2 Kings 9:25-26

9:25 Jehu ordered ¹  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,” ²  says the Lord.’ So now pick him up and throw him into this plot of land, just as the Lord said.” ³ 

2 Kings 9:33--10:7

9:33 He said, “Throw her down!” So they threw her down, and when she hit the ground, ⁴  her blood splattered against the wall and the horses, and Jehu drove his chariot over her. ⁵  9:34 He went inside and had a meal. ⁶  Then he said, “Dispose of this accursed woman’s corpse. Bury her, for after all, she was a king’s daughter.” ⁷  9:35 But when they went to bury her, they found nothing left but ⁸  the skull, feet, and palms of the hands. 9:36 When they went back and told him, he said, “The Lord’s word through his servant, Elijah the Tishbite, has come to pass. He warned, ⁹  ‘In the plot of land at Jezreel, dogs will devour Jezebel’s flesh. 9:37 Jezebel’s corpse will be like manure on the surface of the ground in the plot of land at Jezreel. People will not be able to even recognize her.’” ¹⁰ 

Jehu Wipes Out Ahab’s Family

10:1 Ahab had seventy sons living in Samaria. ¹¹  So Jehu wrote letters and sent them to Samaria to the leading officials of Jezreel and to the guardians of Ahab’s dynasty. This is what the letters said, ¹²  10:2 “You have with you the sons of your master, chariots and horses, a fortified city, and weapons. So when this letter arrives, ¹³  10:3 pick the best and most capable ¹⁴  of your master’s sons, place him on his father’s throne, and defend ¹⁵  your master’s dynasty.”

10:4 They were absolutely terrified ¹⁶  and said, “Look, two kings could not stop him! ¹⁷  How can we?” ¹⁸  10:5 So the palace supervisor, ¹⁹  the city commissioner, ²⁰  the leaders, ²¹  and the guardians sent this message to Jehu, “We are your subjects! ²²  Whatever you say, we will do. We will not make anyone king. Do what you consider proper.” ²³ 

10:6 He wrote them a second letter, saying, “If you are really on my side and are willing to obey me, ²⁴  then take the heads of your master’s sons and come to me in Jezreel at this time tomorrow.” ²⁵  Now the king had seventy sons, and the prominent ²⁶  men of the city were raising them. 10:7 When they received the letter, they seized the king’s sons and executed all seventy of them. ²⁷  They put their heads in baskets and sent them to him in Jezreel.

2 Kings 10:11

10:11 Then Jehu killed all who were left of Ahab’s family in Jezreel, and all his nobles, close friends, and priests. He left no survivors.

¹ tn Heb “said to.”

² tn Heb “and I will repay you in this plot of land.”

³ tn Heb “according to the word of the Lord.”

⁴ tn The words “when she hit the ground” are added for stylistic reasons.

⁵ tn Heb “and he trampled her.”

⁶ tn Heb “and he went and ate and drank.”

⁷ tn Heb “Attend to this accursed woman and bury her for she was the daughter of a king.”

⁸ tn Heb “they did not find her, except for.”

⁹ tn Heb “It is the word of the Lord, which he spoke by the hand of his servant, Elijah the Tishbite, saying.”

¹⁰ tn Heb “so that they will not say, ‘This is Jezebel.’”

¹¹ map For location see Map2-B1; Map4-D3; Map5-E2; Map6-A4; Map7-C1.

¹² tn Heb “to the officers of Jezreel, the elders, and to the guardians of Ahab, saying.” It is not certain why the officials of Jezreel would be in Samaria. They may have fled there after they heard what happened to Joram and before Jehu entered the city. They would have had time to flee while Jehu was pursuing Ahaziah.

¹³ tn Heb “And now when this letter comes to you – with you are the sons of your master and with you are chariots and horses and a fortified city and weapons.”

¹⁴ tn Hebrew יָשָׁר (yashar) does not have its normal moral/ethical nuance here (“upright”), but a more neutral sense of “proper, right, suitable.” For the gloss “capable,” see HALOT 450 s.v. יָשָׁר.

¹⁵ tn Or “fight for.”

¹⁶ tn Heb “they were very, very afraid.” The term מְאֹד (me’od) “very,” is repeated for emphasis.

¹⁷ tn Heb “did not stand before him.”

¹⁸ tn Heb “How can we stand?”

¹⁹ tn Heb “the one who was over the house.”

²⁰ tn Heb “the one who was over the city.”

²¹ tn Or “elders.”

²² tn Heb “servants.”

²³ tn Heb “Do what is good in your eyes.”

²⁴ tn Heb “If you are mine and you are listening to my voice.”

²⁵ sn Jehu’s command is intentionally vague. Does he mean that they should bring the guardians (those who are “heads” over Ahab’s sons) for a meeting, or does he mean that they should bring the literal heads of Ahab’s sons with them? (So LXX, Syriac Peshitta, and some mss of the Targum) The city leaders interpret his words in the literal sense, but Jehu’s command is so ambiguous he is able to deny complicity in the executions (see v. 9).

²⁶ tn Heb “great,” probably in wealth, position, and prestige.

²⁷ tn Heb “and when the letter came to them, they took the sons of the king and slaughtered seventy men.”