(5) And a third part at the gate of the foundation.--2Kings 11:6 reads: "the gate S-r," which appears there as a gate of the palace. (LXX., "the middle gate;" Syr. and Arab., "the Butchers' gate")

And all the people shall be in the courts of the house of the Lord.--This appears to be written from the point of view of a strict legalist, according to which none might enter the holy house itself save the priests. It looks like a protest against 2Kings 11:4, where it is said that Jehoiada brought the centurions of the royal guard into the house of the Lord.

Verse 5. - A third part... at the king's house. It seems impossible to refer this to the royal palace, as some suppose from ver. 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 ver. 5 in the parallel. At the gate of the foundation. The Hebrew text here is יְסוד (Exodus 29:12; Leviticus 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 ver. 10; i.e. all who were appointed to officiate. The last clause in each of vers. 5, 6, 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" (ver. 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."

23:12-20 A warning from God was sent to Jehoram. The Spirit of prophecy might direct Elijah to prepare this writing in the foresight of Jehoram's crimes. He is plainly told that his sin should certainly ruin him. But no marvel that sinners are not frightened from sin, and to repentance, by the threatenings of misery in another world, when the certainty of misery in this world, the sinking of their estates, and the ruin of their health, will not restrain them from vicious courses. See Jehoram here stripped of all his comforts. Thus God plainly showed that the controversy was with him, and his house. He had slain all his brethren to strengthen himself; now, all his sons are slain but one. David's house must not be wholly destroyed, like those of Israel's kings, because a blessing was in it; that of the Messiah. Good men may be afflicted with diseases; but to them they are fatherly chastisements, and by the support of Divine consolations the soul may dwell at ease, even when the body lies in pain. To be sick and poor, sick and solitary, but especially to be sick and in sin, sick and under the curse of God, sick and without grace to bear it, is a most deplorable case. Wickedness and profaneness make men despicable, even in the eyes of those who have but little religion.The contents of this chapter are the same with 2 Kings 11:4 and need no other explanation than what may be found in the notes there, to which the reader is referred.See Gill on 2 Kings 11:4. See Gill on 2 Kings 11:5. See Gill on 2 Kings 11:6. See Gill on 2 Kings 11:7. See Gill on 2 Kings 11:8. See Gill on 2 Kings 11:9. See Gill on 2 Kings 11:10. See Gill on 2 Kings 11:11. See Gill on 2 Kings 11:12. See Gill on 2 Kings 11:13. See Gill on 2 Kings 11:14. See Gill on 2 Kings 11:15. See Gill on 2 Kings 11:16. See Gill on 2 Kings 11:17. See Gill on 2 Kings 11:18. See Gill on 2 Kings 11:19. See Gill on 2 Kings 11:20.