C. F. Keil and Franz Delitzsch on 2 Kings 11:4

2Ki 11:4

In the seventh year of Athaliah’s reign, Jehoiada sent for the captains of the king’s body-guard to come to him into the temple, and concluded a covenant with them, making them swear and showing them the king’s son, namely, to dethrone the tyrant Athaliah and set the king’s son upon the throne. המּאיות שׂרי, centuriones, military commanders of the executioners and runners, i.e., of the royal body-guard. The Chethîb מאיות may be explained from the fact that מאה is abridged from מאיה (vid., Ewald, §267, d.). On ורצים כּרי = והפּלתי הכּרתי   (1Ki 1:38) see the Comm. on 2Sa 8:18; and on ל as a periphrasis of the genitive, see Ewald, §292, a. In 2Ch 23:1-3 the chronicler not only gives the names of these captains, but relates still more minutely that they went about in the land and summoned the Levites and heads of families in Israel to Jerusalem, probably under the pretext of a festal celebration; whereupon Jehoiada concluded a covenant with the persons assembled, to ensure their assistance in the execution of his plan.