(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 S-r ("turning aside") Chronicles has Jesod ("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-Ab- 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 2Kings 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 mass?h, which occurs nowhere else. It appears to mean "repulse," "warding off," and is probably a marginal gloss on "watch" (mishmereth), 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" (-nes?ah for mass?h). He should have written wen?soah.

Verse 6. - And a third part shall be at the gate of Sur. The "gate of Sur" is not elsewhere mentioned. It seems to be called in Chronicles (2 Chronicles 23:5) "the gate of the foundation" (שַׂעַר יְסוד) instead of "the gate of Sur" (שַׁעַר סוּר), as here - the one reading having evidently arisen out of the other by a corruption. We must understand one of the palace gates, but which of them is uncertain. And a third part at the gate behind the guard; called in ver. 19 "the gate of the guard," and shown there to have been on the cast side of the palace, where it faced the temple, and abutted on the Tyropoeon. So shall ye keep the watch of the house - i.e., of the "king's house," or palace, which is contrasted with the "house of the Lord" of the next verse - that it be not broken down. This rendering is scarcely accepted at the present time by any writers. Ewald renders, "according to custom;" Keil, "for defense;" Furst, "alternately;" our Revisers, "and be a barrier." The Hebrew word used occurs nowhere else, and it seems impossible to determine its sense. The LXX. simply omit it.

11:1-12 Athaliah destroyed all she knew to be akin to the crown. Jehoash, one of the king's sons, was hid. Now was the promise made to David bound up in one life only, and yet it did not fail. Thus to the Son of David, the Lord, according to his promise, will secure a spiritual seed, hidden sometimes, and unseen, but hidden in God's pavilion, and unhurt. Six years Athaliah tyrannized. Then the king was brought forward. A child indeed, but he had a good guardian, and, what was better, a good God to go to With such joy and satisfaction must the kingdom of Christ be welcomed into our hearts, when his throne is set up there, and Satan the usurper is cast out. Say, Let the King, even Jesus, live, for ever live and reign in my soul, and in all the world.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 word signifies, and not enter the temple; it is called "the gate of the foundation", 2 Chronicles 23:5 because, according to Ben Gersom, here the foundation of the sanctuary was first laid; it is said (b) to have five other names besides these:

and a third part at the gate behind the guard; the temple guard, which had a captain of them, Acts 4:1 this gate is supposed to be the same with "sippim", or the threshold gate, 2 Chronicles 23:4 and to be the southern one:

so shall ye keep the watch of the house, that it be not broken down; guard the temple, that none break or rush into it, of Athaliah's party.

(b) T. Hieros. Yoma apud Beckium in Targ. in 2 Chronicles 23.5.