Bible Commentaries
2 Kings 9

Verses 1-37

2 Kings 9:0

1. And Elisha the prophet called one of the children of the prophets, and said unto him, Gird up thy loins, and take this box [phial] of oil in thine hand, and go to Ramoth-gilead:

2. And when thou comest thither, look out there Jehu the son of Jehoshaphat the son of Nimshi, and go in [ into Jehu's house] and make him arise up from among his brethren, and carry him [literally, cause him to enter. The object was secresy] to an inner chamber [Heb., chamber in a chamber].

3. Then [And]: take the box of oil, and pour it on his head, and say, Thus saith the Lord, I have anointed thee king over [unto] Israel. Then [and] open the door, and flee, and tarry not.

4. ¶ So the young man, even the young man the prophet, went to Ramoth-gilead.

5. And when he came, behold, the captains of the host were sitting; and he said, I have an errand to thee O captain. And Jehu said, Unto which of all us? And he said, To thee, O captain.

6. And he [Jehu] arose, and went into the house; and he poured the oil on his head, and said unto him, Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, I have anointed thee king over the people of the Lord, even over Israel.

7. And thou shalt smite the house of Ahab, thy master, that I may avenge the blood of my servants, the prophets [see 1 Kings 18:4 , 1Ki 18:13 ], and the blood of all the servants of the Lord, at the hand of Jezebel.

8. For [And] the whole house of Ahab shall [I will cause to] perish and I will cut off from Ahab him that pisseth against the wall, and him that is shut up and left in Israel.

9. And I will make the house of Ahab like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and like the house of Baasha [see 1 Kings 14:10 , 1Ki 16:3-4 ] the son of Ahijah:

10. And the dogs shall eat Jezebel [literally, and Jezebel the dogs shall eat (comp. Elisha's threat, 1Ki 21:23 )], in the portion of Jezreel, and there shall be none to bury her. And he opened the door, and fled.

11. ¶ Then Jehu came forth to the servants of his lord: and one said unto him, Is all well? wherefore came this mad fellow [or this inspired one, in a tone of ridicule (comp. Hos 9:7 )] to thee? And he said unto them, Ye [emphasis on Ye] know the man, and his communication.

12. And they said, It is false; tell us now. And he said Thus and thus spake he to me, saying, Thus saith the Lord, I have anointed thee king over Israel.

13. Then they hasted [the quick action shows a strong feeling against Joram in the army, and enthusiasm for Jehu], and took every man his garment, and put it under him on the top of the stairs, and blew with trumpets, saying, Jehu is king.

14. So Jehu the son of Jehoshaphat the son of Nimshi conspired against Joram (Now Joram had kept Ramoth-gilead, he and all Israel, because of [against] Hazael king of Syria.

15. But king Joram was returned to be healed in Jezreel of the wounds which the Syrians had given him, when he fought with Hazael king of Syria.) And Jehu said, If it be your minds, then let none go forth [Heb., let no escaper go] nor escape out of the city to go to tell it in Jezreel.

16. So Jehu rode in a chariot, and went to Jezreel; for Joram Jay [was lying, his wounds were not yet quite healed] there. And Ahaziah king of Judah was come down to see Joram.

17. And there stood a watchman [literally, and the watchman was standing] on the tower in Jezreel, and he spied the company of Jehu as he came, and said, I see a company. And Joram said, Take an horseman, and send to meet them, and let him say, Is it peace [What is the news]?

18. So there went one on horseback, to meet him, and said, Thus saith the king, Is it peace? And Jehu said, What hast thou to do with peace? turn thee behind me. And the watchman told, saying, The messenger came to them, but he cometh not again.

19. Then he sent out a second on horseback [literally, and he sent a second rider of a horse], which came to them, and said, Thus saith the king, Is it peace? And Jehu answered, What hast thou to do with peace? turn thee behind me.

20. And the watchman told, saying, He came even unto them, and cometh not again: and the driving is like the driving of Jehu the son of Nimshi; for he driveth furiously [ i.e., the foremost charioteer so drives].

21. And Joram said, Make ready [bind the horses to the chariot]. And his chariot was made ready [literally, and one bound his chariot]. And Joram king of Israel and Ahaziah king of Judah went out, each in his chariot, and they went out against [to meet] Jehu, and met him in the portion of Naboth [Naboth's vineyard, which now formed part of the pleasure ground of the palace (see 1Ki 21:16 )] the Jezreelite.

22. And it came to pass, when Joram saw Jehu, that he said, Is it peace Jehu? [Is all well at the seat of war?] And he answered, What peace, so long as the whoredoms [in a spiritual sense: idolatries] of thy mother Jezebel and her witchcrafts [sorceries; the use of spells and charms common among Semitic idolatries (comp. the prohibitions in the Law: Exodus 22:18 ; Deu 18:10-11 )] are so many?

23. And Joram turned his hands [turned his horses round (comp. 1Ki 22:34 )], and fled, and said to Ahaziah, There is treachery [literally, guile, or fraud], O Ahaziah.

24. And Jehu drew [filled his hand with] a bow with his full strength, and smote Jehoram between his arms, and the arrow went out at his [or, came out from his] heart, and he sunk [bowed: see Isa 46:1 ] down in his chariot.

25. Then said Jehu [And he said] to Bidkar ["son of stabbing"] his captain, Take up, and cast him in the portion of the field of Naboth the Jezreelite: for remember how that, when I and thou rode together after Ahab his father, the Lord laid this burden upon him;

26. Surely I have seen yesterday the blood [bloods: plural; implying death by violence: Gen 4:10 )] of Naboth, and the blood of his sons, saith the Lord; and I will requite thee in this plat [or, portion], saith the Lord. Now therefore take and cast him into the plat [portion] of ground, according to the word of the Lord.

27. ¶ But when Ahaziah the king of Judah saw this, he fled by the way of the garden house. And Jehu followed after him, and said, Smite him also in the chariot. And they did so at the going up to Gur, which is by Ibleam. And he fled to Megiddo, and died there.

28. And his servants carried him [literally, made him ride] in a chariot to Jerusalem, and buried him in his [own] sepulchre [which he had in his lifetime prepared, according to the custom of antiquity] with his fathers in the city of David.

29. And in the eleventh year of Joram the son of Ahab began Ahaziah to reign over Judah.

30. ¶ And when Jehu was come to Jezreel, Jezebel heard of it: and she painted her face [Heb., put her eyes in painting], and tired [adorned] her head, and looked out at a [the] window.

31. And as Jehu entered in at the gate, she said, Had Zimri peace, who slew his master?

32. And he lifted up his face to the window, and said, Who is on my side? who? And there looked out to him two or three eunuchs [or chamberlains].

33. And he said, Throw her down. So they threw her down: and some of her blood was sprinkled on [spirted on to] the wall, and on the horses: and he trode her under foot [he drove over her fallen body].

34. And when he was come in, he did eat and drink [then he could remember that even Jezebel was of royal rank, and perhaps a touch of remorse may be discerned in the mandate for her burial], and said, Go, see now [look, I pray after] this cursed woman [Jehu was thinking of the curse pronounced on Jezebel of the prophet Elijah (see next verse)], and bury her: for she is a king's daughter [comp. 1Ki 16:31 ].

35. And they went to bury her: but they found no more of her than the skull, and the feet, and the palms of her [the] hands.

36. "Wherefore they came again, and told him. And he said, This is the word of the Lord [see 1 Kings 21:23 , where this oracle of Elijah is given] which he spake by [Heb., by the hand of] his servant Elijah the Tishbite, saying, In the portion of Jezreel shall [the] dogs eat the flesh of Jezebel:

37. And the carcase of Jezebel shall be as dung [comp. Psa 83:10 ] upon the face of the field in the portion of Jezreel; so that they shall not say, This is Jezebel.