Passage Resources Hebrew/Greek Your Content
Previous Next
Add parallel Print Page Options

2 Kings 7-9
New English Translation

7 1 Elisha replied, “Listen to the Lord’s message. This is what the Lord has said, ‘About this time tomorrow a seah[a] of finely milled flour will sell for a shekel and two seahs of barley for a shekel at the gate of Samaria.’” 2 An officer who was the king’s right-hand man[b] responded to the prophet,[c] “Look, even if the Lord made it rain by opening holes in the sky, could this happen so soon?”[d] Elisha[e] said, “Look, you will see it happen with your own eyes, but you will not eat any of the food!”[f]

3 Now four men with a skin disease[g] were sitting at the entrance of the city gate. They said to one another, “Why are we just sitting here waiting to die?[h] 4 If we go into the city, we’ll die of starvation,[i] and if we stay here we’ll die! So come on, let’s defect[j] to the Syrian camp! If they spare us,[k] we’ll live; if they kill us—well, we were going to die anyway.”[l] 5 So they started toward[m] the Syrian camp at dusk. When they reached the edge of the Syrian camp, there was no one there. 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 Egyptians to attack us!” 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. 8 When the men with a skin disease reached the edge of the camp, they entered a tent and had a meal.[n] They also took some silver, gold, and clothes and went and hid it all.[o] Then they went back and entered another tent. They looted it[p] and went and hid what they had taken. 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.[q] If we wait until dawn,[r] we’ll be punished.[s] So come on, let’s go and inform the royal palace.” 10 So they went and called out to the gatekeepers[t] 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.[u] But the horses and donkeys are still tied up, and the tents remain up.”[v] 11 The gatekeepers relayed the news to the royal palace.[w]

12 The king got up in the night and said to his advisers,[x] “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.’” 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!)[y] Let’s send them out so we can know for sure what’s going on.”[z] 14 So they picked two horsemen and the king sent them out to track the Syrian army.[aa] He ordered them, “Go and find out what’s going on.”[ab] 15 So they tracked them[ac] as far as the Jordan. The road was filled with clothes and equipment that the Syrians had discarded in their haste.[ad] The scouts[ae] went back and told the king. 16 Then the people went out and looted the Syrian camp. A seah[af] of finely milled flour sold for a shekel, and two seahs of barley for a shekel, just as in the Lord’s message.

17 Now the king had placed the officer who was his right-hand man[ag] at the city gate. When the people rushed out, they trampled him to death in the gate.[ah] This fulfilled the prophet’s word which he had spoken when the king tried to arrest him.[ai] 18 The prophet had 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.” 19 But the officer had replied to the prophet, “Look, even if the Lord made it rain by opening holes in the sky, could this happen so soon?”[aj] Elisha[ak] had said, “Look, you will see it happen with your own eyes, but you will not eat any of the food!”[al] 20 This is exactly what happened to him. The people trampled him to death in the city gate.

Elisha Again Helps the Shunammite Woman

8 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,[am] for the Lord has decreed that a famine will overtake the land for seven years.” 2 So the woman did as the prophet said.[an] She and her family went and lived in the land of the Philistines for seven years. 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.[ao] 4 Now the king was talking to Gehazi, the prophet’s[ap] servant, and said, “Tell me all the great things that Elisha has done.” 5 While Gehazi[aq] was telling the king how Elisha[ar] 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.[as] Gehazi said, “My master, O king, this is the very woman, and this is her son whom Elisha brought back to life!” 6 The king asked the woman about it, and she gave him the details.[at] The king assigned a eunuch to take care of her request and ordered him,[au] “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.”

Elisha Meets with Hazael

7 Elisha traveled to Damascus while King Ben Hadad of Syria was sick. The king[av] was told, “The prophet[aw] has come here.” 8 So the king told Hazael, “Take a gift[ax] and go visit the prophet. Request from him an oracle from the Lord. Ask him,[ay] ‘Will I recover from this sickness?’” 9 So Hazael went to visit Elisha.[az] He took along a gift,[ba] as well as[bb] forty camel-loads of all the fine things of Damascus. When he arrived, he stood before him and said, “Your son,[bc] King Ben Hadad of Syria, has sent me to you with this question,[bd] ‘Will I recover from this sickness?’” 10 Elisha said to him, “Go and tell him, ‘You will surely recover,’[be] but the Lord has revealed to me that he will surely die.” 11 Elisha[bf] just stared at him until Hazael became uncomfortable.[bg] Then the prophet started crying. 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.” 13 Hazael said, “How could your servant, who is as insignificant as a dog, accomplish this great military victory?”[bh] Elisha answered, “The Lord has revealed to me that you will be the king of Syria.”[bi] 14 He left Elisha and went to his master. Ben Hadad[bj] asked him, “What did Elisha tell you?” Hazael[bk] replied, “He told me you would surely recover.” 15 The next day Hazael[bl] took a piece of cloth, dipped it in water, and spread it over Ben Hadad’s[bm] face until he died. Then Hazael replaced him as king.

Jehoram’s Reign over Judah

16 In the fifth year of the reign of Israel’s King Joram, son of Ahab, Jehoshaphat’s son Jehoram became king over Judah.[bn] 17 He was thirty-two years old when he became king and he reigned for eight years in Jerusalem. 18 He followed in the footsteps of the kings of Israel, just as Ahab’s dynasty had done, for he married Ahab’s daughter.[bo] He did evil in the sight of[bp] the Lord. 19 But the Lord was unwilling to destroy Judah. He preserved Judah for the sake of[bq] his servant David to whom he had promised a perpetual dynasty.[br]

20 During his reign Edom freed themselves from Judah’s control and set up their own king.[bs] 21 Jehoram[bt] crossed over to Zair with all his chariots. The Edomites, who had surrounded him, attacked at night and defeated him and his chariot officers.[bu] The Israelite army retreated to their homeland.[bv] 22 So Edom has remained free from Judah’s control to this very day.[bw] At that same time Libnah also rebelled.

23 The rest of the events of Jehoram’s reign, including a record of his accomplishments, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Judah.[bx] 24 Jehoram passed away[by] and was buried with his ancestors in the City of David. His son Ahaziah replaced him as king.

Ahaziah Takes the Throne of Judah

25 In the twelfth year of the reign of Israel’s King Joram, son of Ahab, Jehoram’s son Ahaziah became king over Judah. 26 Ahaziah was twenty-two years old when he became king and he reigned for one year in Jerusalem. His mother was Athaliah, the granddaughter[bz] of King Omri of Israel. 27 He followed in the footsteps of Ahab’s dynasty and did evil in the sight of[ca] the Lord, as Ahab’s dynasty had done, for he was related to Ahab’s family.[cb]

28 He joined Ahab’s son Joram in a battle against King Hazael of Syria at Ramoth Gilead in which the Syrians defeated Joram. 29 King Joram returned to Jezreel to recover from the wounds he received from the Syrians[cc] in Ramah when he fought against King Hazael of Syria. King Ahaziah son of Jehoram of Judah went down to visit[cd] Joram son of Ahab in Jezreel, for he was ill.

Jehu Becomes King

9 Now Elisha the prophet summoned a member of the prophetic guild[ce] and told him, “Tuck your robes into your belt, take this container[cf] of olive oil in your hand, and go to Ramoth Gilead. 2 When you arrive there, look for Jehu son of Jehoshaphat son of Nimshi and take him aside into an inner room.[cg] 3 Take the container of olive oil, pour it over his head, and say, ‘This is what the Lord has said, “I have designated[ch] you as king over Israel.”’ Then open the door and run away quickly!”[ci]

4 So the young prophet[cj] went to Ramoth Gilead. 5 When he arrived, the officers of the army were sitting there.[ck] So he said, “I have a message for you, O officer.”[cl] Jehu asked, “For which one of us?”[cm] He replied, “For you, O officer.” 6 So Jehu[cn] got up and went inside. Then the prophet[co] poured the olive oil on his head and said to him, “This is what the Lord God of Israel has said, ‘I have designated you as king over the Lord’s people Israel. 7 You will destroy the family of your master Ahab.[cp] 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.[cq] 8 Ahab’s entire family will die. I[cr] will cut off every last male belonging to Ahab in Israel, including even the weak and incapacitated.[cs] 9 I will make Ahab’s dynasty[ct] like those of Jeroboam son of Nebat and Baasha son of Ahijah. 10 Dogs will devour Jezebel on the plot of ground in Jezreel; she will not be buried.’”[cu] Then he opened the door and ran away.

11 When Jehu rejoined[cv] his master’s servants, they[cw] asked him, “Is everything all right?[cx] 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.”[cy] 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,[cz] “This is what the Lord has said, ‘I have designated you as king over Israel.’” 13 Each of them quickly took off his cloak, and they spread them out at Jehu’s[da] feet on the steps.[db] The trumpet was blown[dc] and they shouted, “Jehu is[dd] king!” 14 Then Jehu son of Jehoshaphat son of Nimshi conspired against Joram.

Jehu the Assassin

Now Joram had been in Ramoth Gilead with the whole Israelite army,[de] guarding against an invasion by King Hazael of Syria. 15 But King Joram had returned to Jezreel to recover from the wounds he received from the Syrians[df] when he fought against King Hazael of Syria.[dg] Jehu told his supporters,[dh] “If you really want me to be king,[di] then don’t let anyone escape from the city to go and warn Jezreel.” 16 Jehu drove his chariot[dj] to Jezreel, for Joram was recuperating[dk] there. (Now King Ahaziah of Judah had come down to visit[dl] Joram.)

17 Now the watchman was standing on the tower in Jezreel and saw Jehu’s troops approaching.[dm] He said, “I see troops!”[dn] Joram[do] ordered,[dp] “Send a rider out to meet them and have him ask, ‘Is everything all right?’”[dq] 18 So the horseman[dr] went to meet him and said, “This is what the king says, ‘Is everything all right?’”[ds] Jehu replied, “None of your business![dt] Follow me.” The watchman reported, “The messenger reached them, but hasn’t started back.” 19 So he sent a second horseman out to them[du] and he said, “This is what the king says, ‘Is everything all right?’”[dv] Jehu replied, “None of your business! Follow me.” 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;[dw] he drives recklessly.” 21 Joram ordered, “Hitch up my chariot.”[dx] When his chariot had been hitched up,[dy] King Joram of Israel and King Ahaziah of Judah went out in their respective chariots[dz] to meet Jehu. They met up with him[ea] in the plot of land that had once belonged to Naboth of Jezreel.

22 When Joram 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?”[eb] 23 Joram turned his chariot around and took off.[ec] He said to Ahaziah, “It’s a trap,[ed] Ahaziah!” 24 Jehu aimed his bow and shot an arrow right between Joram’s shoulders.[ee] The arrow went through[ef] his heart and he fell to his knees in his chariot. 25 Jehu ordered[eg] 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 oracle against him, 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[eh] right here in this plot of land,” says the Lord.’ So now pick him up and throw him into this plot of land, just as in the Lord’s message.”

27 When King Ahaziah of Judah saw what happened, he took off[ei] 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.[ej] He fled to Megiddo and died there. 28 His servants took his body[ek] back to Jerusalem and buried him in his tomb with his ancestors in the City of David. 29 Ahaziah had become king over Judah in the eleventh year of Joram son of Ahab.

30 Jehu approached Jezreel. When Jezebel heard the news, she put on some eye liner,[el] fixed up her hair, and leaned out the window. 31 When Jehu came through the gate, she said, “Is everything all right, Zimri, murderer of his master?”[em] 32 He looked up at the window and said, “Who is on my side? Who?” Two or three[en] eunuchs looked down at him. 33 He said, “Throw her down!” So they threw her down, and when she hit the ground,[eo] her blood splattered against the wall and the horses, and Jehu drove his chariot over her.[ep] 34 He went inside and had a meal.[eq] Then he said, “Dispose of this accursed woman’s corpse. Bury her, for after all, she was a king’s daughter.”[er] 35 But when they went to bury her, they found nothing left but[es] the skull, feet, and palms of the hands. 36 So they went back and told him. Then he said, “It is the fulfillment of the Lord’s message[et] that he had spoken through his servant, Elijah the Tishbite, ‘In the plot of land at Jezreel, dogs will devour Jezebel’s flesh. 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.’”[eu]

Footnotes

  1. 2 Kings 7:1 sn A seah was a dry measure equivalent to about 11 quarts (11 liters).
  2. 2 Kings 7:2 tn Heb “the officer on whose hand the king leans.”
  3. 2 Kings 7:2 tn Heb “man of God.”
  4. 2 Kings 7:2 tn Heb “the Lord was making holes in the sky, could this thing be?” Opening holes in the sky would allow the waters stored up there to pour to the earth and assure a good crop. But, the officer argues, even if this were to happen, it would take a long time to grow and harvest the crop.
  5. 2 Kings 7:2 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Elisha) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  6. 2 Kings 7:2 tn Heb “you will not eat from there.”
  7. 2 Kings 7:3 sn See the note at 2 Kgs 5:1.
  8. 2 Kings 7:3 tn Heb “until we die.”
  9. 2 Kings 7:4 tn Heb “If we say, ‘We will enter the city,’ the famine is in the city and we will die there.”
  10. 2 Kings 7:4 tn Heb “fall.”
  11. 2 Kings 7:4 tn Heb “keep us alive.”
  12. 2 Kings 7:4 tn Heb “we will die.” The paraphrastic translation attempts to bring out the logical force of their reasoning.
  13. 2 Kings 7:5 tn Heb “they arose to go to.”
  14. 2 Kings 7:8 tn Heb “they ate and drank.”
  15. 2 Kings 7:8 tn Heb “and they hid [it].”
  16. 2 Kings 7:8 tn Heb “and they took from there.”
  17. 2 Kings 7:9 tn Heb “this day is a day of good news and we are keeping silent.”
  18. 2 Kings 7:9 tn Heb “the light of the morning.”
  19. 2 Kings 7:9 tn Heb “punishment will find us.”
  20. 2 Kings 7:10 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.
  21. 2 Kings 7:10 tn Heb “and, look, there was no man or voice of a man there.”
  22. 2 Kings 7:10 tn Heb “but the horses are tied up and the donkeys are tied up and the tents are as they were.”
  23. 2 Kings 7:11 tn Heb “and the gatekeepers called out and they told [it] within the house of the king.”
  24. 2 Kings 7:12 tn Heb “servants” (also in v. 13).
  25. 2 Kings 7:13 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.”
  26. 2 Kings 7:13 tn Heb “and let us send so we might see.”
  27. 2 Kings 7:14 tn Heb “and the king sent [them] after the Syrian camp.”
  28. 2 Kings 7:14 tn Heb “Go and see.”
  29. 2 Kings 7:15 tn Heb “went after.”
  30. 2 Kings 7:15 tn Heb “and look, all the road was full of clothes and equipment that Syria had thrown away in their haste.”
  31. 2 Kings 7:15 tn Or “messengers.”
  32. 2 Kings 7:16 sn A seah was a dry measure equivalent to about 11 quarts (11 liters).
  33. 2 Kings 7:17 tn Heb “the officer on whose hand he leans.”
  34. 2 Kings 7:17 tn Heb “and the people trampled him in the gate and he died.”
  35. 2 Kings 7:17 tn Heb “just as the man of God had spoken, [the word] which he spoke when the king came down to him.”
  36. 2 Kings 7:19 tn Heb “the Lord was making holes in the sky, could this thing be?” See the note at 7:2.
  37. 2 Kings 7:19 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Elisha) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  38. 2 Kings 7:19 tn Heb “you will not eat from there.”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.
  39. 2 Kings 8:1 tn Heb “Get up and go, you and your house, and live temporarily where you can live temporarily.”
  40. 2 Kings 8:2 tn Heb “and the woman got up and did according to the word of the man of God.”
  41. 2 Kings 8:3 tn Heb “and went out to cry out to the king for her house and her field.”
  42. 2 Kings 8:4 tn Heb “man of God’s.”
  43. 2 Kings 8:5 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Gehazi) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  44. 2 Kings 8:5 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Elisha) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  45. 2 Kings 8:5 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.”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.
  46. 2 Kings 8:6 tn Heb “and the king asked the woman and she told him.”
  47. 2 Kings 8:6 tn Heb “and he assigned to her an official, saying.”
  48. 2 Kings 8:7 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the king) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  49. 2 Kings 8:7 tn Heb “man of God” (also a second time in this verse and in v. 11).
  50. 2 Kings 8:8 tn The Hebrew text also has “in your hand.”
  51. 2 Kings 8:8 tn Heb “Inquire of the Lord through him, saying.”
  52. 2 Kings 8:9 tn Heb “him”; the referent (Elisha) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  53. 2 Kings 8:9 tn The Hebrew text also has “in his hand.”
  54. 2 Kings 8:9 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.”
  55. 2 Kings 8:9 sn The words “your son” emphasize the king’s respect for the prophet.
  56. 2 Kings 8:9 tn Heb “saying.”
  57. 2 Kings 8:10 tc The consonantal text (Kethib) reads, “Go, say, ‘Surely you will not (לֹא, loʾ) live.’” In this case the vav beginning the next clause could be translated “for” or “because.” The reading tradition (Qere) has, “Go, say to him (לוֹ, lo), ‘You will surely recover.’” In this case the vav (ו) beginning the next clause would be translated “although” or “but.” The Qere has the support of some medieval Hebrew mss and the ancient versions, and is consistent with v. 14, where Hazael tells the king, “You will surely recover.” It also fits the immediate context. The sentence “you will live,” to be told to Ben Hadad and meaning to recover from the sickness contrasts telling Hazael that Ben Hadad will die. The missing component is the means of Ban Hadad’s death. So Elisha looks at Hazael until he is embarrassed, because as a prophet he knows that Hazael will kill Ben Hadad (not the sickness). It is possible that a scribe has changed לוֹ, “to him,” to לֹא, “not,” because he felt that Elisha would not lie to the king. See M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 90. But it is possible that Hazael, once he found out he would become the next king, decided to lie to the king to facilitate his assassination plot by making the king feel secure.
  58. 2 Kings 8:11 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Elisha) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  59. 2 Kings 8:11 tn Heb “and he made his face stand [i.e., be motionless] and set [his face?] until embarrassment.”
  60. 2 Kings 8:13 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.
  61. 2 Kings 8:13 tn Heb “The Lord has shown me you [as] king over Syria.”
  62. 2 Kings 8:14 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Ben Hadad) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  63. 2 Kings 8:14 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Hazael) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  64. 2 Kings 8:15 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Hazael) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  65. 2 Kings 8:15 tn Heb “his”; the referent (Ben Hadad) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  66. 2 Kings 8:16 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 later in the verse. If the Hebrew text is retained, the verse probably refers to the beginning of a coregency between Jehoshaphat and Jehoram.
  67. 2 Kings 8:18 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.”
  68. 2 Kings 8:18 tn Heb “in the eyes of.”
  69. 2 Kings 8:19 tn The Hebrew has only one sentence, “and the Lord was unwilling to destroy Judah for the sake of.” The translation divides it for the sake of clarity.
  70. 2 Kings 8:19 tn Heb “just as he had said to him, to give to him a lamp for his sons all the days.” The metaphorical “lamp” symbolizes the Davidic dynasty; this is reflected in the translation.
  71. 2 Kings 8:20 tn Heb “in his days Edom rebelled from under the hand of Judah and enthroned a king over them.”
  72. 2 Kings 8:21 tn Heb “Joram,” which is a short form of the name Jehoram (also in vv. 23, 24).
  73. 2 Kings 8:21 tc 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 Jehoram 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). Instead the translation assumes an emendation of the Hebrew text, adding a vav (ו) to the accusative sign before Edom, reading אֹתוֹ (ʾoto, “him,”) instead of just אֶת (ʾet). In this reading, Edom is the subject of the verb rather than the direct object, “Edom struck him.” This is more consistent with the context but there is no manuscript evidence in favor of this.
  74. 2 Kings 8:21 tn Heb “and the people fled to their tents.”
  75. 2 Kings 8:22 tn Heb “and Edom rebelled from under the hand of Judah until this day.”
  76. 2 Kings 8:23 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?”
  77. 2 Kings 8:24 tn Heb “lay down with his fathers.”
  78. 2 Kings 8:26 tn Hebrew בַּת (bat), “daughter,” can refer, as here to a granddaughter. See HALOT 166 s.v. בַּת.
  79. 2 Kings 8:27 tn Heb “in the eyes of.”
  80. 2 Kings 8:27 tn Heb “and he walked in the way of the house of Ahab and did evil in the eyes of the Lord like the house of Ahab, for he was a relative by marriage of the house of Ahab.” For this use of חֲתַן (khatan), normally “son-in-law,” see HALOT 365 s.v. חָתָן. Ahab was Ahaziah’s grandfather on his mother’s side.
  81. 2 Kings 8:29 tn Heb “which the Syrians inflicted [on] him.”
  82. 2 Kings 8:29 tn Heb “to see.”
  83. 2 Kings 9:1 tn Heb “one of the sons of the prophets.”
  84. 2 Kings 9:1 tn Or “flask.”
  85. 2 Kings 9:2 tn Heb “and go and set him apart from his brothers and bring him into an inner room in an inner room.”
  86. 2 Kings 9:3 tn Heb “anointed.”
  87. 2 Kings 9:3 tn Heb “and open the door and run away and do not delay.”
  88. 2 Kings 9:4 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.
  89. 2 Kings 9:5 tn Heb “and he arrived and look, the officers of the army were sitting.”
  90. 2 Kings 9:5 tn Heb “[there is] a word for me to you, O officer.”
  91. 2 Kings 9:5 tn Heb “To whom from all of us?”
  92. 2 Kings 9:6 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Jehu) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  93. 2 Kings 9:6 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the prophet) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  94. 2 Kings 9:7 tn Heb “strike down the house of Ahab your master.”
  95. 2 Kings 9:7 tn Heb “I will avenge the shed blood of my servants the prophets and the shed blood of all the servants of the Lord from the hand of Jezebel.”
  96. 2 Kings 9:8 tc The LXX has the second person, “you.”
  97. 2 Kings 9:8 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 (veʿatsur veʿazur, translated here “weak and incapacitated”) see the note at 1 Kgs 14:10.
  98. 2 Kings 9:9 tn Heb “house.”
  99. 2 Kings 9:10 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 Lord’s people”), he goes on to tell how Jehu will become king (by a revolt against Ahab’s dynasty), makes it clear that Jehu will be an instrument of divine vengeance, and predicts the utter annihilation of Ahab’s family and the violent death of Jezebel.
  100. 2 Kings 9:11 tn Heb “went out to.”
  101. 2 Kings 9:11 tc The MT has the singular, “he said,” but many witnesses correctly read the plural.
  102. 2 Kings 9:11 tn Heb “Is there peace?”
  103. 2 Kings 9:11 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.
  104. 2 Kings 9:12 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.
  105. 2 Kings 9:13 tn Heb “his”; the referent (Jehu) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  106. 2 Kings 9:13 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 גֶּרֶם (gerem), “bone,” is unclear. Some suggest the nuance “bare” here; it may be a technical architectural term in this context.
  107. 2 Kings 9:13 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.
  108. 2 Kings 9:13 tn Or “has become.”
  109. 2 Kings 9:14 tn Heb “he and all Israel.”
  110. 2 Kings 9:15 tn Heb “which the Syrians inflicted [on] him.”
  111. 2 Kings 9:15 sn See 2 Kgs 8:28-29a.
  112. 2 Kings 9:15 tn The words “his supporters” are added for clarification.
  113. 2 Kings 9:15 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.
  114. 2 Kings 9:16 tn Heb “rode [or, ‘mounted’] and went.”
  115. 2 Kings 9:16 tn Heb “lying down.”
  116. 2 Kings 9:16 tn Heb “to see.”
  117. 2 Kings 9:17 tn Heb “the quantity [of the men] of Jehu, when he approached.” Elsewhere שִׁפְעַה (shifʿah), “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).
  118. 2 Kings 9:17 tn The term שִׁפְעַת (shifʿat) appears to be a construct form of the noun, but no genitive follows.
  119. 2 Kings 9:17 tn Heb “Jehoram” here and in vv. 21, 22, 23, 24; Joram is a short form of the name Jehoram.
  120. 2 Kings 9:17 tn Heb “said.”
  121. 2 Kings 9:17 tn Heb “Get a rider and send [him] to meet him and let him ask, ‘Is there peace?’”
  122. 2 Kings 9:18 tn Heb “the rider of the horse.”
  123. 2 Kings 9:18 tn Heb “Is there peace?”
  124. 2 Kings 9:18 tn Heb “What concerning you and concerning peace?” That is, “What concern is that to you?”
  125. 2 Kings 9:19 tn Heb “and he came to them.”
  126. 2 Kings 9:19 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.
  127. 2 Kings 9:20 tn Heb “and the driving is like the driving of Jehu son of Nimshi.”
  128. 2 Kings 9:21 tn The words “my chariot” are added for clarification.
  129. 2 Kings 9:21 tn Heb “and he hitched up his chariot.”
  130. 2 Kings 9:21 tn Heb “each in his chariot and they went out.”
  131. 2 Kings 9:21 tn Heb “they found him.”
  132. 2 Kings 9:22 tn Heb “How [can there be] peace as long as the adulterous acts of Jezebel your mother and her acts of sorcery [are] many?” 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.
  133. 2 Kings 9:23 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.
  134. 2 Kings 9:23 tn Heb “Deceit, Ahaziah.”
  135. 2 Kings 9:24 tn Heb “and Jehu filled his hand with the bow and he struck Jehoram between his shoulders.”
  136. 2 Kings 9:24 tn Heb “went out from.”
  137. 2 Kings 9:25 tn Heb “said to.”
  138. 2 Kings 9:26 tn Heb “I will pay you back.”
  139. 2 Kings 9:27 tn Heb “and Ahaziah king of Judah saw and fled.”
  140. 2 Kings 9:27 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” (וַיַּכֻּהוּ, vayyakkuhu), has been accidentally omitted by virtual haplography/homoioteleuton. Note that the immediately preceding form הַכֻּהוּ (hakkuhu), “shoot him,” ends with the same suffix.
  141. 2 Kings 9:28 tn Heb “drove him.”
  142. 2 Kings 9:30 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).
  143. 2 Kings 9:31 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!”
  144. 2 Kings 9:32 tn Heb “two, three.” The narrator may be intentionally vague or uncertain here, or the two numbers may represent alternate traditions.
  145. 2 Kings 9:33 tn The words “when she hit the ground” are added for stylistic reasons.
  146. 2 Kings 9:33 tn Heb “and he trampled her.”
  147. 2 Kings 9:34 tn Heb “and he went in and ate and drank.”
  148. 2 Kings 9:34 tn Heb “Attend to this accursed woman and bury her for she was the daughter of a king.”
  149. 2 Kings 9:35 tn Heb “they did not find her, except for.”
  150. 2 Kings 9:36 tn Heb “It is the Lord’s message.”
  151. 2 Kings 9:37 tn Heb “so that they will not say, ‘This is Jezebel.’”
Next
2 Kings 6
2 Kings 10
Next
dropdown
New English Translation (NET)

NET Bible® copyright ©1996-2017 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. http://netbible.com All rights reserved.