1-3 Elisha sends a young prophet with instructions to anoint Jehu at Ramoth-gilead 4-10 The prophet having done his message, flees 11-26 Jehu, being made king by the soldiers, kills Joram in the field of Naboth 27-29 Ahaziah is slain at Gur, and buried at Jerusalem 30-37 Proud Jezebel is thrown down out of a window, and eaten by dogs.

one The Jews say that this was Jonah, the prophet, the son of Amittai.

the children 2Ki 4:1 6:1-3 1Ki 20:35

Gird up thy loins As the upper garments of the Orientals were long and flowing, it was indispensably necessary to tuck up the skirts with a girdle about their loins, in order to use any expedition in their work or on a journey. 2Ki 4:29 1Ki 18:46 Jer 1:17 Lu 12:35-37 1Pe 1:13

box of oil 1Sa 10:1 16:1 1Ki 1:39

Ramoth-gilead 2Ki 8:28,29 De 4:1,3 1Ki 22:4,20

2 And when thou comest thither, look out there Jehu the son of Jehoshaphat the son of Nimshi, and go in, and make him arise up from among his brethren, and carry him to an inner chamber;

Jehu Jehoram having retired from the army, Jehu seems to have been left first in command, having been long employed by Ahab's family. 2Ki 9:5,11

inner chamber [heb] camber is a chamber 1Ki 20:30 22:25

3 Then take the box of oil, and pour it on his head, and say, Thus saith the LORD, I have anointed thee king over Israel. Then open the door, and flee, and tarry not.

pour it Ex 29:7 Le 8:12 1Sa 16:13 1Ki 19:16

I have anointed 2Ki 8:13 1Sa 9:16 15:1,17 16:12 Ps 75:6,7 Pr 8:15,16 Jer 27:5-7 Da 2:1 4:35 5:18 Joh 19:10,11

and flee 1Sa 16:2 Mt 2:13 10:16

4 So the young man, even the young man the prophet, went to Ramothgilead.

the young man Hannaar hannavee, not as some would render, ` the servant of the prophet,' but, as correctly rendered by our venerable translators, `the young man, the prophet;' for () hannaar, `the young man,' is not in {regimine}, but in {appositione,} with (), hannavee, `the prophet.'

5 And when he came, behold, the captains of the host were sitting; and he said, I have an errand to thee, O captain. And Jehu said, Unto which of all us? And he said, To thee, O captain.

I have an errand Jud 3:19

6 And he arose, and went into the house; and he poured the oil on his head, and said unto him, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, I have anointed thee king over the people of the LORD, even over Israel.

he arose Ac 23:18,19

I have anointed 2Ki 9:3 1Ki 1:34 19:16 2Ch 22:7 Ps 2:6 75:6 Isa 45:1 Da 2:21 4:17 4:32 5:20,21

over the people 1Ki 3:8 10:9 14:7 16:2

7 And thou shalt smite the house of Ahab thy master, that I may avenge the blood of my servants the prophets, and the blood of all the servants of the LORD, at the hand of Jezebel.

I may avenge De 32:35,43 Ps 94:1-7 Mt 23:35 Lu 18:7,8 Ro 12:19 13:4 Heb 10:30 Re 6:9,10 18:20 19:2

at the hand 2Ki 9:32-37 1Ki 18:4 21:15,21,25

8 For the whole house of Ahab shall perish: and I will cut off from Ahab him that pisseth against the wall, and him that is shut up and left in Israel:

I will cut off 1Ki 14:10,11 21:21,22

him that pisseth 1Sa 25:22

him that is shut up 2Ki 14:26 De 32:36

9 And I will make the house of Ahab like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and like the house of Baasha the son of Ahijah:

like the house 1Ki 14:10,11 15:29 21:22

and like the house 1Ki 16:3-5,11,12

10 And the dogs shall eat Jezebel in the portion of Jezreel, and there shall be none to bury her. And he opened the door, and fled.

the dogs 2Ki 9:35,36 1Ki 21:23 Jer 22:19

he opened 2Ki 9:3 Jud 3:26

11 Then Jehu came forth to the servants of his lord: and one said unto him, Is all well? wherefore came this mad fellow to thee? And he said unto them, Ye know the man, and his communication.

Is all well 2Ki 9:17,19,22 4:26 5:21

this mad fellow It is probable there was something peculiar in the young prophet's manner and address, similar to the vehement actions sometimes used by the prophets when under the Divine influence, which cause the bystanders to use this contemptuous language. Isa 59:15 Jer 29:26 Ho 9:7 Mr 3:21 Joh 10:20 Ac 17:18 26:24 1Co 4:10 2Co 5:13

12 And they said, It is false; tell us now. And he said, Thus and thus spake he to me, saying, Thus saith the LORD, I have anointed thee king over Israel.

Thus and thus 2Ki 9:6-10

13 Then they hasted, and took every man his garment, and put it under him on the top of the stairs, and blew with trumpets, saying, Jehu is king.

and took every The spreading of garments in the street, before persons to whom it was intended to shew particular honour, was an ancient and very general custom; the garments in this case being used for carpets. In the Agamennon of AEschylus, the hypocritical Clytemnestra commands the maids to spread carpets before her returning husband, that on his descending from his chariot he may place his foot on `a purple-covered path.' We also find this custom among the Romans. Plutarch relates, that when Cato of Utica left the Macedonian army, where he had become legionary tribune, the soldiers spread their clothes in the way. Mt 21:7,8 Mr 11:7,8

on the top The ancient fortified cities were generally strengthened with a citadel, (Ju 9:46,51) commonly built on an eminence, to which they ascended by a {flight of stairs}, (Ne 3:15) It is extremely probable, therefore, that Ramoth-gilead, being a frontier town of Israel and Syria, had a tower of this nature; and that Jehu was proclaimed king on the {top of the stairs} by which they ascended the hill on which the tower stood, i.e, in the area before the door of the tower, and consequently the most public place in the city.

blew with trumpets 2Sa 15:10 1Ki 1:34,39 Ps 47:5-7 98:6

is king [heb] reigneth

14 So Jehu the son of Jehoshaphat the son of Nimshi conspired against Joram. (Now Joram had kept Ramothgilead, he and all Israel, because of Hazael king of Syria.

conspired 2Ki 9:31 8:12-15 10:9 15:30 1Ki 15:27 16:7,9,16

kept Ramoth-gilead 2Ki 8:28 1Ki 22:3

15 But king Joram was returned to be healed in Jezreel of the wounds which the Syrians had given him, when he fought with Hazael king of Syria.) And Jehu said, If it be your minds, then let none go forth nor escape out of the city to go to tell it in Jezreel.

Joram [heb] Jehoram
returned 2Ki 8:29 2Ch 22:6

had given [heb] smote
none go forth [heb] no escaper go forth 1Sa 27:9-11

16 So Jehu rode in a chariot, and went to Jezreel; for Joram lay there. And Ahaziah king of Judah was come down to see Joram.

And ahaziah 2Ki 8:28,29 2Ch 22:6,7

17 And there stood a watchman on the tower in Jezreel, and he spied the company of Jehu as he came, and said, I see a company. And Joram said, Take an horseman, and send to meet them, and let him say, Is it peace?

a watchman 2Sa 13:34 18:24 Isa 21:6-9,11,12 56:10 62:6 Eze 33:2-9 Ac 20:26-31

Take a horseman 2Ki 7:14

It is peace 2Ki 9:19 1Sa 16:4 17:22 1Ki 2:15 Lu 10:5,6

18 So there went one on horseback to meet him, and said, Thus saith the king, Is it peace? And Jehu said, What hast thou to do with peace? turn thee behind me. And the watchman told, saying, The messenger came to them, but he cometh not again.

What hast thou to do 2Ki 9:19,22 Isa 48:22 59:8 Jer 16:5 Ro 3:17

19 Then he sent out a second on horseback, which came to them, and said, Thus saith the king, Is it peace? And Jehu answered, What hast thou to do with peace? turn thee behind me.

20 And the watchman told, saying, He came even unto them, and cometh not again: and the driving is like the driving of Jehu the son of Nimshi; for he driveth furiously.

driving. or, marching Hab 1:6 3:12

for he driveth 2Ki 10:16 Ec 9:10 Isa 54:16 Da 11:44

furiously [heb] in madness

21 And Joram said, Make ready. And his chariot was made ready. And Joram king of Israel and Ahaziah king of Judah went out, each in his chariot, and they went out against Jehu, and met him in the portion of Naboth the Jezreelite.

Make ready [heb] bind 1Ki 20:14 Mic 1:13

Joram 2Ch 22:7

met [heb] found Nu 20:14

the portion of Naboth 2Ki 9:25 1Ki 21:1-7,15,18,19

22 And it came to pass, when Joram saw Jehu, that he said, Is it peace, Jehu? And he answered, What peace, so long as the whoredoms of thy mother Jezebel and her witchcrafts are so many?

Is it peace 2Ki 9:17

What peace 2Ki 9:18 Isa 57:19-21

the whoredoms 1Ki 16:30-33 18:4 19:1,2 21:8-10,25 Na 3:4 Re 2:20-23 17:4,5 18:3,23

23 And Joram turned his hands, and fled, and said to Ahaziah, There is treachery, O Ahaziah.

There is treachery 2Ki 11:14 2Ch 23:13

24 And Jehu drew a bow with his full strength, and smote Jehoram between his arms, and the arrow went out at his heart, and he sunk down in his chariot.

drew a bow with his full strength [heb] filled his hand with a bow
smote 1Ki 22:34 Job 20:23-25 Ps 50:22 Pr 21:30 Ec 8:12,13 1Th 5:3

sunk [heb] bowed

25 Then said Jehu to Bidkar his captain, Take up, and cast him in the portion of the field of Naboth the Jezreelite: for remember how that, when I and thou rode together after Ahab his father, the LORD laid this burden upon him;

the Lord 1Ki 21:19,24-29 Isa 13:1 Jer 23:33-38 Na 1:1 Mal 1:1 Mt 11:30

26 Surely I have seen yesterday the blood of Naboth, and the blood of his sons, saith the LORD; and I will requite thee in this plat, saith the LORD. Now therefore take and cast him into the plat of ground, according to the word of the LORD.

blood of Naboth [heb] bloods of naboth
of his sons De 24:16 2Ch 24:25 25:4

I will requite Ex 20:5 De 5:9 Eze 18:19

plat. or, portion

27 But when Ahaziah the king of Judah saw this, he fled by the way of the garden house. And Jehu followed after him, and said, Smite him also in the chariot. And they did so at the going up to Gur, which is by Ibleam. And he fled to Megiddo, and died there.

Ahaziah 2Ki 8:29 Nu 16:26 2Ch 22:7-9 Pr 13:20 2Co 6:17

garden house 1Ki 21:2

Ibleam Jos 17:11 Jud 1:27

Megiddo. `In the kingdom of Samaria.' 2Ki 23:29,30 Jud 1:27 5:19 1Ki 4:12 2Ch 22:9

28 And his servants carried him in a chariot to Jerusalem, and buried him in his sepulchre with his fathers in the city of David.

2Ki 12:21 14:19,20 23:20 2Ch 25:28 35:24

29 And in the eleventh year of Joram the son of Ahab began Ahaziah to reign over Judah.

in the eleventh 2Ki 8:16,24 2Ch 21:18,19 22:1,2

began Ahaziah. `Then he began to reign as viceroy to his father in his sickness.' 2Ch 21:18,19

But in Joram's twelfth year, he began to reign alone 2Ki 8:25

30 And when Jehu was come to Jezreel, Jezebel heard of it; and she painted her face, and tired her head, and looked out at a window.

Jezebel 1Ki 19:1,2

painted her face [heb] put her eyes in painting Jer 4:30 Eze 23:40

tired Isa 3:18-24 Eze 24:17 1Ti 2:9,10 1Pe 3:3

31 And as Jehu entered in at the gate, she said, Had Zimri peace, who slew his master?

Zimri 1Ki 16:9-20

peace 2Ki 9:18-22

32 And he lifted up his face to the window, and said, Who is on my side? who? And there looked out to him two or three eunuchs.

Who is on my side? Ex 32:26 1Ch 12:18 2Ch 11:12 Ps 118:6 124:1,2

eunuchs. or, chamberlains Es 1:10 2:15,21 Ac 12:20

33 And he said, Throw her down. So they threw her down: and some of her blood was sprinkled on the wall, and on the horses: and he trode her under foot.

Throw her down. See on 1ki 21:11
and on the horses. This terrible mode of punishment appears to have been but rarely used, though we occasionally meet with it during this and subsequent periods. The same punishment, it is well known, obtained among the Romans, who used to throw certain malefactors from the Tarpeian rock. This practice obtains among the Moors at Constantia, a town of Barbary; and is also of frequent occurrence in Persia.

and he trode 2Ki 9:26 7:20 Isa 25:10 La 1:15 Mic 7:10 Mal 4:3 Mt 5:13 Heb 10:29

34 And when he was come in, he did eat and drink, and said, Go, see now this cursed woman, and bury her: for she is a king's daughter.

he did eat 1Ki 18:41 Es 3:15 Am 6:4

this cursed woman 1Ki 21:25 Pr 10:7 Isa 65:15 Mt 25:41

she is a king's 1Ki 16:31

35 And they went to bury her: but they found no more of her than the skull, and the feet, and the palms of her hands.

but they found Job 31:3 Ec 6:3 Isa 14:18-20 Jer 22:19 36:30 Ac 12:23

36 Wherefore they came again, and told him. And he said, This is the word of the LORD, which he spake by his servant Elijah the Tishbite, saying, In the portion of Jezreel shall dogs eat the flesh of Jezebel:

This is 1Ki 21:23

by his [heb] by the hand of his 2Ki 14:25 Le 8:36 2Sa 12:25

37 And the carcass of Jezebel shall be as dung upon the face of the field in the portion of Jezreel; so that they shall not say, This is Jezebel.

the carcase Ps 83:10 Ec 6:3 Isa 14:18-20 Jer 8:2 16:4 22:19 36:20 Eze 32:23-30