2tn Or “flask.”

3tn Heb “and go and set him apart from his brothers and bring him into an inner room in an inner room.”

4tn Heb “anointed.”

5tn Heb “and open the door and run away and do not delay.”

6tc 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.

7tn Heb “and he arrived and look, the officers of the army were sitting.”

8tn Heb “[there is] a word for me to you, O officer.”

9tn Heb “To whom from all of us?”

10tn Heb “he”; the referent (Jehu) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

11tn Heb “he”; the referent (the prophet) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

12tn Or “strike down the house of Ahab your master.”

13tn 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.”

14tc The LXX has the second person, “you.”

15tn 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 (v˙’atsur v˙’azur, translated here “weak and incapacitated”) see the note at 1 Kgs 14:10.

16tn Heb “house.”

17sn 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.

18tn Heb “went out to.”

19tc The MT has the singular, “he said,” but many witnesses correctly read the plural.

20tn Heb “Is there peace?”

21tn 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.

22tn 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.

23tn Heb “his”; the referent (Jehu) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

24tn 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.

25tn 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.

26tn Or “has become.”

27tn Heb “he and all Israel.”

28tn Heb “which the Syrians inflicted [on] him.”

29sn See 2 Kgs 8:28-29a.

30tn The words “his supporters” are added for clarification.

31tn 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.

32tn Heb “rode [or, ‘mounted’] and went.”

33tn Heb “lying down.”

34tn Heb “to see.”

35tn 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).

36tn The term שִׁפְעַת (shifat) appears to be a construct form of the noun, but no genitive follows.

37tn Heb “said.”

38tn Heb “Get a rider and send [him] to meet him and let him ask, ‘Is there peace?’”

39tn Heb “the rider of the horse.”

40tn Heb “Is there peace?”

41tn Heb “What concerning you and concerning peace?” That is, “What concern is that to you?”

42tn Heb “and he came to them.”

43tc 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.

44tn Heb “and the driving is like the driving of Jehu son of Nimshi.”

45tn The words “my chariot” are added for clarification.

46tn Heb “and he hitched up his chariot.”

47tn Heb “each in his chariot and they went out.”

48tn Heb “they found him.”

49tn 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.

50tn 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.

51tn Heb “Deceit, Ahaziah.”

52tn Heb “and Jehu filled his hand with the bow and he struck Jehoram between his shoulders.”

53tn Heb “went out from.”

54tn Heb “said to.”

55tn Heb “and I will repay you in this plot of land.”

56tn Heb “according to the word of the Lord.”

57tn Heb “and Ahaziah king of Judah saw and fled.”

58tn 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.

59map For location see Map1-D4; Map2-C1; Map4-C2; Map5-F2; Map7-B1.

60tn Heb “drove him.”

61map For location see Map5-B1; Map6-F3; Map7-E2; Map8-F2; Map10-B3; JP1-F4; JP2-F4; JP3-F4; JP4-F4.

62tn 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).

63sn 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!”

64tn Heb “two, three.” The narrator may be intentionally vague or uncertain here, or the two numbers may represent alternate traditions.

65tn The words “when she hit the ground” are added for stylistic reasons.

66tn Heb “and he trampled her.”

67tn Heb “and he went and ate and drank.”

68tn Heb “Attend to this accursed woman and bury her for she was the daughter of a king.”

69tn Heb “they did not find her, except for.”

70tn Heb “It is the word of the Lord, which he spoke by the hand of his servant, Elijah the Tishbite, saying.”

71tn Heb “so that they will not say, ‘This is Jezebel.’”