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2 Chronicles 23:13

in 2 Chronicles 23

And she looked out and saw the king standing by his pillar at the entrance. The officers and trumpeters were beside the king, and all the people of the land were rejoicing and blowing trumpets, while the singers with musical instruments were leading the praises. Then Athaliah tore her clothes and screamed, “Treason, treason!”

BSB

The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾

ASV

and 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 trumpets; the singers also played on instruments of music, and led the singing of praise. Then Athaliah rent her clothes, and said, Treason! treason!

KJV

And she looked, and, behold, the king stood at his pillar at the entering in, and the princes and the trumpets by the king: and all the people of the land rejoiced, and sounded with trumpets, also the singers with instruments of musick, and such as taught to sing praise. Then Athaliah rent her clothes, and said, Treason, Treason.

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This verse in 2 Chronicles 23

Commentary

5 notes on this verse

This site's exposition

the noise of the people running

on 2 Chronicles 23:12-13

Athaliah hears the noise and goes out in the house of the LORD to find the coronation finished. Chronicles names one detail Kings lacks here: “the singers with musical instruments were leading the praises”, the temple singers David founded joining the acclamation. Athaliah tears her clothes and cries, “Treason, treason”.

This site's exposition

the singers with musical instruments were leading the praises

Matthew Henry pictures the joy of a people who had given up hope of seeing a king of David's house on the throne again. Her cry of treason, with her clothes torn, comes from the woman who had seized the throne by destroying the royal family at 22:10.

The record, by era

The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice

A commentator

Matthew Henry

1662–1714

Commentary on the Whole Bible (1710)

proposed

When it seemed a withered root in a dry ground, to see what they despaired of ever seeing--a king of the house of David, what a pleasing surprise was it to them! They ran in transports of joy to see this sight, praised the king, and praised God, for they had with them such as taught to sing praise.

The Nineteenth Century2 voices

A commentator

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown

1802–1910

Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)

proposed

Slay her not in the house of the Lord . . . and when she was come to the entering of the horse gate by the king's house, they slew her there--The high priest ordered her immediately to be taken out of the temple grounds and put to death. "And they laid hands on her; and she went by the way by the which horses came into the king's house: and there was she slain" (2Ki 11:16).

quarantine:scripture (2026-07-29) — scripture-overlap:83%@v10-15

At the entering in - i. e. at, or near, the opening from the main chamber of the temple into the holy of holies.

How the passage was read

What the Jewish commentators add

standing on his stand as it says (above:12f.): “And he stood before the altar of the Lord, etc. for Solomon had made a copper laver, etc., and he stood on it and kneeled on his knees.
Rashi: France, 1040–1105 · Rashi on II Chronicles 23:13:1, via Sefaria, The Judaica Press complete Tanach with Rashi, translated by A. J. Rosenberg

This section is reception history: how the passage was read and kept in the Jewish tradition. Where a reading parts from an essential of the Christian faith, the section says so at that point.

Texts and citation data: Sefaria; each excerpt follows its version’s licence. 6 further sources are cited on this chapter that carry no English text this site may quote or only restate the verse.

The words behind it

29 Hebrew words

Every Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.

  • וַתֵּ֡רֶאand she saw

    vatere'H7200 →1300 times

  • וְהִנֵּ֣הand there!

    vehinehH2009 →843 times

  • הַמֶּלֶךְ֩the king

    hamelekhH4428 →2525 times

  • עוֹמֵ֨ד[was] standing

    omedH5975 →521 times

  • עַֽל־at

    ʾal-H5921 →5755 times

  • עַמּוּד֜וֹpillar his

    amudoH5982 →111 times

  • בַּמָּב֗וֹאat the entrance

    bamavo'H3996 →

  • וְהַשָּׂרִ֣יםand the officials

    vehasarimH8269 →421 times

  • וְהַחֲצֹצְרוֹת֮and the trumpets

    vehachatzotzerotH2689 →29 times

  • עַל־[were] with

    ʾal-H5921 →5755 times

  • הַמֶּלֶךְ֒the king

    hamelekhH4428 →2525 times

  • וְכָל־and all

    vekholH3605 →5413 times

  • עַ֨ם[the] people of

    ʾamH5971 →1873 times

  • הָאָ֜רֶץthe land

    haaretzH776 →2504 times

  • שָׂמֵ֗חַ[was] joyful

    sameachH8056 →

  • וְתוֹקֵ֙עַ֙and [was] giving a blast

    vetokea'H8628 →

  • בַּחֲצֹ֣צְר֔וֹתon trumpets

    bachatzotzerotH2689 →29 times

  • וְהַמְשֽׁוֹרֲרִים֙and the singers

    vehamshorarimH7891 →86 times

  • בִּכְלֵ֣יwith [the] instruments of

    bikhleiH3627 →325 times

  • הַשִּׁ֔יר<the> song

    hashirH7892 →59 times

  • וּמוֹדִיעִ֖ים<and> [were] leading

    umodiimH3045 →945 times

  • לְהַלֵּ֑לto praise

    lehalelH1984 →165 times

  • וַתִּקְרַ֤עand she tore

    vatikra'H7167 →63 times

  • עֲתַלְיָ֙הוּ֙Athaliah

    ʾatalyahuH6271 →17 times

  • אֶת־<obj.>

    ʾet-H853 →10935 times

  • בְּגָדֶ֔יהָclothes her

    begadeihaH899 →217 times

  • וַתֹּ֖אמֶרand she said

    vatomerH559 →5305 times

  • קֶ֥שֶׁרtreason

    kesherH7195 →16 times

  • קָֽשֶׁר׃ סtreason

    kasherH7195 →16 times

A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.

Related verses

18 in all, six open

The number beside each verse is how many compiled reference works tie it to this one. The strongest six stand open.

Proverbs 29:2When the righteous flourish, the people rejoice, but when the wicked rule, the people groan.3 works1 Kings 1:39Zadok the priest took the horn of oil from the tabernacle and anointed Solomon. Then they blew the ram’s horn, and all the people proclaimed, “Long live King Solomon!”3 works1 Chronicles 25:1Additionally, David and the commanders of the army set apart some of the sons of Asaph, Heman, and Jeduthun to prophesy with the accompaniment of lyres, harps, and cymbals. The following is the list of the men who performed this service:3 worksNumbers 10:1–10Then the LORD said to Moses,2 works2 Kings 23:3So the king stood by the pillar and made a covenant before the LORD to follow the LORD and to keep His commandments, decrees, and statutes with all his heart and all his soul, and to carry out the words of this covenant that were written in this book. And all the people entered into the covenant.2 worksJudges 7:18–22When I and all who are with me blow our horns, then you are also to blow your horns from all around the camp and shout, ‘For the LORD and for Gideon!’”2 works
The other 12 cross-references, with their words ▾
1 Kings 18:17–18When Ahab saw Elijah, he said to him, “Is that you, O troubler of Israel?”2 worksPsalms 14:5There they are, overwhelmed with dread, for God is in the company of the righteous.2 works2 Kings 9:13Quickly, each man took his garment and put it under Jehu on the bare steps. Then they blew the ram’s horn and proclaimed, “Jehu is king!”2 works2 Kings 9:23Joram turned around and fled, calling out to Ahaziah, “Treachery, Ahaziah!”2 works1 Chronicles 12:40And their neighbors from as far away as Issachar, Zebulun, and Naphtali came bringing food on donkeys, camels, mules, and oxen—abundant supplies of flour, fig cakes and raisin cakes, wine and oil, oxen and sheep. Indeed, there was joy in Israel.2 works1 Chronicles 15:24Shebaniah, Joshaphat, Nethanel, Amasai, Zechariah, Benaiah, and Eliezer—the priests—were to blow the trumpets before the ark of God. Obed-edom and Jehiah were also to be guardians of the ark.2 works2 Chronicles 34:31So the king stood by the pillar and made a covenant before the LORD to follow the LORD and to keep His commandments, decrees, and statutes with all his heart and all his soul, and to carry out the words of this covenant that were written in this book.2 works1 Chronicles 15:16–22David also told the leaders of the Levites to appoint their relatives as singers to lift up their voices with joy, accompanied by musical instruments—harps, lyres, and cymbals.2 worksRomans 2:1–2You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on another. For on whatever grounds you judge the other, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things.2 worksEcclesiastes 9:12For surely no man knows his time: Like fish caught in a cruel net or birds trapped in a snare, so men are ensnared in an evil time that suddenly falls upon them.2 worksProverbs 11:10When the righteous thrive, the city rejoices, and when the wicked perish, there are shouts of joy.2 worksJudges 7:8So Gideon sent the rest of the Israelites to their tents but kept the three hundred men, who took charge of the provisions and rams’ horns of the others. And the camp of Midian lay below him in the valley.2 works

The walk

8 stops

Each card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.

  • Through

    Proverbs 29:2

    When the righteous flourish, the people rejoice, but when the wicked rule, the people groan.

    it leads to

    • Proverbs 28:12

      When the righteous triumph, there is great glory, but when the wicked rise, men hide themselves.

    • Proverbs 11:10

      When the righteous thrive, the city rejoices, and when the wicked perish, there are shouts of joy.

    • Proverbs 28:28

      When the wicked come to power, people hide themselves; but when they perish, the righteous flourish.

    • Esther 8:15

      Mordecai went out from the presence of the king in royal garments of blue and white, with a large gold crown and a purple robe of fine linen. And the city of Susa shouted…

    • Ecclesiastes 10:5

      There is an evil I have seen under the sun—an error that proceeds from the ruler:

  • Through

    2 Kings 23:3

    So the king stood by the pillar and made a covenant before the LORD to follow the LORD and to keep His commandments, decrees, and statutes with all his heart and all his soul,…

    it leads to

    • 2 Kings 11:14

      And she looked out and saw the king standing by the pillar, according to the custom. The officers and trumpeters were beside the king, and all the people of the land were rejoicing and…

    • 2 Kings 11:17

      Then Jehoiada made a covenant between the LORD and the king and the people that they would be the LORD’s people. He also made a covenant between the king and the people.

    • Deuteronomy 13:4

      You are to follow the LORD your God and fear Him. Keep His commandments and listen to His voice; serve Him and hold fast to Him.

About 2 Chronicles

Saphan Reading the Book of the Law to Josiah, Philip Galle, engraving after Maarten van Heemskerck, 1569, Royal Library of Belgium. Public domain.
Saphan Reading the Book of the Law to Josiah, Philip Galle, engraving after Maarten van Heemskerck, 1569, Royal Library of Belgium. Public domain.
2 Chronicles: the study guide →Read 2 Chronicles 23 →

This page draws on Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Jamieson Fausset and Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.

Read on in 2 Chronicles 23 →