"Athaliah was the daughter of Ahab and Jezebel, who exercised a
sanguinary dominion over Israel, and both, (more especially Jezebel,)
rendered their reign infamous by their worship of idols, and their cruel
persecution of prophets. She had been espoused by Jehoram, king of
Judah, son of Jehosaphat, and the seventh king of the race of David. His
son, Ahaziah, seduced into idolatry, as well as Jehoram, by the example
of Athaliah, after a reign of one year was put to death, together with
all the princes of the house of Ahab, by Jehu, whom God had anointed by
his prophets to reign over Israel, and to be the minister of his
vengeance. Athaliah, irritated by the massacre of her family, undertook
on her part to exterminate the royal race of David, and accordingly
perpetrated the murder of all the children of Ahaziah, her own
grandchildren, Joas, at that time an infant in the cradle, alone escaped
the fury of her slaughtering sword: he was rescued by Jehosabeth, the
half-sister of Ahaziah (being daughter of Jehoram by a different
mother), and wife of the high-priest Joad. It is the establishment of
this scion of David upon the throne of his ancestors that forms the
subject of this drama."