2 Kings 9:14-26

9:14 Then Jehu son of Jehoshaphat son of Nimshi conspired against Joram.

Jehu the Assassin

Now Joram had been in Ramoth Gilead with the whole Israelite army, ¹  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 ²  when he fought against King Hazael of Syria. ³  Jehu told his supporters, ⁴  “If you really want me to be king, ⁵  then don’t let anyone escape from the city to go and warn Jezreel.” 9:16 Jehu drove his chariot ⁶  to Jezreel, for Joram was recuperating ⁷  there. (Now King Ahaziah of Judah had come down to visit ⁸  Joram.)

9:17 Now the watchman was standing on the tower in Jezreel and saw Jehu’s troops approaching. ⁹  He said, “I see troops!” ¹⁰  Jehoram ordered, ¹¹  “Send a rider out to meet them and have him ask, ‘Is everything all right?’” ¹²  9:18 So the horseman ¹³  went to meet him and said, “This is what the king says, ‘Is everything all right?’” ¹⁴  Jehu replied, “None of your business! ¹⁵  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 ¹⁶  and he said, “This is what the king says, ‘Is everything all right?’” ¹⁷  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; ¹⁸  he drives recklessly.” 9:21 Jehoram ordered, “Hitch up my chariot.” ¹⁹  When his chariot had been hitched up, ²⁰  King Jehoram of Israel and King Ahaziah of Judah went out in their respective chariots ²¹  to meet Jehu. They met up with him ²²  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?” ²³  9:23 Jehoram turned his chariot around and took off. ²⁴  He said to Ahaziah, “It’s a trap, ²⁵  Ahaziah!” 9:24 Jehu aimed his bow and shot an arrow right between Jehoram’s shoulders. ²⁶  The arrow went through ²⁷  his heart and he fell to his knees in his chariot. 9:25 Jehu ordered ²⁸  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,” ²⁹  says the Lord.’ So now pick him up and throw him into this plot of land, just as the Lord said.” ³⁰ 

2 Kings 10:6-11

10:6 He wrote them a second letter, saying, “If you are really on my side and are willing to obey me, ³¹  then take the heads of your master’s sons and come to me in Jezreel at this time tomorrow.” ³²  Now the king had seventy sons, and the prominent ³³  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. ³⁴  They put their heads in baskets and sent them to him in Jezreel. 10:8 The messenger came and told Jehu, ³⁵  “They have brought the heads of the king’s sons.” Jehu ³⁶  said, “Stack them in two piles at the entrance of the city gate until morning.” 10:9 In the morning he went out and stood there. Then he said to all the people, “You are innocent. I conspired against my master and killed him. But who struck down all of these men? 10:10 Therefore take note that not one of the judgments the Lord announced against Ahab’s dynasty has failed to materialize. The Lord had done what he announced through his servant Elijah.” ³⁷  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.

[9:14]  ¹ tn Heb “he and all Israel.”

[9:15]  ² tn Heb “which the Syrians inflicted [on] him.”

[9:15]  ³ sn See 2 Kgs 8:28-29a.

[9:15]  ⁴ tn The words “his supporters” are added for clarification.

[9:15]  ⁵ tn Heb “If this is your desire.” נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh) refers here to the seat of the emotions and will. For other examples of this use of the word, see BDB 660-61 s.v.

[9:16]  ⁶ tn Heb “rode [or, ‘mounted’] and went.”

[9:16]  ⁷ tn Heb “lying down.”

[9:16]  ⁸ tn Heb “to see.”

[9:17]  ⁹ 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]  ¹⁰ tn The term שִׁפְעַת (shifat) appears to be a construct form of the noun, but no genitive follows.

[9:17]  ¹¹ tn Heb “said.”

[9:17]  ¹² tn Heb “Get a rider and send [him] to meet him and let him ask, ‘Is there peace?’”

[9:18]  ¹³ tn Heb “the rider of the horse.”

[9:18]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “Is there peace?”

[9:18]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “What concerning you and concerning peace?” That is, “What concern is that to you?”

[9:19]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “and he came to them.”

[9:19]  ¹⁷ tc The MT has simply “peace,” omitting the prefixed interrogative particle. It is likely that the particle has been accidentally omitted; several ancient witnesses include it or assume its presence.

[9:20]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “and the driving is like the driving of Jehu son of Nimshi.”

[9:21]  ¹⁹ tn The words “my chariot” are added for clarification.

[9:21]  ²⁰ tn Heb “and he hitched up his chariot.”

[9:21]  ²¹ tn Heb “each in his chariot and they went out.”

[9:21]  ²² tn Heb “they found him.”

[9:22]  ²³ tn Heb “How [can there be] peace as long as the adulterous acts of Jezebel your mother and her many acts of sorcery [continue]?” In this instance “adulterous acts” is employed metaphorically for idolatry. As elsewhere in the OT, worshiping other gods is viewed as spiritual adultery and unfaithfulness to the one true God. The phrase “many acts of sorcery” could be taken literally, for Jezebel undoubtedly utilized pagan divination practices, but the phrase may be metaphorical, pointing to her devotion to pagan customs in general.

[9:23]  ²⁴ tn Heb “and Jehoram turned his hands and fled.” The phrase “turned his hands” refers to how he would have pulled on the reins in order to make his horses turn around.

[9:23]  ²⁵ tn Heb “Deceit, Ahaziah.”

[9:24]  ²⁶ tn Heb “and Jehu filled his hand with the bow and he struck Jehoram between his shoulders.”

[9:24]  ²⁷ tn Heb “went out from.”

[9:25]  ²⁸ tn Heb “said to.”

[9:26]  ²⁹ tn Heb “and I will repay you in this plot of land.”

[9:26]  ³⁰ tn Heb “according to the word of the Lord.”

[10:6]  ³¹ tn Heb “If you are mine and you are listening to my voice.”

[10:6]  ³² 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).

[10:6]  ³³ tn Heb “great,” probably in wealth, position, and prestige.

[10:7]  ³⁴ tn Heb “and when the letter came to them, they took the sons of the king and slaughtered seventy men.”

[10:8]  ³⁵ tn Heb “him”; the referent (Jehu) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[10:8]  ³⁶ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Jehu) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[10:10]  ³⁷ tn Heb “Know then that there has not fallen from the word of the Lord to the ground that which the Lord spoke against the house of Ahab. The Lord has done that which he spoke by the hand of his servant Elijah.”