2 Kings 11:6
New International Version
a third at the Sur Gate, and a third at the gate behind the guard, who take turns guarding the temple—

New Living Translation
Another third of you are to stand guard at the Sur Gate. And the final third must stand guard behind the palace guard. These three groups will all guard the palace.

English Standard Version
(another third being at the gate Sur and a third at the gate behind the guards) shall guard the palace.

Berean Standard Bible
a third shall be at the gate of Sur, and a third at the gate behind the guards. You are to take turns guarding the temple—

King James Bible
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.

New King James Version
one-third shall be at the gate of Sur, and one-third at the gate behind the escorts. You shall keep the watch of the house, lest it be broken down.

New American Standard Bible
(a third also shall be at the gate Sur, and a third at the gate behind the guards), shall keep watch over the house for defense.

NASB 1995
(one third also shall be at the gate Sur, and one third at the gate behind the guards), shall keep watch over the house for defense.

NASB 1977
(one third also shall be at the gate Sur, and one third at the gate behind the guards), shall keep watch over the house for defense.

Legacy Standard Bible
(one-third also shall be at the gate Sur, and one-third at the gate behind the guards), shall keep watch over the house for defense.

Amplified Bible
(a third shall also be at the [city] gate Sur, and a third at the gate behind the guards); so you shall keep watch over the palace [from three posts] for defense.

Christian Standard Bible
A third are to be at the Foundation Gate and a third at the gate behind the guards. You are to take turns providing protection for the palace.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
A third are to be at the Sur gate and a third at the gate behind the guards. You are to take turns providing protection for the palace.”

American Standard Version
and a third part shall be at the gate Sur; and a third part at the gate behind the guard: so shall ye keep the watch of the house, and be a barrier.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
And a third in the gate of Qarsa, and a third in the gate of the house of Couriers, and keep guard of the house from harm.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
Let a third part of you go in on the sabbath-day, and keep ye the watch of the king's house in the porch; and another third in the gate of the high way, and a third at the gate behind the footmen; and keep ye the guard of the house.

Contemporary English Version
Another unit will guard Sur Gate, and the third unit will guard the palace gate and relieve the palace guards.

Douay-Rheims Bible
Let a third part of you go in on the sabbath, and keep the watch of the king's house. And let a third part be at the gate of Sur: and let a third part be at the gate behind the dwelling of the shieldbearers: and you shall keep the watch of the house of Messa.

English Revised Version
And a third part shall be at the gate Sur; and a third part at the gate behind the guard: so shall ye keep the watch of the house, and be a barrier.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Another third must be at Sur Gate. And another third must be at the gate behind the guards. You will guard the king's residence.

Good News Translation
another third are to stand guard at the Sur Gate, and the other third are to stand guard at the gate behind the other guards.

International Standard Version
with a third of you at the Sur gate, and a third at the gate behind the guards. Keep watch over the palace and defend it.

JPS Tanakh 1917
now another third part was at the gate Sur, and another third part at the gate behind the guard--shall keep the watch of the house, and be a barrier.

Literal Standard Version
and the third [is] at the Gate of Sur, and the third at the gate behind the runners, and you have kept the charge of the house pulled down;

Majority Standard Bible
a third shall be at the gate of Sur, and a third at the gate behind the guards. You are to take turns guarding the temple—

New American Bible
another third shall be at the gate Sur; and the last third shall be at the gate behind the guards. You shall guard the palace on all sides,

NET Bible
Another third of you will be stationed at the Foundation Gate. Still another third of you will be stationed at the gate behind the royal guard. You will take turns guarding the palace.

New Revised Standard Version
(another third being at the gate Sur and a third at the gate behind the guards), shall guard the palace;

New Heart English Bible
A third part shall be at the gate Sur; and a third part at the gate behind the guard. So you shall keep the watch of the house, and be a barrier.

Webster's Bible Translation
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.

World English Bible
a third of you shall be at the gate Sur; and a third of you at the gate behind the guard. So you shall keep the watch of the house, and be a barrier.

Young's Literal Translation
and the third is at the gate of Sur, and the third at the gate behind the runners, and ye have kept the charge of the house pulled down;

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Joash Anointed King in Judah
5and commanded them, “This is what you are to do: A third of you who come on duty on the Sabbath shall guard the royal palace, 6a third shall be at the gate of Sur, and a third at the gate behind the guards. You are to take turns guarding the temple— 7the two divisions that would go off duty on the Sabbath are to guard the house of the LORD for the king.…

Cross References
2 Kings 11:5
and commanded them, "This is what you are to do: A third of you who come on duty on the Sabbath shall guard the royal palace,

2 Kings 11:7
the two divisions that would go off duty on the Sabbath are to guard the house of the LORD for the king.

2 Kings 11:19
He took with him the commanders of hundreds, the Carites, the guards, and all the people of the land, and they brought the king down from the house of the LORD and entered the royal palace by way of the Gate of the Guards. Then Joash took his seat on the royal throne,


Treasury of Scripture

And a third part shall be at the gate of Sur; and a third part at the gate behind the guard: so shall you keep the watch of the house, that it be not broken down.

the gate of Sur

1 Chronicles 26:13-19
And they cast lots, as well the small as the great, according to the house of their fathers, for every gate…

2 Chronicles 23:4,5
This is the thing that ye shall do; A third part of you entering on the sabbath, of the priests and of the Levites, shall be porters of the doors; …

that it be not broken down.

Jump to Previous
Barrier Broken Charge Couriers Defence Defense Gate Guard Guarding Guards House Kept Palace Part Runners Temple Third Turns Watch
Jump to Next
Barrier Broken Charge Couriers Defence Defense Gate Guard Guarding Guards House Kept Palace Part Runners Temple Third Turns Watch
2 Kings 11
1. Jehoash, being saved by Jehosheba his aunt from Athaliah's massacre,
3. is hidden six years in the house of God
13. Jehoiada, giving order to the captains, in the seventh year anoints him king
17. Jehoiada restores the worship of God














(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.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
a third [shall be]
וְהַשְּׁלִשִׁית֙ (wə·haš·šə·li·šîṯ)
Conjunctive waw, Article | Number - ordinal feminine singular
Strong's 7992: Third, feminine a, third, a third, a third-story cell)

at the gate
בְּשַׁ֣עַר (bə·ša·‘ar)
Preposition-b | Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 8179: An opening, door, gate

of Sur,
ס֔וּר (sūr)
Noun - proper - feminine singular
Strong's 5495: Sur -- 'a turning aside', a gate of the temple

and a third
וְהַשְּׁלִשִׁ֥ית (wə·haš·šə·li·šîṯ)
Conjunctive waw, Article | Number - ordinal feminine singular
Strong's 7992: Third, feminine a, third, a third, a third-story cell)

at the gate
בַּשַּׁ֖עַר (baš·ša·‘ar)
Preposition-b, Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 8179: An opening, door, gate

behind
אַחַ֣ר (’a·ḥar)
Adverb
Strong's 310: The hind or following part

the guards.
הָרָצִ֑ים (hā·rā·ṣîm)
Article | Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine plural
Strong's 7323: To run

You are to take turns
מַסָּֽח׃ (mas·sāḥ)
Adverb
Strong's 4535: A cordon, military barrier

guarding
וּשְׁמַרְתֶּ֛ם (ū·šə·mar·tem)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive perfect - second person masculine plural
Strong's 8104: To hedge about, guard, to protect, attend to

the temple—
הַבַּ֖יִת (hab·ba·yiṯ)
Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 1004: A house


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OT History: 2 Kings 11:6 A third part shall be at (2Ki iiKi ii ki 2 kg 2kg)
2 Kings 11:5
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