2 Raja-raja 6:1--10:36
Konteks6:1 Some of the prophets 1 said to Elisha, “Look, the place where we meet with you 2 is too cramped 3 for us. 6:2 Let’s go to the Jordan. Each of us will get a log from there and we will build a meeting place for ourselves there.” He said, “Go.” 6:3 One of them said, “Please come along with your servants.” He replied, “All right, I’ll come.” 6:4 So he went with them. When they arrived at the Jordan, they started cutting down trees. 6:5 As one of them was felling a log, the ax head 4 dropped into the water. He shouted, “Oh no, 5 my master! It was borrowed!” 6:6 The prophet 6 asked, “Where did it drop in?” When he showed him the spot, Elisha 7 cut off a branch, threw it in at that spot, and made the ax head float. 6:7 He said, “Lift it out.” So he reached out his hand and grabbed it.
6:8 Now the king of Syria was at war with Israel. He consulted his advisers, who said, “Invade 8 at such and such 9 a place.” 6:9 But the prophet sent this message to the king of Israel, “Make sure you don’t pass through this place because Syria is invading there.” 6:10 So the king of Israel sent a message to the place the prophet had pointed out, warning it 10 to be on its guard. This happened on several occasions. 11 6:11 This made the king of Syria upset. 12 So he summoned his advisers 13 and said to them, “One of us must be helping the king of Israel.” 14 6:12 One of his advisers said, “No, my master, O king. The prophet Elisha who lives in Israel keeps telling the king of Israel the things you say in your bedroom.” 6:13 The king 15 ordered, “Go, find out where he is, so I can send some men to capture him.” 16 The king was told, “He is in Dothan.” 6:14 So he sent horses and chariots there, along with a good-sized army. 17 They arrived during the night and surrounded the city.
6:15 The prophet’s 18 attendant got up early in the morning. When he went outside there was an army surrounding the city, along with horses and chariots. He said to Elisha, 19 “Oh no, my master! What will we do?” 6:16 He replied, “Don’t be afraid, for our side outnumbers them.” 20 6:17 Then Elisha prayed, “O Lord, open his eyes so he can see.” The Lord opened the servant’s eyes and he saw that 21 the hill was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha. 6:18 As they approached him, 22 Elisha prayed to the Lord, “Strike these people 23 with blindness.” 24 The Lord 25 struck them with blindness as Elisha requested. 26 6:19 Then Elisha said to them, “This is not the right road or city. Follow me, and I will lead you to the man you’re looking for.” He led them to Samaria. 27
6:20 When they had entered Samaria, Elisha said, “O Lord, open their eyes, so they can see.” The Lord opened their eyes and they saw that they were in the middle of Samaria. 28 6:21 When the king of Israel saw them, he asked Elisha, “Should I strike them down, 29 my master?” 30 6:22 He replied, “Do not strike them down! You did not capture them with your sword or bow, so what gives you the right to strike them down? 31 Give them some food and water, so they can eat and drink and then go back to their master.” 6:23 So he threw a big banquet 32 for them and they ate and drank. Then he sent them back 33 to their master. After that no Syrian raiding parties again invaded the land of Israel.
6:24 Later King Ben Hadad of Syria assembled his entire army and attacked 34 and besieged Samaria. 35 6:25 Samaria’s food supply ran out. 36 They laid siege to it so long that 37 a donkey’s head was selling for eighty shekels of silver 38 and a quarter of a kab 39 of dove’s droppings 40 for five shekels of silver. 41
6:26 While the king of Israel was passing by on the city wall, a woman shouted to him, “Help us, my master, O king!” 6:27 He replied, “No, let the Lord help you. How can I help you? The threshing floor and winepress are empty.” 42 6:28 Then the king asked her, “What’s your problem?” She answered, “This woman said to me, ‘Hand over your son; we’ll eat him today and then eat my son tomorrow.’ 6:29 So we boiled my son and ate him. Then I said to her the next day, ‘Hand over your son and we’ll eat him.’ But she hid her son!” 6:30 When the king heard what the woman said, he tore his clothes. As he was passing by on the wall, the people could see he was wearing sackcloth under his clothes. 43 6:31 Then he said, “May God judge me severely 44 if Elisha son of Shaphat still has his head by the end of the day!” 45
6:32 Now Elisha was sitting in his house with the community leaders. 46 The king 47 sent a messenger on ahead, but before he arrived, 48 Elisha 49 said to the leaders, 50 “Do you realize this assassin intends to cut off my head?” 51 Look, when the messenger arrives, shut the door and lean against it. His master will certainly be right behind him.” 52 6:33 He was still talking to them when 53 the messenger approached 54 and said, “Look, the Lord is responsible for this disaster! 55 Why should I continue to wait for the Lord to help?” 7:1 Elisha replied, “Hear the word of the Lord! This is what the Lord says, ‘About this time tomorrow a seah 56 of finely milled flour will sell for a shekel and two seahs of barley for a shekel at the gate of Samaria.’” 7:2 An officer who was the king’s right-hand man 57 responded to the prophet, 58 “Look, even if the Lord made it rain by opening holes in the sky, could this happen so soon?” 59 Elisha 60 said, “Look, you will see it happen with your own eyes, but you will not eat any of the food!” 61
7:3 Now four men with a skin disease 62 were sitting at the entrance of the city gate. They said to one another, “Why are we just sitting here waiting to die? 63 7:4 If we go into the city, we’ll die of starvation, 64 and if we stay here we’ll die! So come on, let’s defect 65 to the Syrian camp! If they spare us, 66 we’ll live; if they kill us – well, we were going to die anyway.” 67 7:5 So they started toward 68 the Syrian camp at dusk. When they reached the edge of the Syrian camp, there was no one there. 7:6 The Lord had caused the Syrian camp to hear the sound of chariots and horses and a large army. Then they said to one another, “Look, the king of Israel has paid the kings of the Hittites and Egypt to attack us!” 7:7 So they got up and fled at dusk, leaving behind their tents, horses, and donkeys. They left the camp as it was and ran for their lives. 7:8 When the men with a skin disease reached the edge of the camp, they entered a tent and had a meal. 69 They also took some silver, gold, and clothes and went and hid it all. 70 Then they went back and entered another tent. They looted it 71 and went and hid what they had taken. 7:9 Then they said to one another, “It’s not right what we’re doing! This is a day to celebrate, but we haven’t told anyone. 72 If we wait until dawn, 73 we’ll be punished. 74 So come on, let’s go and inform the royal palace.” 7:10 So they went and called out to the gatekeepers 75 of the city. They told them, “We entered the Syrian camp and there was no one there. We didn’t even hear a man’s voice. 76 But the horses and donkeys are still tied up, and the tents remain up.” 77 7:11 The gatekeepers relayed the news to the royal palace. 78
7:12 The king got up in the night and said to his advisers, 79 “I will tell you what the Syrians have done to us. They know we are starving, so they left the camp and hid in the field, thinking, ‘When they come out of the city, we will capture them alive and enter the city.’” 7:13 One of his advisers replied, “Pick some men and have them take five of the horses that are left in the city. (Even if they are killed, their fate will be no different than that of all the Israelite people – we’re all going to die!) 80 Let’s send them out so we can know for sure what’s going on.” 81 7:14 So they picked two horsemen and the king sent them out to track the Syrian army. 82 He ordered them, “Go and find out what’s going on.” 83 7:15 So they tracked them 84 as far as the Jordan. The road was filled with clothes and equipment that the Syrians had discarded in their haste. 85 The scouts 86 went back and told the king. 7:16 Then the people went out and looted the Syrian camp. A seah 87 of finely milled flour sold for a shekel, and two seahs of barley for a shekel, just as the Lord had said they would. 88
7:17 Now the king had placed the officer who was his right-hand man 89 at the city gate. When the people rushed out, they trampled him to death in the gate. 90 This fulfilled the prophet’s word which he had spoken when the king tried to arrest him. 91 7:18 The prophet told the king, “Two seahs of barley will sell for a shekel, and a seah of finely milled flour for a shekel; this will happen about this time tomorrow in the gate of Samaria.” 7:19 But the officer replied to the prophet, “Look, even if the Lord made it rain by opening holes in the sky, could this happen so soon?” 92 Elisha 93 said, “Look, you will see it happen with your own eyes, but you will not eat any of the food!” 94 7:20 This is exactly what happened to him. The people trampled him to death in the city gate.
8:1 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, 95 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. 96 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. 97 8:4 Now the king was talking to Gehazi, the prophet’s 98 servant, and said, “Tell me all the great things which Elisha has done.” 8:5 While Gehazi 99 was telling the king how Elisha 100 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. 101 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. 102 The king assigned a eunuch to take care of her request and ordered him, 103 “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 104 was told, “The prophet 105 has come here.” 8:8 So the king told Hazael, “Take a gift 106 and go visit the prophet. Request from him an oracle from the Lord. Ask him, 107 ‘Will I recover from this sickness?’” 8:9 So Hazael went to visit Elisha. 108 He took along a gift, 109 as well as 110 forty camel loads of all the fine things of Damascus. When he arrived, he stood before him and said, “Your son, 111 King Ben Hadad of Syria, has sent me to you with this question, 112 ‘Will I recover from this sickness?’” 8:10 Elisha said to him, “Go and tell him, ‘You will surely recover,’ 113 but the Lord has revealed to me that he will surely die.” 8:11 Elisha 114 just stared at him until Hazael became uncomfortable. 115 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?” 116 Elisha answered, “The Lord has revealed to me that you will be the king of Syria.” 117 8:14 He left Elisha and went to his master. Ben Hadad 118 asked him, “What did Elisha tell you?” Hazael 119 replied, “He told me you would surely recover.” 8:15 The next day Hazael 120 took a piece of cloth, dipped it in water, and spread it over Ben Hadad’s 121 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. 122 8:17 He was thirty-two years old when he became king and he reigned for eight years in Jerusalem. 123 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. 124 He did evil in the sight of 125 the Lord. 8:19 But the Lord was unwilling to destroy Judah. He preserved Judah for the sake of 126 his servant David to whom he had promised a perpetual dynasty. 127
8:20 During his reign Edom freed themselves from Judah’s control and set up their own king. 128 8:21 Joram 129 crossed over to Zair with all his chariots. The Edomites, who had surrounded him, attacked at night and defeated him and his chariot officers. 130 The Israelite army retreated to their homeland. 131 8:22 So Edom has remained free from Judah’s control to this very day. 132 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. 133 8:24 Joram passed away 134 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. 135 His mother was Athaliah, the granddaughter 136 of King Omri of Israel. 8:27 He followed in the footsteps of Ahab’s dynasty and did evil in the sight of 137 the Lord, like Ahab’s dynasty, for he was related to Ahab’s family. 138
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 139 in Ramah when he fought against King Hazael of Syria. King Ahaziah son of Jehoram of Judah went down to visit 140 Joram son of Ahab in Jezreel, for he was ill.
9:1 Now Elisha the prophet summoned a member of the prophetic guild 141 and told him, “Tuck your robes into your belt, take this container 142 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. 143 9:3 Take the container of olive oil, pour it over his head, and say, ‘This is what the Lord says, “I have designated 144 you as king over Israel.”’ Then open the door and run away quickly!” 145
9:4 So the young prophet 146 went to Ramoth Gilead. 9:5 When he arrived, the officers of the army were sitting there. 147 So he said, “I have a message for you, O officer.” 148 Jehu asked, “For which one of us?” 149 He replied, “For you, O officer.” 9:6 So Jehu 150 got up and went inside. Then the prophet 151 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. 152 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. 153 9:8 Ahab’s entire family will die. I 154 will cut off every last male belonging to Ahab in Israel, including even the weak and incapacitated. 155 9:9 I will make Ahab’s dynasty 156 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.’” 157 Then he opened the door and ran away.
9:11 When Jehu rejoined 158 his master’s servants, they 159 asked him, “Is everything all right? 160 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.” 161 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, 162 “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 163 feet on the steps. 164 The trumpet was blown 165 and they shouted, “Jehu is 166 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, 167 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 168 when he fought against King Hazael of Syria. 169 Jehu told his supporters, 170 “If you really want me to be king, 171 then don’t let anyone escape from the city to go and warn Jezreel.” 9:16 Jehu drove his chariot 172 to Jezreel, for Joram was recuperating 173 there. (Now King Ahaziah of Judah had come down to visit 174 Joram.)
9:17 Now the watchman was standing on the tower in Jezreel and saw Jehu’s troops approaching. 175 He said, “I see troops!” 176 Jehoram ordered, 177 “Send a rider out to meet them and have him ask, ‘Is everything all right?’” 178 9:18 So the horseman 179 went to meet him and said, “This is what the king says, ‘Is everything all right?’” 180 Jehu replied, “None of your business! 181 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 182 and he said, “This is what the king says, ‘Is everything all right?’” 183 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; 184 he drives recklessly.” 9:21 Jehoram ordered, “Hitch up my chariot.” 185 When his chariot had been hitched up, 186 King Jehoram of Israel and King Ahaziah of Judah went out in their respective chariots 187 to meet Jehu. They met up with him 188 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?” 189 9:23 Jehoram turned his chariot around and took off. 190 He said to Ahaziah, “It’s a trap, 191 Ahaziah!” 9:24 Jehu aimed his bow and shot an arrow right between Jehoram’s shoulders. 192 The arrow went through 193 his heart and he fell to his knees in his chariot. 9:25 Jehu ordered 194 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,” 195 says the Lord.’ So now pick him up and throw him into this plot of land, just as the Lord said.” 196
9:27 When King Ahaziah of Judah saw what happened, he took off 197 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. 198 He fled to Megiddo 199 and died there. 9:28 His servants took his body 200 back to Jerusalem 201 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, 202 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?” 203 9:32 He looked up at the window and said, “Who is on my side? Who?” Two or three 204 eunuchs looked down at him. 9:33 He said, “Throw her down!” So they threw her down, and when she hit the ground, 205 her blood splattered against the wall and the horses, and Jehu drove his chariot over her. 206 9:34 He went inside and had a meal. 207 Then he said, “Dispose of this accursed woman’s corpse. Bury her, for after all, she was a king’s daughter.” 208 9:35 But when they went to bury her, they found nothing left but 209 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, 210 ‘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.’” 211
10:1 Ahab had seventy sons living in Samaria. 212 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, 213 10:2 “You have with you the sons of your master, chariots and horses, a fortified city, and weapons. So when this letter arrives, 214 10:3 pick the best and most capable 215 of your master’s sons, place him on his father’s throne, and defend 216 your master’s dynasty.”
10:4 They were absolutely terrified 217 and said, “Look, two kings could not stop him! 218 How can we?” 219 10:5 So the palace supervisor, 220 the city commissioner, 221 the leaders, 222 and the guardians sent this message to Jehu, “We are your subjects! 223 Whatever you say, we will do. We will not make anyone king. Do what you consider proper.” 224
10:6 He wrote them a second letter, saying, “If you are really on my side and are willing to obey me, 225 then take the heads of your master’s sons and come to me in Jezreel at this time tomorrow.” 226 Now the king had seventy sons, and the prominent 227 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. 228 They put their heads in baskets and sent them to him in Jezreel. 10:8 The messenger came and told Jehu, 229 “They have brought the heads of the king’s sons.” Jehu 230 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.” 231 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. 232 While he was traveling through Beth Eked of the Shepherds, 10:13 Jehu encountered 233 the relatives 234 of King Ahaziah of Judah. He asked, “Who are you?” They replied, “We are Ahaziah’s relatives. We have come down to see how 235 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 236 Jehonadab, son of Rekab, who had been looking for him. 237 Jehu greeted him and asked, 238 “Are you as committed to me as I am to you?” 239 Jehonadab answered, “I am!” Jehu replied, “If so, give me your hand.” 240 So he offered his hand and Jehu 241 pulled him up into the chariot. 10:16 Jehu 242 said, “Come with me and see how zealous I am for the Lord’s cause.” 243 So he 244 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, 245 just as the Lord had announced to Elijah. 246
10:18 Jehu assembled all the people and said to them, “Ahab worshiped 247 Baal a little; Jehu will worship 248 him with great devotion. 249 10:19 So now, bring to me all the prophets of Baal, as well as all his servants and priests. 250 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 251 so he could destroy the servants of Baal. 10:20 Then Jehu ordered, “Make arrangements for 252 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. 253 10:22 Jehu ordered the one who was in charge of the wardrobe, 254 “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 255 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.” 256 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!” 257
10:25 When he finished offering the burnt sacrifice, Jehu ordered the royal guard 258 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. 259 Then they entered the inner sanctuary of the temple of Baal. 260 10:26 They hauled out the sacred pillar of the temple of Baal and burned it. 10:27 They demolished 261 the sacred pillar of Baal and 262 the temple of Baal; it is used as 263 a latrine 264 to this very day. 10:28 So Jehu eradicated Baal worship 265 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 266 and Dan. 267 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.” 268 10:31 But Jehu did not carefully and wholeheartedly obey the law of the Lord God of Israel. 269 He did not repudiate the sins which Jeroboam had encouraged Israel to commit. 270
10:32 In those days the Lord began to reduce the size of Israel’s territory. 271 Hazael attacked their eastern border. 272 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. 273
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. 274 10:35 Jehu passed away 275 and was buried in Samaria. 276 His son Jehoahaz replaced him as king. 10:36 Jehu reigned over Israel for twenty-eight years in Samaria.
[6:1] 1 tn Heb “the sons of the prophets.”
[6:1] 2 tn Heb “sit before you.”
[6:1] 3 tn Heb “narrow, tight.”
[6:6] 6 tn Heb “man of God” (also in v. 9).
[6:6] 7 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Elisha) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[6:8] 8 tc The verb form used here is difficult to analyze. On the basis of the form נְחִתִּים (nÿkhitim) in v. 9 from the root נָחַת (nakhat), it is probably best to emend the verb to תִּנְחְתוּ (tinkhÿtu; a Qal imperfect form from the same root). The verb נָחַת in at least two other instances carries the nuance “go down, descend” in a military context. For a defense of this view, see M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 72.
[6:8] 9 sn The advisers would have mentioned a specific location, but the details are not significant to the narrator’s purpose, so he simply paraphrases here.
[6:10] 10 tn The vav + perfect here indicates action contemporary with the preceding main verb (“sent”). See IBHS 533-34 §32.2.3e.
[6:10] 11 tn Heb “and the king of Israel sent to the place about which the man of God spoke to him, and he warned it and he guarded himself there, not once and not twice.”
[6:11] 12 tn Heb “and the heart of the king of Syria was stirred up over this thing.”
[6:11] 14 tn Heb “Will you not tell me who among us [is] for the king of Israel?” The sarcastic rhetorical question expresses the king’s suspicion.
[6:13] 15 tn Heb “he” (also a second time in this verse); the referent (the king) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[6:13] 16 tn Heb “Go and see where he [is] so I can send and take him.”
[6:14] 17 tn Heb “heavy force.”
[6:15] 18 tn Heb “man of God’s.”
[6:15] 19 tn Heb “his young servant said to him.”
[6:16] 20 tn Heb “for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.”
[6:17] 21 tn Heb “and he saw, and look.”
[6:18] 22 tn Heb “and they came down to him.”
[6:18] 23 tn Or “this nation,” perhaps emphasizing the strength of the Syrian army.
[6:18] 24 tn On the basis of the Akkadian etymology of the word, M. Cogan and H. Tadmor (II Kings [AB], 74) translate “blinding light.” HALOT 761 s.v. סַנְוֵרִים suggests the glosses “dazzling, deception.”
[6:18] 25 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the
[6:18] 26 tn Heb “according to the word of Elisha.”
[6:19] 27 map For location see Map2 B1; Map4 D3; Map5 E2; Map6 A4; Map7 C1.
[6:20] 28 tn Heb “and they saw, and look, [they were] in the middle of Samaria.”
[6:21] 29 tn Heb “Should I strike them down? I will strike them down.” In the Hebrew text the first person imperfect form is repeated; the first form has the interrogative he prefixed to it; the second does not. It is likely that the second form should be omitted as dittographic or that the first should be emended to an infinitive absolute.
[6:21] 30 tn Heb “my father.” The king addresses the prophet in this way to indicate his respect. See 2 Kgs 2:12.
[6:22] 31 tn Heb “Are [they] ones you captured with your sword or your bow (that) you can strike (them) down?”
[6:23] 32 tn Or “held a great feast.”
[6:23] 33 tn Heb “they went back.”
[6:24] 35 map For location see Map2 B1; Map4 D3; Map5 E2; Map6 A4; Map7 C1.
[6:25] 36 tn Heb “and there was a great famine in Samaria.”
[6:25] 37 tn Heb “and look, [they] were besieging it until.”
[6:25] 38 tn Heb “eighty, silver.” The unit of measurement is omitted.
[6:25] 39 sn A kab was a unit of dry measure, equivalent to approximately one quart.
[6:25] 40 tn The consonantal text (Kethib) reads, “dove dung” (חֲרֵייוֹנִים, khareyonim), while the marginal reading (Qere) has “discharge” (דִּבְיוֹנִים, divyonim). Based on evidence from Akkadian, M. Cogan and H. Tadmor (II Kings [AB], 79) suggest that “dove’s dung” was a popular name for the inedible husks of seeds.
[6:25] 41 tn Heb “five, silver.” The unit of measurement is omitted.
[6:27] 42 tn Heb “From where can I help you, from the threshing floor or the winepress?” The rhetorical question expresses the king’s frustration. He has no grain or wine to give to the masses.
[6:30] 43 tn Heb “the people saw, and look, [there was] sackcloth against his skin underneath.”
[6:31] 44 tn Heb “So may God do to me, and so may he add.”
[6:31] 45 tn Heb “if the head of Elisha son of Shaphat stays on him today.”
[6:32] 46 tn Heb “and the elders were sitting with him.”
[6:32] 47 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the king) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[6:32] 48 tn Heb “sent a man from before him, before the messenger came to him.”
[6:32] 49 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Elisha) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[6:32] 51 tn Heb “Do you see that this son of an assassin has sent to remove my head?”
[6:32] 52 tn Heb “Is not the sound of his master’s footsteps behind him?”
[6:33] 53 tn The Hebrew text also has “look” here.
[6:33] 54 tn Heb “came down to him.”
[6:33] 55 tn Heb “Look, this is a disaster from the
[7:1] 56 sn A seah was a dry measure equivalent to about 7 quarts.
[7:2] 57 tn Heb “the officer on whose hand the king leans.”
[7:2] 59 tn Heb “the
[7:2] 60 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Elisha) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[7:2] 61 tn Heb “you will not eat from there.”
[7:3] 62 sn See the note at 2 Kgs 5:1.
[7:3] 63 tn Heb “until we die.”
[7:4] 64 tn Heb “If we say, ‘We will enter the city,’ the famine is in the city and we will die there.”
[7:4] 66 tn Heb “keep us alive.”
[7:4] 67 tn Heb “we will die.” The paraphrastic translation attempts to bring out the logical force of their reasoning.
[7:5] 68 tn Heb “they arose to go to.”
[7:8] 69 tn Heb “they ate and drank.”
[7:8] 70 tn Heb “and they hid [it].”
[7:8] 71 tn Heb “and they took from there.”
[7:9] 72 tn Heb “this day is a day of good news and we are keeping silent.”
[7:9] 73 tn Heb “the light of the morning.”
[7:9] 74 tn Heb “punishment will find us.”
[7:10] 75 tn The MT has a singular form (“gatekeeper”), but the context suggests a plural. The pronoun that follows (“them”) is plural and a plural noun appears in v. 11. The Syriac Peshitta and the Targum have the plural here.
[7:10] 76 tn Heb “and, look, there was no man or voice of a man there.”
[7:10] 77 tn Heb “but the horses are tied up and the donkeys are tied up and the tents are as they were.”
[7:11] 78 tn Heb “and the gatekeepers called out and they told [it] to the house of the king.”
[7:12] 79 tn Heb “servants” (also in v. 13).
[7:13] 80 tn Heb “Let them take five of the remaining horses that remain in it. Look, they are like all the people of Israel that remain in it. Look, they are like all the people of Israel that have come to an end.” The MT is dittographic here; the words “that remain in it. Look they are like all the people of Israel” have been accidentally repeated. The original text read, “Let them take five of the remaining horses that remain in it. Look, they are like all the people of Israel that have come to an end.”
[7:13] 81 tn Heb “and let us send so we might see.”
[7:14] 82 tn Heb “and the king sent [them] after the Syrian camp.”
[7:14] 83 tn Heb “Go and see.”
[7:15] 84 tn Heb “went after.”
[7:15] 85 tn Heb “and look, all the road was full of clothes and equipment that Syria had thrown away in their haste.”
[7:16] 87 sn A seah was a dry measure equivalent to about 7 quarts.
[7:16] 88 tn Heb “according to the word of the
[7:17] 89 tn Heb “the officer on whose hand he leans.”
[7:17] 90 tn Heb “and the people trampled him in the gate and he died.”
[7:17] 91 tn Heb “just as the man of God had spoken, [the word] which he spoke when the king came down to him.”
[7:19] 92 tn Heb “the
[7:19] 93 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Elisha) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[7:19] 94 tn Heb “you will not eat from there.”
[7:19] tn In the Hebrew text vv. 18-19a are one lengthy sentence, “When the man of God spoke to the king…, the officer replied to the man of God, ‘Look…so soon?’” The translation divides this sentence up for stylistic reasons.
[8:1] 95 tn Heb “Get up and go, you and your house, and live temporarily where you can live temporarily.”
[8:2] 96 tn Heb “and the woman got up and did according to the word of the man of God.”
[8:3] 97 tn Heb “and went out to cry out to the king for her house and her field.”
[8:4] 98 tn Heb “man of God’s.”
[8:5] 99 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Gehazi) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[8:5] 100 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Elisha) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[8:5] 101 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] 102 tn Heb “and the king asked the woman and she told him.”
[8:6] 103 tn Heb “and he assigned to her an official, saying.”
[8:7] 104 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the king) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[8:7] 105 tn Heb “man of God” (also a second time in this verse and in v. 11).
[8:8] 106 tn The Hebrew text also has “in your hand.”
[8:8] 107 tn Heb “Inquire of the
[8:9] 108 tn Heb “him”; the referent (Elisha) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[8:9] 109 tn The Hebrew text also has “in his hand.”
[8:9] 110 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] 111 sn The words “your son” emphasize the king’s respect for the prophet.
[8:10] 113 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] 114 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Elisha) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[8:11] 115 tn Heb “and he made his face stand [i.e., be motionless] and set [his face?] until embarrassment.”
[8:13] 116 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] 117 tn Heb “The
[8:14] 118 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Ben Hadad) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[8:14] 119 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Hazael) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[8:15] 120 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Hazael) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[8:15] 121 tn Heb “his”; the referent (Ben Hadad) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[8:16] 122 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] 123 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[8:18] 124 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] 125 tn Heb “in the eyes of.”
[8:19] 126 tn The Hebrew has only one sentence, “and the
[8:19] 127 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] 128 tn Heb “in his days Edom rebelled from under the hand of Judah and enthroned a king over them.”
[8:21] 129 sn Joram is a short form of the name Jehoram.
[8:21] 130 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] 131 tn Heb “and the people fled to their tents.”
[8:22] 132 tn Heb “and Edom rebelled from under the hand of Judah until this day.”
[8:23] 133 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] 134 tn Heb “lay down with his fathers.”
[8:26] 135 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[8:26] 136 tn Hebrew בַּת (bat), “daughter,” can refer, as here to a granddaughter. See HALOT 166 s.v. בַּת.
[8:27] 137 tn Heb “in the eyes of.”
[8:27] 138 tn Heb “and he walked in the way of the house of Ahab and did evil in the eyes of the
[8:29] 139 tn Heb “which the Syrians inflicted [on] him.”
[9:1] 141 tn Heb “one of the sons of the prophets.”
[9:2] 143 tn Heb “and go and set him apart from his brothers and bring him into an inner room in an inner room.”
[9:3] 145 tn Heb “and open the door and run away and do not delay.”
[9:4] 146 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] 147 tn Heb “and he arrived and look, the officers of the army were sitting.”
[9:5] 148 tn Heb “[there is] a word for me to you, O officer.”
[9:5] 149 tn Heb “To whom from all of us?”
[9:6] 150 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Jehu) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[9:6] 151 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the prophet) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[9:7] 152 tn Or “strike down the house of Ahab your master.”
[9:7] 153 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] 154 tc The LXX has the second person, “you.”
[9:8] 155 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] 157 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] 158 tn Heb “went out to.”
[9:11] 159 tc The MT has the singular, “he said,” but many witnesses correctly read the plural.
[9:11] 160 tn Heb “Is there peace?”
[9:11] 161 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] 162 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] 163 tn Heb “his”; the referent (Jehu) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[9:13] 164 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] 165 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.
[9:13] 166 tn Or “has become.”
[9:14] 167 tn Heb “he and all Israel.”
[9:15] 168 tn Heb “which the Syrians inflicted [on] him.”
[9:15] 169 sn See 2 Kgs 8:28-29a.
[9:15] 170 tn The words “his supporters” are added for clarification.
[9:15] 171 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] 172 tn Heb “rode [or, ‘mounted’] and went.”
[9:16] 173 tn Heb “lying down.”
[9:17] 175 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] 176 tn The term שִׁפְעַת (shifat) appears to be a construct form of the noun, but no genitive follows.
[9:17] 178 tn Heb “Get a rider and send [him] to meet him and let him ask, ‘Is there peace?’”
[9:18] 179 tn Heb “the rider of the horse.”
[9:18] 180 tn Heb “Is there peace?”
[9:18] 181 tn Heb “What concerning you and concerning peace?” That is, “What concern is that to you?”
[9:19] 182 tn Heb “and he came to them.”
[9:19] 183 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] 184 tn Heb “and the driving is like the driving of Jehu son of Nimshi.”
[9:21] 185 tn The words “my chariot” are added for clarification.
[9:21] 186 tn Heb “and he hitched up his chariot.”
[9:21] 187 tn Heb “each in his chariot and they went out.”
[9:21] 188 tn Heb “they found him.”
[9:22] 189 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] 190 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] 191 tn Heb “Deceit, Ahaziah.”
[9:24] 192 tn Heb “and Jehu filled his hand with the bow and he struck Jehoram between his shoulders.”
[9:24] 193 tn Heb “went out from.”
[9:26] 195 tn Heb “and I will repay you in this plot of land.”
[9:26] 196 tn Heb “according to the word of the
[9:27] 197 tn Heb “and Ahaziah king of Judah saw and fled.”
[9:27] 198 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] 199 map For location see Map1 D4; Map2 C1; Map4 C2; Map5 F2; Map7 B1.
[9:28] 200 tn Heb “drove him.”
[9:28] 201 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[9:30] 202 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] 203 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] 204 tn Heb “two, three.” The narrator may be intentionally vague or uncertain here, or the two numbers may represent alternate traditions.
[9:33] 205 tn The words “when she hit the ground” are added for stylistic reasons.
[9:33] 206 tn Heb “and he trampled her.”
[9:34] 207 tn Heb “and he went and ate and drank.”
[9:34] 208 tn Heb “Attend to this accursed woman and bury her for she was the daughter of a king.”
[9:35] 209 tn Heb “they did not find her, except for.”
[9:36] 210 tn Heb “It is the word of the
[9:37] 211 tn Heb “so that they will not say, ‘This is Jezebel.’”
[10:1] 212 map For location see Map2 B1; Map4 D3; Map5 E2; Map6 A4; Map7 C1.
[10:1] 213 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] 214 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] 215 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] 217 tn Heb “they were very, very afraid.” The term מְאֹד (me’od) “very,” is repeated for emphasis.
[10:4] 218 tn Heb “did not stand before him.”
[10:4] 219 tn Heb “How can we stand?”
[10:5] 220 tn Heb “the one who was over the house.”
[10:5] 221 tn Heb “the one who was over the city.”
[10:5] 224 tn Heb “Do what is good in your eyes.”
[10:6] 225 tn Heb “If you are mine and you are listening to my voice.”
[10:6] 226 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] 227 tn Heb “great,” probably in wealth, position, and prestige.
[10:7] 228 tn Heb “and when the letter came to them, they took the sons of the king and slaughtered seventy men.”
[10:8] 229 tn Heb “him”; the referent (Jehu) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[10:8] 230 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Jehu) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[10:10] 231 tn Heb “Know then that there has not fallen from the word of the
[10:12] 232 tn Heb “and he arose and went and came to Samaria.”
[10:13] 235 tn Heb “for the peace of.”
[10:15] 237 tn Heb “and he went from there and found Jehonadab son of Rekab [who was coming] to meet him.”
[10:15] 238 tn Heb “and he blessed him and said to him.”
[10:15] 239 tn Heb “Is there with your heart [what is] right, as my heart [is] with your heart?”
[10:15] 240 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] 241 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Jehu) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[10:16] 242 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Jehu) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[10:16] 243 tn Heb “and see my zeal for the
[10:16] 244 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] 245 tn Heb “and he struck down all the remaining ones to Ahab in Samaria until he destroyed him.”
[10:17] 246 tn Heb “according to the word of the
[10:18] 249 tn Heb “much” or “greatly.”
[10:19] 250 tn Heb “and now, all the prophets of Baal, all his servants and all his priests summon to me.”
[10:19] 251 tn Heb “acted with deception [or, ‘trickery’].”
[10:20] 252 tn Heb “set apart”; or “observe as holy.”
[10:21] 253 tn Heb “and the house of Baal was filled mouth to mouth.”
[10:22] 254 tn Heb “and he said to the one who was over the wardrobe.”
[10:23] 255 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Jehu) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[10:23] 256 tn Heb “Search carefully and observe so that there are not here with you any servants of the
[10:24] 257 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] 259 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] 260 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] 261 tn Or “pulled down.”
[10:27] 262 tn The verb “they demolished” is repeated in the Hebrew text.
[10:27] 263 tn Heb “and they made it into.”
[10:27] 264 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] 265 tn Heb “destroyed Baal.”
[10:29] 266 map For location see Map4 G4; Map5 C1; Map6 E3; Map7 D1; Map8 G3.
[10:29] 267 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] 268 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] 269 tn Heb “But Jehu was not careful to walk in the law of the
[10:31] 270 tn Heb “He did not turn aside from the sins of Jeroboam which he caused Israel to commit.”
[10:32] 271 tn Heb “began to cut off Israel.”
[10:32] 272 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] 273 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] 274 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] 275 tn Heb “lay down with his fathers.”
[10:35] 276 map For location see Map2 B1; Map4 D3; Map5 E2; Map6 A4; Map7 C1.
