2 Kings 11:18

2Ki 11:18 And all the people of the land went into the house of Baal, and brake it down; his altars and his images brake they in pieces thoroughly, and slew Mattan the priest of Baal before the altars. And the priest appointed officers over the house of the LORD.

Ver. 18. And brake it down.] As Israel had done before them.

And the priest.] Jehoiada. See on 2Ki 11:9.

Over the house of the Lord.] Which the sons of that wicked woman Athaliah, perhaps her bastards, had broken up, and bestowed all the dedicated things of the house of the Lord upon Balaam. {2Ch 24:7} So that there was but need of officers, or offices, to set things in order again.

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.

2Ki 11:18. All the people went into the house of Baal — They began immediately to make good their covenant in part, by destroying the worship of Baal, which had been introduced in Judah by Jehoram, (2Ki 8:18,) and was continued by Ahaziah, 2Ki 8:27. And slew the priest of Baal before the altars — To which possibly he fled for refuge, or rather he was brought thither as a fit sacrifice to his god. The priest appointed officers over the house of the Lord — To see that the service was regularly performed by the proper persons, in due time, and according to the instituted manner. See the margin.

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

11:18 The temple of Baal may be the temple discovered in Ramat Rahel about three miles south of Jerusalem. As Jehu destroyed Baal worship in the northern kingdom (10:18-27) so the people of Judah tore . . . down this pagan temple and executed its priest. • Jehoiada . . . stationed guards at the Temple as a precaution against further reprisal by those loyal to Athaliah and her false religion.

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

Even in the place where he had blasphemed God, and thought to have been helped by his idol, there God poured his vengeance upon him.

To wit, Jehoiada.

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

Verse 18. His altars and images brake they in pieces] It is probable that Athaliah had set up the worship of Baal in Judah, as Jezebel had done in Israel; or probably it had never been removed since the days of Solomon. It was no wonder that Jehoiada began his reform with this act, when we learn from 2Ch 24:7, that the sons of Athaliah, that wicked woman, had broken up the house of God; and also all the dedicated things of the house of the Lord did they bestow upon Baalim.

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

(18) All the people of the land went into the house of Baal.—Immediately after the covenant had been renewed, of which the extirpation of the foreign Baal-worship was a consequence. In the fervour of their newly-awakened enthusiasm for Jehovah, the assembly may have hurried off at once to the work of demolition. It seems to be implied that the “house of Baal” stood on the Temple mount, in ostentatious rivalry with the sanctuary of Jehovah. (Comp, the introduction of idolatrous altars into the Temple itself by Manasseh, 2Ki_21:4-5; 2Ki_21:7; 2Ki_23:12.) This house of Baal had, perhaps, been built by Athaliah. (Comp. 1Ki_16:31-32.)

His altars . . . his images.—Or, its (the Temple’s) altars . . . its images.

And the priest appointed officers over the house of the Lord.—The obviously close connection of this statement with what precedes, almost proves that the sanctuary of Baal had stood within the Temple precincts, probably in the outer court. After the destruction of it, Jehoiada appointed certain overseers—probably Levites of rank—to prevent any future desecration of the Temple by the practice of idolatrous rites (comp. Eze_8:5-16), or by wanton attacks of the Baal-worshippers, who might be cowed, but were certainly not exterminated (comp. 2Ch_24:7); and to see that the legitimate cultus was properly carried out. (The sentence tells us what was done some time afterwards, in consequence of the reformation; thus finishing the subject in hand at the expense of the strict order of time.)

Mattan.—Mattan is short for Mattanbaal, “gift of Baal,” a Phœnician name occurring in Punic and Assyrian inscriptions (the Muthumballes of Plautus). Comp. also Mitinna and Mattén, as names of Tyrian kings (Inscr. of Tig. Pil. ii.; Herod. Vii. 98).

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

18. went into [R.V. to] the house of Baal] Athaliah had set up Baal worship in Judah after the fashion of the northern kingdom. We are told also in 2Ch_24:7 that the sons of Athaliah had broken up (i.e. broken into) the house of God, and bestowed the dedicated things of the house of the Lord upon the Baalim. It is clear from this that the house of Baal was not any portion of the temple which had been appropriated to the idolatrous worship, but a separate building, into which spoils from the temple had been conveyed. It may have been on the same hill with the temple, though of that we cannot be certain. There can however be no doubt that the Baal worship had not extended largely in Judah. Hence the readiness of the people of the land, called to Jerusalem by some festival, to go to the Baalite edifice and destroy it.

brake they in pieces throughly] That there should be no chance of a restoration. The multitude were no doubt helped in their destruction by the military force with which, in these doings, they had been in such close combination.

Mattan the priest of Baal] We read of no other priest of Baal in Judah, and so we may conclude that though the court favoured idolatry, it found no great favour with the rest of the kingdom. Otherwise we should have heard of an array of priests like that of Jezebel in Samaria.

And the priest appointed officers over the house of the Lord] From this necessity we may gather that the regular ministrations in the temple had been interfered with by the introduction of the Baalim. The Chronicler gives fuller details on this matter, and the two accounts have so much verbal similarity in other parts that we cannot avoid the conclusion that both writers used a common source of information. He says (2Ch_23:18-19) ‘Jehoiada appointed the offices of the house of the Lord by the hand of the priests, the Levites, whom David had distributed in the house of the Lord, to offer the burnt offerings of the Lord, as it is written in the law of Moses, with rejoicing and with singing, as it was ordained by David. And he set the porters at the gates of the house of the Lord that none which was unclean in any thing should enter in’.

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.

And he took the rulers over hundreds, and the captains, and the guard,.... Of which Kg2 11:4 and all the people of the land; as many as were assembled together on this occasion:

and they brought down the king from the house of the Lord; the temple, which was built on an eminence:

and came by the way of the gate to the king's house; the gate of the royal palace, where the king's guards were placed, and did their duty: and he sat on the throne of the kings: where the kings of Judah used to sit, and this finished the formality of his being made king.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

A temple had been built to Baal at Jerusalem itself by Athaliah, Ahaziah, or Jehoram. According to Josephus, it was constructed in the reign of Jehoram. Its exact position is uncertain.

Images - The word used here is not the same as in 2Ki 10:26, but a word which implies likeness. The Phoenicians had fashioned images, besides their unfashioned pillar-idols.

The priest appointed ... - The temple worship having been discontinued during Athaliah’s rule, it devolved on Jehoiada now to re-establish it (see marginal reference). He had already summoned the Levites out of all the cities of Judah 2Ch 23:2, and had made use of them in the events of the day. He therefore proceeded at once to assign the custody of the temple to a particular course, before conducting the young king to the palace.

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

Altar. Many of the sacred ornaments belonging to the temple had been transported to the house of Baal, probably on Mount Olivet, where Solomon had formerly erected such buildings, 3 Kings xi. 5., and 2 Paralipomenon xxiv. 7. The reform of the state justly, therefore, began with the destruction of this profane and sacrilegious place. --- Lord, according to the former regulations, which had been lately ill observed, to prevent any thing unclean from coming in, 2 Paralipomenon xxiii. 19. (Calmet) --- Septuagint, "the priest placed overseers (Greek: episkopons) in the house of the Lord. (Haydock)

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).

Before the altar; to which possibly he fled for refuge; or rather, he was brought thither as a fit sacrifice to his God.

Officers over the house of the Lord; of which see more particularly, 2Ch 23:18,19.

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

18. Went into the house of Baal — So firmly had the worship of Baal fastened itself upon the whole Israelitish nation that Jerusalem, as well as Samaria, had its temple to this god. Jehu destroyed the Baal worship in Samaria, (compare 2Ki_10:18-28;) Jehoiada and his adherents that in Jerusalem.

Appointed officers over the house of the Lord — Reorganized the temple service, which had been partially interrupted and disturbed by the revolution effected in the kingdom.

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

And all the people of the landi.e. all those who had come up to Jerusalem from the various cities of Judah to help Jehoiada (see 2Ch_23:2) went into the house of Baal. According to Josephus, "the house of Baal" hero mentioned was built by Jehoram and Athaliah in the reign of the former ("Ant. Jud:," 9:7. But, if this was the case, it is rather strange that the writer of Chronicles, who enumerates so many of the evil acts of Jehoram, (2Ch_21:4, 2Ch_21:6, 2Ch_21:11) does not mention it. The present narrative shows that the temple was in, or very near, Jerusalem; but there is nothing to fix the site of it. And brake it down Josephus says they "razed it to the ground" (kateskayan)his altars and his images brake they in pieces thoroughly. It was common among the heathen to have several altars in one temple, and not uncommon to have several images even of the same god, especially if he was a god worshipped under different forms, as Baal was (whence the word "Baalim"). The Baalim of this temple are mentioned by the writer of Chronicles. (see 2Ch_24:7) And slew Mattan the priest of Baal before the altars. The name "Mattan" recalls that of the last King of Judah, which was originally Mattaniah, equivalent to "gift of Jehovah". (2Ki_24:17) Mattan would be simply "gift." We may presume that, though only called "priest," he was the high priest. And the priesti.e. Jehoiadaappointed officers over the house of the Lord. The parallel passage of Chronicles (2Ch_23:18, 2Ch_23:19) explains this statement. We are there told that "Jehoiada appointed the offices of the house of the Lord by the hand of the priests the Levites... to offer the burnt offerings of the Lord, as it is written in the Law of Moses, with rejoicing and with singing, as it was ordained by David. And he set the porters at the gates of the house of the Lord, that none which was unclean in anything should enter in." During Athaliah"s reign the temple service had ceased; breaches had been broken in the outer walls; and neither the priests nor the porters had served in their regular order; there had been no morning or evening sacrifice, and no antiphonal psalm-singing. Jehoiada re-established the regular courses and the worship.

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

Assignments. Appointed to watch at the location of their watch according to their charge, because Atalyohu had abolished the order of the watches in the Beis [Hamikdosh].

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.