2 Chronicles 23:11

2Ch 23:11 Then they brought out the king’s son, and put upon him the crown, and [gave him] the testimony, and made him king. And Jehoiada and his sons anointed him, and said, God save the king.

Ver. 11. Then they brought out the king’s son.] See 2Ki 11:12.

And Jehoiada and his sons anointed him.] Good Zechariah among the rest, who was afterwards, for his faithful discharge of his duty, put to death by this ungrateful prince. {2Ch 24:21}

And said, God save the king.] This they said out of a good and upright heart; not as Squire the traitor, in Queen Elizabeth’s days, who said cheerfully, God save the queen, and at the same time poisoned the pummel of her saddle, when she was about to ride abroad, with intent to have destroyed her. {a}

{a} Speed.

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.

2Ch 23:11. Jehoiada and his sons anointed him — Among which sons was Zechariah, whom he afterward most ungratefully slew.

Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

23:11 When the seven-year-old Joash was anointed and crowned as king, he was given a copy of the law, as the law commanded (see Deut 17:18-20).

Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

That is, the book of the Law, or as some read, they put upon him his royal apparel.

Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain. Text via Bolls.life.

Then they brought out the king's son, and put upon him the crown, and gave him the testimony--Some think that the original word rendered "testimony," as its derivation warrants, may signify here the regalia, especially the bracelet (Sa2 1:10); and this view they support on the ground that "gave him" being supplemented, the text properly runs thus, "put upon him the crown and testimony." At the same time, it seems equally pertinent to take "the testimony" in the usual acceptation of that term; and, accordingly, many are of opinion that a roll containing a copy of the law (Deu 17:18) was placed in the king's hands, which he held as a scepter or truncheon. Others, referring to a custom of Oriental people, who when receiving a letter or document from a highly respected quarter, lift it up to their heads before opening it, consider that Joash, besides the crown, had the book of the law laid upon his head (see Job 31:35-36).

God save the king--literally, "Long live the king."

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Verse 11. God save the king.] May the king live! See on 2Kg 11:12.

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

(11) Then.—And. So in 2Ch_23:14; 2Ch_23:17.

They brought out . . . and put.—2Ki_11:12 : “he (Jehoiada) brought out . . . and put.”

Put upon him the crown, and gave him the testimony.—Literally, put upon him the crown (nçzer; Exo_29:6; 2Sa_1:10) and the law (ha-’êdûth; Exo_25:21-22; Exo_31:18). Was a scroll of the ten words wrapped round the diadem, or laid on the king’s shoulder? (Comp. Vulg., “imposuerunt ei diadema testimonium dederuntque in manu ejus tenendam legem;” as if a copy of the law was solemnly presented to the newly-crowned king.)

Jehoiada and his sons.—The chronicler adds this to make it clear that it was the priests who anointed the king. (Comp. 1Ki_1:39.)

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

11. put upon him the crown, and gave him the Testimony] So LXX. and Heb. both here and in 2Ki_11:12. It was the custom that the king at his accession should give a kind of charter to his people, and so “the testimony” mentioned here was probably some document testifying to the promises which had been thus made. When the crown was put upon the head of Joash this document was bound on with it, as a sign that his subjects’ allegiance to him depended on his faithfulness towards them. The wearing of an inscription or of a document on a solemn occasion, though strange to Western thought, is not alien from Eastern methods; cp. Exo_28:36 ff.; Deu_6:6-8; Job_31:35-36. Wellhausen has a brilliant but unconvincing conjectural emendation of this passage, viz., put upon him the crown and the bracelets; cp. 2Sa_1:10. The change in Heb. is a small one, but is it certain that bracelets formed part of the royal insignia? Rashi for “the testimony” gives “the ornaments.”

Jehoiada and his sons] In Kings, “they anointed him” (without specifying the actors).

God save the king] Lit., Let the king live!

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.

CHAPTER XXIII.

Crown. Literally, "diadem." --- Testimony. This is explained in the following sentence, (H.) which is not in Hebrew nor in many Latin MSS. The Jews understand the phylaceries, Deut. xvii. 18.

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).

Jehoiada and his sons; and Zechariah among the rest, whom afterwards he ungratefully slew, 2Ch 24:21.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

Then they brought out. The parallel (ver. 12) has, "he brought out," etc. The last clause of our verse harmonizes even this simple point, indicating that the "they" designates "Jehoiada and his sons;" of which group Jehoiada himself was, of course, the greatest part. It will be noted that it is not said from what exact place Joash was brought out. Put upon him the crown and the testimony. It is quite unnecessary, at any rate, to suppose that the testimony, as well as the crown, was put on the head of Joash. It may be taken for granted that the testimony was put into his hands. (Deu_17:18-20 Deu_31:24-29) If something new and so out of the way as resting the testimony (i.e. the book of the Law) on the head were purported, it is likely that a distincter point would have been made of it. God save the king! Hebrew, yijy: "Let the king live!" (1Sa_10:24; 2Sa_16:16; 1Ki_1:25, 1Ki_1:31, 1Ki_1:34, 1Ki_1:39)

Vers. 11-15.

Sin surprised at its rapture.

The success of this revolution, so long prepared and so admirably accomplished by Jehoiada, involved the ruin of one "wicked woman". (2Ch_24:7) It was inevitable that Athaliah must perish; here we have the account of her fall. We have before us

I SIN SURPRISED AT ITS OWN FAILURE. This coup detat evidently came upon Athaliah with surprise. The twelfth verse describes the action of one that is both astonished and alarmed, who takes hasty measures to learn what is happening, and to provide for her own interests. Suddenly and unexpectedly the blow fell upon her head. She was pursuing her evil course, reckoning on future years of power and possession, and in the very midst of her iniquity judgment overtook and overthrew her. How continually does this happen, though it may be on a smaller scale and in humbler spheres! Sin appears to succeed, holds up its head in triumph for a while, defies all justice, human and Divine; then suddenly the ground opens beneath its feet, and it is swallowed up. Its temporary success is only an incident in its abort-lived career; it is a stage on its way to failure and humiliation. The foolish man does not understand this; he thinks it is a proof that God is afar off or is quite indifferent; he takes it as a sign that he may safely disregard the solemn warnings of God"s Word. But he is foolish; he does not understand the course of things. "When the wicked spring as the grass, and when all the workers of iniquity do flourish; it is that they shall be destroyed for ever" (Psa_92:7; see also. (Psa_73:2-20) We may be surprised and pained at the prosperity of the wicked, at the enthronement of the sanguinary and the selfish. Where is God"s righteousness? where is the penalty of sin, we ask. Wait, and we shall see. The end will come before long. The shameless usurper, man or woman, will perish; the guilty empire will be overthrown. Suddenly or gradually their fate will fall upon them. "How are they brought into desolation, as in a moment!" Nor is it only the man or woman that rises to eminence and to a great estate who will prove the truth of this. Any one who hardens himself against God stands in the most serious danger of being "suddenly destroyed, and that without remedy," like the guilty woman at Jerusalem.

II ENTHUSIASM UNDER A WISE CONTROL. There must have been the greatest excitement raised and felt on this occasion. Everything contributed to kindle popular feeling and to raise it to its highest point. When they surrounded the little child and anointed him with the sacred oil, and put the crown on his young head and cried, "God save the king!" we may be sure that the emotion which on some supreme occasions fills and fires a multitude of people, was then as intense as it could be (see ver. 13); but Jehoiada held it under a wise control. And when Athaliah appeared, and when they looked at her, and remembered what she had done and what a blight and a curse she had been to the land, they might well have slain her on the spot. But the priest of Jehovah would not have the sacred place profaned with her blood, and he stayed their hand; they conducted her beyond the sacred precincts, and not till then did they inflict justice upon her. Feeling should never rise too high to be controlled by our judgment, especially strong feeling against any individual, man or woman. If we let our feelings carry our judgment along with them, we shall be sure to do that which we shall afterwards regret and which may be quite irreparable. Nor is any man at liberty to say that he is constitutionally impulsive and cannot control himself. It may be a more difficult duty in some natures than it is in others; but it is every man"s serious and sacred obligation to rule his own spirit, to maintain a mastery over his affections and his impulses and his resentments. This is to be the excellent result of daily discipline, cf strenuous endeavour, of constant prayer.

III THE SERVICE OF DESTRUCTION. "Then all the people went to the house of Baal, and brake it down," etc. (ver. 17). As a rule, the way in which we serve Christ wisely and permanently is the act of construction, of building up. Better to sow a seed than to pluck up a root; better to raise a Christian sanctuary than to knock down a heathen temple; better to implant thoughts of reverence and love than to rebuke and wither the profane word or the evil habit. But there is a time to plant and also to pluck up; a time to kill as well as to heal; a time to break down as well as to build up. (Ecc_3:2, Ecc_3:3) There are evil and hurtful people to be put out of the room, pernicious books and papers to be put into the fire, ruinous institutions to be suppressed by the strong hand of law, deadly practices to be sternly forbidden. There is a time when "slaughter is God"s daughter," when the destructive hand is the organ of the will of Jesus Christ. C.

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

His sons - And Zechariah among the rest, whom afterwards he ungratefully slew, chap. xxiv, 21.

John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.

the crown This is the crown that David took from Rabbah of the children of Ammon, as it is written (I Chron 20:2): “And David took the crown of Malkam off his head, etc., and it was on David’s head.” From then on, the kings of Judah would wear that crown on their heads.

and the testimony This is a Sepher Torah, and so Scripture states (Deut. 17:19): “and he shall read from it as long as he lives.” Our Sages stated (Abodah Zarah 4a), however, that the crown itself was the testimony, for it would not fit anyone unfit for the throne.

Rashi on the Tanakh — English translations: “The Judaica Press complete Tanach with Rashi, translated by A. J. Rosenberg” (CC BY 4.0); “Pentateuch with Rashi's commentary by M. Rosenbaum and A.M. Silbermann, 1929-1934” (public domain); “The Metsudah Tanach series, Lakewood, N.J” (CC BY 4.0); and “The Book of Joshua, Metsudah Publications, 1997” (CC BY 4.0). Text via Sefaria.