2 Kings 11:6

And a third part shall be at the gate of Sur,.... Generally thought by the Jews to be the eastern gate, so called, as they say, because such as were defiled were bid to depart, or go back, as this

And he commanded them, saying, This is the thing that ye shall do; A third part of you that enter in on the sabbath shall even be keepers of the watch of the king's house; No JFB commentary on these verses.

At the gate of Sur; the chief gate of the temple, called the high gate, , and the foundation gate, , and the eastgate, , and the middle gate, , and the gate of the entrance, . Behind the guard; either, 1. The king’ s guard; or, 2. The guard of the temple; for such a guard there was, and a captain of the guard, called the captain of the temple, 5:24. This gate was in the south side; and, as some think, is that which is called sippim, or the threshold gate, . So shall ye keep the watch of the house, that it be not broken down, i.e. so you shall guard all the gates or entrances into the house or temple of God, that neither Athaliah nor any of her soldiers may break into the temple, and defile it, or destroy it; as she will doubtless endeavour to do. Or, and ye shall keep the watch of the house Massach, as the LXX. and other interpreters render it; who think this was the name of a house not far from the temple; in which, or against which, they were to keep a guard.

2 Kings 11:6 And a third part [shall be] at the gate of Sur; and a third part at the gate behind the guard: so shall ye keep the watch of the house, that it be not broken down.Ver. 6. At the gate of Sur.] So called, saith Martyr, from declining or departing; because the door keepers made the unclean decline from it.

(6) And a third part shall be at the gate of Sur.—Or, and the third (shall be on guard) at the gate of Sur, Instead of Sϋr (“turning aside”) Chronicles has Jesτd (“foundation”). The gate Sur was apparently a side exit from the court of the palace, such as may be seen in the old Egyptian palaces at Medinat-Abϋ and Karnak. “Jesod” is another name for the same side-door, or, as is far more likely, a textual corruption of “Sur.” And a third part at the gate behind the guard.—Literally, and the third at the gate behind the Couriers. In 2 Kings 11:19 “the gate of the Couriers” is mentioned, apparently as the principal entrance to the palace enclosure. That gate and this one are probably the same. It is here called “the gate behind the Couriers” because a guard was usually stationed in front of it. Perhaps the word “behind” has originated in a mere echo of the word “gate” (‘ahar, sha’ar), and should be omitted as an error of transcription. So shall ye keep the watch of the house.—Thus shall ye—the three divisions of the guards, entering on duty on the Sabbath—guard the entrances and exits of the royal palace. That it be not broken down.—The Hebrew is only the one word massβh, which occurs nowhere else. It appears to mean “repulse,” “warding off,” and is probably a marginal gloss on “watch” (mishmθreth), explaining its nature—viz., that the guards were to keep back any one who tried to enter the palace buildings. Gesenius paraphrases, “ad depellendum populum” (zum Abwehren). Thenius suggests the reading “and repel”! scil., “all comers” (ϋnesτah for massβh). He should have written wenβsτah.

6. at the gate of Sur] R.V. omits ‘of’. This gate is nowhere else named. The similarity between the original words ρεψ, Sur and ιρεψ given in Chronicles, and rendered ‘foundation’, makes it not unlikely that the ‘gate Sur’ here, and ‘the gate of the foundation’ (2 Chronicles 23:5) are the same place, though it is impossible, if this be so, to decide which is the correct reading, for ‘the gate of the foundation’ is spoken of nowhere else. The LXX. has here ἐντῇπύλῃτῶνὁδῶν, ‘in the gate of the ways’ and in Chronicles ἐντῇπύλῃτῇμέσῃ ‘at the middle gate’. at the gate behind the guard] The guard here spoken of are the ‘runners’ who formed a part of the royal body-guard. Nothing is more likely than that such a body would have special quarters assigned to them in the neighbourhood of the palace, and if they were at this time thought to be favourable to Athaliah, the necessity would be apparent of putting a body of well-affected men close to them to keep them in check. so shall ye keep the watch of the house] The ‘house’ is the palace, which was thus to be strongly guarded at three places. that it be not broken down] R.V. and be a barrier. The word is a noun in apposition with ‘watch’ and defines its character. The word is unrepresented in the LXX.

6. Gate of Sur — The same, doubtless, as the gate of the foundation, or gate of Yesod, in Chronicles.