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2 Kings 9

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Elisha Commissions Jehu's Anointing 1–10

1
And Elisha the prophet called one of the sons of the prophets, and said unto him, Gird up thy loins, and take this vial of oil in thy hand, and go to Ramoth-gilead. ​
2
And when thou comest thither, look out there Jehu the son of Jehoshaphat the son of Nimshi, and go in, and make him arise up from among his brethren, and carry him to an inner chamber. ​
3
Then take the vial of oil, and pour it on his head, and say, Thus saith Jehovah, I have anointed thee king over Israel. Then open the door, and flee, and tarry not. ​
4
So the young man, even the young man the prophet, went to Ramoth-gilead.
5
And when he came, behold, the captains of the host were sitting; and he said, I have an errand to thee, O captain. And Jehu said, Unto which of us all? And he said, To thee, O captain.
6
And he arose, and went into the house; and he poured the oil on his head, and said unto him, Thus saith Jehovah, the God of Israel, I have anointed thee king over the people of Jehovah, even over Israel. ​
7
And thou shalt smite the house of Ahab thy master, that I may avenge the blood of my servants the prophets, and the blood of all the servants of Jehovah, at the hand of Jezebel. ​
8
For the whole house of Ahab shall perish; and I will cut off from Ahab every man-child, and him that is shut up and him that is left at large in Israel. ​
9
And I will make the house of Ahab like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and like the house of Baasha the son of Ahijah. ​
10
And the dogs shall eat Jezebel in the portion of Jezreel, and there shall be none to bury her. And he opened the door, and fled. ​

Jehu Proclaimed King by the Army 11–13

11
Then Jehu came forth to the servants of his lord: and one said unto him, Is all well? wherefore came this mad fellow to thee? And he said unto them, Ye know the man and what his talk was. ​
12
And they said, It is false; tell us now. And he said, Thus and thus spake he to me, saying, Thus saith Jehovah, I have anointed thee king over Israel.
13
Then they hasted, and took every man his garment, and put it under him on the top of the stairs, and blew the trumpet, saying, Jehu is king. ​

Jehu Executes Joram and Ahaziah 14–29

14
So Jehu the son of Jehoshaphat the son of Nimshi conspired against Joram. (Now Joram was keeping Ramoth-gilead, he and all Israel, because of Hazael king of Syria; ​
15
but king Joram was returned to be healed in Jezreel of the wounds which the Syrians had given him, when he fought with Hazael king of Syria.) And Jehu said, If this be your mind, then let none escape and go forth out of the city, to go to tell it in Jezreel. ​
16
So Jehu rode in a chariot, and went to Jezreel; for Joram lay there. And Ahaziah king of Judah was come down to see Joram.
17
Now the watchman was standing on the tower in Jezreel, and he spied the company of Jehu as he came, and said, I see a company. And Joram said, Take a horseman, and send to meet them, and let him say, Is it peace?
18
So there went one on horseback to meet him, and said, Thus saith the king, Is it peace? And Jehu said, What hast thou to do with peace? turn thee behind me. And the watchman told, saying, The messenger came to them, but he cometh not back.
19
Then he sent out a second on horseback, who came to them, and said, Thus saith the king, Is it peace? And Jehu answered, What hast thou to do with peace? turn thee behind me.
20
And the watchman told, saying, He came even unto them, and cometh not back: and the driving is like the driving of Jehu the son of Nimshi; for he driveth furiously. ​
21
And Joram said, Make ready. And they made ready his chariot. And Joram king of Israel and Ahaziah king of Judah went out, each in his chariot, and they went out to meet Jehu, and found him in the portion of Naboth the Jezreelite. ​
22
And it came to pass, when Joram saw Jehu, that he said, Is it peace, Jehu? And he answered, What peace, so long as the whoredoms of thy mother Jezebel and her witchcrafts are so many? ​
23
And Joram turned his hands, and fled, and said to Ahaziah, There is treachery, O Ahaziah.
24
And Jehu drew his bow with his full strength, and smote Joram between his arms; and the arrow went out at his heart, and he sunk down in his chariot. ​
25
Then said Jehu to Bidkar his captain, Take up, and cast him in the portion of the field of Naboth the Jezreelite; for remember how that, when I and thou rode together after Ahab his father, Jehovah laid this burden upon him: ​
26
Surely I have seen yesterday the blood of Naboth, and the blood of his sons, saith Jehovah; and I will requite thee in this plat, saith Jehovah. Now therefore take and cast him into the plat of ground, according to the word of Jehovah. ​
27
But when Ahaziah the king of Judah saw this, he fled by the way of the garden-house. And Jehu followed after him, and said, Smite him also in the chariot: and they smote him at the ascent of Gur, which is by Ibleam. And he fled to Megiddo, and died there. ​
28
And his servants carried him in a chariot to Jerusalem, and buried him in his sepulchre with his fathers in the city of David.
29
And in the eleventh year of Joram the son of Ahab began Ahaziah to reign over Judah.

The Death of Jezebel 30–37

30
And when Jehu was come to Jezreel, Jezebel heard of it; and she painted her eyes, and attired her head, and looked out at the window. ​
31
And as Jehu entered in at the gate, she said, Is it peace, thou Zimri, thy master’s murderer? ​
32
And he lifted up his face to the window, and said, Who is on my side? who? And there looked out to him two or three eunuchs.
33
And he said, Throw her down. So they threw her down; and some of her blood was sprinkled on the wall, and on the horses: and he trod her under foot.
34
And when he was come in, he did eat and drink; and he said, See now to this cursed woman, and bury her; for she is a king’s daughter. ​
35
And they went to bury her; but they found no more of her than the skull, and the feet, and the palms of her hands. ​
36
Wherefore they came back, and told him. And he said, This is the word of Jehovah, which he spake by his servant Elijah the Tishbite, saying, In the portion of Jezreel shall the dogs eat the flesh of Jezebel;
37
and the body of Jezebel shall be as dung upon the face of the field in the portion of Jezreel, so that they shall not say, This is Jezebel. ​

Bible text: American Standard Version (1901) · Public domain

Study Notes for 2 Kings 9

Verse 1

Gird up thy loins — The order Elisha gave Gehazi (2 Kgs 4:29), for a journey to be made at once. The young man is one of 'the children of the prophets' and carries a 'box' of oil (pak), a word found only here and in 1 Sam 10:1, the vial of oil Samuel poured on Saul's head. He goes to Ramothgilead, where the army is (8:28; 9:14).

Verse 2

Jehu the son of Jehoshaphat the son of Nimshi — He is the man Elijah was told to anoint, 'Jehu the son of Nimshi' (1 Kgs 19:16); Nimshi is his grandfather, and 'son' reaches back a generation. He is to be taken from 'among his brethren' to an 'inner chamber' (cheder bechader, a chamber within a chamber), the kind of room where Benhadad hid in 1 Kgs 20:30.

Verse 3

I have anointed thee king over Israel — 'Anointed' is mashach, the verb of Samuel's anointing of Saul (1 Sam 10:1). The oil is poured 'on his head', as on Aaron's (Ex 29:7), and the message is introduced as 'Thus saith the LORD', so the appointment is the LORD's own. The young prophet is to open the door and 'flee, and tarry not'.

Verse 6

king over the people of the LORD, even over Israel — In the inner room the prophet says more than he was told in v.3: 'Thus saith the LORD God of Israel', and Israel is named 'the people of the LORD'. The throne of Ahab's house is passing to the man Elijah had been told to anoint (1 Kgs 19:16), and the LORD speaks of Israel as his own.

Verse 7

avenge the blood of my servants the prophets — 'Avenge' is naqam, the verb of Deut 32:43, 'he will avenge the blood of his servants'. The blood in view is that of the prophets Jezebel 'cut off' (1 Kgs 18:4). Jehu is to smite 'the house of Ahab thy master', carrying out the judgment pronounced on that house in 1 Kgs 21:21–22.

Verse 8

him that pisseth against the wall — The KJV's literal phrase (shathan) for every male. It occurs six times: in David's words (1 Sam 25:22, 34), in the doom of Jeroboam's house (1 Kgs 14:10), of Baasha's (1 Kgs 16:11), of Ahab's (1 Kgs 21:21) and here. 'Shut up and left' is also in 1 Kgs 21:21, and 'shut up, or left' in Deut 32:36.

Verse 9

like the house of Jeroboam… and like the house of Baasha — Baasha 'smote all the house of Jeroboam' (1 Kgs 15:29), and Zimri 'slew all the house of Baasha' (1 Kgs 16:11). The same two houses are named in the word to Ahab, 'for the provocation wherewith thou hast provoked me to anger, and made Israel to sin' (1 Kgs 21:22), which Jehu now carries out.

Verse 10

the dogs shall eat Jezebel — This is Elijah's word in 1 Kgs 21:23, 'The dogs shall eat Jezebel by the wall of Jezreel', with the added line 'there shall be none to bury her'. Jehu himself names it as 'the word of the LORD' when it is met (v.36). The young prophet then does as he was told: 'he opened the door, and fled'.

Verse 11

this mad fellow — 'Mad' is shaga, to rave. It is the verb of David feigning madness before Achish (1 Sam 21:15), of Jer 29:26, 'every man that is mad, and maketh himself a prophet', and of Hos 9:7, 'the spiritual man is mad'. Jehu answers, 'Ye know the man, and his communication' (siach, his speech).

Verse 13

put it under him on the top of the stairs — Each man lays his garment down for the new king, and they blow 'with trumpets' (shophar), saying 'Jehu is king'. The trumpet and the cry match David's order for Solomon: 'blow ye with the trumpet, and say, God save king Solomon' (1 Kgs 1:34). Garments spread in the way also greet Christ (Mark 11:8).

Verse 14

Jehu… conspired against Joram — 'Conspired' is qashar, to bind together; Jehu later says, 'I conspired against my master, and slew him' (2 Kgs 10:9). The bracketed words explain why the army was at Ramothgilead: Joram 'had kept' (shamar, guarded) it against Hazael (8:28), the king Elisha had foretold (8:13).

Verse 15

If it be your minds — 'Minds' is nephesh, soul or will: if the captains stand with him. Jehu stops anyone from leaving the city to carry the news to Jezreel, where Joram is healing from the wounds of 8:29. 'Escape' is palat, to slip away.

Verse 20

the driving is like the driving of Jehu — 'Driving' (minhag) occurs only here. 'Furiously' is shiggaon, madness, from the root of the 'mad fellow' of v.11 (shaga). The watchman knows Jehu 'the son of Nimshi' by his manner of driving, as another watchman knew Ahimaaz by his running (2 Sam 18:27).

Verse 21

the portion of Naboth the Jezreelite — The kings meet Jehu on the ground Ahab took after Naboth was stoned (1 Kgs 21:13–15). 'Portion' is chelqah, a plot of ground. The LORD had said that because Ahab humbled himself, he would not bring the evil in his days, 'but in his son's days will I bring the evil upon his house' (1 Kgs 21:29).

Verse 22

What peace — Joram asks the question his messengers had put twice (vv.17–19), 'Is it peace?' (shalom). Jehu names what has not ended: 'the whoredoms of thy mother Jezebel and her witchcrafts' (zenunim, keshaphim), the idolatry that began when Ahab married her and 'served Baal' (1 Kgs 16:31). Nah 3:4 joins the same two words.

Verse 24

between his arms — Jehu 'drew a bow with his full strength' and the arrow went out at Joram's heart, so that he 'sunk down in his chariot'. His father Ahab had been struck by an arrow 'at a venture' and 'stayed up in his chariot' until he 'died at even' (1 Kgs 22:34–35). In both verses the verb is nakah, to smite.

Verse 25

the LORD laid this burden upon him — 'Burden' is massa, a lifted load, also the word for a prophet's oracle (Isa 13:1, 'The burden of Babylon'). Jehu recalls riding behind Ahab when the LORD pronounced it: 'In the place where dogs licked the blood of Naboth shall dogs lick thy blood' (1 Kgs 21:19). Bidkar is the 'captain' who rode with him.

Verse 26

the blood of Naboth, and the blood of his sons — 1 Kgs 21:13 records only Naboth's stoning; this word of the LORD adds the blood of his sons. 'I will requite thee in this plat' (shalam, to repay) answers 1 Kgs 21:19. 'Plat' and 'portion' in v.25 are one Hebrew word, chelqah, the plot of ground.

Verse 27

the going up to Gur, which is by Ibleam — Ahaziah flees by the 'garden house' and is struck at Gur, near Ibleam, then dies at Megiddo. Both towns were held by Manasseh within Issachar's territory (Josh 17:11). He is the son of Jehoram of Judah and Athaliah (2 Kgs 8:25–26), and he is slain with Joram, whom he had gone to see (8:29).

Verse 30

she painted her face — The Hebrew has her put her eyes in 'paint' (puk), the eye-paint of Jer 4:30, 'though thou rentest thy face with painting'. 'Tired her head' is yatab, to make it fair. She then 'looked out at a window'; what she said to Jehu is in v.31.

Verse 31

Had Zimri peace, who slew his master? — Zimri 'slew' Elah, reigned 'seven days in Tirzah' (1 Kgs 16:15) and died when he burnt the king's house over him (1 Kgs 16:18). Her 'master' is adon, the word of v.7 where the LORD calls Ahab 'thy master' to Jehu. The question sets Jehu beside Zimri.

Verse 34

for she is a king's daughter — Jehu eats and drinks, then orders her burial because of her birth: 'Jezebel the daughter of Ethbaal king of the Zidonians' (1 Kgs 16:31). 'Cursed' is arar, under a curse. The order to 'bury her' meets the word of v.10, 'there shall be none to bury her', which v.35 shows fulfilled.

Verse 35

no more of her than the skull, and the feet, and the palms of her hands — The dogs have done what Elijah foretold in 1 Kgs 21:23. Jehu names it in v.36: 'This is the word of the LORD, which he spake by his servant Elijah the Tishbite', and the place is the one the word gave, 'the portion of Jezreel'. Three parts remain, and the burial of v.34 is not carried out.

Verse 37

as dung upon the face of the field — The same figure is used for unburied dead: 'the carcases of men shall fall as dung upon the open field' (Jer 9:22), 'they shall be for dung upon the face of the earth' (Jer 8:2), and of Endor's slain, 'they became as dung for the earth' (Ps 83:10). Nothing is left to say 'This is Jezebel'.