expanded narrative can without difficulty be reconciled with the summary statement in 2Ki 11:4, is perfectly manifest. By various devices, however, Berth. tries to bring out some discrepancies. In the first place, in the words, “Jehoiada sent and brought the princes of hundreds” (2Ki 11:4), he presses the שׁלח, which is not found in the Chronicle, translates it by “he sent out,” and interprets it with 2Ch 23:2 of the Chronicle; in the second, he takes כּל־הקּהל in 2Ch 23:3 of the Chronicle to mean “the whole congregation,” whereas it denotes only the assembly of the men named in 2Ch 23:1 and 2Ch 23:2; and, thirdly, he opposes the expression, “they made a covenant with the king” (2Ch 23:3, Chron.), to the statement (2Ki 11:2) that Jehoiada made a covenant to the princes, by making this latter statement mean that Jehoiada made a covenant with the princes, but not with the king, as if this covenant concerning the coronation of Joash as king might not be called, by a shorter mode of expression, a covenant with the king, especially when the declaration, “the son of the king shall reign,” follows immediately.
Verses 4-6
The case is similar with the contradictions in the account of the carrying out of the arrangements agreed upon. In Bertheau's view, this is the state of the case: According to 2Ki 11:5-8, the one part of the body-guard, which on Sabbath mounted guard in the royal palace, were to divide themselves into three bands: one third was to keep the guard of the royal house, which was certainly in the neighbourhood of the main entrance; the second third was to stand at the gate Sur, probably a side-gate of the palace; the third was to stand behind the door of the runners. The other part of the body-guard, on the other hand - all those who were relieved on the Sabbath - were to occupy the temple, so as to defend the young king. But according to the representation of the Chronicle, (1) the priests and the Levites were to divide themselves into three parts: the first third, those of the priests and Levites, who entered upon their duties on the Sabbath, were to be watchers of the thresholds (cf. on 1Ch 9:19.), i.e., were to mount guard in the temple as usual; the second third was to be in the house of the king (i.e., where the first third was to keep watch, according to 2 Kings); the third was to be at the gate Jesod. Then (2) the whole people were to stand in the courts of the temple, and, according to 2Ch 23:6, were to observe the ordinance of Jahve (2Ch 13:11), by which they were forbidden to enter the
