Bible Dictionary
Ranges
“Ranges” refers either to a cooking arrangement for several pots or to ranks of soldiers guarding the king. In the account of Athaliah, the guards escorted her between the ranks.
Definition
“Ranges” has two biblical senses. In one passage it refers probably to a cooking furnace for two or more pots, or to a fireplace fitted for a pair of ovens. In another it means ranks of soldiers arranged as a guard.
Biblical Usage
In the account of Athaliah, the soldiers formed ranks around the king and were commanded to prevent anyone from breaking through. Jehoiada ordered that Athaliah be taken out between the ranks and beyond the temple precincts.
Historical Background
The royal guard included Levites within the temple and soldiers in the court and on the route between the temple and palace. The Revised Version distinguishes the cooking arrangement from the military ranks.
Scripture References
Related Figures
Historical Bible Dictionaries
Easton's Bible Dictionary
(1.) Lev. 11:35. Probably a cooking furnace for two or more pots, as the Hebrew word here is in the dual number; or perhaps a fire-place fitted to receive a pair of ovens. (2.) 2 Kings 11:8. A Hebrew word is here used different from the preceding, meaning “ranks of soldiers.” The Levites were appointed to guard the king’s person within the temple (2 Chr. 23:7), while the soldiers were his guard in the court, and in going from the temple to the palace. The soldiers are here commanded to slay any one who should break through the “ranks” (as rendered in the R.V.) to come near the king. In 2 Kings 11:15 the expression, “Have her forth without the ranges,” is in the Revised Version, “Have her forth between the ranks;” i.e., Jehoiada orders that Athaliah should be kept surrounded by his own guards, and at the same time conveyed beyond the precincts of the temple.