Bible Strands
2 Kings 21:24
But the people of the land killed all those who had conspired against King Amon, and they made his son Josiah king in his place.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The narrator records the immediate aftermath of King Amon’s assassination by his own court officials, marking the precise moment of political transition in Judah. The account shifts authority from the royal palace to the broader populace at the exact point of succession.
The words — The verb וַיַּךְ (va.yaKh) literally means "struck down" or "killed," denoting the decisive physical action. The noun הַקֹּשְרִים (ha.qoSheRim) specifies "those who conspired," isolating the exact group targeted by the populace.
The thread — This mechanism of popular intervention in royal succession appears in 2 Kings 14:5, where Amaziah executes his father’s murderers, and 1 Samuel 11:15, where the people formally confirm Saul as king. The narrative structure parallels the chronicler’s standard practice of closing a reign with a reference to the royal archives, as seen in 2 Kings 21:25.
Why it lands — The text requires the reader to note that civil action, not divine instruction or military force, resolves the immediate succession crisis. It establishes a historical precedent for popular authority in legitimizing royal transitions during periods of palace instability.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
And the people of the land slew all them that had conspired against king Amon; and the people of the land made Josiah his son king in his stead.
Cross-references
- 2 Kings 14:5 As soon as the kingdom was firmly in his grasp, Amaziah executed the servants who had murdered his father the king.
- 1 Samuel 11:15 So all the people went to Gilgal and confirmed Saul as king in the presence of the LORD. There they sacrificed peace offerings before the LORD, and Saul and all the Israelites rejoiced greatly.
- 2 Samuel 5:3 So all the elders of Israel came to the king at Hebron, where King David made with them a covenant before the LORD. And they anointed him king over Israel.
- 1 Kings 12:1 Then Rehoboam went to Shechem, for all Israel had gone there to make him king.
- 1 Kings 12:20 When all Israel heard that Jeroboam had returned, they summoned him to the assembly and made him king over all Israel. Only the tribe of Judah followed the house of David.
- 2 Kings 11:17 Then Jehoiada made a covenant between the LORD and the king and the people that they would be the LORD’s people. He also made a covenant between the king and the people.
- 2 Kings 14:21 Then all the people of Judah took Azariah, who was sixteen years old, and made him king in place of his father Amaziah.
- 2 Chronicles 22:1 Then the people of Jerusalem made Ahaziah, the youngest son of Jehoram, king in his place, since the raiders who had come into the camp with the Arabs had killed all the older sons. So Ahaziah son of Jehoram became king of Judah.
- 2 Chronicles 26:1 All the people of Judah took Uzziah, who was sixteen years old, and made him king in place of his father Amaziah.
- 2 Chronicles 33:25 But the people of the land killed all those who had conspired against King Amon, and they made his son Josiah king in his place.