2 Kings 9:11

9:11 When Jehu rejoined ¹  his master’s servants, they ²  asked him, “Is everything all right? ³  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.” ⁴ 

2 Kings 9:17-18

9:17 Now the watchman was standing on the tower in Jezreel and saw Jehu’s troops approaching. ⁵  He said, “I see troops!” ⁶  Jehoram ordered, ⁷  “Send a rider out to meet them and have him ask, ‘Is everything all right?’” ⁸  9:18 So the horseman ⁹  went to meet him and said, “This is what the king says, ‘Is everything all right?’” ¹⁰  Jehu replied, “None of your business! ¹¹  Follow me.” The watchman reported, “The messenger reached them, but hasn’t started back.”

[9:11]  ¹ tn Heb “went out to.”

[9:11]  ² tc The MT has the singular, “he said,” but many witnesses correctly read the plural.

[9:11]  ³ tn Heb “Is there peace?”

[9:11]  ⁴ tn Heb “He said, ‘You, you know the man and his thoughts.’” Jehu tries to deflect their question by reminding them that the man is an eccentric individual who says strange things. His reply suggests that the man said nothing of importance. The translation seeks to bring out the tone and intent of Jehu’s reply.

[9:17]  ⁵ tn Heb “the quantity [of the men] of Jehu, when he approached.” Elsewhere שִׁפְעַה (shif’ah), “quantity,” is used of a quantity of camels (Isa 60:6) or horses (Ezek 26:10) and of an abundance of water (Job 22:11; 38:34).

[9:17]  ⁶ tn The term שִׁפְעַת (shifat) appears to be a construct form of the noun, but no genitive follows.

[9:17]  ⁷ tn Heb “said.”

[9:17]  ⁸ tn Heb “Get a rider and send [him] to meet him and let him ask, ‘Is there peace?’”

[9:18]  ⁹ tn Heb “the rider of the horse.”

[9:18]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “Is there peace?”

[9:18]  ¹¹ tn Heb “What concerning you and concerning peace?” That is, “What concern is that to you?”