2 Kings 9

1 Forsooth Elisha, the prophet, called one of the sons of (the) prophets, and said to him, Gird (up) thy loins, and take this vessel of oil in thine hand, and go into Ramoth of Gilead.
2 And when thou shalt come thither, thou shalt see Jehu, the son of Jehoshaphat, the son of Nimshi; and thou shalt enter, and shalt raise him (up) from the midst of his brethren, and thou shalt lead him into an inner closet.
3 And thou shalt hold the vessel of oil, and thou shalt pour it on his head, and thou shalt say, The Lord saith these things, I have anointed thee into king upon Israel (I have anointed thee king upon Israel); and then thou shalt open the door, and shalt flee (from) thence, and thou shalt not abide there.
4 Therefore the young waxing man, the child of the prophet, went into Ramoth of Gilead, (And so the young man, the young prophet, went to Ramoth of Gilead.)
5 and entered thither. Lo! soothly the princes of the host sat there; and he said, O! prince, I have a word to thee (O! prince, I have a word for thee). And Jehu said, To whom of all (of) us? And he said, To thee, thou prince.
6 And he rose, and entered into the closet. And that young man poured (the) oil upon the head of him, and said, The Lord God of Israel saith these things, I have anointed thee into king on the people of the Lord, of Israel; (And he rose up, and they went inside. And that young man poured the oil upon his head, and said, The Lord God of Israel saith these things, I have anointed thee king upon Israel, yea, upon the people of the Lord;)
7 and thou shalt smite the house of Ahab, thy lord, that I venge the blood of my servants (the) prophets, and the blood of all the servants of the Lord, of the hand of Jezebel. (and thou shalt strike down the house of Ahab, thy lord, so that I avenge the blood of my servants the prophets, and the blood of all the servants of the Lord, at the hands of Jezebel.)
8 And I shall lose all the house of Ahab, and I shall slay of the house of Ahab a pisser to the wall, and the enclosed, and the last in Israel. (And I shall destroy all the house of Ahab, and I shall kill all the house of Ahab unto a pisser on the wall, and the captive, and the last in Israel.)
9 And I shall give the house of Ahab as the house of Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, and as the house of Baasha, the son of Ahijah. (And I shall make the house of Ahab like the house of Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, and like the house of Baasha, the son of Ahijah.)
10 Also dogs shall eat Jezebel in the field of Jezreel (And the dogs shall eat up Jezebel in the field of Jezreel); and there shall be none that shall bury her. And (then) the young man opened the door, and fled.
11 And Jehu went out to the servants of his lord, which said to him, Whether all things be rightful? (Is everything all right?) (For) What came this mad man to thee? Which said to them, Ye know the man, and what he spake.
12 And they answered, It is false; but more rather tell thou us what he said (but rather now tell thou us what he said). The which said to them, He spake these things and these to me, and said, The Lord saith these things, I have anointed thee king of Israel.
13 Therefore they hasted, and each man took his mantle, and putted under his feet by the likeness of a throne. And they sang with a trump, and said, Jehu shall reign.
14 Therefore Jehu, the son of Jehoshaphat, the son of Nimshi, swore with others together against Joram . Forsooth Joram had besieged Ramoth of Gilead, he and all Israel, against Hazael, king of Syria.
15 And Joram turned again to be healed in Jezreel for wounds that he had; for men of Syria had smitten him fighting against Hazael, king of Syria (Now Joram had returned to Jezreel to recover from the wounds that he had; for the men of Syria had struck him when he fought against Hazael, the king of Syria). And Jehu said (to them), If it please you, (then let) no man go out fleeing from the city, lest he go, and tell (it) in Jezreel.
16 And (then) Jehu went up, and went forth into Jezreel; for Joram was sick there; and Ahaziah, king of Judah, came down to visit Joram.
17 Therefore a watchman, that stood above (in) a tower of Jezreel, saw the multitude of Jehu coming, and he said, I see a multitude. And Joram said, Take thou a chariot, and send it into the meeting of him; and say the goer, Whether all things be rightful? (and let the goer, or the driver, say to him, Is everything all right?)
18 Then he, that went upon the chariot, went into the meeting of Jehu, and said, The king saith these things, Whether all things be peaced? (Is everything at peace with you?) And Jehu said to him, What to thee and to peace? Pass thou from Joram, and follow me. And the watchman told to Joram, and said, The messenger came to them, and he turneth not again.
19 Also the king sent the second chariot of horses, and he came to them, and said, The king saith these things, Whether peace is with you? (And the king sent a second chariot of horses, and the man came to them, and said, The king saith these things, Is everything at peace with you?) And Jehu said, What to thee and to peace? Pass thou forth, and follow me.
20 And the espyer told to Joram, and said, He came unto them, and he turneth not again; forsooth the going of the duke is as the going of Jehu, son of Nimshi (and the driving of the leader is like the driving of Jehu, the son of Nimshi); certainly he goeth fast.
21 And Joram said, Join ye (up) a chariot. And they joined (up) his chariot. And Joram, king of Israel, went out, and Ahaziah, king of Judah, went out, each in his chariot; and they went out into the meeting of Jehu, and they found him in the field of Naboth of Jezreel.
22 And when Joram had seen Jehu, he said, Jehu, is (it) peace? (And when Joram had seen Jehu, he said, Jehu, is everything at peace with you?) And he answered, What peace? Yet the fornications, that is, (the) idolatries, of Jezebel, thy mother, and (the) many poisonings of her be in strength.
23 And Joram turned his hand, and fled, and said to Ahaziah, Treasons! treasons! (O!) Ahaziah.
24 Certainly Jehu bent a bow with his hand, and smote Joram betwixt the shoulders, and the arrow went out through his heart; and at once he felled down in his chariot.
25 And Jehu said to Bidkar the duke, Take thou (him) away, and cast forth him in the field of Naboth of Jezreel; for I have mind, when I and thou sat in the chariot, and followed Ahab, his father, that the Lord raised on him this burden, and said, (And Jehu said to Bidkar, his officer, Take thou him away, and throw him forth into the field of Naboth of Jezreel; for I remember, when I and thou sat in the chariot, and followed his father Ahab, that the Lord raised on him this burden, and said,)
26 If not for the blood of Naboth, and for the blood of his sons, which I saw yesterday, saith the Lord, I shall yield to thee in this field, saith the Lord. Now therefore do thou away him, and cast forth him in the field, by the word of the Lord. (For the blood of Naboth, and for the blood of his sons, which I saw yesterday, saith the Lord, I shall yield to thee in this field, saith the Lord. And so now do thou him away, and throw him forth into the field, by the word of the Lord.)
27 Forsooth Ahaziah, king of Judah, saw this, and fled by the way of the house of the garden; and Jehu pursued him, and said, Also smite ye this man in his chariot. And men smote Ahaziah in the going up of Gur, that is beside Ibleam; and Ahaziah fled into Megiddo, and was dead there (and Ahaziah fled to Megiddo, and died there).
28 And his servants putted him on his chariot, and brought him into Jerusalem; and they buried him in a sepulchre with his fathers, in the city of David.
29 In the eleventh year of Joram, the son of Ahab, king of Israel, Ahaziah reigned upon Judah (Ahaziah began to reign upon Judah).
30 And Jehu came into Jezreel. Forsooth when his entering was heard (And when she heard him coming), Jezebel painted her eyes with (the) ointment of lecherous women, and adorned her head; and she beheld by a window
31 Jehu entering by the gate, and she said, Whether peace may be to Zimri, that killed his lord?/that slew his lord? (Jehu entering by the gate, and she said, Can there be peace for Zimri, who killed his lord?)
32 And Jehu raised up his face to the window, and said, What woman is this? And twain either three chamberlains bowed themselves to him, and said to him, This is that Jezebel.
33 And he said to them, Cast ye her down. And they casted down her (And they went, and threw her down); and the wall was besprinkled with (her) blood, and (also) the hooves of (the) horses, that treaded (upon) her.
34 And when he had entered to eat and drink, he said, Go ye, and see that cursed woman, and bury ye her, for she is a king's daughter.
35 And when they had gone to bury her, they found not of her, no but the skull, and the feet, and the ends of her hands;
36 and they turned again, and told to him (and they returned, and told him). And Jehu said, This is the word of the Lord, which he spake by his servant, Elijah of Tishbe/Elijah (the) Tishbite, and said, (The) Dogs shall eat (up) the flesh of Jezebel in the field of Jezreel;
37 and the fleshes of Jezebel shall be as dung upon the face of the earth in the field of Jezreel, so that men passing forth thereby say, Lo! this is that Jezebel.

2 Kings 9 Commentary

Chapter 9

Elisha sends to anoint Jehu. (1-10) Jehu and the captains. (11-15) Joram and Ahaziah slain by Jehu. (16-29) Jezebel eaten by dogs. (30-37)

Verses 1-10 In these and the like events, we must acknowledge the secret working of God, disposing men to fulfil his purposes respecting them. Jehu was anointed king over Israel, by the Lord's special choice. The Lord still had a remnant of his people, and would yet preserve his worship among them. Of this Jehu was reminded. He was commanded to destroy the house of Ahab, and, as far as he acted in obedience to God, and upon right principles, he needed not to regard reproach or opposition. The murder of God's prophets is strongly noticed. Jezebel persisted in idolatry and enmity to Jehovah and his servants, and her iniquity was now full.

Verses 11-15 Those who faithfully deliver the Lord's message to sinners, have in all ages been treated as madmen. Their judgment, speech, and conduct are contrary to those of other men; they endure much in pursuit of objects, and are influenced by motives, into which the others cannot enter. But above all, the charge is brought by the worldly and ungodly of all sorts, who are mad indeed; while the principles and practice of the devoted servants of God, prove to be wise and reasonable. Some faith in the word of God, seems to have animated Jehu to this undertaking.

Verses 16-29 Jehu was a man of eager spirit. The wisdom of God is seen in the choice of those employed in his work. But it is not for any man's reputation to be known by his fury. He that has rule over his own spirit, is better than the mighty. Joram met Jehu in the portion of Naboth. The circumstances of events are sometimes ordered by Divine Providence to make the punishment answer to the sin, as face answers to face in a glass. The way of sin can never be the way of peace, ( Isaiah 57:21 ) . What peace can sinners have with God? No peace so long as sin is persisted in; but when it is repented of and forsaken, there is peace. Joram died as a criminal, under the sentence of the law. Ahaziah was joined with the house of Ahab. He was one of them; he had made himself so by sin. It is dangerous to join evil-doers; we shall be entangled in guilt and misery by it.

Verses 30-37 Instead of hiding herself, as one afraid of Divine vengeance, Jezebel mocked at fear. See how a heart, hardened against God, will brave it out to the last. There is not a surer presage of ruin, than an unhumbled heart under humbling providences. Let those look at Jezebel's conduct and fate, who use arts to seduce others to commit wickedness, and to draw them aside from the ways of truth and righteousness. Jehu called for aid against Jezebel. When reformation-work is on foot, it is time to ask, Who sides with it? Her attendants delivered her up. Thus she was put to death. See the end of pride and cruelty, and say, The Lord is righteous. When we pamper our bodies, let us think how vile they are; shortly they will be a feast for worms under ground, or beasts above ground. May we all flee from that wrath which is revealed from heaven, against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men.

Chapter Summary

INTRODUCTION TO 2 KINGS 9

In this chapter we are told that one of the sons of the prophets was sent by Elisha to anoint Jehu king of Israel, and to order him to smite and destroy the whole house of Ahab, 2Ki 9:1-10, which being done unto him, and the order received by Jehu, he acquainted his captains with it, 2Ki 9:11-15, who set out with him immediately to Jezreel, 2Ki 9:16-21, where he slew Joram king of Israel, 2Ki 9:22-26, and Ahaziah king of Judah, 2Ki 9:27-29, and Jezebel, the widow of Ahab, and mother of Joram, 2Ki 9:30-37.

2 Kings 9 Commentaries

Copyright © 2001 by Terence P. Noble. For personal use only.