מלכים ב, פרק י״א, פסוק ו׳

Jehoiada the Priest orchestrates a highly secretive and disciplined military operation to protect the young King Joash. To ensure the safety of the new monarch, he strategically divides the royal guard into three distinct units, positioning them at key focal points across the Temple and the royal palace. The second unit of guards [מצודת דוד] is assigned to the eastern gate of the Temple courtyard. This location is known as the gate of turning away, as it was the specific boundary where ritually impure individuals had to step back to avoid entering the sacred space [מצודת דוד, רד״ק]. It is also identified as the foundation gate, either because it marked the very beginning and foundation of the Temple's holiness [מצודת דוד], or because it was the site where the Sages would sit and establish the law [רד״ק].

The final third of the force is stationed at the southern gate of the courtyard [רד״ק]. This gate served as the official passageway for the king when he traveled from his palace to the Temple. It earned its name from the royal runners who would traditionally sprint ahead of the king to clear his path [רש״י, רד״ק, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. Splitting the troops and directing them through these various entrances is a deliberate tactical move to camouflage their movements and protect the secrecy of the uprising [ביאור שטיינזלץ].

The primary mission of these guards is to secure the premises, protecting the king's life by preventing any assassins from slipping inside [מצודת דוד]. This directive also serves as a reinforcement of the command to guard the royal palace itself [רש״י]. To ensure absolute security, the guards are given a strict behavioral mandate. The primary approach among commentators is that this requires total mental focus; the guards must maintain maximum alertness without a single moment of distraction, fatigue, or lapse in attention that could leave a space unguarded [רש״י, מצודת דוד, מצודת ציון, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. Alternatively, this mandate refers to physical discipline, instructing the guards to keep their formation tight and unbroken, ensuring that no individual soldier breaks rank or abandons his post [רד״ק].