2 Kings 11 · Verse 1

2 Kings 11:1

And when Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead, she arose and destroyed all the seed royal.
2 Kings 11:1, King James Version

2 Kings 11:1 in other translations

BSBWhen Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead, she proceeded to annihilate all the royal heirs.
WEBNow when Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead, she arose and destroyed all the royal offspring.
ASVNow when Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead, she arose and destroyed all the seed royal.
YLTAnd Athaliah is mother of Ahaziah, and she hath seen that her son is dead, and she riseth, and destroyeth all the seed of the kingdom;
DARBYAnd when Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead, she rose up and destroyed all the royal seed.
BBENow when Athaliah, the mother of Ahaziah, saw that her son was dead, she had all the rest of the seed of the kingdom put to death.
WebsterAnd when Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead, she arose and destroyed all the seed royal.

What does 2 Kings 11:1 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
2Ki 11:1-3. Jehoash Saved from Athaliah's Massacre. 1. Athaliah--(See on 2Ch 22:2). She had possessed great influence over her son, who, by her counsels, had ruled in the spirit of the house of Ahab. destroyed all the seed royal--all connected with the royal family who might have urged a claim to the throne, and who had escaped the murderous hands of Jehu (2Ch 21:2-4; 22:1; 2Ki 10:13, 14). This massacre she was incited to perpetrate--partly from a determination not to let David's family outlive hers; partly as a measure of self-defense to secure herself against the violence of Jehu, who was bent on destroying the whole of Ahab's posterity to which she belonged (2Ki 8:18-26); but chiefly from personal ambition to rule, and a desire to establish the worship of Baal. Such was the sad fruit of the unequal alliance between the son of the pious Jehoshaphat and a daughter of the idolatrous and wicked house of Ahab.

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary

Introduction

Athaliah destroys all that remain of the seed royal of Judah, 2Kgs 11:1. Jehosheba hides Joash the son of Ahaziah, and he remains hidden in the house of the Lord six years; and Athaliah reigns over the land, 2Kgs 11:2, 2Kgs 11:3. Jehoiada, the high priest, calls the nobles privately together into the temple, shows them the kings son, takes an oath of them, arms them, places guards around the temple, and around the young king's person; they anoint and proclaim him, 2Kgs 11:4-12. Athaliah is alarmed, comes into the temple, is seized, carried forth, and slain, 2Kgs 11:13-16. Jehoiada causes the people to enter into a covenant with the Lord; they destroy Baal's house, priest, and images, 2Kgs 11:17, 2Kgs 11:18. Joash is brought to the king's house, reigns, and all the land rejoices, 2Kgs 11:19-21. Verse 1 Athaliah - This woman was the daughter of Ahab, and grand-daughter of Omri, and wife of Joram king of Judah, and mother of Ahaziah. Destroyed all the seed royal - All that she could lay her hands on whom Jehu had left; in order that she might get undisturbed possession of the kingdom. How dreadful is the lust of reigning! it destroys all the charities of life; and turns fathers, mothers, brothers, and children, into the most ferocious savages! Who, that has it in his power, makes any conscience "To swim to sovereign rule through seas of blood?" In what a dreadful state is that land that is exposed to political revolutions, and where the succession to the throne is not most positively settled by the clearest and most decisive law! Reader, beware of revolutions; there have been some useful ones, but they are in general the heaviest curse of God.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on 2 Kings 11:1-12
Athaliah destroyed all she knew to be akin to the crown. Jehoash, one of the king's sons, was hid. Now was the promise made to David bound up 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. A child indeed, but he had a good guardian, and, what was better, a good God to go to With such joy and satisfaction must the kingdom of Christ be welcomed into our hearts, when his throne is set up there, and Satan the usurper is cast out. Say, Let the King, even Jesus, live, for ever live and reign in my soul, and in all the world.

Matthew Henry, 1706 · public domain

2 Kings 11:1 in the original Hebrew

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

וַֽעֲתַלְיָה֙va.'a.tal.Yahand AthaliahH6271
אֵ֣ם'em[the] mother ofH517
אֲחַזְיָ֔הוּ'a.chaz.Ya.huAhaziahH274
רָאֲתָ֖הra.'a.tahshe sawH7200
כִּ֣יkithatH3588
מֵ֣תmethe was deadH4191
בְּנָ֑הּbe.Nahson herH1121
וַתָּ֙קָם֙va.Ta.komand she aroseH6965
וַתְּאַבֵּ֔דva.te.'a.Bedand she destroyedH6
אֵ֖ת'et<obj.>H853
כָּל\־kol-allH3605
זֶ֥רַעZe.ra'[the] offspring ofH2233
הַמַּמְלָכָֽה\׃ha.mam.la.Khah<the> royaltyH4467

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for 2 Kings 11:1

  • Jeremiah 41:1

    Now it came to pass in the seventh month, that Ishmael the son of Nethaniah the son of Elishama, of the seed royal, and the princes of the king, even ten men with him, came unto Gedaliah the son of Ahikam to Mizpah; and there they did eat bread together in Mizpah.

  • 2 Kings 25:25

    But it came to pass in the seventh month, that Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, the son of Elishama, of the seed royal, came, and ten men with him, and smote Gedaliah, that he died, and the Jews and the Chaldees that were with him at Mizpah.

  • 2 Chronicles 22:10-12

    But when Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead, she arose and destroyed all the seed royal of the house of Judah. But Jehoshabeath, the daughter of the king, took Joash the son of Ahaziah, and stole him from among the king’s sons that were slain, and put him and his nurse in a bedchamber. So Jehoshabeath, the daughter of king Jehoram, the wife of Jehoiada the priest, (for she was the sister of Ahaziah,) hid him from Athaliah, so that she slew him not. And he was with them hid in the house of God six years: and Athaliah reigned over the land.

  • Matthew 2:16

    Then Herod, when he saw that he was mocked of the wise men, was exceeding wroth, and sent forth, and slew all the children that were in Bethlehem, and in all the coasts thereof, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had diligently enquired of the wise men.

  • 2 Chronicles 24:7

    For the sons of Athaliah, that wicked woman, had broken up the house of God; and also all the dedicated things of the house of the Lord did they bestow upon Baalim.

  • 2 Kings 9:27

    But when Ahaziah the king of Judah saw this, he fled by the way of the garden house. And Jehu followed after him, and said, Smite him also in the chariot. And they did so at the going up to Gur, which is by Ibleam. And he fled to Megiddo, and died there.

  • 2 Kings 8:26

    Two and twenty years old was Ahaziah when he began to reign; and he reigned one year in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was Athaliah, the daughter of Omri king of Israel.

  • Matthew 21:38-39

    But when the husbandmen saw the son, they said among themselves, This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and let us seize on his inheritance. And they caught him, and cast him out of the vineyard, and slew him.

  • Matthew 2:13

    And when they were departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeareth to Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I bring thee word: for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
1 Jehoash, being saved by Jehosheba his aunt from Athaliah's massacre of the seed royal, is hid six years in the house of God.
4 Jehoiada, giving order to the captains, in the seventh year anoints him king.
13 Athaliah is slain.
17 Jehoiada restores the worship of God.

A.M. 3120. B.C.884. Athaliah.
2Ch 22:10; 24:7
the mother.
8:26; 9:27
and destroyed.A similar history is related by Mr. Bruce, as having occurred in Abyssinia. Judith "surprised the rock Damo, and slew the whole of the princes, to the number, it is said, of about 400;" while the infant king, Del Naad, was conveyed for safety to a loyal province, and afterwards restored.
Mt 2:13,16; 21:38,39
seed royal. Heb. seed of the kingdom.
25:25; *marg:
Jer 41:1

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

  • 2 Kings 11:1

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

  • 2 Kings 11:2

    But Jehosheba, the daughter of king Joram, sister of Ahaziah, took Joash the son of Ahaziah, and stole him from among the king’s sons which were slain; and they hid him, even him and his nurse, in the bedchamber from Athaliah, so that he was not slain.

Read all of 2 Kings 11

2 Kings 11:1 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		Y ATHALÍA madre de Ochôzías, viendo que su hijo era muerto, levantóse, y destruyó toda la simiente real.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		*Or Athalie, mère d’Achazia, vit que son fils était mort, et elle se leva et fit périr toute la semence royale.
German
Elberfelder 1871		Und als Athalja, die Mutter Ahasjas, sah, daß ihr Sohn tot war, da machte sie sich auf und brachte allen königlichen Samen um.
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		Athalia vero mater Ochoziæ, videns mortuum filium suum, surrexit, et interfecit omne semen regium.