X. JEHU MASSACRES THE FAMILY OF AHAB, THE KINSMEN OF AHAZIAH, AND BAAL-WORSHIPPERS. (1) AHAB HAD SEVENTY SONS. — His posterity in general are meant. Ahab had been dead about fourteen years (2 Kings 3:1; 1 Kings 22:51), and had had two successors on the throne. The name _Ahab_ seems to be used here... [ Continue Reading ]
NOW AS SOON AS THIS LETTER COMETH. — _Rather, And now when this letter cometh_. Only the conclusion of the letter, containing the gist of it, is reported here. (Comp. 2 Kings 5:6.) SEEING YOUR MASTER’S SONS... LOOK EVEN OUT (2 Kings 10:3). — Rather, _there are with you both your master’s sons, and... [ Continue Reading ]
THE BEST AND MEETEST — _i.e._, the one you think best qualified in every sense (not merely in the _moral_ sense). YOUR MASTER’S SONS. — “Your master” need not mean Jehoram. The story relates to _Ahab_ (2 Kings 10:1). HIS FATHER’S THRONE — _i.e., Ahab’s_ throne. (Comp. 2 Chronicles 17:3; 2 Chronicl... [ Continue Reading ]
BUT THEY WERE EXCEEDINGLY AFRAID. — Literally, _And they feared mightily, mightily._ (Comp. Genesis 7:19.) TWO KINGS. — Rather, _the two kings_. The word _kings_ is emphatic.... [ Continue Reading ]
HE THAT WAS OVER THE HOUSE. — The prefect of the palace, or _major-domo_. A similar official is mentioned on the Egyptian monuments. His position and influence would resemble that of the great chamberlain of the Byzantine court. HE THAT WAS OVER THE CITY. — The prefect or governor of the city, call... [ Continue Reading ]
THE SECOND TIME. — Some MSS., the LXX., and the Arabic read “a second letter.” TAKE YE THE HEADS. — Jehu knew his men. The cool cynicism of his savage order is worthy of a Sulla or a Marius. THE HEADS OF THE MEN YOUR MASTER’S SONS. — Literally,_ the heads of the men of the sons of your master_ Som... [ Continue Reading ]
AND SLEW. — Rather, _butchered, or slaughtered._ The way in which the writer speaks of this massacre — “they took the king’s sons, and butchered seventy persons” — shows that he did not sympathise with Jehu’s deeds of blood. His interest rather centres in the fact that the predictions of Elijah were... [ Continue Reading ]
THERE CAME A MESSENGER. — Literally, _and the messenger came in_. Josephus says Jehu was giving a banquet. HEAPS. — The noun (_çibbûr_) occurs nowhere else in the Old Testament. In the Talmud it means “congregation,” as we say colloquially “a _heap_ of persons.” The verb (_çâbar_) means “to heap up... [ Continue Reading ]
AND STOOD. — Or, _took his place — i.e._ (according to Reuss), sat as judge in the palace gateway, according to royal custom, and gave audience to the people. The citizens would naturally be struck with consternation at the sight of the two ghastly pyramids in front of the palace, and would crowd t... [ Continue Reading ]
FALL UNTO THE EARTH. — As a dead thing; man, bird, or beast. (Comp. Matthew 10:29.) NOTHING OF THE WORD OF THE LORD. — No part of Elijah’s prediction shall fail of accomplishment. FOR THE LORD HATH DONE. — Rather, _and Jehovah, He hath done; or, and Jehovah it is who hath done. _... [ Continue Reading ]
SO. — Rather, _And_. The verse relates further massacres. IN JEZREEL. — The seat of the court. HIS GREAT MEN — _i.e._, high officials of his court; persons who owed their exaltation to him. KINSFOLKS. — Rather, _his friends_ (literally, _his known ones_; “familiares ejus”). PRIESTS. — See Notes... [ Continue Reading ]
AND HE AROSE... AND CAME. — So the Syriac, rightly. The common Hebrew text has, “And he arose and came and departed.” AND AS HE WAS AT THE SHEARING HOUSE IN THE WAY. — Rather, _He was at Beth-eqed-haroim on the way._ The Targum renders: “He was at the shepherds’ meeting-house on the way.” The place... [ Continue Reading ]
JEHU MET WITH. — Literally, _And Jehu found._ THE BRETHREN OF AHAZIAH KING OF JUDAH — _i.e._, Ahaziah’s _kinsmen_. His brothers, in the strict sense of the word, were slain by a troop of Arabs, in the lifetime of his father Jehoram (2 Chronicles 21:17; 2 Chronicles 22:1). (See the Notes on 2 Chroni... [ Continue Reading ]
TAKE THEM ALIVE. — Perhaps they made some show of resistance. Jehu slew them because of their connection with the doomed house of Ahab. Keil thinks he dreaded their conspiring with the partisans of the fallen dynasty in Samaria. SLEW THEM AT THE PIT OF THE SHEARING HOUSE. — Literally, _slaughtered... [ Continue Reading ]
JEHONADAB THE SON OF RECHAB. — Comp. Jeremiah 35:6; and 1 Chronicles 2:55. Ewald supposes that the Rechabites were one of the new societies formed after the departure of Elijah for the active support of the true religion. Their founder in this sense was Jonadab, who, despairing of being able to prac... [ Continue Reading ]
SEE. — Rather, _look on at_. MY ZEAL FOR THE LORD. — Jehu addresses Jehonadab as a notoriously staunch adherent of the old faith. THEY MADE HIM RIDE. — The Syriac, LXX., and Arabic read, “he made him ride;” the Vulg. is ambiguous; the Targum agrees with the Hebrew text, which may mean that Jehu’s... [ Continue Reading ]
AND WHEN HE CAME... HE SLEW. — Literally. _And he entered Samaria, and smote._ AHAB. — Again put for the house or family so called. Some MSS. and the _Syriac express_ it so, reading “the house of Ahab.” (Comp. 1 Kings 15:29.)... [ Continue Reading ]
AHAB SERVED BAAL A LITTLE; BUT JEHU SHALL SERVE HIM MUCH. — Ahab had, as the people well knew, served Baal more than a little; but the antithesis was not too strong for Jehu’s hidden meaning. He was thinking of his intended holocaust of human victims (2 Kings 10:25).... [ Continue Reading ]
CALL UNTO ME ALL THE PROPHETS OF BAAL. — Comp. the similar convocation of the prophets of the Baal and Asherah by the prophet Elijah, 1 Kings 18:19 _seq_. HIS SERVANTS. — The same word as “worshippers,” _infra_. TO DO. — Omit. TO BAAL. — _For the Baal._ BUT JEHU DID IT. — Or, _Now Jehu had done... [ Continue Reading ]
PROCLAIM A SOLEMN ASSEMBLY. — Rather, _Sanctify a solemn meeting_ (Isaiah 1:13). Every person who wished to attend would have to “sanctify,” or purify, himself in due form. THEY PROCLAIMED — _i.e._, gave notice of the festival by criers “through all Israel” (2 Kings 10:21).... [ Continue Reading ]
SENT THROUGH ALL ISRAEL. — The Vatican LXX. _adds_, “saying: And now all his servants, and all his priests, and all his prophets, let none be wanting; because I make a great sacrifice. Whoever shall be wanting he shall not live.” This is another instance (comp. 2 Kings 9:16) of the insertion in the... [ Continue Reading ]
THE VESTRY. — The word (_meltâhâh_) occurs here only. The Targum has chests (_qumtrayy_â_ — i.e_., κάμπτραι, “caskets”; comp. Latin, _capsa_). The LXX. does not translate the word. The Syriac has, “And he said to the treasurer” (_gizbârâ_). The Vulg., “And he said to those who were over the vestmen... [ Continue Reading ]
AND JEHU WENT... INTO THE HOUSE — _i.e._, into the outer court before the temple, where all the worshippers were waiting. THAT THERE BE HERE WITH YOU NONE OF THE SERVANTS OF THE LORD. — This precaution of Jehu’s suggests suspicion to a modern reader, but it would suggest the very contrary to the Ba... [ Continue Reading ]
WHEN. — Omit. THEY WENT IN. — The priests and prophets went into the inner court of the Baal temple, which probably resembled in general construction that of Jehovah at Jerusalem. SACRIFICES AND BURNT OFFERINGS — _i.e._, peace offerings and burnt offerings, which could only be offered in an open c... [ Continue Reading ]
AS SOON AS HE HAD MADE AN END. — The Syriac has, _when they_ (_i.e._, the Baal priests) _had made an end_. This is probably right. (Comp. the beginning of 2 Kings 10:24). We can hardly suppose with Ewald that Jehu personally offered sacrifices in the character of an ardent Baal-worshipper. For the m... [ Continue Reading ]
THE IMAGES. — Rather, _the pillars_; which were of wood, and had a sacred significance. (Comp. Hosea 3:4.) “In primitive times a pillar was the distinguishing mark of a holy place. Idolatrous pillars were commanded to be destroyed (Exodus 23:24), but most critics think that pillars to Jehovah were q... [ Continue Reading ]
THE IMAGE OF BAAL. — Again the word is _pillar_, which in this case is the conical pillar of stone representing the Baal himself. The wooden pillars of 2 Kings 10:26 probably symbolised companion deities (παρέδρυι συμβώμοι) of the principal idol. MADE IT A DRAUGHT HOUSE. — By way of utter desecrati... [ Continue Reading ]
THUS JEHU DESTROYED BAAL. — Objectively considered, the slaughter of the servants of Baal was in perfect harmony with the Law; but, subjectively, the motive which influenced Jehu was thoroughly selfish. The priests and prophets of Baal in Israel, as depending entirely on the dynasty of Ahab, the kin... [ Continue Reading ]
HOWBEIT FROM THE SINS OF JEROBOAM. — Comp. 1 Kings 12:28, _seq_., 1 Kings 15:26; 1 Kings 15:30; 1 Kings 15:34. Jehu maintained the worship at Bethel and Dan on the same grounds of state policy as the kings who preceded him. HOWBEIT. — _Only_; the word constantly used by the redactor to qualify his e... [ Continue Reading ]
(29-36) Jehu’s reign and death.... [ Continue Reading ]
AND THE LORD SAID. — Perhaps through Elisha. AND HAST DONE. — So the Syriac and Arabic versions. The Hebrew wants the _and_. THY CHILDREN OF THE FOURTH GENERATION. — The fulfilment of this oracle is noticed in 2 Kings 15:12. (Comp. the words of the commandment, “visiting the sins of the fathers up... [ Continue Reading ]
BUT JEHU TOOK NO HEED. — Or, _Now Jehu had not been careful_. This verse, rather than the next, begins a new paragraph. TO WALK IN THE LAW — _i.e._, the Mosaic law, which forbids the use of images, such as the “calves.” WITH ALL HIS HEART. — This is explained by the next sentence. He had done hono... [ Continue Reading ]
IN THOSE DAYS. — As a vassal and ally of Assyria (see Notes on 2 Kings 9:2), Jehu drew upon himself the active hostility of Hazael. (See Note on 2 Kings 8:15.) Schröder remarks that it was quite natural for the Israelite sovereign to “throw himself into the arms of distant Assyria, in order to get p... [ Continue Reading ]
FROM JORDAN EASTWARD. — This verse defines the border land which Hazael ravaged, and, in fact, occupied. It was the land east of the Jordan, that is to say, all the land of Gilead, which was the territory of Reuben, Gad, and the half tribe of Manasseh. FROM AROER. — Aroer, now _‘Arâ‘îr,_ on the Arno... [ Continue Reading ]
ALL HIS MIGHT. — Comp. 2 Kings 20:20; 1 Kings 15:23; some MSS., the Targum, and Vulg. omit “all.” The LXX. _adds_: “and the conspiracies which he conspired.”... [ Continue Reading ]
IN SAMARIA. — The Hebrew puts this phrase last, perhaps to indicate by emphasis that Jehu made Samaria, _and not Jezree_î, the seat of his court.... [ Continue Reading ]