BibleTrack Home & Index
<< 2 King 8	2 King 12 >>

II Kings 9-11   Listen

Another Israel king dynasty ends (II Kings 9:1-13)

1 And Elisha the prophet called one of the sons of the prophets, and said to him, “Get yourself ready, take this flask of oil in your hand, and go to Ramoth Gilead.
2 Now when you arrive at that place, look there for Jehu the son of Jehoshaphat, the son of Nimshi, and go in and make him rise up from among his associates, and take him to an inner room.
3 Then take the flask of oil, and pour it on his head, and say, “Thus says the LORD: ‘I have anointed you king over Israel.” ’ Then open the door and flee, and do not delay.”
4 ¶ So the young man, the servant of the prophet, went to Ramoth Gilead.
5 And when he arrived, there were the captains of the army sitting; and he said, “I have a message for you, Commander.” ¶ Jehu said, “For which one of us?” ¶ And he said, “For you, Commander.”
6 Then he arose and went into the house. And he poured the oil on his head, and said to him, “Thus says the LORD God of Israel: ‘I have anointed you king over the people of the LORD, over Israel.
7 You shall strike down the house of Ahab your 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.
8 For the whole house of Ahab shall perish; and I will cut off from Ahab all the males in Israel, both bond and free.
9 So 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.
10 The dogs shall eat Jezebel on the plot of ground at Jezreel, and there shall be none to bury her.’ ” And he opened the door and fled.
11 ¶ Then Jehu came out to the servants of his master, and one said to him, “Is all well? Why did this madman come to you?” ¶ And he said to them, “You know the man and his babble.”
12 ¶ And they said, “A lie! Tell us now.” ¶ So he said, “Thus and thus he spoke to me, saying, “Thus says the LORD: ‘I have anointed you king over Israel.” ’ ”
13 ¶ Then each man hastened to take his garment and put it under him on the top of the steps; and they blew trumpets, saying, “Jehu is king!”

Now here's the fulfillment to a prophecy that was a long time unfolding, but it happened just as Elijah had said it would. Actually, Jehu was destined to be King of Israel all the way back during Elijah's tenure when God showed it to him in I Kings 19:16 (see notes). Then in I Kings 21:21-23 (see notes) Elijah had prophesied the end of Ahab's dynasty on the throne of Israel, just like that of Jeroboam and Baasha. However, Elisha was the prophet that made it happen...well, sort of. He really sent one of the young prophet trainees to do the job of anointing Jehu King of Israel. It's interesting how the young prophet was treated like a crackpot by Jehu's entourage until they found out that he had anointed Jehu King of Israel. Then they were all for validating his prophecy. For the time being, Jehoram is still the King of Israel...but not for long.

When this young prophet anoints Jehu, he is very specific about why and exactly what Jehu is to do in verse 7, "You shall strike down the house of Ahab your master." Well, Jehoram, unfortunately, that means you; Ahab was your grandfather, and the end of his lineage was prophesied in I Kings 21:21-23 (see notes). Isn't it interesting how God uses a wicked man (Jehu) to facilitate judgment against another wicked man (Jehoram).

Notice all the components of this prophet's decree:

• Verse 6 - Jehu is anointed King of Israel.
• Verses 7-8 - Kill all of Ahab's male descendants (stated in a very colorful way in verse 8)
  The KJV translation to identify males in that verse is an accurate rendering of the very descriptive Hebrew phrase used. That Hebrew phrase is accurately translated into the English descriptive phrase, "him that pisseth against the wall."
• Verse 7 - This is to avenge the blood of prophets and servants of God at the hand of Jezebel.
• Verse 9 - Ahab's dynasty will end just as did Jeroboam's and Baasha's
• Verse 10 - The dogs will eat Jezebel in Jezreel.

They waste no time proclaiming that Jehu is king after this decree from God's prophet. Now...it's on to the action items of the prophecy.

Let's just kill two kings while we're at it (II Kings 9:14-29)

14 ¶ So Jehu the son of Jehoshaphat, the son of Nimshi, conspired against Joram. (Now Joram had been defending Ramoth Gilead, he and all Israel, against Hazael king of Syria.
15 But King Joram had returned to Jezreel to recover from the wounds which the Syrians had inflicted on him when he fought with Hazael king of Syria.) And Jehu said, “If you are so minded, let no one leave or escape from the city to go and tell it in Jezreel.”
16 So Jehu rode in a chariot and went to Jezreel, for Joram was laid up there; and Ahaziah king of Judah had come down to see Joram.
17 ¶ Now a watchman stood on the tower in Jezreel, and he saw the company of Jehu as he came, and said, “I see a company of men.” ¶ And Joram said, “Get a horseman and send him to meet them, and let him say, ‘Is it peace?’ ”
18 ¶ So the horseman went to meet him, and said, “Thus says the king: ‘Is it peace?’ ” ¶ And Jehu said, “What have you to do with peace? Turn around and follow me.” ¶ So the watchman reported, saying, “The messenger went to them, but is not coming back.”
19 ¶ Then he sent out a second horseman who came to them, and said, “Thus says the king: ‘Is it peace?’ ” ¶ And Jehu answered, “What have you to do with peace? Turn around and follow me.”
20 ¶ So the watchman reported, saying, “He went up to them and is not coming back; and the driving is like the driving of Jehu the son of Nimshi, for he drives furiously!”
21 ¶ Then Joram said, “Make ready.” And his chariot was made ready. Then Joram king of Israel and Ahaziah king of Judah went out, each in his chariot; and they went out to meet Jehu, and met him on the property of Naboth the Jezreelite.
22 Now it happened, when Joram saw Jehu, that he said, “Is it peace, Jehu?” ¶ So he answered, “What peace, as long as the harlotries of your mother Jezebel and her witchcraft are so many?”
23 ¶ Then Joram turned around and fled, and said to Ahaziah, “Treachery, Ahaziah!”
24 Now Jehu drew his bow with full strength and shot Jehoram between his arms; and the arrow came out at his heart, and he sank down in his chariot.
25 Then Jehu said to Bidkar his captain, “Pick him up, and throw him into the tract of the field of Naboth the Jezreelite; for remember, when you and I were riding together behind Ahab his father, that the LORD laid this burden upon him:
26 “Surely I saw yesterday the blood of Naboth and the blood of his sons,’ says the LORD, ‘and I will repay you in this plot,’ says the LORD. Now therefore, take and throw him on the plot of ground, according to the word of the LORD.”
27 ¶ But when Ahaziah king of Judah saw this, he fled by the road to Beth Haggan. So Jehu pursued him, and said, “Shoot him also in the chariot.” And they shot him at the Ascent of Gur, which is by Ibleam. Then he fled to Megiddo, and died there.
28 And his servants carried him in the chariot to Jerusalem, and buried him in his tomb with his fathers in the City of David.
29 In the eleventh year of Joram the son of Ahab, Ahaziah had become king over Judah.

Israel and Judah are at war with Syria. The troops are east of the Jordan at Ramothgilead, on guard against Syria. King Jehoram (aka Joram) of Israel and young King Ahaziah of Judah are back in Northern Israel west of the Jordan getting medical treatment for Jehoram's battle wounds (II Kings 8:25-29, see notes). Judah's Ahaziah should have been more careful about the company he kept. Jehu shows up to finish off Jehoram; Ahaziah just happened to be there and decides to lend assistance to Jehoram. When the two watchman who go out to meet Jehu don't return, Jehoram figures something is up, but it's too late. Jehu's mission was to kill Jehoram - may as well bag another king, Ahaziah of Judah, while he's at it. This account is briefly found also in II Chronicles 22:1-9 (see notes). Jehu's intentions seem noble, so to speak - just fulfilling prophecy. Remember Ahab's household had that curse on it (I Kings 21:21-22, see notes) ever since Ahab's wife, Jezebel, had Naboth of Jezreel killed. Well, Jehu proclaims that he's just helping that prophecy along here - even has a little ritual thing on that garden site that Ahab had stolen from Naboth after Jezebel had him executed. But what about Ahaziah, King of Judah's death? That's just a bonus! Perhaps Jehu saw the potential for a combination of the two heavy-weight titles - maybe had his eye on a reunited Israel with himself as the king of the whole thing - both kingdoms.

As an interesting aside, Ahaziah of Judah was the cousin of Jehoram of Israel. Ahaziah's mother, Athaliah, was the daughter of the wicked duo of the Northern Kingdom, Ahab and Jezebel. As a matter of fact, Ahaziah (of Judah) had the same name as his Uncle Ahaziah, Athaliah's brother and formerly King of Israel following the death of his father, the wicked Ahab. As you can see, the royal families of Israel and Judah were quite intermingled at this point in time. It simply makes sense that Jehu must have reasoned that everyone had to be executed in both families.

This marks the end of the third dynasty of Israel.

Israel Dynasty #4, Jehu. First order of business? Kill Jezebel of course (II Kings 9:30-37)

30 ¶ Now when Jehu had come to Jezreel, Jezebel heard of it; and she put paint on her eyes and adorned her head, and looked through a window.
31 Then, as Jehu entered at the gate, she said, “Is it peace, Zimri, murderer of your master?”
32 ¶ And he looked up at the window, and said, “Who is on my side? Who?” So two or three eunuchs looked out at him.
33 Then he said, “Throw her down.” So they threw her down, and some of her blood spattered on the wall and on the horses; and he trampled her underfoot.
34 And when he had gone in, he ate and drank. Then he said, “Go now, see to this accursed woman, and bury her, for she was a king’s daughter.”
35 So they went to bury her, but they found no more of her than the skull and the feet and the palms of her hands.
36 Therefore they came back and told him. And he said, “This is the word of the LORD, which He spoke by His servant Elijah the Tishbite, saying, ‘On the plot of ground at Jezreel dogs shall eat the flesh of Jezebel;
37 and the corpse of Jezebel shall be as refuse on the surface of the field, in the plot at Jezreel, so that they shall not say, “Here lies Jezebel.” ’ ”

Well, Jehu, you've just killed two kings and taken over Israel; what are you gonna do now? Kill Jezebel, the king's wicked mama! Jezebel knew it was coming. She went to her upstairs room in Jezreel to paint herself up for the big meeting with the new King of Israel. She kind of taunts him when he shows up. She's not expecting it to be a good day anyway. Upon glancing out the window and seeing Jehu, she says to him, "Is it peace, Zimri, murderer of your master?" She's referring to the fifth King of Israel who only reigned 7 days before committing suicide after he ascended to the throne upon murdering King Elah back in I Kings 16 (see notes). It wasn't a very persuasive speech; Jehu hollers up to her attendants to throw Jezebel down out of the window. They did; she splattered; the dogs ate her - leaving just a skull, feet and hand parts - not even enough to bury, just as Elijah had prophesied back in I Kings 21:23 (see notes) and again in II Kings 9:10 (see above). What a fitting end to such a wicked woman.

Jehu cleans house; all royalty must go! (II Kings 10:1-17)

1 Now Ahab had seventy sons in Samaria. And Jehu wrote and sent letters to Samaria, to the rulers of Jezreel, to the elders, and to those who reared Ahab’s sons, saying:
2 Now as soon as this letter comes to you, since your master’s sons are with you, and you have chariots and horses, a fortified city also, and weapons,
3 choose the best qualified of your master’s sons, set him on his father’s throne, and fight for your master’s house.
4 ¶ But they were exceedingly afraid, and said, “Look, two kings could not stand up to him; how then can we stand?”
5 And he who was in charge of the house, and he who was in charge of the city, the elders also, and those who reared the sons, sent to Jehu, saying, “We are your servants, we will do all you tell us; but we will not make anyone king. Do what is good in your sight.”
6 Then he wrote a second letter to them, saying: If you are for me and will obey my voice, take the heads of the men, your master’s sons, and come to me at Jezreel by this time tomorrow. ¶ Now the king’s sons, seventy persons, were with the great men of the city, who were rearing them.
7 So it was, when the letter came to them, that they took the king’s sons and slaughtered seventy persons, put their heads in baskets and sent them to him at Jezreel.
8 ¶ Then a messenger came and told him, saying, “They have brought the heads of the king’s sons.” ¶ And he said, “Lay them in two heaps at the entrance of the gate until morning.”
9 ¶ So it was, in the morning, that he went out and stood, and said to all the people, “You are righteous. Indeed I conspired against my master and killed him; but who killed all these?
10 Know now that nothing shall fall to the earth of the word of the LORD which the LORD spoke concerning the house of Ahab; for the LORD has done what He spoke by His servant Elijah.”
11 So Jehu killed all who remained of the house of Ahab in Jezreel, and all his great men and his close acquaintances and his priests, until he left him none remaining.
12 ¶ And he arose and departed and went to Samaria. On the way, at Beth Eked of the Shepherds,
13 Jehu met with the brothers of Ahaziah king of Judah, and said, “Who are you?” ¶ So they answered, “We are the brothers of Ahaziah; we have come down to greet the sons of the king and the sons of the queen mother.”
14 ¶ And he said, “Take them alive!” So they took them alive, and killed them at the well of Beth Eked, forty-two men; and he left none of them.
15 ¶ Now when he departed from there, he met Jehonadab the son of Rechab, coming to meet him; and he greeted him and said to him, “Is your heart right, as my heart is toward your heart?” ¶ And Jehonadab answered, “It is.” ¶ Jehu said, “If it is, give me your hand.” So he gave him his hand, and he took him up to him into the chariot.
16 Then he said, “Come with me, and see my zeal for the LORD.” So they had him ride in his chariot.
17 And when he came to Samaria, he killed all who remained to Ahab in Samaria, till he had destroyed them, according to the word of the LORD which He spoke to Elijah.

Jehu realizes that he must get rid of all the so-called legitimate heirs to the throne, so he needs to do something about all of Ahab's descendants. He writes a couple of letters to the guardians of these heirs to Ahab's throne - first challenging them to put up a fight for Ahab's dynasty. When they decline to fight, Jehu directs these guardians to kill them - all 70. Then he has a meeting with the relatives of Ahaziah, King of Judah - kills all 42 of them too. They had been on their way to meet with Ahaziah's children. Then its off to Samaria to finish up his dynasty-ending business. He picks up a passenger along the way - Jehonadab, a son of Rechab, the founder of a tribe who bound themselves by a vow to abstain from wine (Jeremiah 35:6-19, see notes). He indicates he has a zeal for the Lord to clean everything up for God according to Elijah's prophecy in I Kings 21:21-23 (see notes). We'll see.

Now it's time to go after Baal! (II Kings 10:18-28)

18 ¶ Then Jehu gathered all the people together, and said to them, “Ahab served Baal a little, Jehu will serve him much.
19 Now therefore, call to me all the prophets of Baal, all his servants, and all his priests. Let no one be missing, for I have a great sacrifice for Baal. Whoever is missing shall not live.” But Jehu acted deceptively, with the intent of destroying the worshipers of Baal.
20 And Jehu said, “Proclaim a solemn assembly for Baal.” So they proclaimed it.
21 Then Jehu sent throughout all Israel; and all the worshipers of Baal came, so that there was not a man left who did not come. So they came into the temple of Baal, and the temple of Baal was full from one end to the other.
22 And he said to the one in charge of the wardrobe, “Bring out vestments for all the worshipers of Baal.” So he brought out vestments for them.
23 Then Jehu and Jehonadab the son of Rechab went into the temple of Baal, and said to the worshipers of Baal, “Search and see that no servants of the LORD are here with you, but only the worshipers of Baal.”
24 So they went in to offer sacrifices and burnt offerings. Now Jehu had appointed for himself eighty men on the outside, and had said, “If any of the men whom I have brought into your hands escapes, whoever lets him escape, it shall be his life for the life of the other.”
25 ¶ Now it happened, as soon as he had made an end of offering the burnt offering, that Jehu said to the guard and to the captains, “Go in and kill them; let no one come out!” And they killed them with the edge of the sword; then the guards and the officers threw them out, and went into the inner room of the temple of Baal.
26 And they brought the sacred pillars out of the temple of Baal and burned them.
27 Then they broke down the sacred pillar of Baal, and tore down the temple of Baal and made it a refuse dump to this day.
28 Thus Jehu destroyed Baal from Israel.

Hey! This new King of Israel appears to have promise. Jehu is determined to wipe out all Baal worship in Israel. He's a little deceptive though. He calls for a special Baal celebration - all the big Baal leaders show up. He proclaims to them that he doesn't want any Jehovah worshippers in the group - leave if that's who you worship. When he's sure that he has only the Baal worshippers there, the celebration begins. I can imagine that they are all assembled like puppy dogs with a new master. Bad news for Baal though; Jehu has them all wiped out right there and then. Baal worship in Israel? Gone! Wait! There's more. The house of Baal is also destroyed and turned into a latrine (verse 27); how fitting! Verse 28 says, "Thus Jehu destroyed Baal from Israel."

New King of Israel - no Baal - good...right? (II Kings 10:29-36)

29 ¶ However Jehu did not turn away from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who had made Israel sin, that is, from the golden calves that were at Bethel and Dan.
30 And the LORD said to Jehu, “Because you have done well in doing what is right in My sight, and have done to the house of Ahab all that was in My heart, your sons shall sit on the throne of Israel to the fourth generation.”
31 But Jehu took no heed to walk in the law of the LORD God of Israel with all his heart; for he did not depart from the sins of Jeroboam, who had made Israel sin.
32 ¶ In those days the LORD began to cut off parts of Israel; and Hazael conquered them in all the territory of Israel
33 from the Jordan eastward: all the land of Gilead—Gad, Reuben, and Manasseh—from Aroer, which is by the River Arnon, including Gilead and Bashan.
34 ¶ Now the rest of the acts of Jehu, all that he did, and all his might, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?
35 So Jehu rested with his fathers, and they buried him in Samaria. Then Jehoahaz his son reigned in his place.
36 And the period that Jehu reigned over Israel in Samaria was twenty-eight years.

Here's the beginning of the Northern Kingdom's fourth dynasty of kings. Verse 28 says, "Thus Jehu destroyed Baal from Israel." That's good...right? Jehu started out with a great deal of promise - you know with that wiping-out-Baal thing. Could it be that we actually have a good King of Israel, the Northern Kingdom? What have you heard me say? The Northern Kingdom never, never, never, never had a good king. While he hated Baal, he didn't go back to the worship of the One True God, but rather embraced the newer worship that Jeroboam had established back at the beginning of the Northern Kingdom - loved those two golden calves (I Kings 12:25-33, see notes). He reigned 28 years, but his kingdom diminished during that period from the perils of war at the hands of the King of Syria, Hazael. You will recall from I Kings 19:15 (see notes) that God had commanded Elijah to anoint Hazael as King of Syria. It was that same prophecy in which God also commanded Elijah to anoint King Jehu. Hey! God has always had a plan!

Notice what is said about Jehu in verses 30-31, "And the LORD said to Jehu, 'Because you have done well in doing what is right in My sight, and have done to the house of Ahab all that was in My heart, your sons shall sit on the throne of Israel to the fourth generation.' But Jehu took no heed to walk in the law of the LORD God of Israel with all his heart; for he did not depart from the sins of Jeroboam, who had made Israel sin." Even though Jehu did not serve the One True God, he is rewarded for eradicating the worship of Baal from Israel; his dynasty is thus guaranteed for four generations, ending with the assassination of Zechariah in II Kings 15:8-12 (see notes).

So, who is this Athaliah gal? (II Kings 11:1-3)
(Click here to see the summary on the parallel passage in II Chronicles 22:10-12)

Athaliah was the daughter of Ahab and Jezebel, and the wife of Jehoram, king of Judah (II Kings 8:18, see notes), who “walked in the way of the kings of Israel” (II Chronicles 21:6, see notes), called “daughter” of Omri (her grandfather) in II Kings 8:26 (see notes). On the death of her husband and of her son Ahaziah, she resolved to seat herself on the vacant throne. She slew all Ahaziah’s children except Joash, the youngest (II Kings 11:1-2, see notes), but that was only an oversight. She meant to kill them all to finish up what Jehu had started back in II Kings 10:1-17 (see above). In other words, she was not a nice woman, but she did rule Judah for six years as its only queen!

The rescue of little Joash was orchestrated by his Aunt Jehoshabeath, the late King Ahaziah's sister. She just happened to be married to the high priest, Jehoiada. Little Joash was groomed for the kingship for six years by the high priest of Jerusalem without the knowledge of the wicked illegitimate Queen Athaliah.

Oooops! Athaliah misses one (II Kings 11:4-21)
(Click here to see the summary on the parallel passage in II Chronicles 23:1-15)

Athaliah did not see this one coming! She thought she killed all of Ahaziah's children, but a baby was hidden for six years by the sister of Ahaziah (wife of the high priest). When Joash turns seven, the priest of Judah, Jehoiada, orchestrates his installation as King of Judah. He did so by bringing in the leaders of the Israeli army to protect the previously-hidden heir to the throne while he is crowned King of Judah. It all takes place on the Sabbath day so as to not bring suspicion to the gathering of people around the temple.

The plan works; Athaliah hears the people cheering at his coronation. She shows up at the temple to see what all the commotion is about. Surprise, surprise! We then hear Athaliah's last words, "Treason, treason!" She is put to death and a seven-year-old boy becomes King of Judah; what a country! Oh, and to top it all off, they got rid of Baal worship in Judah also. Jehoiada makes a covenant with the people of Judah in verse 17, "Then Jehoiada made a covenant between the LORD, the king, and the people, that they should be the LORD’S people, and also between the king and the people." So, Joash (aka Jehoash) begins to reign at the ripe old age of seven under the guiding hand of the high priest, Jehoida. Verse 20 has Athaliah's eulogy, "for they had slain Athaliah with the sword in the king’s house."