2 Kings 10
BSA1 Now Ahab [the king of Israel, a descendant of Omri] had seventy [a large number, 70] sons in Samaria [the capital city of the northern kingdom of Israel, watch mountain]. So Jehu [the prophet, the one who overthrew the dynasty of Omri] wrote [to record, to inscribe] letters [scrolls, written documents] and sent [to dispatch, to forward] them to Samaria [the city, the region] to the officials [rulers, leaders] of Jezreel [the city, God sows], to the elders [old men, respected leaders], and to the guardians [those who bring up, care for] of the sons of Ahab [Ahab’s children, descendants], saying [to speak, to command]: word study 2 “When [at this moment, as soon as] this letter [scroll, written document] arrives, since your master’s [lord, ruler] sons are with you and you have chariots [vehicles, cavalry] and horses [swallow, steed], a fortified [strong, fenced] city and weaponry [arms, armor, military equipment], word study 3 select the best [most worthy, upright] and most worthy [pleasant, beneficial] son of your master [lord, ruler], set him on his father’s [ancestral] throne, and fight [battle, contend] for your master’s [lord’s] house [family, dynasty].” word study 4 But they were [exceedingly, greatly] terrified [afraid, full of fear] and reasoned [said to themselves, thought], “If [behold, lo] two [a pair, a duo] kings [rulers, monarchs] could not [were unable to, did not] stand [remain, endure] against him [before his presence, in his face], how [in what way, by what means] can we [we ourselves, us]?” word study 5 So the palace administrator [officer in charge of the king’s house], the overseer of the city [ruler of the town], the elders [responsible men, leaders], and the guardians [those who brought up the children, tutors] sent a message to Jehu [the king]: “We are your servants [faithful ones, slaves], and we will do whatever you say [all that you command, everything you bid]. We will not make anyone king [appoint a ruler, establish a monarch]. Do whatever is good [pleasant, beneficial] in your sight [before your eyes, according to your will].” word study 6 Then Jehu wrote them a second [subsequent, another] letter and said: “If you are on my side [with me, in agreement], and if you will obey [listen to, heed] me, then bring the heads [lives, persons] of your master’s [lord, ruler] sons to me at Jezreel [God sows, a city in Israel] by this time [at this moment, now] tomorrow [the next day].” Now the sons [descendants, children] of the king, seventy [a multitude, many] in all, were being brought up [nourished, educated] by the leading [great, prominent] men of the city. word study 7 And when the letter [containing instructions, a written message] arrived, they took the sons [descendants, male children] of the king and slaughtered [killed, put to death] all seventy of them. They put their heads [upper parts of the body] in baskets [containers, pots] and sent them to Jehu [the one appointed by God, a leader] at Jezreel [a city of God’s nurture, a place of growth]. word study 8 When the messenger [a representative] arrived, he told Jehu, “They have brought the heads [the topmost part of the body] of the sons [descendants, offspring] of the king [royal person, monarch].” And Jehu ordered, “Pile them in two [a pair, dual] heaps [collections, gatherings] at the entrance [doorway, gate] of the gate [city entrance, doorway] until [as far as, till] morning [dawn, new beginning].” word study 9 The next morning [in the break of day, at dawn], Jehu went out [came forth, emerged] and stood [took his position, rose up] before all [every single one, the entire] the people and said, “You are innocent [righteous, without guilt, blameless]. It was I [myself, personally] who conspired [plotted, schemed] against my master [lord, ruler] and killed [slew, put to death] him. But who [which one, what person] killed [struck down, smote] all [every single one, the entirety of] these [ones, individuals]? word study 10 Know [be aware, understand], then [at this point, now], that not a word [nothing, no part] the LORD [Yehovah, The covenant Name of God] has spoken [declared, proclaimed] against the house [family, dynasty] of Ahab [a king of Israel] will fail [fall to the ground, be unfulfilled], for the LORD [the supreme God] has done [accomplished, fulfilled] what He promised [spoken, declared] through [by means of, by the hand of] His servant [attendant, messenger] Elijah [my God is Jehovah, a prophet].” word study 11 So Jehu [slew, smote, executed] killed everyone in Jezreel [God sows, a city in Issachar] who remained [were left, survived] of the house [family, dynasty] of Ahab [a king of Israel, a descendant of Omri], as well as all his great men [high officials, prominent leaders] and close friends [familiar friends, acquaintances] and priests [spiritual leaders, those who served God], leaving him without a single survivor [no remnant, none remaining, no one left alive]. word study 12 Then Jehu [arose and departed] set out toward Samaria [the watch mountain, capital of the northern kingdom]. At Beth-eked [the house of binding, shearing house] of the Shepherds [those who care for and tend to flocks, rulers], word study 13 Jehu met some relatives [brethren, close family members] of Ahaziah king [royal ruler, monarch] of Judah and asked, “Who are you [what is your identity, who do you represent]?” “We are relatives [brothers, kin] of Ahaziah,” they answered, “and we have come down [to descend, to go to a lower place] to greet [to salute, to show respect] the sons [children, descendants] of the king and of the queen mother [the queen, the lady of the royal court].” word study 14 Then Jehu ordered [gave the command, spoke], “Take them alive [as prisoners, without harming them].” So his men took them alive [captured them, seized them], then slaughtered [killed, put to death] them at the well [pit, cistern] of Beth-eked [house of binding, shearing house]—forty-two [two and forty] men. He spared [left, reserved] none [not one, no one] of them. word study 15 When he left [departed from, went away] there, he found [encountered, met] Jehonadab son of Rechab, who was coming [approaching, drawing near] to meet him. Jehu greeted [saluted, blessed] him and asked, “Is your heart [innermost being, mind] as true [faithful, loyal] to mine as my heart is to yours [in harmony, in agreement]?” “It is [indeed, truly]!” Jehonadab replied. “If it is [if this is so, if it is true],” said Jehu, “give me your hand [extend your hand, show your commitment].” So he gave him his hand [stretched out his hand, offered his hand], and Jehu helped him into his chariot [vehicle, means of transportation], word study 16 saying, “Come [to walk, to journey] with me and see [to look, to behold] my zeal [jealousy, passionate devotion] for the LORD [Yehovah, the covenant God]!” So he had him ride [to mount, to sit upon] in his chariot [vehicle, carriage]. word study 17 When Jehu came [arrived, entered] to Samaria, he struck down [slew, smote] everyone belonging to Ahab [the king of Israel, a descendant of Omri] who remained [were left, still existed] there, until he had destroyed [annihilated, desolated] them, according to the word [promise, prophetic message] that the LORD [Yehovah, the self-existent God] had spoken [communicated, uttered] to Elijah [my God is Jehovah, a prophet of the Lord]. word study 18 Then Jehu [the king of Israel, a prophet] brought all [the entire nation, every person] the people together and said, “Ahab [the previous king, a servant of Baal] served [worshiped, gave allegiance to] Baal [the false god, a deity] a little [in a small way, to a limited extent], but Jehu [the new king, a follower of God] will serve [worship, give devotion to] him [Baal, the idol] a lot [much, abundantly, to a great degree]. word study 19 Now, therefore, summon to me all [every single one, without exception] the prophets [spokesmen, messengers] of Baal [the Phoenician deity, a false god], all his servants [attendants, worshippers], and all his priests [spiritual leaders, mediators]. See that no one [not a single person] is missing, for I have a great [large, significant] sacrifice [offering, ritual] for Baal [to honor the false god]. Whoever is missing [absent, not present] will not live [shall not survive, will perish].” But Jehu was acting deceptively [with cunning, secretly] in order to destroy [completely eliminate, annihilate] the servants [followers, devotees] of Baal. word study 20 And Jehu [the king of Israel, a prophet] commanded [to say, spoke], “Proclaim [sanctify, call out] a solemn [special, sacred] assembly [gathering, meeting] for Baal [the Phoenician deity, a false god].” So they announced [proclaimed, called out] it. word study 21 Then Jehu [the tenth king of Israel, a prophet] sent word throughout [all the borders of] Israel, and all the servants [worshippers, followers] of Baal came; there was not a man [individual, person] who failed to show [did not come, was left behind]. They entered the temple [house, place of worship] of Baal, and it was filled [made full, completely occupied] from end to end [from one end to the other, mouth to mouth]. word study 22 And Jehu said to the keeper [over the vestry, in charge] of the wardrobe [apparel, vestments], “Bring out [to come forth, distribute] garments [clothing, robes] for all [every, the whole] the servants [worshippers, those who serve] of Baal [the Phoenician deity, a false god].” So he brought out [to come out, to give] garments [clothing, vestments] for them. word study 23 Next, Jehu [the tenth king of Israel] and Jehonadab [a devout follower] son of Rechab entered the temple [house, place of worship] of Baal [the Phoenician deity, a false god], and Jehu said to the servants [worshippers, attendants] of Baal, “Look around [search, and see] to see that there are no servants [followers, devotees] of the LORD [Yehovah, the one true God] here among you—only servants [worshippers, adherents] of Baal [the idol, a false deity].” word study 24 And they went in [to enter, to approach] to offer [to make, to present] sacrifices [offerings to God, acts of worship] and burnt offerings [completely consumed by fire]. Now Jehu [the king of Israel, a prophet] had stationed [to set, to appoint] eighty [a large group, a multitude] men outside [beyond the walls, in the open] and warned them, “If anyone allows [to let escape, to release] one of the men I am delivering [to hand over, to surrender] into your hands [your power, your control] to escape [to flee, to slip away], he will forfeit [to lose, to give up] his life [his soul, his very being] for theirs [in exchange for, as a substitute].” word study 25 When he had finished [completed, ended] making the burnt offering [a step or stairs, often used to describe the ascent to the altar for a burnt offering], Jehu [a king who overthrew the dynasty of Omri] said to the guards [runners, those who move quickly] and officers [high-ranking captains, often carrying a shield], “Go in [enter, approach] and kill them [strike, hit, smite]. Do not let anyone out [no one shall escape, let none come forth].” So the guards and officers put them to the sword [struck them with the edge of the sword, a cutting instrument], threw the bodies out [cast them out, threw away], and went into the inner room [the holy place, the sanctuary] of the temple [the house, a dwelling place] of Baal [the Phoenician deity, a false god]. word study 26 They brought out [dragged out, took out] the sacred [holy, set apart] pillar [image, monument] of the temple [house, dwelling place] of Baal [the Phoenician deity, a false god] and burned [set on fire, kindled flames] it. word study 27 They also demolished [tore down, broke] the sacred [dedicated to a deity] pillar [monument, memorial] of Baal [the Phoenician deity, a false god]. Then they tore down [broke, destroyed] the temple [house, place of worship] of Baal and made it into a latrine [a sewer, a place for waste, a draught house], which it is to this day [until now, as far as the present time]. word study 28 Thus Jehu [completely, utterly] eradicated [destroyed, wiped out] Baal [the false Phoenician deity] from Israel [the symbolic name of Jacob, God’s chosen people], word study 29 but he did not turn away [depart, remove himself] from the sins [crimes, offenses] that Jeroboam [the people will contend, a king of Israel] son of Nebat [an Ephraimite, Jeroboam’s father] had caused Israel [the descendants of Jacob, God’s chosen people] to commit [to miss the mark, go wrong]—the worship [idolatrous service, false devotion] of the golden [valuable, brilliant] calves [young male cattle, idols] at Bethel [house of God, a significant location] and Dan [a city, a tribe of Israel]. word study 30 Nevertheless, the LORD [Yehovah, The covenant Name of God] said to Jehu, “Because you have done well [executed that which is right, diligently carried out] in carrying out what is right [just, straight, Jashar] in My sight [before My eyes, in My presence] and have done to the house [family, dynasty] of Ahab [the wicked king of Israel] all that was in My heart [mind, will, emotions], four [to the fourth generation] generations of your sons [descendants, children] will sit [dwell, remain] on the throne [seat of power, authority] of Israel [the symbolic name of Jacob, God’s chosen people].” word study 31 Yet Jehu was not careful [took no heed] to follow the instruction [law, teachings] of the LORD [Yehovah], the God [Elohim, supreme deity] of Israel, with all his heart [innermost being, mind, and will]. He did not turn away [depart, remove himself] from the sins [guilt, rebellion] that Jeroboam [the first king of Israel to lead the nation into idolatry] had caused Israel [the descendants of Jacob] to commit [to sin, to go wrong]. word study 32 In those days [a period of time, a season] the LORD [Yehovah, The covenant Name of God] began [to initiate, to start] to reduce [to cut off, to diminish] the size [the territory, the extent] of Israel [the descendants of Jacob]. Hazael [one who sees God] defeated [struck, smote] the Israelites [the people of Israel] throughout [in all, across] their territory [the borders, the land] word study 33 from the Jordan [east of the Jordan River, at the sun-rising] eastward through all the land [territory, region] of Gilead [rocky region, mountainous area] (the region of Gad [descendants of Gad], Reuben [son of Israel], and Manasseh [son of Joseph]), and from Aroer [ruins, a place of desolation] by the Arnon Valley [brook Arnon, river valley] through Gilead [mountainous region] to Bashan [fertile region, fruitful land]. word study 34 As for the rest [remainder, what is left] of the acts [deeds, accomplishments] of Jehu [the king who overthrew the dynasty of Omri], along with all [everything, his entire record] his accomplishments [achievements, mighty deeds] and all [the full extent of] his might [strength, power, valiant deeds], are they not [is it not the case] written [recorded, inscribed] in the Book [scroll, written document] of the Chronicles [history, events, and words] of the Kings [rulers, monarchs] of Israel [the symbolic name of Jacob, and his descendants]? word study 35 And Jehu [slept with his ancestors, died] rested with his fathers [ancestors, forefathers] and was buried [laid to rest, interred] in Samaria [the capital city of Israel, watch mountain], and his son [descendant, offspring] Jehoahaz [Jehovah has seized] reigned [ruled, governed] in his place [stead, position]. word study 36 So the duration [time, period, or span] of Jehu’s [the tenth king of Israel] reign [to rule, or have dominion] over Israel [the symbolic name of Jacob, also referring to his descendants] in Samaria [the capital city of the northern kingdom of Israel, or watch mountain] was twenty-eight [an ordinal number, or a multiple of ten] years [a period of time, or a cycle of seasons]. word study