And a third part shall be at the gate of Sur; and a third part at the gate behind the guard: so shall ye keep the watch of the house, that it be not broken down. (2 Kings 11:6)
Also called “gate of the foundation” (2 Chron. 23:5). This gate has not been identified; it may have been the gate of the palace leading to the Temple.
The gate behind the guard.
This gate likewise has not been identified; it may have been the gate at the rear of the palace. The object then would be to have the palace under complete control. The arrangement seems to have been that the men normally on duty at the palace were ordered to retain their positions there. Their presence would create no suspicions.
Broken down.
Heb. massach. This word occurs only here, and its meaning is obscure. The LXX does not translate the word. Many Jewish commentators render it “without distraction of mind.”