John Gill's Bible Commentary Ver. 1. And when Athaiah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead , etc.] Who was the daughter of Ahab, and granddaughter of Omri ( 2 Kings 8:18,26), 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 f121 , as this woman also was.
Matthew Henry Commentary
Verses 1-12 - Athaliah destroyed all she knew to be akin to the crown. Jehoash, on of the king's sons, was hid. Now was the promise made to David bound u in one life only, and yet it did not fail. Thus to the Son of David the Lord, according to his promise, will secure a spiritual seed hidden sometimes, and unseen, but hidden in God's pavilion, and unhurt Six years Athaliah tyrannized. Then the king was brought forward. child indeed, but he had a good guardian, and, what was better, a goo God to go to With such joy and satisfaction must the kingdom of Chris be welcomed into our hearts, when his throne is set up there, and Sata the usurper is cast out. Say, Let the King, even Jesus, live, for eve live and reign in my soul, and in all the world.
Original Hebrew ועתליה6271 אם517 אחזיהו274 וראתה7200 כי3588 מת4191 בנה1121 ותקם6965 ותאבד6 את853 כל3605 זרע2233 הממלכה׃4467
