The other two units who are off duty on the Sabbath must stand guard for the king at the Lord’s Temple.
Parallel translations
- WEB The two companies of you, even all who go out on the Sabbath, shall keep the watch of Yahweh’s house around the king.
- KJV And two parts of all you that go forth on the sabbath, even they shall keep the watch of the house of the LORD about the king.
- BSB the two divisions that would go off duty on the Sabbath are to guard the house of the LORD for the king.
- NKJV The two contingents of you who go off duty on the Sabbath shall keep the watch of the house of the Lord for the king.
- NASB And two parts of you, all who go out on the Sabbath, shall also keep watch over the house of the Lord for the king.
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
The remaining companies are to surround and guard the king at the temple. The royal child is to be encircled by loyal men.
Overview
All forces converge to keep watch over Joash in Yahweh's house. The plan ensures the king is never left unguarded during the dangerous transition. This protective vigilance over David's heir shows how seriously God's people guarded the covenant line through which salvation would come.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 2
- 2 Chr 23:6But let no one come into Yahweh’s house, except the priests and those who minister of the Levites. They shall come in, for they are holy, but all the people shall follow Yahweh’s instructions.
- 2 Kgs 11:5He commanded them, saying, “This is what you must do: a third of you, who come in on the Sabbath, shall be keepers of the watch of the king’s house;
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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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 11:7 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
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