The Meaning of 2 Kings 11:4 Explained

2 Kings 11:4

KJV: And the seventh year Jehoiada sent and fetched the rulers over hundreds, with the captains and the guard, and brought them to him into the house of the LORD, and made a covenant with them, and took an oath of them in the house of the LORD, and shewed them the king's son.

YLT: And in the seventh year hath Jehoiada sent and taketh the heads of the hundreds, of the executioners and of the runners, and bringeth them in unto him, to the house of Jehovah, and maketh with them a covenant, and causeth them to swear in the house of Jehovah, and sheweth them the son of the king,

Darby: And in the seventh year Jehoiada sent and fetched the captains of the hundreds, of the bodyguard and the couriers, and brought them to him into the house of Jehovah, and made a covenant with them, and took an oath of them in the house of Jehovah, and shewed them the king's son.

ASV: And in the seventh year Jehoiada sent and fetched the captains over hundreds of the Carites and of the guard, and brought them to him into the house of Jehovah; and he made a covenant with them, and took an oath of them in the house of Jehovah, and showed them the king's son.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And the seventh  year  Jehoiada  sent  and fetched  the rulers  over hundreds,  with the captains  and the guard,  and brought  them to him into the house  of the LORD,  and made  a covenant  with them, and took an oath  of them in the house  of the LORD,  and shewed  them the king's  son. 

What does 2 Kings 11:4 Mean?

Context Summary

2 Kings 11:1-12 - Crowning The Boy-King
Athaliah well deserves the title given her in 2 Chronicles 24:7. She usurped the throne, and played in Judah the part of her mother Jezebel. Joram was a wicked man and a bad king, but he recognized the value of piety, and chose the good priest Jehoiada as the husband of his daughter. The husband neutralized the evil influences of his wife's upbringing and led her into a noble and useful career, the chief episode of which was the rescue of the youngest son of Ahaziah. His nurse and he were hidden in a room where the mattresses were kept in case of a sudden influx of priests at festal times. Is not this hidden king a type of the hiding of the true Prince in the recesses of our hearts, while some Athaliah occupies too large a share of government? There is no alternative but that the evil self-life, our Athaliah, should be stoned.
It was a glad moment when the hidden prince was produced. Many loyal hearts had renounced all hope of again seeing a scion of David's line. But God kept His promise. The Word of God was a befitting gift to place in the hands of the young prince, 2 Kings 11:12. Compare Deuteronomy 17:18-19. But what a revelation will it be when Jesus assumes the government of the earth, and its kingdoms become the kingdom of God and His Christ! He is now hidden, but He shall be manifested, Colossians 3:4. [source]

Chapter Summary: 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

What do the individual words in 2 Kings 11:4 mean?

And in the year seventh sent Jehoiada and brought - the captains of hundreds hundreds of the bodyguards and the escorts and brought them to him into the house of Yahweh and he made with them a covenant and took an oath from them in the house of Yahweh and showed son of the king
וּבַשָּׁנָ֣ה הַ֠שְּׁבִיעִית שָׁלַ֨ח יְהוֹיָדָ֜ע וַיִּקַּ֣ח ׀ אֶת־ שָׂרֵ֣י [המאיות] (הַמֵּא֗וֹת) לַכָּרִי֙ וְלָ֣רָצִ֔ים וַיָּבֵ֥א אֹתָ֛ם אֵלָ֖יו בֵּ֣ית יְהוָ֑ה וַיִּכְרֹת֩ לָהֶ֨ם בְּרִ֜ית וַיַּשְׁבַּ֤ע אֹתָם֙ בְּבֵ֣ית יְהוָ֔ה וַיַּ֥רְא בֶּן־ הַמֶּֽלֶךְ

וּבַשָּׁנָ֣ה  And  in  the  year 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Preposition-b, Article, Noun, feminine singular
Root: שָׁנָה  
Sense: year.
הַ֠שְּׁבִיעִית  seventh 
Parse: Article, Number, ordinal feminine singular
Root: שְׁבִיעִי  
Sense: seventh.
שָׁלַ֨ח  sent 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: שָׁלַח  
Sense: to send, send away, let go, stretch out.
יְהוֹיָדָ֜ע  Jehoiada 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יְהֹויָדָע  
Sense: father of Benaiah, David’s mighty warrior.
וַיִּקַּ֣ח ׀  and  brought 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: יָקַח 
Sense: to take, get, fetch, lay hold of, seize, receive, acquire, buy, bring, marry, take a wife, snatch, take away.
אֶת־  - 
Parse: Direct object marker
Root: אֹות 
Sense: sign of the definite direct object, not translated in English but generally preceding and indicating the accusative.
שָׂרֵ֣י  the  captains 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct
Root: סָרַר 
Sense: prince, ruler, leader, chief, chieftain, official, captain.
[המאיות]  of  hundreds 
Parse: Article, Number, feminine plural
(הַמֵּא֗וֹת)  hundreds 
Parse: Article, Number, feminine plural
Root: מֵאָה 
Sense: hundred.
לַכָּרִי֙  of  the  bodyguards 
Parse: Preposition-l, Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: כָּרִי  
Sense: a group of foreign mercenary soldiers serving as a bodyguard for king David; also executioners.
וְלָ֣רָצִ֔ים  and  the  escorts 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Preposition-l, Article, Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine plural
Root: רוּץ 
Sense: to run.
וַיָּבֵ֥א  and  brought 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Hifil, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: בֹּוא 
Sense: to go in, enter, come, go, come in.
אֵלָ֖יו  to  him 
Parse: Preposition, third person masculine singular
Root: אֶל  
Sense: to, toward, unto (of motion).
בֵּ֣ית  into  the  house 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: בַּיִת 
Sense: house.
יְהוָ֑ה  of  Yahweh 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יהוה 
Sense: the proper name of the one true God.
וַיִּכְרֹת֩  and  he  made 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: כָּרַת  
Sense: to cut, cut off, cut down, cut off a body part, cut out, eliminate, kill, cut a covenant.
לָהֶ֨ם  with  them 
Parse: Preposition-l, Pronoun, third person masculine plural
Root: הֵם 
Sense: they, these, the same, who.
בְּרִ֜ית  a  covenant 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular
Root: בְּרִית  
Sense: covenant, alliance, pledge.
וַיַּשְׁבַּ֤ע  and  took  an  oath 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Hifil, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: שָׁבַע  
Sense: to swear, adjure.
אֹתָם֙  from  them 
Parse: Preposition, third person masculine plural
Root: אֵת 
Sense: with, near, together with.
בְּבֵ֣ית  in  the  house 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: בַּיִת 
Sense: house.
יְהוָ֔ה  of  Yahweh 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יהוה 
Sense: the proper name of the one true God.
וַיַּ֥רְא  and  showed 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Hifil, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: רָאָה 
Sense: to see, look at, inspect, perceive, consider.
בֶּן־  son 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: בֵּן 
Sense: son, grandson, child, member of a group.
הַמֶּֽלֶךְ  of  the  king 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: מֶלֶךְ 
Sense: king.