דברי הימים ב, פרק כ״ג, פסוק ט״ז

Securing the throne for the new king and leaving Athaliah without military support was only the beginning of a much larger plan. Jehoiada the priest was not satisfied with merely replacing one monarch with another. He seized the moment to bring about a fundamental change within the country and to eliminate the negative influences left behind by Athaliah's rule. She had introduced idol worship and foreign customs from her father's family, the house of Ahab [ביאור שטיינזלץ].

Jehoiada's ultimate goal was to fully restore the worship of God. To achieve this, he organized a sweeping national action by establishing a new covenant among himself, the people, and the king. The primary approach among commentators is that the essence of this agreement was a shared, unified acceptance. Together, the king and the citizens took upon themselves the commitment to follow God and serve Him. This mutual pledge to be God's people reflected a general agreement to return to their original purpose as a nation that faithfully serves Him.