Chapter Nine

The judgment of God upon the house of Ahab. 1–10. The anointing of Jehu as king of Israel. 11–29. The conspiracy of Jehu against Joram and his murder of Joram and Ahaziah of Judah. 30–37. The terrible death of Jezebel.

2 Kings 9:1. The prophet Elisha called one of the sons of the prophets and said to him, “Gird your loins, and take this flask of oil in your hand, and go to Ramoth Gilead. 2 Kings 9:2. When you arrive there, look for Jehu son of Jehoshaphat, son of Nimshi; go in and get him to leave his companions, and take him into an inner room. 2 Kings 9:3. Then take the flask of oil, pour it on his head, and say, ‘Thus says the Lord: I anoint you king over Israel.’ Then open the door, and flee; do not delay. 2 Kings 9:4. So the young man, the servant of the prophet, went to Ramoth Gilead. 2 Kings 9:5. And when he arrived, behold, the commanders of the army were sitting; and he said, “I have a message for you, commander.” And Jehu said, “For which one of us?” And he said, “For you, commander. 2 Kings 9:6. And he arose and went into the house. And the young man poured the oil on his head, and said to him, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: ‘I anoint you king over the people of the Lord, over Israel, 2 Kings 9:7. and you shall strike down the house of Ahab, your master, that I may avenge the blood of my servants the prophets and the blood of all the servants of the Lord, shed by the hand of Jezebel; 2 Kings 9:8. and the whole house of Ahab shall perish, and I will cut off from Ahab all who urinate against the wall—the imprisoned and the free—in Israel, 2 Kings 9:9. and I will make the house of Ahab like the house of Jeroboam son of Nebat, and like the house of Baasha son of Ahijah; 2 Kings 9:10. and Jezebel shall be eaten by dogs in the field of Jezreel, and no one shall bury her.’ And he opened the door, and fled. In carrying out the latter part of the command that the Lord gave to the prophet Elijah (1 Kgs 19:16), the prophet Elisha commands one of the sons of the prophets (according to the rabbis, the prophet Jonah) to anoint as king over Israel one of the military commanders of the army of King Joram of Israel—Jehu, who at that time was defending Ramoth Gilead with his forces against the Syrians (verses 1–2, cf. 2 Kgs 8:28). The entire act of anointing Jehu, the avenger of the house of Ahab, had to take place hurriedly and in secret. “It was necessary for this to happen in secret, so that Joram would be killed as quickly as possible. And if he had learned of this beforehand, he would have entered into battle, and in battle it would have been necessary for many from both sides to fall” (Blessed Theodoret, question 26). Having performed the anointing, the prophet, in accordance with the command of the prophet Elisha (verse 3), immediately withdraws, “so as not to be seized and subjected to danger” (Blessed Theodoret, question 27). In the anointing of Jehu as king (cf. 1 Kgs 1:34), the prophet indicates that the new anointed one will be an instrument of God’s judgment (verse 7) upon the house of Ahab (in fulfillment of the prophecy of the prophet Elijah, 1 Kgs 21:21-22), which will be destroyed completely, just as the wicked dynasties of Jeroboam and Baasha (1 Kgs 15:29). Apart from the blood shed by the house of Ahab, especially by Jezebel, of prophets and other innocent people (verse 7), a grave sin of the entire dynasty was the cult of Baal and Astarte that it had officially introduced (1 Kgs 16:31-33): its eradication was also the task of Jehu, which he carried out exactly (2 Kgs 10:18-30). Without doubt, the mention of earlier wicked dynasties was a warning to Jehu himself. The very name of Jehu (Hebrew: Yehu, “the Lord is God”) may indicate devotion to the theocratic idea, although this did not exclude his own criminality and liability to God’s judgment (Hos 1:4). The name of Jehu in the form Iaua is found also in the cuneiform Assyrian documents of Shalmaneser II (860–825), as a tributary of that king.

2 Kings 9:11. And when Jehu came out to his master’s servants, they said to him, “Is all well? Why did this madman come to you?” And he said to them, “You know the man and how he speaks. 2 Kings 9:12. And they said, “It is not true; tell us.” And he said, “Thus and thus he said to me, ‘Thus says the Lord: I anoint you king over Israel.’ 2 Kings 9:13. Then they hurried and each took his garment and spread it under him on the bare steps; and they blew the trumpet, and said, “Jehu is king! The appearance and rapid disappearance of the prophet, his agitated demeanor prompt the other military commanders to ask about the purpose of the visit of the “madman” (Hebrew: meshugga, Greek: epileptos, Vulgate: insanus), a derisive or disapproving term used to describe prophets (Hos 9:7; Jer 29:26; cf. Blessed Theodoret, question 28). After Jehu’s unsuccessful attempt to avoid answering, he discloses to his comrades the fact of both the anointing, and they immediately proclaimed Jehu king, announcing his kingship by trumpet blasts (cf. 1 Kgs 1:39) and showing him royal honors by spreading garments under his feet (verse 13), just as the people later received Christ during his entry into Jerusalem (Matt 21:8).

2 Kings 9:14. So Jehu son of Jehoshaphat, son of Nimshi, conspired against Joram. Now Joram was keeping guard at Ramoth Gilead with all Israel against Hazael king of Syria. 2 Kings 9:15. But King Joram had returned to be healed in Jezreel from the wounds that the Syrians had inflicted on him when he fought against Hazael king of Syria. And Jehu said, “If this be your will, then let no one escape from the city to go tell it in Jezreel. 2 Kings 9:16. And Jehu rode in a chariot and went to Jezreel, where Joram was lying [the king of Israel, healing from the wounds that the Syrians had inflicted on him at Ramoth when he fought against Hazael king of Syria, mighty and powerful], and where Ahaziah king of Judah had come to visit Joram. 2 Kings 9:17. Now a watchman was standing on the tower in Jezreel, and he saw the company of Jehu as they approached, and said, “I see a company coming.” And Joram said, “Take a horseman and send to meet them, and say, ‘Is it peace?’ 2 Kings 9:18. So a horseman went to meet him and said, “Thus says the king: ‘Is it peace?’” And Jehu said, “What have you to do with peace? Turn behind me.” And the watchman reported, saying, “He came to them, but does not return. 2 Kings 9:19. And another horseman was sent, and he came to them and said, “Thus says the king: ‘Is it peace?’” And Jehu answered, “What have you to do with peace? Turn behind me. 2 Kings 9:20. And the watchman reported, saying, “He came to them, but does not return; and the driving is like the driving of Jehu son of Nimshi, for he drives furiously. 2 Kings 9:21. And Joram said, “Harness my chariot.” So they harnessed his chariot. And Joram king of Israel and Ahaziah king of Judah rode out, each in his own chariot, to meet Jehu; and they met him at the field of Naboth the Jezreelite. 2 Kings 9:22. And when Joram saw Jehu, he said, “Is it peace, Jehu?” And he answered, “What peace can there be while the harlotries of your mother Jezebel and her witchcraft are so many? 2 Kings 9:23. And Joram turned his chariot away and fled, saying to Ahaziah, “Treachery, Ahaziah! 2 Kings 9:24. But Jehu drew his bow with his full strength and shot Joram between his shoulders; and the arrow pierced his heart, and he fell in his chariot. 2 Kings 9:25. And Jehu said to Bidkar, his officer, “Take him up and throw him into the field of Naboth the Jezreelite; for remember how, when you and I were riding together behind Ahab his father, the Lord uttered this prophecy against him: 2 Kings 9:26. ‘Surely I saw the blood of Naboth and the blood of his sons yesterday, says the Lord, and I will repay you on this field.’ Now therefore take him up and throw him into the field, according to the word of the Lord. 2 Kings 9:27. When Ahaziah king of Judah saw this, he fled by the road to Beth Haggan. And Jehu pursued him, and said, “Also shoot him down in his chariot.” This occurred at the ascent of Gur, which is near Ibleam. And he fled to Megiddo and died there. 2 Kings 9:28. And his servants carried him in a chariot to Jerusalem, and buried him in his tomb with his fathers, in the city of David. 2 Kings 9:29. In the eleventh year of Joram son of Ahab, Ahaziah became king of Judah. 2 Kings 9:30. And Jehu came to Jezreel. And when Jezebel heard of it, she painted her eyes with antimony and adorned her head, and looked out of the window. 2 Kings 9:31. As Jehu entered the gate, she said, “Is it peace, Zimri, murderer of his master? 2 Kings 9:32. And he looked up at the window and said, “Who is on my side? Who?” And two or three eunuchs looked out at him. 2 Kings 9:33. And he said, “Throw her down.” So they threw her down; and some of her blood spattered on the wall and on the horses, and they trampled her underfoot. 2 Kings 9:34. And he went in and ate and drank; and he said, “Now look after that cursed woman and bury her, for she is a king’s daughter. 2 Kings 9:35. And when they went to bury her, they found nothing of her except her skull, her feet, and the palms of her hands. 2 Kings 9:36. And they returned and told him. And he said, “This is the word of the Lord, which he spoke by his servant Elijah the Tishbite, saying, ‘On the field of Jezreel the dogs shall eat the flesh of Jezebel, 2 Kings 9:37. and the corpse of Jezebel shall be like dung upon the field in Jezreel, so that none can say, “This is Jezebel.”’ The bloody retribution of Jehu upon the house of Ahab began with the chief, royal representatives: Joram, Ahaziah of Judah, and Jezebel. The ease and rapidity of Jehu’s becoming king (verse 13) and the execution of his conspiracy (verses 14–15; the circumstance of Joram being at this time in Israel is repeated here after mention in 2 Kgs 8:29) show that there was strong dissatisfaction among the people and the army with Joram and the entire house of Ahab (not without influence here was the murder of Naboth: 1 Kgs 21; cf. 2 Kgs 9:25 and following), and on the other hand, that Jehu had probably earned, through his personal deeds, the confidence of the army and the people. At the same time, both the determination of Jehu and the carelessness of Joram (verses 17–20) are evident; it is characteristic of both ancient and modern East to have a guard—watchtowers and watchers who give signals to the authorities and population about the appearance of danger (cf. Ezek 33:2). Anxiety increasingly gripped Joram, as shown by his repeatedly asked question: “Is it peace?” (see verses 17, 19, 22). The fateful meeting with Jehu took place at the former field of Naboth, which foreshadowed the doom of both kings of the house of Ahab (cf. 1 Kgs 21:19). The harsh answer of Jehu (verse 22) points to the “harlotry” and “witchcraft” of Jezebel as the reason for the impossibility of peace: these names, apart from their direct meaning, in the Old Testament often mean idolatry (Jer 3:2-3; Ezek 23:27; Mic 5:11), and the first of these names is applicable to Jezebel both in the literal sense and in connection with her introduction into Israel of the cult of Astarte; at the same time Joram was accused both of permitting and even assisting in this. In the murder of Joram accomplished by Jehu, the first view, in accordance, perhaps, with the general opinion of the people, is the fulfillment of the prophetic word of Elijah concerning Ahab and his house (1 Kgs 21:19 and following) – all the more since he, with the official now accompanying him, was a witness to Ahab’s criminal seizure of Naboth’s vineyard. Death came also to Ahaziah of Judah, the grandson of Ahab and Jezebel (verse 27; cf. 2 Chr 22:9); he was mortally wounded at a height called Gur (LXX: Gai, Vulgate: Gaver; Eusebius: Ger, Jerome: Ger, Onomasticon 356) near Ibleam, a city in the tribe of Manasseh (Josh 17:11; Judg 1:27) and died in Megiddo, but was buried royally in Jerusalem (2 Chr 22:9). Jezebel, learning of the fate of her son and grandson and seeing no escape from the sword of Jehu, resolved at least to die with dignity: she performs the usual cosmetic preparation of Eastern women, wishing to impress Jehu with her royal bearing, then she sharply rebukes Jehu for the murder of the legitimate ruler, calls Jehu’s deed by its true name, and calls him Zimri, recalling the failure and death of the latter (1 Kgs 16:9). After this she was shamefully murdered, and now the sacred writer himself testifies (verses 26–27) that the death of Joram fulfilled the prophecy of the prophet Elijah (1 Kgs 16:19; cf. Blessed Theodoret, question 31).