2 Raja-raja 8:1--10:36
Konteks8:1 Now Elisha advised the woman whose son he had brought back to life, “You and your family should go and live somewhere else for a while, 1 for the Lord has decreed that a famine will overtake the land for seven years.” 8:2 So the woman did as the prophet said. 2 She and her family went and lived in the land of the Philistines for seven years. 8:3 After seven years the woman returned from the land of the Philistines and went to ask the king to give her back her house and field. 3 8:4 Now the king was talking to Gehazi, the prophet’s 4 servant, and said, “Tell me all the great things which Elisha has done.” 8:5 While Gehazi 5 was telling the king how Elisha 6 had brought the dead back to life, the woman whose son he had brought back to life came to ask the king for her house and field. 7 Gehazi said, “My master, O king, this is the very woman and this is her son whom Elisha brought back to life!” 8:6 The king asked the woman about it, and she gave him the details. 8 The king assigned a eunuch to take care of her request and ordered him, 9 “Give her back everything she owns, as well as the amount of crops her field produced from the day she left the land until now.”
8:7 Elisha traveled to Damascus while King Ben Hadad of Syria was sick. The king 10 was told, “The prophet 11 has come here.” 8:8 So the king told Hazael, “Take a gift 12 and go visit the prophet. Request from him an oracle from the Lord. Ask him, 13 ‘Will I recover from this sickness?’” 8:9 So Hazael went to visit Elisha. 14 He took along a gift, 15 as well as 16 forty camel loads of all the fine things of Damascus. When he arrived, he stood before him and said, “Your son, 17 King Ben Hadad of Syria, has sent me to you with this question, 18 ‘Will I recover from this sickness?’” 8:10 Elisha said to him, “Go and tell him, ‘You will surely recover,’ 19 but the Lord has revealed to me that he will surely die.” 8:11 Elisha 20 just stared at him until Hazael became uncomfortable. 21 Then the prophet started crying. 8:12 Hazael asked, “Why are you crying, my master?” He replied, “Because I know the trouble you will cause the Israelites. You will set fire to their fortresses, kill their young men with the sword, smash their children to bits, and rip open their pregnant women.” 8:13 Hazael said, “How could your servant, who is as insignificant as a dog, accomplish this great military victory?” 22 Elisha answered, “The Lord has revealed to me that you will be the king of Syria.” 23 8:14 He left Elisha and went to his master. Ben Hadad 24 asked him, “What did Elisha tell you?” Hazael 25 replied, “He told me you would surely recover.” 8:15 The next day Hazael 26 took a piece of cloth, dipped it in water, and spread it over Ben Hadad’s 27 face until he died. Then Hazael replaced him as king.
8:16 In the fifth year of the reign of Israel’s King Joram, son of Ahab, Jehoshaphat’s son Jehoram became king over Judah. 28 8:17 He was thirty-two years old when he became king and he reigned for eight years in Jerusalem. 29 8:18 He followed in the footsteps of the kings of Israel, just as Ahab’s dynasty had done, for he married Ahab’s daughter. 30 He did evil in the sight of 31 the Lord. 8:19 But the Lord was unwilling to destroy Judah. He preserved Judah for the sake of 32 his servant David to whom he had promised a perpetual dynasty. 33
8:20 During his reign Edom freed themselves from Judah’s control and set up their own king. 34 8:21 Joram 35 crossed over to Zair with all his chariots. The Edomites, who had surrounded him, attacked at night and defeated him and his chariot officers. 36 The Israelite army retreated to their homeland. 37 8:22 So Edom has remained free from Judah’s control to this very day. 38 At that same time Libnah also rebelled.
8:23 The rest of the events of Joram’s reign, including a record of his accomplishments, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Judah. 39 8:24 Joram passed away 40 and was buried with his ancestors in the city of David. His son Ahaziah replaced him as king.
8:25 In the twelfth year of the reign of Israel’s King Joram, son of Ahab, Jehoram’s son Ahaziah became king over Judah. 8:26 Ahaziah was twenty-two years old when he became king and he reigned for one year in Jerusalem. 41 His mother was Athaliah, the granddaughter 42 of King Omri of Israel. 8:27 He followed in the footsteps of Ahab’s dynasty and did evil in the sight of 43 the Lord, like Ahab’s dynasty, for he was related to Ahab’s family. 44
8:28 He joined Ahab’s son Joram in a battle against King Hazael of Syria at Ramoth Gilead in which the Syrians defeated Joram. 8:29 King Joram returned to Jezreel to recover from the wounds he received from the Syrians 45 in Ramah when he fought against King Hazael of Syria. King Ahaziah son of Jehoram of Judah went down to visit 46 Joram son of Ahab in Jezreel, for he was ill.
9:1 Now Elisha the prophet summoned a member of the prophetic guild 47 and told him, “Tuck your robes into your belt, take this container 48 of olive oil in your hand, and go to Ramoth Gilead. 9:2 When you arrive there, look for Jehu son of Jehoshaphat son of Nimshi and take him aside into an inner room. 49 9:3 Take the container of olive oil, pour it over his head, and say, ‘This is what the Lord says, “I have designated 50 you as king over Israel.”’ Then open the door and run away quickly!” 51
9:4 So the young prophet 52 went to Ramoth Gilead. 9:5 When he arrived, the officers of the army were sitting there. 53 So he said, “I have a message for you, O officer.” 54 Jehu asked, “For which one of us?” 55 He replied, “For you, O officer.” 9:6 So Jehu 56 got up and went inside. Then the prophet 57 poured the olive oil on his head and said to him, “This is what the Lord God of Israel says, ‘I have designated you as king over the Lord’s people Israel. 9:7 You will destroy the family of your master Ahab. 58 I will get revenge against Jezebel for the shed blood of my servants the prophets and for the shed blood of all the Lord’s servants. 59 9:8 Ahab’s entire family will die. I 60 will cut off every last male belonging to Ahab in Israel, including even the weak and incapacitated. 61 9:9 I will make Ahab’s dynasty 62 like those of Jeroboam son of Nebat and Baasha son of Ahijah. 9:10 Dogs will devour Jezebel on the plot of ground in Jezreel; she will not be buried.’” 63 Then he opened the door and ran away.
9:11 When Jehu rejoined 64 his master’s servants, they 65 asked him, “Is everything all right? 66 Why did this madman visit you?” He replied, “Ah, it’s not important. You know what kind of man he is and the kinds of things he says.” 67 9:12 But they said, “You’re lying! Tell us what he said.” So he told them what he had said. He also related how he had said, 68 “This is what the Lord says, ‘I have designated you as king over Israel.’” 9:13 Each of them quickly took off his cloak and they spread them out at Jehu’s 69 feet on the steps. 70 The trumpet was blown 71 and they shouted, “Jehu is 72 king!” 9:14 Then Jehu son of Jehoshaphat son of Nimshi conspired against Joram.
Now Joram had been in Ramoth Gilead with the whole Israelite army, 73 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 74 when he fought against King Hazael of Syria. 75 Jehu told his supporters, 76 “If you really want me to be king, 77 then don’t let anyone escape from the city to go and warn Jezreel.” 9:16 Jehu drove his chariot 78 to Jezreel, for Joram was recuperating 79 there. (Now King Ahaziah of Judah had come down to visit 80 Joram.)
9:17 Now the watchman was standing on the tower in Jezreel and saw Jehu’s troops approaching. 81 He said, “I see troops!” 82 Jehoram ordered, 83 “Send a rider out to meet them and have him ask, ‘Is everything all right?’” 84 9:18 So the horseman 85 went to meet him and said, “This is what the king says, ‘Is everything all right?’” 86 Jehu replied, “None of your business! 87 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 88 and he said, “This is what the king says, ‘Is everything all right?’” 89 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; 90 he drives recklessly.” 9:21 Jehoram ordered, “Hitch up my chariot.” 91 When his chariot had been hitched up, 92 King Jehoram of Israel and King Ahaziah of Judah went out in their respective chariots 93 to meet Jehu. They met up with him 94 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?” 95 9:23 Jehoram turned his chariot around and took off. 96 He said to Ahaziah, “It’s a trap, 97 Ahaziah!” 9:24 Jehu aimed his bow and shot an arrow right between Jehoram’s shoulders. 98 The arrow went through 99 his heart and he fell to his knees in his chariot. 9:25 Jehu ordered 100 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,” 101 says the Lord.’ So now pick him up and throw him into this plot of land, just as the Lord said.” 102
9:27 When King Ahaziah of Judah saw what happened, he took off 103 up the road to Beth Haggan. Jehu chased him and ordered, “Shoot him too.” They shot him while he was driving his chariot up the ascent of Gur near Ibleam. 104 He fled to Megiddo 105 and died there. 9:28 His servants took his body 106 back to Jerusalem 107 and buried him in his tomb with his ancestors in the city of David. 9:29 Ahaziah had become king over Judah in the eleventh year of Joram son of Ahab.
9:30 Jehu approached Jezreel. When Jezebel heard the news, she put on some eye liner, 108 fixed up her hair, and leaned out the window. 9:31 When Jehu came through the gate, she said, “Is everything all right, Zimri, murderer of his master?” 109 9:32 He looked up at the window and said, “Who is on my side? Who?” Two or three 110 eunuchs looked down at him. 9:33 He said, “Throw her down!” So they threw her down, and when she hit the ground, 111 her blood splattered against the wall and the horses, and Jehu drove his chariot over her. 112 9:34 He went inside and had a meal. 113 Then he said, “Dispose of this accursed woman’s corpse. Bury her, for after all, she was a king’s daughter.” 114 9:35 But when they went to bury her, they found nothing left but 115 the skull, feet, and palms of the hands. 9:36 When they went back and told him, he said, “The Lord’s word through his servant, Elijah the Tishbite, has come to pass. He warned, 116 ‘In the plot of land at Jezreel, dogs will devour Jezebel’s flesh. 9:37 Jezebel’s corpse will be like manure on the surface of the ground in the plot of land at Jezreel. People will not be able to even recognize her.’” 117
10:1 Ahab had seventy sons living in Samaria. 118 So Jehu wrote letters and sent them to Samaria to the leading officials of Jezreel and to the guardians of Ahab’s dynasty. This is what the letters said, 119 10:2 “You have with you the sons of your master, chariots and horses, a fortified city, and weapons. So when this letter arrives, 120 10:3 pick the best and most capable 121 of your master’s sons, place him on his father’s throne, and defend 122 your master’s dynasty.”
10:4 They were absolutely terrified 123 and said, “Look, two kings could not stop him! 124 How can we?” 125 10:5 So the palace supervisor, 126 the city commissioner, 127 the leaders, 128 and the guardians sent this message to Jehu, “We are your subjects! 129 Whatever you say, we will do. We will not make anyone king. Do what you consider proper.” 130
10:6 He wrote them a second letter, saying, “If you are really on my side and are willing to obey me, 131 then take the heads of your master’s sons and come to me in Jezreel at this time tomorrow.” 132 Now the king had seventy sons, and the prominent 133 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. 134 They put their heads in baskets and sent them to him in Jezreel. 10:8 The messenger came and told Jehu, 135 “They have brought the heads of the king’s sons.” Jehu 136 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.” 137 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.
10:12 Jehu then left there and set out for Samaria. 138 While he was traveling through Beth Eked of the Shepherds, 10:13 Jehu encountered 139 the relatives 140 of King Ahaziah of Judah. He asked, “Who are you?” They replied, “We are Ahaziah’s relatives. We have come down to see how 141 the king’s sons and the queen mother’s sons are doing.” 10:14 He said, “Capture them alive!” So they captured them alive and then executed all forty-two of them in the cistern at Beth Eked. He left no survivors.
10:15 When he left there, he met 142 Jehonadab, son of Rekab, who had been looking for him. 143 Jehu greeted him and asked, 144 “Are you as committed to me as I am to you?” 145 Jehonadab answered, “I am!” Jehu replied, “If so, give me your hand.” 146 So he offered his hand and Jehu 147 pulled him up into the chariot. 10:16 Jehu 148 said, “Come with me and see how zealous I am for the Lord’s cause.” 149 So he 150 took him along in his chariot. 10:17 He went to Samaria and exterminated all the members of Ahab’s family who were still alive in Samaria, 151 just as the Lord had announced to Elijah. 152
10:18 Jehu assembled all the people and said to them, “Ahab worshiped 153 Baal a little; Jehu will worship 154 him with great devotion. 155 10:19 So now, bring to me all the prophets of Baal, as well as all his servants and priests. 156 None of them must be absent, for I am offering a great sacrifice to Baal. Any of them who fail to appear will lose their lives.” But Jehu was tricking them 157 so he could destroy the servants of Baal. 10:20 Then Jehu ordered, “Make arrangements for 158 a celebration for Baal.” So they announced it. 10:21 Jehu sent invitations throughout Israel, and all the servants of Baal came; not one was absent. They arrived at the temple of Baal and filled it up from end to end. 159 10:22 Jehu ordered the one who was in charge of the wardrobe, 160 “Bring out robes for all the servants of Baal.” So he brought out robes for them. 10:23 Then Jehu and Jehonadab son of Rekab went to the temple of Baal. Jehu 161 said to the servants of Baal, “Make sure there are no servants of the Lord here with you; there must be only servants of Baal.” 162 10:24 They went inside to offer sacrifices and burnt offerings. Now Jehu had stationed eighty men outside. He had told them, “If any of the men inside get away, you will pay with your lives!” 163
10:25 When he finished offering the burnt sacrifice, Jehu ordered the royal guard 164 and officers, “Come in and strike them down! Don’t let any escape!” So the royal guard and officers struck them down with the sword and left their bodies lying there. 165 Then they entered the inner sanctuary of the temple of Baal. 166 10:26 They hauled out the sacred pillar of the temple of Baal and burned it. 10:27 They demolished 167 the sacred pillar of Baal and 168 the temple of Baal; it is used as 169 a latrine 170 to this very day. 10:28 So Jehu eradicated Baal worship 171 from Israel.
10:29 However, Jehu did not repudiate the sins which Jeroboam son of Nebat had encouraged Israel to commit; the golden calves remained in Bethel 172 and Dan. 173 10:30 The Lord said to Jehu, “You have done well. You have accomplished my will and carried out my wishes with regard to Ahab’s dynasty. Therefore four generations of your descendants will rule over Israel.” 174 10:31 But Jehu did not carefully and wholeheartedly obey the law of the Lord God of Israel. 175 He did not repudiate the sins which Jeroboam had encouraged Israel to commit. 176
10:32 In those days the Lord began to reduce the size of Israel’s territory. 177 Hazael attacked their eastern border. 178 10:33 He conquered all the land of Gilead, including the territory of Gad, Reuben, and Manasseh, extending all the way from the Aroer in the Arnon Valley through Gilead to Bashan. 179
10:34 The rest of the events of Jehu’s reign, including all his accomplishments and successes, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Israel. 180 10:35 Jehu passed away 181 and was buried in Samaria. 182 His son Jehoahaz replaced him as king. 10:36 Jehu reigned over Israel for twenty-eight years in Samaria.
[8:1] 1 tn Heb “Get up and go, you and your house, and live temporarily where you can live temporarily.”
[8:2] 2 tn Heb “and the woman got up and did according to the word of the man of God.”
[8:3] 3 tn Heb “and went out to cry out to the king for her house and her field.”
[8:4] 4 tn Heb “man of God’s.”
[8:5] 5 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Gehazi) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[8:5] 6 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Elisha) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[8:5] 7 tn Heb “and look, the woman whose son he had brought back to life was crying out to the king for her house and her field.”
[8:5] sn The legal background of the situation is uncertain. For a discussion of possibilities, see M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 87-88.
[8:6] 8 tn Heb “and the king asked the woman and she told him.”
[8:6] 9 tn Heb “and he assigned to her an official, saying.”
[8:7] 10 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the king) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[8:7] 11 tn Heb “man of God” (also a second time in this verse and in v. 11).
[8:8] 12 tn The Hebrew text also has “in your hand.”
[8:8] 13 tn Heb “Inquire of the
[8:9] 14 tn Heb “him”; the referent (Elisha) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[8:9] 15 tn The Hebrew text also has “in his hand.”
[8:9] 16 tn Heb “and.” It is possible that the conjunction is here explanatory, equivalent to English “that is.” In this case the forty camel loads constitute the “gift” and one should translate, “He took along a gift, consisting of forty camel loads of all the fine things of Damascus.”
[8:9] 17 sn The words “your son” emphasize the king’s respect for the prophet.
[8:10] 19 tc The consonantal text (Kethib) reads, “Go, say, ‘Surely you will not (לֹא, lo’) recover” In this case the vav beginning the next clause should be translated, “for, because.” The marginal reading (Qere) has, “Go, say to him (לוֹ, lo), ‘You will surely recover.” In this case the vav (ו) beginning the next clause should be translated, “although, but.” The Qere has the support of some medieval Hebrew
[8:11] 20 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Elisha) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[8:11] 21 tn Heb “and he made his face stand [i.e., be motionless] and set [his face?] until embarrassment.”
[8:13] 22 tn Heb “Indeed, what is your servant, a dog, that he could do this great thing?” With his reference to a dog, Hazael is not denying that he is a “dog” and protesting that he would never commit such a dastardly “dog-like” deed. Rather, as Elisha’s response indicates, Hazael is suggesting that he, like a dog, is too insignificant to ever be in a position to lead such conquests.
[8:13] 23 tn Heb “The
[8:14] 24 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Ben Hadad) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[8:14] 25 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Hazael) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[8:15] 26 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Hazael) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[8:15] 27 tn Heb “his”; the referent (Ben Hadad) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[8:16] 28 tc The Hebrew text reads, “and in the fifth year of Joram son of Ahab king of Israel, and [or, ‘while’?] Jehoshaphat [was?] king of Judah, Jehoram son of Jehoshaphat king of Judah became king.” The first reference to “Jehoshaphat king of Judah” is probably due to a scribe accidentally copying the phrase from the later in the verse. If the Hebrew text is retained, the verse probably refers to the beginning of a coregency between Jehoshaphat and Jehoram.
[8:17] 29 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[8:18] 30 tn Heb “he walked in the way of the kings of Israel, just as the house of Ahab did, for the daughter of Ahab was his wife.”
[8:18] 31 tn Heb “in the eyes of.”
[8:19] 32 tn The Hebrew has only one sentence, “and the
[8:19] 33 tn Heb “just as he had promised to give him and his sons a lamp all the days.” The metaphorical “lamp” symbolizes the Davidic dynasty; this is reflected in the translation.
[8:20] 34 tn Heb “in his days Edom rebelled from under the hand of Judah and enthroned a king over them.”
[8:21] 35 sn Joram is a short form of the name Jehoram.
[8:21] 36 tn Heb “and he arose at night and defeated Edom, who had surrounded him, and the chariot officers.” The Hebrew text as it stands gives the impression that Joram was surrounded and launched a victorious night counterattack. It would then be quite natural to understand the last statement in the verse to refer to an Edomite retreat. Yet v. 22 goes on to state that the Edomite revolt was successful. Therefore, if the MT is retained, it may be better to understand the final statement in v. 21 as a reference to an Israelite retreat (made in spite of the success described in the preceding sentence). The translation above assumes an emendation of the Hebrew text. Adding a third masculine singular pronominal suffix to the accusative sign before Edom (reading אֶתוֹ [’eto], “him,” instead of just אֶת [’et]) and taking Edom as the subject of verbs allows one to translate the verse in a way that is more consistent with the context, which depicts an Israelite defeat, not victory. There is, however, no evidence for this emendation.
[8:21] 37 tn Heb “and the people fled to their tents.”
[8:22] 38 tn Heb “and Edom rebelled from under the hand of Judah until this day.”
[8:23] 39 tn Heb “As for the rest of the acts of Joram and all which he did, are they not written on the scroll of the events of the days of the kings of Judah?”
[8:24] 40 tn Heb “lay down with his fathers.”
[8:26] 41 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[8:26] 42 tn Hebrew בַּת (bat), “daughter,” can refer, as here to a granddaughter. See HALOT 166 s.v. בַּת.
[8:27] 43 tn Heb “in the eyes of.”
[8:27] 44 tn Heb “and he walked in the way of the house of Ahab and did evil in the eyes of the
[8:29] 45 tn Heb “which the Syrians inflicted [on] him.”
[9:1] 47 tn Heb “one of the sons of the prophets.”
[9:2] 49 tn Heb “and go and set him apart from his brothers and bring him into an inner room in an inner room.”
[9:3] 51 tn Heb “and open the door and run away and do not delay.”
[9:4] 52 tc Heb “the young man, the young man, the prophet.” The MT is probably dittographic, the phrase “the young man” being accidentally repeated. The phrases “the young man” and “the prophet” are appositional, with the latter qualifying more specifically the former.
[9:5] 53 tn Heb “and he arrived and look, the officers of the army were sitting.”
[9:5] 54 tn Heb “[there is] a word for me to you, O officer.”
[9:5] 55 tn Heb “To whom from all of us?”
[9:6] 56 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Jehu) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[9:6] 57 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the prophet) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[9:7] 58 tn Or “strike down the house of Ahab your master.”
[9:7] 59 tn Heb “I will avenge the shed blood of my servants the prophets and the shed blood of all the servants of the
[9:8] 60 tc The LXX has the second person, “you.”
[9:8] 61 tn Heb “and I will cut off from Ahab those who urinate against a wall, [including both those who are] restrained and let free [or, ‘abandoned’] in Israel.” On the phrase וְעָצוּר וְעָזוּב (vÿ’atsur vÿ’azur, translated here “weak and incapacitated”) see the note at 1 Kgs 14:10.
[9:10] 63 sn Note how the young prophet greatly expands the message Elisha had given to him. In addition to lengthening the introductory formula (by adding “the God of Israel”) and the official declaration that accompanies the act of anointing (by adding “the
[9:11] 64 tn Heb “went out to.”
[9:11] 65 tc The MT has the singular, “he said,” but many witnesses correctly read the plural.
[9:11] 66 tn Heb “Is there peace?”
[9:11] 67 tn Heb “He said, ‘You, you know the man and his thoughts.’” Jehu tries to deflect their question by reminding them that the man is an eccentric individual who says strange things. His reply suggests that the man said nothing of importance. The translation seeks to bring out the tone and intent of Jehu’s reply.
[9:12] 68 tn Heb “So he said, ‘Like this and like this he said to me, saying.’” The words “like this and like this” are probably not a direct quote of Jehu’s words to his colleagues. Rather this is the narrator’s way of avoiding repetition and indicating that Jehu repeated, or at least summarized, what the prophet had said to him.
[9:13] 69 tn Heb “his”; the referent (Jehu) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[9:13] 70 tn Heb “and they hurried and took, each one his garment, and they placed [them] beneath him on the bone [?] of the steps.” The precise nuance of גֶרֶם (gerem), “bone,” is unclear. Some suggest the nuance “bare” here; it may be a technical architectural term in this context.
[9:13] 71 tn Heb “they blew the trumpet.” This has been translated as a passive to avoid the implication that the same ones who shouted had all blown trumpets.
[9:14] 73 tn Heb “he and all Israel.”
[9:15] 74 tn Heb “which the Syrians inflicted [on] him.”
[9:15] 75 sn See 2 Kgs 8:28-29a.
[9:15] 76 tn The words “his supporters” are added for clarification.
[9:15] 77 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] 78 tn Heb “rode [or, ‘mounted’] and went.”
[9:16] 79 tn Heb “lying down.”
[9:17] 81 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] 82 tn The term שִׁפְעַת (shifat) appears to be a construct form of the noun, but no genitive follows.
[9:17] 84 tn Heb “Get a rider and send [him] to meet him and let him ask, ‘Is there peace?’”
[9:18] 85 tn Heb “the rider of the horse.”
[9:18] 86 tn Heb “Is there peace?”
[9:18] 87 tn Heb “What concerning you and concerning peace?” That is, “What concern is that to you?”
[9:19] 88 tn Heb “and he came to them.”
[9:19] 89 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] 90 tn Heb “and the driving is like the driving of Jehu son of Nimshi.”
[9:21] 91 tn The words “my chariot” are added for clarification.
[9:21] 92 tn Heb “and he hitched up his chariot.”
[9:21] 93 tn Heb “each in his chariot and they went out.”
[9:21] 94 tn Heb “they found him.”
[9:22] 95 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] 96 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] 97 tn Heb “Deceit, Ahaziah.”
[9:24] 98 tn Heb “and Jehu filled his hand with the bow and he struck Jehoram between his shoulders.”
[9:24] 99 tn Heb “went out from.”
[9:26] 101 tn Heb “and I will repay you in this plot of land.”
[9:26] 102 tn Heb “according to the word of the
[9:27] 103 tn Heb “and Ahaziah king of Judah saw and fled.”
[9:27] 104 tn After Jehu’s order (“kill him too”), the MT has simply, “to the chariot in the ascent of Gur which is near Ibleam.” The main verb in the clause, “they shot him” (וַיִּכְהוּ, vayyikhhu), has been accidentally omitted by virtual haplography/homoioteleuton. Note that the immediately preceding form הַכֻּהוּ (hakkuhu), “shoot him,” ends with the same suffix.
[9:27] 105 map For location see Map1 D4; Map2 C1; Map4 C2; Map5 F2; Map7 B1.
[9:28] 106 tn Heb “drove him.”
[9:28] 107 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[9:30] 108 tn Heb “she fixed her eyes with antimony.” Antimony (פּוּךְ, pukh) was used as a cosmetic. The narrator portrays her as a prostitute (see Jer 4:30), a role she has played in the spiritual realm (see the note at v. 22).
[9:31] 109 sn Jezebel associates Jehu with another assassin, Zimri, who approximately 44 years before had murdered King Elah, only to meet a violent death just a few days later (1 Kgs 16:9-20). On the surface Jezebel’s actions seem contradictory. On the one hand, she beautifies herself as if to seduce Jehu, but on the other hand, she insults and indirectly threatens him with this comparison to Zimri. Upon further reflection, however, her actions reveal a clear underlying motive. She wants to retain her power, not to mention her life. By beautifying herself, she appeals to Jehu’s sexual impulses; by threatening him, she reminds him that he is in the same precarious position as Zimri. But, if he makes Jezebel his queen, he can consolidate his power. In other words through her actions and words Jezebel is saying to Jehu, “You desire me, don’t you? And you need me!”
[9:32] 110 tn Heb “two, three.” The narrator may be intentionally vague or uncertain here, or the two numbers may represent alternate traditions.
[9:33] 111 tn The words “when she hit the ground” are added for stylistic reasons.
[9:33] 112 tn Heb “and he trampled her.”
[9:34] 113 tn Heb “and he went and ate and drank.”
[9:34] 114 tn Heb “Attend to this accursed woman and bury her for she was the daughter of a king.”
[9:35] 115 tn Heb “they did not find her, except for.”
[9:36] 116 tn Heb “It is the word of the
[9:37] 117 tn Heb “so that they will not say, ‘This is Jezebel.’”
[10:1] 118 map For location see Map2 B1; Map4 D3; Map5 E2; Map6 A4; Map7 C1.
[10:1] 119 tn Heb “to the officers of Jezreel, the elders, and to the guardians of Ahab, saying.” It is not certain why the officials of Jezreel would be in Samaria. They may have fled there after they heard what happened to Joram and before Jehu entered the city. They would have had time to flee while Jehu was pursuing Ahaziah.
[10:2] 120 tn Heb “And now when this letter comes to you – with you are the sons of your master and with you are chariots and horses and a fortified city and weapons.”
[10:3] 121 tn Hebrew יָשָׁר (yashar) does not have its normal moral/ethical nuance here (“upright”), but a more neutral sense of “proper, right, suitable.” For the gloss “capable,” see HALOT 450 s.v. יָשָׁר.
[10:4] 123 tn Heb “they were very, very afraid.” The term מְאֹד (me’od) “very,” is repeated for emphasis.
[10:4] 124 tn Heb “did not stand before him.”
[10:4] 125 tn Heb “How can we stand?”
[10:5] 126 tn Heb “the one who was over the house.”
[10:5] 127 tn Heb “the one who was over the city.”
[10:5] 130 tn Heb “Do what is good in your eyes.”
[10:6] 131 tn Heb “If you are mine and you are listening to my voice.”
[10:6] 132 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
[10:6] 133 tn Heb “great,” probably in wealth, position, and prestige.
[10:7] 134 tn Heb “and when the letter came to them, they took the sons of the king and slaughtered seventy men.”
[10:8] 135 tn Heb “him”; the referent (Jehu) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[10:8] 136 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Jehu) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[10:10] 137 tn Heb “Know then that there has not fallen from the word of the
[10:12] 138 tn Heb “and he arose and went and came to Samaria.”
[10:13] 141 tn Heb “for the peace of.”
[10:15] 143 tn Heb “and he went from there and found Jehonadab son of Rekab [who was coming] to meet him.”
[10:15] 144 tn Heb “and he blessed him and said to him.”
[10:15] 145 tn Heb “Is there with your heart [what is] right, as my heart [is] with your heart?”
[10:15] 146 tc Heb “Jehonadab said, ‘There is and there is. Give your hand.’” If the text is allowed to stand, there are two possible ways to understand the syntax of וָיֵשׁ (vayesh), “and there is”: (1) The repetition of יֵשׁ (yesh, “there is and there is”) could be taken as emphatic, “indeed I am.” In this case, the entire statement could be taken as Jehonadab’s words or one could understand the words “give your hand” as Jehu’s. In the latter case the change in speakers is unmarked. (2) וָיֵשׁ begins Jehu’s response and has a conditional force, “if you are.” In this case, the transition in speakers is unmarked. However, it is possible that וַיֹּאמֶר (vayyo’mer), “and he said,” or וַיֹּאמֶר יֵהוּא (vayyo’mer yehu), “and Jehu said,” originally appeared between יֵשׁ and וָיֵשׁ and has accidentally dropped from the text by homoioarcton (note that both the proposed וַיֹּאמֶר and וָיֵשׁ begin with vav, ו). The present translation assumes such a textual reconstruction; it is supported by the LXX, Syriac Peshitta, and Vulgate.
[10:15] 147 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Jehu) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[10:16] 148 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Jehu) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[10:16] 149 tn Heb “and see my zeal for the
[10:16] 150 tc The MT has a plural form, but this is most likely an error. The LXX, Syriac Peshitta, and Vulgate all have the singular.
[10:17] 151 tn Heb “and he struck down all the remaining ones to Ahab in Samaria until he destroyed him.”
[10:17] 152 tn Heb “according to the word of the
[10:18] 155 tn Heb “much” or “greatly.”
[10:19] 156 tn Heb “and now, all the prophets of Baal, all his servants and all his priests summon to me.”
[10:19] 157 tn Heb “acted with deception [or, ‘trickery’].”
[10:20] 158 tn Heb “set apart”; or “observe as holy.”
[10:21] 159 tn Heb “and the house of Baal was filled mouth to mouth.”
[10:22] 160 tn Heb “and he said to the one who was over the wardrobe.”
[10:23] 161 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Jehu) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[10:23] 162 tn Heb “Search carefully and observe so that there are not here with you any servants of the
[10:24] 163 tn Heb “The man who escapes from the men whom I am bringing into your hands, [it will be] his life in place of his life.”
[10:25] 165 tn Heb “and they threw.” No object appears. According to M. Cogan and H. Tadmor (II Kings [AB], 116), this is an idiom for leaving a corpse unburied.
[10:25] 166 tn Heb “and they came to the city of the house of Baal.” It seems unlikely that a literal city is meant. Some emend עִיר (’ir), “city,” to דְּבִיר (dÿvir) “holy place,” or suggest that עִיר is due to dittography of the immediately preceding עַד (’ad) “to.” Perhaps עִיר is here a technical term meaning “fortress” or, more likely, “inner room.”
[10:27] 167 tn Or “pulled down.”
[10:27] 168 tn The verb “they demolished” is repeated in the Hebrew text.
[10:27] 169 tn Heb “and they made it into.”
[10:27] 170 tn The consonantal text (Kethib) has the hapax legomenon מַחֲרָאוֹת (makhara’ot), “places to defecate” or “dung houses” (note the related noun חרא (khr’)/חרי (khri), “dung,” HALOT 348-49 s.v. *חֲרָאִים). The marginal reading (Qere) glosses this, perhaps euphemistically, מוֹצָאוֹת (motsa’ot), “outhouses.”
[10:28] 171 tn Heb “destroyed Baal.”
[10:29] 172 map For location see Map4 G4; Map5 C1; Map6 E3; Map7 D1; Map8 G3.
[10:29] 173 tn Heb “Except the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat which he caused Israel to commit, Jehu did not turn aside from after them – the golden calves which [were in] Bethel and which [were] in Dan.”
[10:30] 174 tn Heb “Because you have done well by doing what is proper in my eyes – according to all which was in my heart you have done to the house of Ahab – sons of four generations will sit for you on the throne of Israel.” In the Hebrew text the Lord’s statement is one long sentence (with a parenthesis). The translation above divides it into shorter sentences for stylistic reasons.
[10:30] sn Jehu ruled over Israel from approximately 841-814
[10:31] 175 tn Heb “But Jehu was not careful to walk in the law of the
[10:31] 176 tn Heb “He did not turn aside from the sins of Jeroboam which he caused Israel to commit.”
[10:32] 177 tn Heb “began to cut off Israel.”
[10:32] 178 tn Heb “Hazael struck them down in all the territory of Israel, from the Jordan on the east.” In the Hebrew text the phrase “from the Jordan on the east” begins v. 33.
[10:33] 179 tn Heb “all the land of Gilead, the Gadites, and the Reubenites, and the Manassehites, from Aroer which is near the Arnon Valley, and Gilead, and Bashan.”
[10:34] 180 tn Heb “As for the rest of the events of Jehu, and all which he did and all his strength, are they not written on the scroll of the events of the days of the kings of Israel?”
[10:35] 181 tn Heb “lay down with his fathers.”
[10:35] 182 map For location see Map2 B1; Map4 D3; Map5 E2; Map6 A4; Map7 C1.
