1map For location see Map2-B1; Map4-D3; Map5-E2; Map6-A4; Map7-C1. 2tn 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. 3tn 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.” 4tn 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. 5tn Or “fight for.” 6tn Heb “they were very, very afraid.” The term מְאֹד (me’od) “very,” is repeated for emphasis. 7tn Heb “did not stand before him.” 8tn Heb “How can we stand?” 9tn Heb “the one who was over the house.” 10tn Heb “the one who was over the city.” 11tn Or “elders.” 12tn Heb “servants.” 13tn Heb “Do what is good in your eyes.” 14tn Heb “If you are mine and you are listening to my voice.” 15sn 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 mss of the Targum) The city leaders interpret his words in the literal sense, but Jehu’s command is so ambiguous he is able to deny complicity in the executions (see v. 9). 16tn Heb “great,” probably in wealth, position, and prestige. 17tn Heb “and when the letter came to them, they took the sons of the king and slaughtered seventy men.” 18tn Heb “him”; the referent (Jehu) has been specified in the translation for clarity. 19tn Heb “he”; the referent (Jehu) has been specified in the translation for clarity. 20tn Heb “Know then that there has not fallen from the word of the Lord to the ground that which the Lord spoke against the house of Ahab. The Lord has done that which he spoke by the hand of his servant Elijah.” 21tn Heb “and he arose and went and came to Samaria.” 22tn Heb “found.” 23tn Or “brothers.” 24tn Heb “for the peace of.” 25tn Heb “found.” 26tn Heb “and he went from there and found Jehonadab son of Rekab [who was coming] to meet him.” 27tn Heb “and he blessed him and said to him.” 28tn Heb “Is there with your heart [what is] right, as my heart [is] with your heart?” 29tc 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. 30tn Heb “he”; the referent (Jehu) has been specified in the translation for clarity. 31tn Heb “he”; the referent (Jehu) has been specified in the translation for clarity. 32tn Heb “and see my zeal for the Lord.” 33tc The MT has a plural form, but this is most likely an error. The LXX, Syriac Peshitta, and Vulgate all have the singular. 34tn Heb “and he struck down all the remaining ones to Ahab in Samaria until he destroyed him.” 35tn Heb “according to the word of the Lord which he spoke to Elijah.” 36tn Or “served. 37tn Or “serve.” 38tn Heb “much” or “greatly.” 39tn Heb “and now, all the prophets of Baal, all his servants and all his priests summon to me.” 40tn Heb “acted with deception [or, ‘trickery’].” 41tn Heb “set apart”; or “observe as holy.” 42tn Heb “and the house of Baal was filled mouth to mouth.” 43tn Heb “and he said to the one who was over the wardrobe.” 44tn Heb “he”; the referent (Jehu) has been specified in the translation for clarity. 45tn Heb “Search carefully and observe so that there are not here with you any servants of the Lord, only the servants of Baal.” 46tn 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.” 47tn Heb “runners.” 48tn 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. 49tn 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 (d˙vir) “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.” 50tn Or “pulled down.” 51tn The verb “they demolished” is repeated in the Hebrew text. 52tn Heb “and they made it into.” 53tn 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.” 54tn Heb “destroyed Baal.” 55map For location see Map4-G4; Map5-C1; Map6-E3; Map7-D1; Map8-G3. 56tn 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.” 57tn 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.sn Jehu ruled over Israel from approximately 841-814 b.c. Four of his descendants (Jehoahaz, Jehoash, Jeroboam II, and Zechariah) ruled from approximately 814-753 b.c. The dynasty came to an end when Shallum assassinated Zechariah in 753 b.c. See 2 Kgs 15:8-12. 58tn Heb “But Jehu was not careful to walk in the law of the Lord God of Israel with all his heart.” 59tn Heb “He did not turn aside from the sins of Jeroboam which he caused Israel to commit.” 60tn Heb “began to cut off Israel.” 61tn 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. 62tn 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.” 63tn 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?” 64tn Heb “lay down with his fathers.” 65map For location see Map2-B1; Map4-D3; Map5-E2; Map6-A4; Map7-C1.
1map For location see Map2-B1; Map4-D3; Map5-E2; Map6-A4; Map7-C1.
2tn 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.
3tn 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.”
4tn 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.
5tn Or “fight for.”
6tn Heb “they were very, very afraid.” The term מְאֹד (me’od) “very,” is repeated for emphasis.
7tn Heb “did not stand before him.”
8tn Heb “How can we stand?”
9tn Heb “the one who was over the house.”
10tn Heb “the one who was over the city.”
11tn Or “elders.”
12tn Heb “servants.”
13tn Heb “Do what is good in your eyes.”
14tn Heb “If you are mine and you are listening to my voice.”
15sn 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 mss of the Targum) The city leaders interpret his words in the literal sense, but Jehu’s command is so ambiguous he is able to deny complicity in the executions (see v. 9).
16tn Heb “great,” probably in wealth, position, and prestige.
17tn Heb “and when the letter came to them, they took the sons of the king and slaughtered seventy men.”
18tn Heb “him”; the referent (Jehu) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
19tn Heb “he”; the referent (Jehu) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
20tn Heb “Know then that there has not fallen from the word of the Lord to the ground that which the Lord spoke against the house of Ahab. The Lord has done that which he spoke by the hand of his servant Elijah.”
21tn Heb “and he arose and went and came to Samaria.”
22tn Heb “found.”
23tn Or “brothers.”
24tn Heb “for the peace of.”
25tn Heb “found.”
26tn Heb “and he went from there and found Jehonadab son of Rekab [who was coming] to meet him.”
27tn Heb “and he blessed him and said to him.”
28tn Heb “Is there with your heart [what is] right, as my heart [is] with your heart?”
29tc 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.
30tn Heb “he”; the referent (Jehu) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
31tn Heb “he”; the referent (Jehu) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
32tn Heb “and see my zeal for the Lord.”
33tc The MT has a plural form, but this is most likely an error. The LXX, Syriac Peshitta, and Vulgate all have the singular.
34tn Heb “and he struck down all the remaining ones to Ahab in Samaria until he destroyed him.”
35tn Heb “according to the word of the Lord which he spoke to Elijah.”
36tn Or “served.
37tn Or “serve.”
38tn Heb “much” or “greatly.”
39tn Heb “and now, all the prophets of Baal, all his servants and all his priests summon to me.”
40tn Heb “acted with deception [or, ‘trickery’].”
41tn Heb “set apart”; or “observe as holy.”
42tn Heb “and the house of Baal was filled mouth to mouth.”
43tn Heb “and he said to the one who was over the wardrobe.”
44tn Heb “he”; the referent (Jehu) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
45tn Heb “Search carefully and observe so that there are not here with you any servants of the Lord, only the servants of Baal.”
46tn 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.”
47tn Heb “runners.”
48tn 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.
49tn 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 (d˙vir) “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.”
50tn Or “pulled down.”
51tn The verb “they demolished” is repeated in the Hebrew text.
52tn Heb “and they made it into.”
53tn 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.”
54tn Heb “destroyed Baal.”
55map For location see Map4-G4; Map5-C1; Map6-E3; Map7-D1; Map8-G3.
56tn 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.”
57tn 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.
sn Jehu ruled over Israel from approximately 841-814 b.c. Four of his descendants (Jehoahaz, Jehoash, Jeroboam II, and Zechariah) ruled from approximately 814-753 b.c. The dynasty came to an end when Shallum assassinated Zechariah in 753 b.c. See 2 Kgs 15:8-12.
58tn Heb “But Jehu was not careful to walk in the law of the Lord God of Israel with all his heart.”
59tn Heb “He did not turn aside from the sins of Jeroboam which he caused Israel to commit.”
60tn Heb “began to cut off Israel.”
61tn 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.
62tn 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.”
63tn 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?”
64tn Heb “lay down with his fathers.”
65map For location see Map2-B1; Map4-D3; Map5-E2; Map6-A4; Map7-C1.