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Athaliah was the mother of the Judean king Ahaziah whom Jehu assassinated (9:27-29). She was a daughter of Ahab and Jezebel and the sister of the Israelite kings Ahaziah and Joram who had succeeded Ahab. She was the wife of Judean king Jehoram who had died of intestinal disease (2 Chron. 21:18-19). Raiding Philistines and Arabians had killed her other sons beside Ahaziah (2 Chron. 21:17).
She proceeded to assassinate all potential successors to the throne totally disregarding God's will that David's descendants were to rule Judah (2 Sam. 7:16).
"It was one of the many attempts Satan made to exterminate the male offspring to make the coming One, the promised Savior, the seed of the woman, impossible. Had he succeeded through Athaliah in the destruction of the royal seed of David, the promise made to David would have become impossible."71
Jehosheba was a daughter of Athaliah's husband, King Jehoram. She may not have been Athaliah's own daughter, the half-sister of King Ahaziah of Judah, and the wife of the high priest in Judah, Jehoiada (2 Chron. 22:11).72She hid Jehoash (Joash) as Jochebed had hidden Moses (Exod. 2). According to Josephus, Jehosheba hid Jehoash in a room used to store spare furniture and mattresses.73
The Carites (another spelling of Cherethites; cf. 2 Sam. 8:18; et al.) were special guards. The other guards (v. 4) were priests and Levites (2 Chron. 23:4).
When the high priest crowned Jehoash (Joash), who was then seven years old, he gave him a copy of the Mosaic Law consistent with what the Law required (Deut. 17:18-19).74
