God save the king] Literally, Let the king live!
12–15 (= 2 Kings xi. 13–16).
Death of Athaliah.
¹²And when Athaliah heard the noise of the people running and praising the king[¹], she came to the people into the house of the Lord:
[¹] Or, of the people, of the guard, and of those who praised the king.
12. running] The word might mean “the guard” (literally runners)—see the margin It has that meaning in Kings, but the Chronicler interprets it literally as the participle of the verb.
praising the king] Perhaps verses were extemporised in praise of a king at his coronation, just as over a maiden at her marriage; compare Psalms lxxviii. 63.
she came] Athaliah was allowed to pass the palace guard, but now it was too late for her to save her crown.
¹³and she looked, and, behold, the king stood by his pillar at the entrance, and the captains and the trumpets by the king; and all the people of the land rejoiced, and blew with trumpets; the singers also played on instruments of music, and led the singing of praise. Then Athaliah rent her clothes, and said, Treason, treason.
13. by his pillar] compare 2 Kings xxiii. 3 (= 2 Chronicles xxxiv. 31, “in his place”). Although “pillar” is attested by 2 Kings xxiii. 3, the phrase is curious. Perhaps we should here read “in his place,” as in xxxiv. 31: the difference in Hebrew is very slight.
at the entrance] In 2 Kings as the manner was.