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Texts -- 2 Kings 9:1-35 (NET)

Context
Jehu Becomes King
9:1 Now Elisha the prophet summoned a member of the prophetic guild and told him, “Tuck your robes into your belt , take this container of olive oil in your hand , and go to Ramoth Gilead . 9:2 When you arrive there , look for Jehu son of Jehoshaphat son of Nimshi and take him aside into an inner room . 9:3 Take the container of olive oil , pour it over his head , and say , ‘This is what the Lord says , “I have designated you as king over Israel .”’ Then open the door and run away quickly !” 9:4 So the young prophet went to Ramoth Gilead . 9:5 When he arrived , the officers of the army were sitting there. So he said , “I have a message for you, O officer .” Jehu asked , “For which one of us ?” He replied , “For you, O officer .” 9:6 So Jehu got up and went inside . Then the prophet poured the olive oil on his head and said to him, “This is what the Lord God of Israel says , ‘I have designated you as king over the Lord’s people Israel . 9:7 You will destroy the family of your master Ahab . I will get revenge against Jezebel for the shed blood of my servants the prophets and for the shed blood of all the Lord’s servants . 9:8 Ahab’s entire family will die . I will cut off every last male belonging to Ahab in Israel , including even the weak and incapacitated . 9:9 I will make Ahab’s dynasty like those of Jeroboam son of Nebat and Baasha son of Ahijah . 9:10 Dogs will devour Jezebel on the plot of ground in Jezreel ; she will not be buried .’” Then he opened the door and ran away . 9:11 When Jehu rejoined his master’s servants , they asked him, “Is everything all right? Why did this madman visit you?” He replied , “Ah, it’s not important. You know what kind of man he is and the kinds of things he says .” 9:12 But they said , “You’re lying ! Tell us what he said .” So he told them what he had said . He also related how he had said , “This is what the Lord says , ‘I have designated you as king over Israel .’” 9:13 Each of them quickly took off his cloak and they spread them out at Jehu’s feet on the steps . The trumpet was blown and they shouted , “Jehu is king !”
Jehu the Assassin
9:14 Then Jehu son of Jehoshaphat son of Nimshi conspired against Joram . Now Joram had been in Ramoth Gilead with the whole Israelite army, guarding against an invasion by King Hazael of Syria . 9:15 But King Joram had returned to Jezreel to recover from the wounds he received from the Syrians when he fought against King Hazael of Syria . Jehu told his supporters, “If you really want me to be king, then don’t let anyone escape from the city to go and warn Jezreel .” 9:16 Jehu drove his chariot to Jezreel , for Joram was recuperating there . (Now King Ahaziah of Judah had come down to visit Joram .) 9:17 Now the watchman was standing on the tower in Jezreel and saw Jehu’s troops approaching . He said , “I see troops !” Jehoram ordered , “Send a rider out to meet them and have him ask , ‘Is everything all right?’” 9:18 So the horseman went to meet him and said , “This is what the king says , ‘Is everything all right ?’” Jehu replied , “None of your business ! Follow me.” The watchman reported , “The messenger reached them , but hasn’t started back .” 9:19 So he sent a second horseman out to them and he said , “This is what the king says , ‘Is everything all right ?’” Jehu replied , “None of your business ! Follow me.” 9:20 The watchman reported , “He reached them, but hasn’t started back . The one who drives the lead chariot drives like Jehu son of Nimshi ; he drives recklessly .” 9:21 Jehoram ordered , “Hitch up my chariot .” When his chariot had been hitched up , King Jehoram of Israel and King Ahaziah of Judah went out in their respective chariots to meet Jehu . They met up with him in the plot of land that had once belonged to Naboth of Jezreel . 9:22 When Jehoram saw Jehu , he asked , “Is everything all right , Jehu ?” He replied , “How can everything be all right as long as your mother Jezebel promotes idolatry and pagan practices ?” 9:23 Jehoram turned his chariot around and took off . He said to Ahaziah , “It’s a trap , Ahaziah !” 9:24 Jehu aimed his bow and shot an arrow right between Jehoram’s shoulders . The arrow went through his heart and he fell to his knees in his chariot . 9:25 Jehu ordered his officer Bidkar , “Pick him up and throw him into the part of the field that once belonged to Naboth of Jezreel . Remember , you and I were riding together behind his father Ahab , when the Lord pronounced this judgment on him, 9:26 _’"Know for sure that I saw the shed blood of Naboth and his sons yesterday ,” says the Lord , “and that I will give you what you deserve right here in this plot of land,” says the Lord .’ So now pick him up and throw him into this plot of land, just as the Lord said .” 9:27 When King Ahaziah of Judah saw what happened, he took off up the road to Beth Haggan . Jehu chased him and ordered , “Shoot him too .” They shot him while he was driving his chariot up the ascent of Gur near Ibleam . He fled to Megiddo and died there . 9:28 His servants took his body back to Jerusalem and buried him in his tomb with his ancestors in the city of David . 9:29 Ahaziah had become king over Judah in the eleventh year of Joram son of Ahab . 9:30 Jehu approached Jezreel . When Jezebel heard the news, she put on some eye liner , fixed up her hair , and leaned out the window . 9:31 When Jehu came through the gate , she said , “Is everything all right , Zimri , murderer of his master ?” 9:32 He looked up at the window and said , “Who is on my side ? Who ?” Two or three eunuchs looked down at him. 9:33 He said , “Throw her down !” So they threw her down , and when she hit the ground, her blood splattered against the wall and the horses , and Jehu drove his chariot over her. 9:34 He went inside and had a meal . Then he said , “Dispose of this accursed woman’s corpse. Bury her, for after all, she was a king’s daughter .” 9:35 But when they went to bury her, they found nothing left but the skull , feet , and palms of the hands .

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Expository Notes on the Bible (Constable)

  • "As the laws increase and the constraints grow, the people seem less willing or less capable of following them. At this point in the narrative we see that the whole order of the priesthood is thrown open to direct confrontati...
  • I. The reign of Solomon chs. 1-11A. Solomon's succession to David's throne 1:1-2:121. David's declining health 1:1-42. Adonijah's attempt to seize the throne 1:5-533. David's charge to Solomon 2:1-94. David's death 2:10-12B. ...
  • The second major part of the Book of Kings records the histories of the Northern Kingdom of Israel and the Southern Kingdom of Judah.123During this era of 209 years (931-722 B.C.) the two kingdoms experienced differing relati...
  • Elijah's zeal for God's covenant, altars, and prophets was admirable, but he became too discouraged because he underestimated the extent of commitment to Yahweh that existed in Israel.208He was not alone in his stand for Yahw...
  • Even though Jezebel was behind the murder of Naboth, God held her husband Ahab responsible (v. 19). Jezebel's evil influence over her husband stands out in this story.221Ahab was willing to murder a godly Israelite to obtain ...
  • Again God told Elijah to "go"(v. 18; cf. 17:3, 9; 18:1; 19:15). As a faithful servant, he went to confront the king again.226Ahab was not in Samaria then (v. 18) but in Jezreel (v. 19). The mention of Samaria was evidently an...
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  • Second Kings begins with Ahaziah's reign that fell during the 33-year period of Israel and Judah's alliance (874-841 B.C.; -1 Kings 16:29-2 Kings 9:29). This period in turn fits within the larger context of the divided kingdo...
  • Hazael was the governor of Damascus.50The Gentile King of Aram had more interest in inquiring of Yahweh than Jehoram's predecessor did (v. 8; cf. 1:2). It was customary in the Near East to make a great show of giving gifts. I...
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  • Israel had evidently retaken Ramoth-gilead after Ben-Hadad I had defeated Ahab there 12 years earlier. Israel was now defending it against the attacking Arameans (v. 14). The horsemen and Joram who asked Jehu, "Is it peace?"w...
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  • Since the writer did not record Jehu's coronation, we should probably regard his reign as beginning when Joram died (9:24). Jehu began Israel's fifth and longest royal dynasty. He and his descendants reigned 88 years (841-753...
  • Jezebel evidently painted her eyes and adorned her head (v. 30) to receive Jehu. Unwittingly, or perhaps deliberately,59she prepared herself for her own death. At least one interpreter believed she was trying to seduce Jehu.6...
  • Athaliah was the mother of the Judean king Ahaziah whom Jehu assassinated (9:27-29). She was a daughter of Ahab and Jezebel and the sister of the Israelite kings Ahaziah and Joram who had succeeded Ahab. She was the wife of J...
  • Though Athaliah claimed Jehoash's coronation was treasonous, she was the one guilty of treason. Jehoash was a legitimate heir to the throne of Judah, but she was not since she was not a descendant of David but had married int...
  • Ackroyd, Peter R. "An Interpretation of the Babylonian Exile: A Study of 2 Kings 20, Isaiah 38-39."Scottish Journal of Theology27:3:(August 1974):329-52.Albright, William F. The Archaeology of Palestine. 1949. Revised ed. Pel...
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  • 3:16 At the end of these seven days the Lord's word came to Ezekiel. "The word of the Lord came to me"is a key phrase in Ezekiel occurring in 41 verses. It appears in Jeremiah nine times and in Zechariah twice."For no other p...
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  • The Lord used Hosea's family members as signs to communicate His message of coming judgment on Israel.1:2 At the beginning of Hosea's ministry, Yahweh commanded him to take a wife of harlotry and to have children of harlotry....
  • 9:7 Israel was to know that the days of her punishment and retribution were imminent because the nation's iniquity was fat and its hostility to the Lord was great. Another reason for her judgment was that the Israelites had r...
  • 7:10 Amaziah, who was one of the apostate priests who served at the Bethel sanctuary (cf. 1 Kings 12:26-33), felt that Amos was being unpatriotic in what he was prophesying. So Amaziah sent a message to King Jeroboam II charg...
  • 7:14 Amos replied that he was not a prophet by his own choosing; he did not decide to pursue prophesying as a career. Neither had he become a prophet because his father had been one. In Amos' culture it was common and expecte...
  • 5:10-11 In that future eschatological day the Lord also promised to remove the vain sources of security that had always tempted the Israelites represented by horses, chariots, cities, and fortifications (cf. Deut. 17:16).5:12...
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