Translations
Modern
No one is to enter the house of the LORD except the priests and those Levites who serve; they may enter because they are consecrated, but all the people are to obey the requirement of the LORD.
Traditional
But let none come into the house of the Lord, save the priests, and they that minister of the Levites; they shall go in, for they are holy: but all the people shall keep the watch of the Lord.
Literal
And let none come into the house of YHWH, except for the priests and those who serve from the Levites; they may go in, for they are holy. And all the people must keep the charge of YHWH.
Latin
Nec quispiam alius ingrediatur domum Domini, nisi sacerdotes, et qui ministrant de Levitis: ipsi tantummodo ingrediantur, quia sanctificati sunt: et omne reliquum vulgus observet custodias Domini.
Original
Hebrew
English
No one is to enter the house of the LORD except the priests and those Levites who serve; they may enter because they are consecrated, but all the people are to obey the requirement of the LORD.
Notes
Only the priests and Levites on duty could enter the temple, so the Levites had to stop others from entering.
The best time for the coup was during the temple guard change. This was when many people moved around. One-third of the guards started their shifts. They were stationed in three places to do their usual tasks and to watch for any palace activity. The rest of the armed force stayed in the Lord’s temple courtyards, forming a human wall to protect the king.
Parallels
People
Levi: Son of Jacob; progenitor of the Levites
Glossary
Athaliah Chronicles, Books of First and Second Genealogy Jehoiada
Topics
Prophecies Concerning Israel: Athaliah, his Mother, Succeeds Him Religious Zeal: Jehoiada The Levites: Guarded King's Person and House in Times of Danger