The Pulpit Commentary — 2 Kings — Section 189

n.nd must me1tn here, not "comer," but noise of the guard (comp. 1 Kings i. 41-45, "side " (so our Re,·isers). The gue.rd Wits where the noise accompanying the corona- dra ,rn up right across the temple court from tion of Solomon was heard to an equal dis- wnll to wall, probe.bly in several ranks, both tance) and of the people. The "o.nd," whioh before and behind the king (see ver. 8). is omitted in the present Hebrew text, may Along by the altar. The" altar" intended be supplied by a very slight altero.tion. We is, of course, the altar of burnt offering, have only to read Cif::11 '¥':;, for oN r~,:;,- which stood in the great court, a little w&y an emendation rendered almost certain by from the porch, right in front of it; not the the fa.et that the plural in ]'- does not be- altar of in<'ense, whic.h was inside the sanctuary. No one, it must be remembered, long to the date of the writer of Kings. was ever allowed to enter inside ihe BRDC- She oame to the people into the temple of tue.ry but the priests and officiating Levites the Lord. It was not her he.bit to enter the (see 2 Chron. xxiii. 6). And the temple. temple on the sabbe.th, or on any other day; " The temple" is here the sanctuary, e.s in but, hearing the noise, she hurried across the pe.ssage of Chronicles just q noted. The from the palace to learn its cause. It would guard occupied a position at the upper end seem that she was still unsuspicious of of the court, immediately in front of the danger, and brought no guards with her, nor altar and the temple porch. any forge body of attendants. Ver. 12.-And he-i.e. Jehoiada-brought Ver. 14.-And when she looked, behold, forth the king's son-produ<'ed him, i.e., the king stood by a pillar; rather, on the from the chamber or chambers where he had pillar, or on the raised platform. The king's been conoea.led hitherto. (On the temple proper place in the temple seems to have chambers, see N eh. :riii. 4-9.) And put the been a raised standing-place (11Epn, from crown upon him. That the Israelite kings ibr, to stand) in front of the enkance to actually wore crowns appears from 2 Sam.. i. the sanctuary, which me.de him very con- 10 and 1 Cbron. =· 2. The crown was pro- spicuous ( comp. eh. uiii. 3; 2 Chron. xxiii. bably a band of gold, either plain or set with 13, a.nd x:xxiv. 31). As the manner was- jewels (Zech. iL 16), fastened behind with a i.e. as was the usual practice when kings riband. It receives here the same name that visited the temple-and the prinoes-i.e. is given to the high priest's diadem in Ex:od. the centurions or captains of the guard- xxix. 6 and xxxiL 30. And gave him the and the trumpeters by the king-the officials testimony. The worde "gave him" are not whose business it was to Q.low the trumpet in the origine.l., and are euper:lluoua. What at a coronation (see 2 Sam. xv. 10; l Kings is meant plainly is that the high priest i 39; ix. 13)-and all the people of the land laid on the young king's head a copy of the rejoiced, and blew with trumpets; i.e. the Law, or of some essential portion of it, per- people who had been admitted into the haps the Decalogue, which is often called great court to witness the coronation. Some "the testimony" (Exod. xvi. 34; xxv. 16, rumour of what was about to occur had got 21, etc.). The object apparently was to abroad, and many of the people had pro- show that the king was to rule by law, not vided themselves with trumpets. As Dean arbitrarily-that he wa.s to be, as Dean Stanley puts it, " The temple court was Stanley says, "not above, but beneath, the crowded with spectators, and they too took law of his country'' ('Jewish Church,' voL part in the celebration, and themselves pro- ii. p. 397). The ceremony seeIDB to have longed the trumpet-blast, blended with the been a new one, and is indicative of the musical instruments of the temple service." gradual curtailment of the regal power And Atb.e.liah rent her clothes. Atbe.lie.h under the later monarchy. And they made took in e.11 with a single glance. She "saw him king, and anointed him. A change is that the fate.I hour was come" (Stanley). made from the singular to the plure.l, be- With e. strong hand she rent her royal robes, eo.use, as we learn from 2 Chron. uiii. ll, partly in horror, partly in despair; for the "Jehoie.da. and llu sons anointed him." We single glance which she had east around Lo.ve had no mention of the anointing of 11, was sufficient to show her that e.U was new monarch in Judah since the time of lost. And cried, Treason l Tree.son! or, Solomon (1 Kings i. 39). It may, however, conspiracy! conBpiracy I The cry was i,e.ve been the usual practice. And they- scarcely an appeal for help, as Josephus i£. the people-all who were preseat- makes it(' Ant. Jud.,' ix. 7. § 3), but rather clapped their hands-an ordino.ry sign of an instinctive utterauce, without distinct joy (see Ps. xlvii 1; xcviii. 8; Isa. Iv. 12; aim or object, wruag from her under the !';ah. iii. 19, ctc.)-e.nd Hid, God save the circumstances. It fell dead on the n.ssom bly. ~ ! literally, long li1J~ the ldng_ I (<J?mp. Ver. 15.-But Jehoiada the prieot com- l , a.m. L 24 ; 2 Sam. xvi. 16 ; I Kings 1. 25, manded the oapte.ins-literally, princeB-ot 39). the hundreds, the oflloersofthehost-the com- Ver. 13.-And when Athaliah heard the manders, i.e.. of the small" army" assembled OR, XI. 1-21.] THE SECOND BOOK OF THE KINGS. 231