2 Kings 11:8

11:8 You must surround the king. Each of you must hold his weapon in his hand. Whoever approaches your ranks must be killed. You must accompany the king wherever he goes.” ¹ 

2 Kings 11:12

11:12 Jehoiada ²  led out the king’s son and placed on him the crown and the royal insignia. ³  They proclaimed him king and poured olive oil on his head. ⁴  They clapped their hands and cried out, “Long live the king!”

2 Kings 11:17

11:17 Jehoiada then drew up a covenant between the Lord and the king and people, stipulating that they should be loyal to the Lord. ⁵ 

[11:8]  ¹ tn Heb “and be with the king in his going out and in his coming in.”

[11:12]  ² tn Heb “he”; the referent (Jehoiada) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[11:12]  ³ tn The Hebrew term עֵדוּת (’edut) normally means “witness” or “testimony.” Here it probably refers to some tangible symbol of kingship, perhaps a piece of jewelry such as an amulet or neck chain. See the discussion in M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 128. Some suggest that a document is in view, perhaps a copy of the royal protocol or of the stipulations of the Davidic covenant. See HALOT 790-91 s.v. עֵדוּת.

[11:12]  ⁴ tn Or “they made him king and anointed him.”

[11:17]  ³ tn Heb “and Jehoiada made a covenant between the Lord and [between] the king and [between] the people, to become a people for the Lord, and between the king and [between] the people.” The final words of the verse (“and between the king and [between] the people”) are probably accidentally repeated from earlier in the verse. They do not appear in the parallel account in 2 Chr 23:16. If retained, they probably point to an agreement governing how the king and people should relate to one another.