2 Kings 14:9

Contextual Overview

⁸Amaziah then sent messengers to Jehoash son of Jehoahaz, son of Jehu, king of Israel, and challenged him: “Come, let’s meet face to face.” ⁸ Then Amatzyah sent messengers to Yeho'ash, the son of Yeho'achaz son of Yehu, king of Yisra'el, saying, Come, let us look one another in the face. ⁸ Then Amaziah sent messengers to Jehoash, the son of Jehoahaz son of Jehu, king of Israel, saying, Come, let us look one another in the face. ⁸ Then Amaziah sent messengers to Jehoash the son of Jehoahaz, son of Jehu, king of Israel, saying, "Come, let us look one another in the face." ⁸ Amaziah sent messengers to Jehoash son of Jehoahaz, the son of Jehu, king of Israel. They said, "Come, let's meet face to face." ⁸ Then Amaziah sent messengers to Jehoash son of Jehoahaz son of Jehu, king of Israel. He said, "Come, let's meet face to face." ⁸Then Amaziah sent messengers to Jehoash (Joash) the son of Jehoahaz, the son of Jehu, king of Israel, saying, "Come, let us face each other [in combat]." ⁸ Then Amaziah sent messengers to Jehoash, the son of Jehoahaz son of Jehu, king of Israel, saying, "Come, let's face each other in combat." ⁸ Then Amaziah sent messengers to Iehoash the sonne of Iehoahaz, sonne of Iehu King of Israel, saying, Come, let vs see one another in the face. ⁸Then Amaziah sent messengers to Jehoash, the son of Jehoahaz son of Jehu, king of Israel, saying, "Come, let us face each other."

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

The thistle: Judges 9:8-15, 2 Samuel 12:1-4, 1 Kings 4:33, Ezekiel 20:49, The word choach, which is rendered here, and in 2 Chronicles 25:18, Job 31:18, thistle, in 1 Samuel 13:6, thicket in Isaiah 34:13, bramble, and in 2 Chronicles 33:11, Proverbs 26:9, Song of Solomon 2:2, Hosea 9:6, thorn, is probably the black thorn, or sloe tree, the prunus spinosa of Linneus, as the same word signifies in Arabic. There is a vast deal of insolent dignity in this remonstrance of Jehoash; but it has nothing conciliatory; no proposal of making amends for the injury his army had done to the unoffending inhabitants of Judah - 2 Chronicles 25:10-13. The comparatively useless thorn, which may by chance lacerate the incautious passenger, is made the emblem of the house of Judah and David, while the house of Jehu is represented by the stately cedar.

Reciprocal: Judges 8:6 - General Judges 9:14 - bramble Judges 9:15 - the cedars Judges 14:2 - get her Job 31:40 - thistles Proverbs 20:3 - but 1 Corinthians 12:15 - General Galatians 6:14 - that I

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And Jehoash the king of Israel sent to Amaziah the king of Judah,.... By the return of his messengers:

saying, the thistle that was in Lebanon sent to the cedar that was in Lebanon; intending by this proverbial way of speaking to humble the pride of Amaziah; comparing him to a thistle or thorn, a low, mean, abject, weak, prickly, and troublesome shrub, and himself to a cedar, a tree high and lofty, strong, large, and spreading:

saying, give thy daughter to my son to wife; signifying, that if in a peaceable manner he had desired to contract affinity with him, and so establish mutual friendship, he should have despised him as being as much below him as the thistle is below a cedar; and therefore should still more despise and defy him, who addressed him in an hostile manner, and in such haughty language:

and there passed by a wild beast that was in Lebanon, and trod down the thistle; and so there was an end put at once to its pride and ambition, and to its treaty with the cedar; intimating hereby, that his soldiers would as easily vanquish and destroy the army of Amaziah as a wild beast can destroy a thistle.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

The Oriental use of apologues on the most solemn and serious occasions is well known to all, and scarcely needs illustration (compare marginal reference). It is a common feature of such apologues that they are not exact parallels to the case whereto they are applied, but only general or partial resemblances. Hence, there is need of caution in applying the several points of the illustration.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 2 Kings 14:9. Jehoash - sent to Amaziah - saying — The meaning of this parable is plain. The thistle that was in Lebanon - Amaziah, king of Judah, sent to the cedar that was in Lebanon - Jehoash, king of Israel, saying, Give thy daughter - a part of thy kingdom, to my son to wife - to be united to, and possessed by the kings of Judah. And there passed by a wild beast - Jehoash and his enraged army, and trode down the thistle - utterly discomfited Amaziah and his troops, pillaged the temple, and broke down the walls of Jerusalem: see 2 Kings 14:12-14. Probably Amaziah had required certain cities of Israel to be given up to Judah; if so, this accounts for that part of the parable, Give thy daughter to my son to wife.