2 Kings 11:1

1 Now when `Atalyah the mother of Achazyah saw that her son was dead, she arose and destroyed all the seed royal.

2 Kings 11:1 Meaning and Commentary

2 Kings 11:1

And when Athaiah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son
was dead
Who was the daughter of Ahab, and granddaughter of Omri ( 2 Kings 8:18 2 Kings 8:26 ) , she arose,

and destroyed all the seed royal;
that were left, for many had been slain already; the sons of Jehoshaphat, the brothers of Joram, were slain by him, ( 2 Chronicles 21:4 ) and all Joram's sons, excepting Ahaziah, were slain by the Arabians, ( 2 Chronicles 22:1 ) , and the sons of the brethren of Ahaziah were slain by Jehu, ( 2 Kings 11:8 ) , these therefore seem to be the children of Ahaziah, the grandchildren of this brutish woman, whom she massacred out of her ambition of rule and government, which perhaps she was intrusted with while her son went to visit Joram king of Israel; other reasons are by some assigned, but this seems to be the chief. For the same reason Laodice, who had six sons by Ariarathes king of the Cappadocians, poisoned five of them; the youngest escaping her hands, was murdered by the people F24, as this woman also was.


FOOTNOTES:

F24 Justin. e Trogo, l. 37. c. 1.

2 Kings 11:1 In-Context

1 Now when `Atalyah the mother of Achazyah saw that her son was dead, she arose and destroyed all the seed royal.
2 But Yehosheva, the daughter of king Yoram, sister of Achazyah, took Yo'ash the son of Achazyah, and stole him away from among the king's sons who were slain, even him and his nurse, [and put them] in the bedchamber; and they hid him from `Atalyah, so that he was not slain;
3 He was with her hid in the house of the LORD six years. `Atalyah reigned over the land.
4 In the seventh year Yehoiada sent and fetched the captains over hundreds of the Kari and of the guard, and brought them to him into the house of the LORD; and he made a covenant with them, and took an oath of them in the house of the LORD, and shown them the king's son.
5 He commanded them, saying, This is the thing that you shall do: a third part of you, who come in on the Shabbat, shall be keepers of the watch of the king's house;
The Hebrew Names Version is in the public domain.