over the host, and said unto them, Have her forth between the ranks; and whoso followeth her, let him be slain with the sword: for the priest said, Slay her not in the house of the LORD. 15So they made way for her; and she went to the entry of the horse gate to the king's house: and they slew her there.
16And Jehoiada made a covenant between himself, and all the people, and the king, that they should be the LORD's people. 17And all the people went to the house of Baal, and brake it down, and brake his altars and his images in pieces, and slew Mattan the priest of Baal before the altars. 18And Jehoiada appointed the offices of the house of the LORD under the hand of the priests the Levites, whom David had
between the ranks] i.e. she was to be taken out between two lines of guards.
15. the horse gate] Cp. the note on the "gate of the foundation" (ver. 5).
16—21 (= 2 Kin. xi. 17—20). The Secret of the Fall of Athaliah.
16. between himself, and all the people, and the king] Jehoiada puts himself first as regent. In 2 Kin. "between the LORD and the king and the people."
that they should be the LORD's people] Cp. xxix. 10, xxxiv. 31; Ex. xxiv. 1—11; Deut. xxvi. 17, 18; Neh. ix. 36—38.
17. the house of Baal] When this was erected is not known, perhaps under Jehoram (xxi. 6) or Ahaziah (xxii. 3), but it was doubtless intended for the worship of the Tyrian Baal, for Athaliah was probably grand-daughter of a Tyrian king (cp. 2 Kin. viii. 18 with 1 Kin. xvi. 31). It is interesting to see that the revolt against Athaliah in Jerusalem, like the revolution led by Jehu against her parents, Ahab and Jezebel, in the Northern Kingdom, was fostered, if not indeed caused, by religious antipathy. At least these passages are of high value in showing the hold which the worship of Jehovah had already obtained upon the loyalty of Israel. Court influences, always powerful in such small states, when cast against the worship of Jehovah, were unable for long to maintain the struggle against the national "jealousy" for Him.
18. And Jehoiada appointed, etc.] This whole ver. is represented in Kings simply by the words, "And the priest appointed officers ('offices,' mg.) over the house of the LORD" (i.e. officers for the care of the Temple, e.g. to see to cleaning and repairing it).
the priests the Levites] Read probably the priests and the Levites, and see the note on the same phrase in xxx. 27.
