This chapter relates how that Joash the son of Ahaziah, king of Judah, being hid and preserved, when his grandmother murdered all the seed royal, after six years was produced, 2Ki 11:1, when Jehoiada the priest set a sufficient guard about him, and the king's house, and anointed him king, 2Ki 11:4, and Athaliah his grandmother, who had reigned six years, was put to death by the order of the priest, 2Ki 10:13, and then a covenant was made between the Lord, and the king, and the people, and between the king and the people; and he was placed on the throne, to the satisfaction of the people, and the quiet thereof, 2Ki 10:17.
Ver. 1. And when Athaiah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead,.... Who was the daughter of Ahab, and granddaughter of Omri 2Ki 8:18, she arose,and destroyed all the seed royal; that were left, for many had been slain already; the sons of Jehoshaphat, the brothers of Joram, were slain by him, 2Ch 21:4 and all Joram's sons, excepting Ahaziah, were slain by the Arabians, 2Ch 22:1, and the sons of the brethren of Ahaziah were slain by Jehu, 2Ki 11:8, these therefore seem to be the children of Ahaziah, the grandchildren of this brutish woman, whom she massacred out of her ambition of rule and government, which perhaps she was intrusted with while her son went to visit Joram king of Israel; other reasons are by some assigned, but this seems to be the chief.
For the same reason Laodice, who had six sons by Ariarathes king of the Cappadocians, poisoned five of them; the youngest escaping her hands, was murdered by the people , as this woman also was. Justin.
e Trogo, l. 37. c.