2 Kings 11:1

Athaliah and Joash

1 When Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead, she proceeded to destroy the whole royal family.

2 Kings 11:1 in Other Translations

1 And when Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead, she arose and destroyed all the seed royal.

1 Now when Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead, she arose and destroyed all the royal family.

1 When Athaliah, the mother of King Ahaziah of Judah, learned that her son was dead, she began to destroy the rest of the royal family.

1 Athaliah was the mother of Ahaziah. When she saw that her son was dead, she took over. She began by massacring the entire royal family.

1 When Athaliah, Ahaziah's mother, saw that her son was dead, she proceeded to annihilate all the royal heirs.

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.

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FOOTNOTES:

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

2 Kings 11:1 In-Context

1 When Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead, she proceeded to destroy the whole royal family.

2 But Jehosheba, the daughter of King Jehoram and sister of Ahaziah, took Joash son of Ahaziah and stole him away from among the royal princes, who were about to be murdered. She put him and his nurse in a bedroom to hide him from Athaliah; so he was not killed.

3 He remained hidden with his nurse at the temple of the LORD for six years while Athaliah ruled the land.

4 In the seventh year Jehoiada sent for the commanders of units of a hundred, the Carites and the guards and had them brought to him at the temple of the LORD. He made a covenant with them and put them under oath at the temple of the LORD. Then he showed them the king’s son.

5 He commanded them, saying, “This is what you are to do: You who are in the three companies that are going on duty on the Sabbath—a third of you guarding the royal palace,

Cross References

• 1. S 2 Kings 8:18