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And Joash remained hidden with his nurse in the house of the LORD for six years while Athaliah ruled the land.
2 Kings 11:3 · Berean Standard Bible
Parallel translations
  • WEB He was with her hidden in Yahweh’s house six years while Athaliah reigned over the land.
  • KJV And he was with her hid in the house of the LORD six years. And Athaliah did reign over the land.
  • NKJV So he was hidden with her in the house of the Lord for six years, while Athaliah reigned over the land.
  • NASB So he was kept hidden with her in the house of the Lord for six years, while Athaliah was reigning over the land.
  • NLT Joash remained hidden in the Temple of the Lord for six years while Athaliah ruled over the land.

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org

Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Quick answer

Joash is hidden in the temple for six years while Athaliah usurps the throne. The rightful king is preserved in secret.

Overview

For six years the true heir grows up concealed in Yahweh's house as a wicked queen rules Judah. The temple, God's dwelling, shelters the promise of David's line during the darkness. This hidden preservation pictures how God guards His redemptive purposes even when evil appears to triumph, until the appointed time of revealing.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 3

  • Mal 3:15So now we call the arrogant blessed. Not only do evildoers prosper, they even test God and escape.’”
  • Ps 12:8The wicked wander freely, and vileness is exalted among men.
  • 2 Chr 22:12And Joash remained hidden with them in the house of God for six years while Athaliah ruled the land.

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (8)

Resources, by level

Commentaries & study tools

  • VideoBibleProject — 2 Kings videosBibleProject · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.

  • VideoWatch teaching on 2 Kings 11:3YouTube · Lay · Free

    Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.

  • CommentaryEnduring Word — verse-by-verseDavid Guzik · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.

  • CommentaryClassic commentaries for this verseBibleHub (20+ works) · Pastoral · Free

    Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.

  • CommentaryMatthew Henry on 2 KingsMatthew Henry · Pastoral · Free · evangelical

    The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).

  • ReferenceInterlinear, lexicon & Strong'sBlue Letter Bible · Seminary · Free

    Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.

Christ at the center

Amid the long decline toward exile, the promise to David's house refuses to die; the flickering lamp kept burning anticipates the coming King who will not fail or be cut off.

How 2 Kings 11:3 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.

Original language

Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.