2 Kings 11:14 - Exposition

And when she looked, behold, the king stood by a pillar ; rather, on the pillar , or on the raised platform . The king's proper place in the temple seems to have been a raised standing-place ( הָעַמּוּד , from עָמֹד , to stand) in front of the entrance to the sanctuary, which made him very conspicuous. As the manner was — i.e. as was the usual practice when kings visited the temple— and the princes — i.e. the centurions or captains of the guard— and the trumpeters by the king —the officials whose business it was to blow the trumpet at a coronation (see 2 Samuel 15:10 ; 1 Kings 1:39 ; 1 Kings 9:13 )— and all the people of the land rejoiced, and blew with trumpets ; i.e. the people who had been admitted into the great court to witness the coronation. Some rumor of what was about to occur had got abroad, and many of the people had provided themselves with trumpets. As Dean Stanley puts it, "The temple court was crowded with spectators, and they too took part in the celebration, and themselves prolonged the trumpet-blast, blended with the musical instruments of the temple service." And Athaliah rent her clothes. Athaliah took in all with a single glance. She "saw that the fatal hour was come" (Stanley). With a strong hand she rent her royal robes, partly in horror, partly in despair; for the single glance which she had cast around was sufficient to show her that all was lost. And cried, Treason! Treason! or, conspiracy ! conspiracy ! The cry was scarcely an appeal for help, as Josephus makes it ('Ant. Jud.,' 9.7. § 3), but rather an instinctive utterance, without distinct aim or object, wrung from her under the circumstances. It fell dead on the assembly.