2 Chronicles 23

This chapter belongs to the portion of 2 Chronicles that recounts the history of the kings of Judah. In 2 Chronicles 22, Athaliah destroyed the royal seed and reigned over the land, while the young prince Joash lay hidden in the house of the LORD (the temple) for six years. This chapter records what took place in the seventh year.

Outline

• Verses 1–3: In the seventh year Jehoiada makes a covenant with five captains of hundreds. They gather the Levites and the chief of the fathers from all the cities of Judah to Jerusalem, and the whole congregation makes a covenant with the king in the house of God.
• Verses 4–10: Jehoiada divides the priests and Levites who come on duty on the Sabbath into three groups to guard the doors, the king's house, and the gate of the foundation. Only those who are holy may enter the house, and he distributes King David's spears and shields to the captains of hundreds so that they may guard the king.
• Verse 11: They put the crown on the king's son, give him the testimony, anoint him, and cry, "God save the king."
• Verses 12–15: Athaliah hears the noise, comes, and cries, "Treason, Treason." Jehoiada commands that she not be slain in the house of the LORD, and the people put her to death at the entering of the horse gate by the king's house.
• Verses 16–17: Jehoiada makes a covenant between himself, the people, and the king that they should be the LORD's people. The people tear down the house of Baal and slay Mattan the priest of Baal.
• Verses 18–21: The temple officers and porters are reappointed according to the courses (divisions of duty by rotation) that David had established, and the king is seated on the throne in the king's house. All the people rejoice, and the city is quiet.

Key Verses

• 2 Chronicles 23:3: "Behold, the king's son shall reign, as the LORD hath said of the sons of David." This verse presents the event as the fulfillment of the promise of the Davidic covenant.
• 2 Chronicles 23:16: "And Jehoiada made a covenant between him, and between all the people, and between the king, that they should be the LORD'S people." Here the restoration of the throne leads to a renewal of faith.

People and Places

• Jehoiada: A priest who hid the prince and led the effort to enthrone him.
• Joash: The son of Ahaziah. In this chapter he is referred to only as "the king's son." According to 2 Chronicles 24, he became king at seven years of age.
• Athaliah: The mother of Ahaziah, who seized the throne of Judah after her son's death.
• Mattan: The priest of Baal.
• The captains of hundreds: Azariah, Ishmael, Azariah, Maaseiah, and Elishaphat.
• Places: The Temple in Jerusalem, the house of Baal, the gate of the foundation, the horse gate of the king's house, and the high gate.

Points for Reflection

The same event is also recorded in 2 Kings 11. Kings centers its account on the role of the guard and the soldiers, whereas Chronicles places the priests and the Levites at the forefront and emphasizes that only those who are holy may enter the temple. The item given to the king in verse 11, rendered "book of the law" in some translations, translates a Hebrew word meaning "testimony," and interpreters differ over what it refers to. Some Christian readers connect the preservation of David's royal line, which nearly came to an end, with the promise of the Messiah who would come from David's descendants. Joash's name, however, does not appear in the genealogy in Matthew 1.