmLrd," e.nd shown there to have his men that were to come in on the ee.bbe.th been on the east side of the pe.le.ce, where with them that should go out on the ae.bbe.th' it faced the temple, e.nd a.butted on the e.nd came to J'ehoiade. the priest. Th; Tymproon. Bo shall ye keep the watoh of position of Jehoiada as high priest (" the the house-i.e. of the "king's house," or priest" al ways means "high priest") ha.d po.lace, which is contro.sted with the "house not been previously mentioned, probably of the Lord " of the next verse-that it be because it was presumed to be known. The not broken down. Thin rendering is scarcely Chronicler, writing much later, gives Je- e.ecepted at the present time by any writers. hoio.da the title on the first occo.aion that he Ewe.Id renders, " according to custom ; " mentions him (2 Chron. x:rii. 11). When Keil, "for defence;" Fiirst, "alternately;" it is said that "all the captains took their our Revisers, "and be e. barrier." The men and came to JehoiaJa," the intention Hebrew word used occurs nowhere else, e.nd ie to mark their exact obedience to the it seems impossible to determine its sense. orders given them. Strictly speaking, only The LXX. simply omit it. two out of the five actually appeared before Ver. 7.-And two pa.rts of e.11 you that go Jehoiade. on the day of the execution of his forth on the se.bbe.th. Three-fifths of the project, two divisions only having beeu gu11rd having been disposed of about the BUm.moned to come to the temple (ver. 7). palace, there remained only two-fifths, or two The other three took up the positions "companies" (margin of Authorized Ver- assig-ned them in e.nd about the royal po.lace. sion). These Jehoie.da commanded to enter Ver. 10.-And to the oapte.ins over hun- the tP.mple e.nd protect the young king. dreds did the priest give King David's spears Even they shall keep the we.toh of the house e.nd shields, that were in the temple of the of the Lord about the king. According to Lord. We hear of David carrying with him Ohronicles (2 Chron. xxiii. 7), the great body to Jerusalem the "shields of gold," i.e. of the Levites gathered from the cities of shields ornamented with gold, which he Judah we.a aleo to be in the temple, and to took from the servants of Hade.dezer (2 Se.m. assist in the protection of the monarch. viii. 7) ; but otherwise we are not told of Ver. 8.-And ye she.11 oompe.es the king his establishing an armoury. Solomon me.de round a.bout; every man with his wee.pons six hundred shields of solid gold, and laid in his hand. The guard we.a to take up a them up in the house of the forest of position, P!lltly. in ~rout of the king, and Lebanon (1 Kings x. 17); but these were partly behmd h1m; mterposing themsel vee co.rried off by Sheshonk, when he invaded between hie person and any danger, and at Judme. in the reign of Rehoboe.m (1 Kings the so.me time extending themselves across xiv. 26). Rehoboe.m, in their place, made the entire court of the temple (ver. 11) from three hundred brazen shields (1 Kings xiv. one wall to the other. They were, of course, 27), which, however, were deposited in the to have their weapons in their hands, ready guard-chamber of the royal pa.lace. Of for use. And he that oometh within the spears collected by David, e.nJ la.id up in ranges, let him be ale.in; mther, toithin the the temple, we know nothing beyond the ranks. The order was that if e.ny one . present passage. There can be little doubt entered the temple, and attempted to bre11k that the wee.pons were brought foith from through tho ranks of the guMd, either in their receptacle with the view (us Ewe.Id front of the king or behind him, he shouh.l says) of "consecrating the work of the instrmtly be put to deo.th. No nttempt of restoration of the David.io house with tha the kind we.a me.de; and so the order re- ea.creel 11rms of the great founder himself,. m11ined B de11d letter. And be ye with the (see 'History of Israel,' vol. iv. p. 136)-not, king ae he goeth out and e.a he oometh in· however, with arms that he had worn, but accompany him, i.e. in all his movements___..'. with eome which he had collected e.nd le.id let him never for a moment etruy outside up. your ranks-continue to surround him Ver. 11.-And the guard stood, every 111&11 whithersoever he goos. Boys a.re restless, with his wee.pone in his hand, round e.boui nnd curiosity would lead the young prince the king, from the right oorner of the temple to move from pl11oe to plCLce in order to see to the left oorner of the temple. "Comer" wh1.1t was going on. is a wrong word used in this connection. Ver. 9.-And the oe.ptaine over the hun- The Hebrow ~!)~ is literally, "shoulder,"  230 THE SECOND BOOK OF THE KINGS. [oH. XL 1-21,