2 Kings 9:17-20

9:17 Now the watchman was standing on the tower in Jezreel and saw Jehu’s troops approaching. ¹  He said, “I see troops!” ²  Jehoram ordered, ³  “Send a rider out to meet them and have him ask, ‘Is everything all right?’” ⁴  9:18 So the horseman ⁵  went to meet him and said, “This is what the king says, ‘Is everything all right?’” ⁶  Jehu replied, “None of your business! ⁷  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 ⁸  and he said, “This is what the king says, ‘Is everything all right?’” ⁹  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; ¹⁰  he drives recklessly.”

[9:17]  ¹ 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]  ² tn The term שִׁפְעַת (shifat) appears to be a construct form of the noun, but no genitive follows.

[9:17]  ³ tn Heb “said.”

[9:17]  ⁴ tn Heb “Get a rider and send [him] to meet him and let him ask, ‘Is there peace?’”

[9:18]  ⁵ tn Heb “the rider of the horse.”

[9:18]  ⁶ tn Heb “Is there peace?”

[9:18]  ⁷ tn Heb “What concerning you and concerning peace?” That is, “What concern is that to you?”

[9:19]  ⁸ tn Heb “and he came to them.”

[9:19]  ⁹ 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]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “and the driving is like the driving of Jehu son of Nimshi.”