And he set all the people, every man having his weapon in his hand, from the right side of the temple to the left side of the temple, along by the altar and the temple, by the king round about.
He positioned all the people around the king, each person holding their weapon, stretching from the right side of the temple to the left side, along the altar and around the temple.
The writer is describing how the priest Jehoiada strategically placed armed guards all around the temple to protect the young king Joash during his coronation.
📚 Historical Context
This occurred during the coronation of seven-year-old Joash as king of Judah around 835 BC. The high priest Jehoiada had hidden Joash for six years to protect him from his murderous grandmother Queen Athaliah, who had tried to kill all royal heirs. Now Jehoiada was carefully orchestrating Joash's public coronation while ensuring maximum security against Athaliah's potential retaliation.
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