2 Kings 6:31

6:31 Then he said, “May God judge me severely ¹  if Elisha son of Shaphat still has his head by the end of the day!” ² 

2 Kings 11:12

11:12 Jehoiada ³  led out the king’s son and placed on him the crown and the royal insignia. ⁴  They proclaimed him king and poured olive oil on his head. ⁵  They clapped their hands and cried out, “Long live the king!”

2 Kings 16:12

16:12 When the king arrived back from Damascus and ⁶  saw the altar, he approached it ⁷  and offered a sacrifice on it. ⁸ 

2 Kings 19:21

19:21 This is what the Lord says about him: ⁹ 

“The virgin daughter Zion ¹⁰ 

despises you, she makes fun of you;

Daughter Jerusalem

shakes her head after you. ¹¹ 

¹ tn Heb “So may God do to me, and so may he add.”

² tn Heb “if the head of Elisha son of Shaphat stays on him today.”

³ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Jehoiada) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

⁴ tn The Hebrew term עֵדוּת (’edut) normally means “witness” or “testimony.” Here it probably refers to some tangible symbol of kingship, perhaps a piece of jewelry such as an amulet or neck chain. See the discussion in M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 128. Some suggest that a document is in view, perhaps a copy of the royal protocol or of the stipulations of the Davidic covenant. See HALOT 790-91 s.v. עֵדוּת.

⁵ tn Or “they made him king and anointed him.”

⁵ tn Heb “and the king.”

⁶ tn Heb “the altar.”

⁷ tn Or “ascended it.”

⁷ tn Heb “this is the word which the Lord has spoken about him.”

⁸ sn Zion (Jerusalem) is pictured here as a young, vulnerable daughter whose purity is being threatened by the would-be Assyrian rapist. The personification hints at the reality which the young girls of the city would face if the Assyrians conquer it.

⁹ sn Shaking the head was a mocking gesture of derision.