2 Kings 11:6

2Ki 11:6 And a third part [shall be] at the gate of Sur; and a third part at the gate behind the guard: so shall ye keep the watch of the house, that it be not broken down.

Ver. 6. At the gate of Sur.] So called, saith Martyr, from declining or departing; because the door keepers made the unclean decline from it.

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.

Or, that none break his order.

Called the East gate of the Temple, 2 Chron. 23:5.

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

(6) And a third part shall be at the gate of Sur.—Or, and the third (shall be on guard) at the gate of Sur, Instead of Sûr (“turning aside”) Chronicles has Jesôd (“foundation”). The gate Sur was apparently a side exit from the court of the palace, such as may be seen in the old Egyptian palaces at Medinat-Abû and Karnak. “Jesod” is another name for the same side-door, or, as is far more likely, a textual corruption of “Sur.”

And a third part at the gate behind the guard.—Literally, and the third at the gate behind the Couriers. In 2Ki_11:19 “the gate of the Couriers” is mentioned, apparently as the principal entrance to the palace enclosure. That gate and this one are probably the same. It is here called “the gate behind the Couriers” because a guard was usually stationed in front of it. Perhaps the word “behind” has originated in a mere echo of the word “gate” (‘ahar, sha’ar), and should be omitted as an error of transcription.

So shall ye keep the watch of the house.—Thus shall ye—the three divisions of the guards, entering on duty on the Sabbath—guard the entrances and exits of the royal palace.

That it be not broken down.—The Hebrew is only the one word massâh, which occurs nowhere else. It appears to mean “repulse,” “warding off,” and is probably a marginal gloss on “watch” (mishmèreth), explaining its nature—viz., that the guards were to keep back any one who tried to enter the palace buildings. Gesenius paraphrases, “ad depellendum populum” (zum Abwehren). Thenius suggests the reading “and repel”! scil., “all comers” (ûnesôah for massâh). He should have written wenâsôah.

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

6. at the gate of Sur] R.V. omits ‘of’. This gate is nowhere else named. The similarity between the original words סור, Sur and יסור given in Chronicles, and rendered ‘foundation’, makes it not unlikely that the ‘gate Sur’ here, and ‘the gate of the foundation’ (2Ch_23:5) are the same place, though it is impossible, if this be so, to decide which is the correct reading, for ‘the gate of the foundation’ is spoken of nowhere else. The LXX. has here ἐν τῇ πύλῃ τῶν ὁδῶν, ‘in the gate of the ways’ and in Chronicles ἐν τῇ πύλῃ τῇ μέσῃ ‘at the middle gate’.

at the gate behind the guard] The guard here spoken of are the ‘runners’ who formed a part of the royal body-guard. Nothing is more likely than that such a body would have special quarters assigned to them in the neighbourhood of the palace, and if they were at this time thought to be favourable to Athaliah, the necessity would be apparent of putting a body of well-affected men close to them to keep them in check.

so shall ye keep the watch of the house] The ‘house’ is the palace, which was thus to be strongly guarded at three places.

that it be not broken down] R.V. and be a barrier. The word is a noun in apposition with ‘watch’ and defines its character. The word is unrepresented in the LXX.

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 a third part shall be at the gate of Sur,.... Generally thought by the Jews to be the eastern gate, so called, as they say, because such as were defiled were bid to depart, or go back, as this word signifies, and not enter the temple; it is called "the gate of the foundation", Ch2 23:5 because, according to Ben Gersom, here the foundation of the sanctuary was first laid; it is said (b) to have five other names besides these:

and a third part at the gate behind the guard; the temple guard, which had a captain of them, Act 4:1 this gate is supposed to be the same with "sippim", or the threshold gate, Ch2 23:4 and to be the southern one:

so shall ye keep the watch of the house, that it be not broken down; guard the temple, that none break or rush into it, of Athaliah's party.

(b) T. Hieros. Yoma apud Beckium in Targ. in 2 Chron. xxiii. 5.

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

Sabbath. On this day the Levites replaced each other; so that many might assemble without suspicion. They guarded the king’s apartments in the temple. --- The gate of Sur, or of the foundation, (2 Paralipomenon xxiii. 5.) and the western gate leading to the palace. (Calmet) --- Sur, or "the gate of the lords," (Chaldean) is generally supposed to be on the opposite side. (Menochius) --- But this is uncertain, as well as the situation of Messa, which is perhaps the Musach, chap. xvi. 18. This was probably some building or covert adjoining the temple, (Calmet) either belonging to some private person, (Menochius) or designed to contain the ashes, &c., taken from the temple; (Villalpand ii. 32.) or a tribune for the king in the temple. (Haydock) -- The Chaldean seems to have explained it as an adverb, sollicite, "with diligence," (Menochius) as well as the Septuagint, (Du Hamel) which is consonant to Vatable; you shall guard the house "from desertion." Let no one quit his post. (Menochius)

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).

At the gate of Sur; the chief gate of the temple, called the high gate, 2Ki 15:35, and the foundation gate, 2Ch 23:5, and the eastgate, Jer 19:2, and the middle gate, Jer 39:3, and the gate of the entrance, Eze 40:15.

Behind the guard; either,

1. The king’s guard; or,

2. The guard of the temple; for such a guard there was, and a captain of the guard, called the captain of the temple, Act 4:1; 5:24. This gate was in the south side; and, as some think, is that which is called sippim, or the threshold gate, 2Ch 23:4.

So shall ye keep the watch of the house, that it be not broken down, i.e. so you shall guard all the gates or entrances into the house or temple of God, that neither Athaliah nor any of her soldiers may break into the temple, and defile it, or destroy it; as she will doubtless endeavour to do. Or, and ye shall keep the watch of the house Massach, as the LXX. and other interpreters render it; who think this was the name of a house not far from the temple; in which, or against which, they were to keep a guard.

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

6. Gate of Sur — The same, doubtless, as the gate of the foundation, or gate of Yesod, in Chronicles. The exact locality of this gate cannot be decided, for it is nowhere mentioned again; but the most plausible supposition is, that it was the main entrance into the inner court of the temple.

The gate behind the guard — To this corresponds porters of the doors, in Chronicles. The guard, according to 2Ki_11:11, stood round about the king, and extended from the right to the left side of the temple, by the altar and temple, and the gate behind the guard would seem to be some well-known side or rear entrance into the court of the temple, from which an attack or annoyance might be expected. It is also likely that some of these might stand as porters of the doors of the temple, gate-keepers of the Lord’s house, whose position would naturally be behind the guard that encompassed the king.

So shall ye keep the watch of the house — That is, all the three divisions just mentioned, by being stationed as described, shall guard all the approaches to the house of the Lord.

That it be not broken down — The Hebrew for this sentence is all in one word, מסח, a defence; a driving off. This body of Levites were to serve as a defensive watch — a company of sentinels set to drive away all that might presume to interfere with the plans of the high priest Jehoiada.

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

And a third part shall be at the gate of Sur. The "gate of Sur" is not elsewhere mentioned. It seems to be called in Chronicles (2Ch_23:5) "the gate of the foundation" (dwOsy rc) instead of "the gate of Sur" (rWs rv), as here the one reading having evidently arisen out of the other by a corruption. We must understand one of the palace gates, but which of them is uncertain. And a third part at the gate behind the guard; called in ver. 19 "the gate of the guard," and shown there to have been on the cast side of the palace, where it faced the temple, and abutted on the Tyropoeon. So shall ye keep the watch of the housei.e. , of the "king"s house," or palace, which is contrasted with the "house of the Lord" of the next versethat it be not broken down. This rendering is scarcely accepted at the present time by any writers. Ewald renders, "according to custom;" Keil, "for defense;" Furst, "alternately;" our Revisers, "and be a barrier." The Hebrew word used occurs nowhere else, and it seems impossible to determine its sense. The LXX simply omit it.

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

Sur - The chief gate of the temple. The guard - Either,

1. the king's guard. Or,

2. the guard of the temple; this gate was in the south-side. So, &c. - So you shall guard all the gates or entrances into the temple that neither Athaliah nor any of her soldiers may break in.

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

one third in the Sur Gate, the eastern gate of the Temple court, the Hasirah Gate. [6.] And one third [will be] at the gate behind the runners. That too was one of the gates of the Temple court. [Targum] Yonoson rendered, “בְּתַרְעָא דְּבַתְרוֹהִי תַּרְעָא רָהֲטַיָּא, [=the gate which was behind the Gate of the Runners].” Through the Gate of the Runners one would go from the royal palace to the Beis Hamikdosh, as it is stated at the end of this matter. And that gate of the Temple court, about which it is stated at the gate behind the runners, was called in Divrei Hayomim, “the Gate of the Sippim.”

And you shall keep the watch of the palace without taking your mind off it. This watch he commanded the first group, concerning whom he said, “will keep watch of the king’s palace.”

Without taking your mind off it. Guard it very diligently, that you do not take your mind off it, an expression of “despair [=ננוֹאָשׁ],” that there should be no despair in this matter. The ‘מ’ of מַסָּח is part of the root.

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.