2 Kings 11:18

18 [And] All the people of the land entered into the temple of Baal; and they destroyed the altars of him, and all-brake strongly the images; and they killed before the altar Mattan, the priest of Baal. And Jehoiada the priest set keepings in the house of the Lord; (And all the people of the land entered into the temple of Baal; and they destroyed his altars, and broke up all the images, or all the idols; and they killed Mattan, Baal's priest, in front of the altar. And Jehoiada the priest put guards in the House of the Lord;)

2 Kings 11:18 Meaning and Commentary

2 Kings 11:18

And all the people of the land
That were at Jerusalem, and the parts adjacent, that came from the country, hearing what was done: went into the house of Baal; a temple of his Athaliah had built, either in Jerusalem, or near it; perhaps on the mount of Olives, called the mount of corruption, ( 2 Kings 23:13 ) from the idolatry there committed:

and brake it down, his altars and his images brake they in pieces
thoroughly;
made an entire destruction of them all, temple, altars, the images of Baal and other deities:

and slew Mattan the priest of Baal before the altar;
either as he was sacrificing, or that he might be a sacrifice, or where he had fled for refuge:

and the priest appointed officers over the house of the Lord;
priests to offer sacrifices, Levites to sing the praises of God, porters at the door of the temple, and watches in it, and restored the courses of the priests, and everything to its proper order, which had been neglected, or had ceased, during the usurpation of Athaliah; see ( 2 Chronicles 23:18 2 Chronicles 23:19 ) .

2 Kings 11:18 In-Context

16 And they putted hands on her, and hurled her by the way of the entering of [the] horses beside the palace; and she was slain there.

17 Therefore Jehoiada made (a) bond of peace betwixt the Lord and the king, and betwixt the people, that it should be the people of the Lord; and (also) betwixt the king and the people. (And so Jehoiada made a covenant between the Lord and the king and the people, that they would be the people of the Lord; and also between the king and the people.)

18 [And] All the people of the land entered into the temple of Baal; and they destroyed the altars of him, and all-brake strongly the images; and they killed before the altar Mattan, the priest of Baal. And Jehoiada the priest set keepings in the house of the Lord; (And all the people of the land entered into the temple of Baal; and they destroyed his altars, and broke up all the images, or all the idols; and they killed Mattan, Baal's priest, in front of the altar. And Jehoiada the priest put guards in the House of the Lord;)

19 and he took [the] chieftains upon hundreds, and [the] legions of Cherethites, and Pelethites, and all the people of the land. And they led forth the king from the house of the Lord; and they came by the way of the gate of the makers of shields into the palace; and Joash sat upon the throne of kings.

20 And all the people of the land was glad, and the city rested. Forsooth Athaliah was slain by (the) sword in the house of the king.