“And when she looked, behold, the king stood by a pillar, as the manner was, and the princes and the trumpeters by the king, and all the people of the land rejoiced, and blew with trumpets: and Athaliah rent her clothes, and cried, Treason, Treason.”
My Notes
What Does 2 Kings 11:14 Mean?
"And when she looked, behold, the king stood by a pillar, as the manner was, and the princes and the trumpeters by the king, and all the people of the land rejoiced, and blew with trumpets: and Athaliah rent her clothes, and cried, Treason, Treason." Athaliah — Jezebel's daughter who murdered the entire royal family to seize the throne (11:1) — sees the boy-king JOASH standing by the pillar in the temple. The child she tried to kill has survived. The Davidic line she attempted to exterminate has continued. She tears her clothes and screams 'TREASON!' — the usurper accusing the legitimate heir of usurping.
The phrase "the king stood by a pillar, as the manner was" (hammelekh omed al ha'ammud kammishpat — the king standing by the pillar according to the custom) shows LEGITIMATE CORONATION: Joash stands in the customary royal position. The ceremony follows PROTOCOL. The coronation is done PROPERLY — pillar, princes, trumpets, the people of the land. Everything about Joash's coronation is orderly and legal. Everything about Athaliah's reign was violent and illegitimate.
The phrase "Treason, Treason" (qesher qesher — conspiracy, conspiracy!) is the IRONY: the woman who CONSPIRED to kill all the royal heirs and USURPED the throne now accuses others of conspiracy. The actual traitor screams 'treason.' The legitimate succession is labeled as conspiracy by the illegitimate occupant. The usurper's vocabulary is the legitimate ruler's vocabulary — but the usurper is the one misusing it.
Reflection Questions
- 1.What 'treason' accusation has come from someone who actually committed the treachery?
- 2.What does Athaliah rending HER clothes (mourning her power, not her victims) teach about self-serving grief?
- 3.How does Joash's proper coronation contrasting with Athaliah's violent seizure describe legitimacy vs. usurpation?
- 4.What do 'all the people rejoicing' tell you about the true king — when the usurper is the only one protesting?
Devotional
The USURPER screams 'TREASON!' Athaliah — who murdered her own grandchildren to steal the throne — sees the legitimate king standing by the pillar and cries 'conspiracy!' The irony is devastating: the actual traitor accuses the legitimate heir of treachery. The woman who DESTROYED the royal line accuses the survivors of UNDERMINING the royal line.
The boy-king stands by the pillar 'according to the custom' — everything about this coronation is PROPER. The pillar. The princes. The trumpets. The people rejoicing. The legitimacy of Joash's coronation is established by its adherence to protocol. The proper form validates the proper heir. Athaliah's reign had no such ceremony — she simply 'arose and destroyed all the seed royal' (11:1). The contrast between Joash's orderly coronation and Athaliah's violent seizure is the visual argument for legitimacy.
Athaliah RENDS her clothes — the gesture of mourning, of grief, of shock. But the grief is self-serving: she mourns HER loss of power, not the family members SHE killed. The rending that should have happened when she murdered her grandchildren happens instead when she discovers one survived. The timing of the grief reveals its nature.
The 'all the people of the land REJOICED' is the verdict: the nation celebrates the return of the Davidic line. The people's joy confirms the boy-king's legitimacy. Athaliah screams 'treason' alone. The entire nation says 'king.' The solitary protest against the universal celebration reveals who is truly isolated.
What 'treason' accusation have you heard from someone who actually committed the treachery — and what does the people's joy tell you about the truth?
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
But Jehoiada the priest commanded the captains of the hundreds, the officers of the host,.... Of the priests and…
By a pillar - Rather, “upon the pillar” probably a sort of stand, or pulpit, raised on a pillar. Under the later…
The king stood by a pillar - Stood On a pillar or tribunal; the place or throne on which they were accustomed to put the…
We may suppose it was designed when they had finished the solemnity of the king's inauguration, to pay a visit to…
And when she looked, behold, the king R.V. And she looked and behold the king. This, the literal translation of the…
Cross References
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