2 Chronicles 23:5 - Exposition

A third part … at the king's house . It seems impossible to refer this to the royal palace, as some suppose from 2 Chronicles 23:19 in the parallel. It probably designates the place where the child had been living in concealment. This portion of the description appears to correspond with the last clause of 2 Chronicles 23:5 in the parallel. At the gate of the foundation . The Hebrew text here is יְסוֹד ( Exodus 29:12 ; Le Exodus 4:7 ; Habakkuk 3:13 ); in the parallel סוּר , a name only found there, and unintelligible—probably a corruption of the other word. The gate of the foundation is supposed to have stood at that corner of the area which was strengthened by additional works, where was the ravine separating Moriah and the hill to the south. All the people. Evidently the miscellaneous outside people are not here intended, who were not entrusted with the secret and the surprise that was to be, but the same all the people as are unmistakably designated in 2 Chronicles 23:10 ; i.e. all who were appointed to officiate. The last clause in each of 2 Chronicles 23:5 , 2 Chronicles 23:6 , 2 Chronicles 23:7 in the parallel go strongly to confirm the position that" the king's house "so far does not intend the royal palace, but such part of the house of the Lord as had been, and then still was, "about the king" ( 2 Chronicles 23:7 , parallel); in order to keep watch "about the king,' they were set to keep watch of a certain part of "the house of the Lord."