2 Kings 8:16–11:3

8:16–18 Along with Jehoram king of Israel (2 Kings 3:1), we now have to contend with “Jehoram the son of Jehoshaphat, king of Judah.”² It is not stated that the shared name is a direct result of the Judean kings’ newfound love for all things Israelite, but the implication is certainly there. Now for the first time, a Judean king is dismissed in terms usually reserved for those reigning in Samaria: “He walked in the way of the kings of Israel, as the house of Ahab had done.” There is a reason for this, lurking in the background for several chapters, as the growing closeness between Israel and Judah has been detailed but not explained: “for the daughter of Ahab was his wife.” This simple fact is indicative of the spiritual decline of the nation of Judah.

Jehoshaphat—the Davidic king, as we have already seen—was long on piety but short on practical wisdom. Back in 1 Kings 22, he became embroiled with Ahab, inexplicably going into battle with the idolatrous king, and even more inexplicably agreeing with Ahab’s suggestion to swap clothes after Ahab got wind of a prophesy of his impending death. Now the reason for Jehoshaphat’s commitment to Ahab, and his willingness to endanger his own life and kingdom, becomes clear: Jehoshaphat is in a treaty relationship with Ahab, reflected in the fact that he is now related to him by marriage. The text does not fill out the events leading to this arrangement, but presumably the power of the northern dynasty had been brought to bear on the weaker Judah in the south, and the godly king (in all likelihood) had little option but to throw in his lot with the vile Ahab. Jehoshaphat marries off his son and heir to sweet little Athaliah, who, it turns out, almost manages to make her mom, Jezebel, look pleasant. This marriage—and this woman—has an instant effect. Not only do the kings of Judah get Israelite names, but Judah starts acting exactly like Israel! Instant idolatry leads to a loosening grip on the land. Losing land in the OT is always a warning sign of God’s displeasure.

And things do not get any better after Jehoram is gone. One arranged marriage, and Judah falls into step with the sin of Israel and manages to do so long after Jehoram is dead. Before long there will be bloodshed and mayhem, and on the face of it the entire covenantal plan of God appears to be headed for the rocks.

8:19–24 In a statement as surprising as it is encouraging, we are reminded in verse 19 that Yahweh’s commitment to Judah is dependent on something much more solid than the spiritual temperature in Jerusalem: “Yet the Lord was not willing to destroy Judah, for the sake of David his servant, since he promised to give a lamp to him and to his sons forever.” God’s purposes are linked inextricably to the descendants of David (cf. 2 Samuel 7), and because of that, Judah and her Davidic king may be disciplined (2 Sam. 7:14) but cannot and will not be destroyed—a fact that must have come as a great comfort to those reading the completed history in Babylon and beyond.³ Despite Yahweh’s basic commitment, however, the reign of Jehoram of Judah was a time of decline: “In his days Edom revolted from the rule of Judah and set up a king of their own. . . . Then Libnah revolted at the same time.” Despite Jehoram’s personal efforts to quell this rebellion (2 Kings 8:21), Edom breaks out from the vassal relationship that has been in place for generations (cf. 1 Kings 22:47; 2 Kings 3:8). Libnah, a Levitical city (Josh. 21:13) southwest of Jerusalem follows suit. Judah, it seems, is beginning to go the way of Israel.

8:25–27 Jehoram of Judah is succeeded by his son, “Ahaziah the son of Jehoram, king of Judah.” Confusingly, Jehoram had named his son after the older brother of his namesake in Israel (cf. 2 Kings 1:2). Like his Israelite namesake, this Ahaziah has a short-lived reign, lasting only a year. The summary of his reign reverts to convention, naming his mother (rather than the focus on the king’s wife in the previous verses). Here, however, Athaliah is described not as the daughter of Ahab but as a “granddaughter of Omri king of Israel.” This is probably to contrast the Davidic dynasty with the Omride dynasty, the most dominant line in Israelite history. The verdict on Ahaziah is the same as that on his father: “He also walked in the way of the house of Ahab and did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, as the house of Ahab had done, for he was son-in-law to the house of Ahab.” The triple reference to the “house of Ahab” further underlines the decline of Judah and the fact that the two nations are now basically identical.⁴

8:28–29 Chapter 8 closes with the idolatrous treaty partners (and cousins by marriage) joining together to “make war against Hazael king of Syria at Ramoth-gilead,” where “the Syrians wounded Joram.” This detail will be important in advancing the narrative that follows. It is, however, a sad indictment of this Judean king that all there is to say about his reign is that he went to visit “Joram son of Ahab,” who had “returned to be healed in Jezreel of the wounds that the Syrians had given him at Ramah.” One senses that this close relationship with the Omride king cannot end well. As for Jezebel and Ahab’s family, it is judgment day.

9:4–10 The “young man . . . went to Ramoth-gilead” as instructed, where the “commanders of the army were in council.” The young prophet interrupts a meeting and insists that Jehu come out. The mystery of his mission is highlighted by Jehu’s uncertainty, but when the messenger confirms that this is a word for Jehu alone, in language often used for responding to a divine summons, “he arose and went into the house.” The young man then speaks and acts with the authority of both Elisha and God himself. He pours anointing oil all over Jehu’s head and then runs for his life. The impromptu coronation ceremony fits the desperate times. The formula used to acclaim Jehu is not the normal one—we are in rebel country—and everyone knows what is coming next. As well as anointing Jehu “king over the people of the Lord, over Israel” (v. 6), the young man gives Jehu specific instructions, all of which (and more!) are fulfilled in the following verses: “You shall strike down the house of Ahab your master, so that I may avenge on Jezebel the blood of my servants the prophets, and the blood of all the servants of the Lord.”

The son of the prophets then supplies more detail, saying that the “whole house of Ahab shall perish, and I will cut off from Ahab every male, bond or free, in Israel.” This sets the scene for the bloodshed that follows. There will be no peace in Israel—it is payback time. Yahweh is about to avenge his people. Then, quoting 1 Kings 21:22–23, the young man reiterates Yahweh’s verdict on Ahab and Jezebel: “‘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. And the dogs shall eat Jezebel in the territory of Jezreel, and none shall bury her.’ Then he opened the door and fled” (2 Kings 9:9–10).

At first glance, it does seem strange that the instructions given to Elijah in 1 Kings 19 and the judgment promised to Ahab and Jezebel in 1 Kings 21 take such a long time to be fulfilled and that, even when the fulfillment does come, it seems to take a slightly different shape than envisaged (e.g., it is one of the sons of the prophets who anoints Jehu, rather than Elijah, or even Elisha himself). However, in the context of a two-volume work that is addressing questions such as “Does God keep his promises?” and “Is there a future for the people of God?” the theme of delayed fulfillment resonates strongly and goes some way to explaining why these Jehu narratives are recorded in such detail.

9:11–13 Just as the young man has followed instructions to the letter, Jehu also is circumspect in not revealing his commission prematurely. When his staff ask, “Why did this mad fellow come to you?”⁶ Jehu repeatedly puts them off: “You know the fellow and his talk. . . . Thus and so he spoke to me,” but eventually Jehu admits that the man brought him a message: “Thus says the Lord, I anoint you king over Israel.” At this point, his servants hold a private coronation as “every man of them took his garment and put it under him on the bare steps, and they blew the trumpet and proclaimed, ‘Jehu is king.’” This remains a private acknowledgment for now.

9:14–15 Jehu knows that he must strike quickly if his mission is to stand the best chance of success. With the backing of the men of Ramoth-gilead, he sets out for Jezreel, where, providentially, both Joram and Ahaziah are waiting. The parenthesis at this point (in a way that is unusual for the writer of Kings) summarizes the details of 8:28–29, which explain why both J(eh)oram of Israel and Ahaziah of Judah are in Jezreel. The two narratives now converge, as Jehu insists that word of his uprising be kept to Ramoth-gilead for now, as he makes his way to Jezreel (45 mi./70 km away) to seek out Ahab’s son.

9:16–21 The fact that “Jehu mounted his chariot and went to Jezreel” is important to the narrative, as Jehu is apparently known for his reckless driving style. The tension grows as the “watchman . . . standing on the tower in Jezreel” sees his approach⁷ and tells Joram, who repeatedly asks in effect, “Is there any shalom on offer?” (cf. vv. 17–19), but peace is not on the menu. Joram is understandably jumpy (given the fact that they are at war, and he is recently wounded) and commands that a “horseman” be sent immediately to ask those approaching, “Is it peace?” One of his troops is sent to convey the message. Jehu’s response is unambiguous: “What do you have to do with peace?” His offer to the messenger is to “turn around and ride behind me” or, by implication, suffer the same fate as those awaiting Jehu’s arrival. This would no doubt have caused confusion in Joram’s party, who would have expected either a violent response or a swift turnaround to deliver good news. This is why “he sent out a second horseman” (v. 19), but precisely the same thing happens.

At this point, the watchman realizes that the “driving is like the driving of Jehu the son of Nimshi, for he drives furiously.” The prophetically inspired Jehu, who is not speaking like the madman of verse 11, is driving his chariot like a madman! Joram and Ahaziah then decide to go out to meet him. Joram’s response may imply that there is some prehistory to Jehu’s ambitions, for the command “make ready” is not simply the language of receiving dispatches from the front. Rather than simply waiting for news, both kings, “Joram king of Israel and Ahaziah king of Judah set out, each in his chariot, and went to meet Jehu.” The sense of approaching doom is significantly highlighted by the fact that they “met him at the property of Naboth the Jezreelite” (cf. 1 Kings 21:1–16).

9:22–26 When Joram finally meets Jehu, he asks the same question he had sent his messengers to ask: “Is it peace, Jehu?” Jehu’s answer is surprisingly theological: “What peace can there be, so long as the whorings and the sorceries of your mother Jezebel are so many?” This is at the heart of the ambiguity of the Jehu narratives: on the one hand, he is deeply passionate about rooting out Baalism from Israel, yet on the other, he shows little interest in or understanding of the ways of Yahweh. On hearing Jehu’s threatening words, Joram “reined about and fled, saying to Ahaziah, ‘Treachery, O Ahaziah!’” The presence of the king of Judah at this moment, as the king of Israel is punished for his idolatry, is a powerful picture of the way in which the nation of Judah should have responded to seeing their brother Israel crushed by the Assyrians in 722 BC.

Jehu’s action is as decisive as it is brutal in verse 24: “Jehu drew his bow with his full strength, and shot Joram between the shoulders, so that the arrow pierced his heart, and he sank in his chariot.” Jehu appears to have very little conscience.⁸ This is confirmed by his instructions to Bidkar: “Take him up and throw him on the plot of ground belonging to Naboth the Jezreelite.” While there is an appropriate symmetry in this judgment, Jehu appears worryingly unaffected by his just having assassinated the king.

At this point, we receive our first insight into the background—and mind-set—of Jehu. It turns out that he has served successive generations of the Omride dynasty: “Remember . . . you and I rode side by side behind Ahab his father.” Jehu is actually an insider in the court of Israel. He then recalls “how the Lord made this pronouncement against him,” loosely paraphrasing 1 Kings 21:19: “As surely as I saw yesterday the blood of Naboth and the blood of his sons—declares the Lord—I will repay you on this plot of ground.” Jehu then grounds his action of discarding the king’s body on the site of Naboth’s vineyard by claiming it is “in accordance with the word of the Lord.” There is a growing sense that Jehu is going beyond what he has been commanded, doing so with some relish, but there is also an insistence that this flawed man is also (imperfectly) enacting the will of God.

9:27–29 This tension becomes even more obvious when Jehu also kills Ahaziah. Jehu finishes off Ahaziah as well because, if Ahaziah is acting like a king of Israel, he should be treated like one. As Ahaziah of Judah “fled in the direction of Beth-haggan. . . . Jehu pursued him and said, ‘Shoot him also.’” There has been no mention of Jehu acting against anyone from Judah, let alone the king, but Jehu takes matters into his own hands: “And they shot him in the chariot at the ascent of Gur, which is by Ibleam. And he fled to Megiddo and died there.” This is a shocking and callous act, one that clearly takes place without any divine sanction. Already Jehu, while fulfilling his divine mandate, is also pursuing his own agenda in his own way—for which he will have to answer. So Ahaziah’s “servants carried him in a chariot to Jerusalem, and buried him in his tomb with his fathers in the city of David.” Unusually, in verse 29, the year Ahaziah began to reign is stated rather than the year in which his reign ends (although in all likelihood, both occur within the same calendar year). This may well also be a device to underline the callous way in which his reign is cut short almost before it had begun. And then it is time to deal with Jezebel.

9:30–35 Given the fact that he has just killed her son, it is hardly surprising that “when Jehu came to Jezreel, Jezebel heard of it.” The arch-idolatress could hardly be more calm and collected as she “painted her eyes and adorned her head and looked out of the window,” waiting for her family’s nemesis.¹⁰ She knows Jehu is coming for her. So what does she do? She decides to go out in style, with her head held high, a classic example of the ancient “woman at the window.”¹¹

When Jehu arrives, Jezebel, as did Joram, asks if he has come in peace, but this time with an added barb: “Is it peace, you Zimri, murderer of your master?” As Jehu approaches, she mocks him as a “Zimri,” the short-lived usurper who ruled Israel for a week before being overthrown by Jezebel’s father-in-law (cf. 1 Kings 16:8–20). When Jehu sees that she is up for a fight, he calls for help: “Who is on my side? Who?” The tale of the unexpected continues as “two or three eunuchs looked out at him.” The designation “eunuch” was widely used in the ancient Near East in the first place for those who had been emasculated (such men were often trusted to serve the females of the royal household; cf. Est. 2:3, 14–15), and then by extension for a variety of royal officials. Their condition may have been congenital, or forced upon them. Either way, they seem unlikely allies for Jehu and his bloodlust (although cf. Est. 2:21).¹² However, when he commands them to “throw her down,” they do exactly that.

No detail is spared in the account of the death of the archetypal enemy of Yahweh and his people: “And some of her blood spattered on the wall and on the horses, and they trampled on her.”¹³ Jehu’s coolness appears to spill over into callousness, as in 2 Kings 9:34: “He went in and ate and drank.” As Jezebel lies there, Jehu has his lunch. Eventually, he relents and issues an order: “See now to this cursed woman and bury her, for she is a king’s daughter.” It proves to be too late, for when the burial party goes to retrieve the body, they find “no more of her than the skull and the feet and the palms of her hands.” This is strong stuff, but the writer clearly thinks it is good for us.

9:36–37 Again, the brutality of Jehu, who seems to be taking a chilling relish in the role he has been called to, is in marked contrast to his theologically correct assessment of the ultimate cause of all this. In verses 36–37 he affirms:

This is the word of the Lord, which he spoke by his servant Elijah the Tishbite: “In the territory of Jezreel the dogs shall eat the flesh of Jezebel, and the corpse of Jezebel shall be as dung on the face of the field in the territory of Jezreel, so that no one can say, ‘This is Jezebel.’”

Once more, the quotation seems less than exact, but it captures the heart of the earlier oracles. However, this chapter definitely comes with a warning that it contains strong violence. The matter-of-fact tone of the narrative also creates the impression that Jehu is acting in a way that is both cold and calculated.

10:8–11 In the chilling words of verse 8, Jehu piles up the king’s sons before pretending he has nothing to do with all of this butchery. He very deliberately instructs that the bloody heads of Ahab’s dynasty be displayed at Jezreel “in two heaps at the entrance of the gate until the morning.” In a political masterstroke, Jehu then manages to appear both gracious and vaguely penitent, all while standing in front of the grim evidence of his determination to carry out his commission with enthusiasm. Is Jehu going further than Yahweh has said? Perhaps. But he manages to make it look like a terrible misunderstanding. He tells the people from Samaria, “You are innocent. It was I who conspired against my master and killed him, but who struck down all these?”

The implication is that this was simply the act of God himself, as underlined in verse 10: “Know then that there shall fall to the earth nothing of the word of the Lord, which the Lord spoke concerning the house of Ahab, for the Lord has done what he said by his servant Elijah.” Jehu’s blasé approach to mass murder is worrying and suggests that he is going far beyond his original commission, a concern confirmed by the note of verse 11, that he deals not only with the house of Ahab but also with “all his great men and his close friends and his priests, until he left him none remaining.”

10:12–14 What begins as a divinely sanctioned mission now turns into a killing spree, as Jehu himself finally travels to Samaria. At “Beth-eked [lit., “house of binding”] of the Shepherds” Jehu meets part of the royal family of Judah, the “relatives of Ahaziah” who are traveling to “visit the royal princes and the sons of the queen mother.” For Jehu, guilt by association is now more than enough reason to kill, so “they took them alive and slaughtered them at the pit of Beth-eked, forty-two persons, and he spared none of them.” This disturbing incident adds to the clear sense that Jehu’s zeal for the word of Yahweh has now spilled over into simple bloodlust.

10:15–17 Surprisingly at this point, Jehu meets “Jehonadab the son of Rechab.” Jehonadab and the Rechabites are later known for their single-minded devotion to Yahweh (Jeremiah 35). Jehu asks Jehonadab, “Is your heart true to my heart as mine is to yours?” And Jehonadab answers, “It is.” Jehu then says, “If it is, give me your hand.” This underlines the fact that although Jehu oversteps the mark, he does so as one who can say in all good conscience, “Come with me, and see my zeal for the Lord” (2 Kings 10:16). This tension is preserved in the statement that “he struck down all who remained to Ahab in Samaria, till he had wiped them out, according to the word of the Lord that he spoke to Elijah.” Jehu has obeyed . . . and more!

10:18–27 In reality, Jehu’s mission in Samaria is more subtle than a surface reading of verse 17 might imply. He shows a certain dark panache in tackling not only Ahab’s dynasty but also his legacy of idolatry. Not only does Jehu enjoy his work, it also seems that he is very good at it. His “temples to toilets” program in verses 18–27 is carried out with some style, and his assertion that “Ahab served Baal a little, but Jehu will serve him much” sets the tone for what follows. Jehu summons the entire cadre of Baal prophets (“Let none be missing, for I have a great sacrifice to offer to Baal. Whoever is missing shall not live.”). Just in case we too are convinced by his subterfuge, verse 19 makes clear that “Jehu did it with cunning in order to destroy the worshipers of Baal.”

Such is the state of Israel that the call to “sanctify a solemn assembly for Baal” rather than for Yahweh is immediately followed through, and, thanks to Jehu’s mock enthusiasm, “there was not a man left who did not come.” As the crowd assembles in verse 21, the scene is set, as the “house of Baal was filled from one end to the other.” Jehu, despite his occasional brutality, is deeply loyal to Yahweh and his people, so, after giving the go-ahead for the Baal rituals in verse 22, he ensures that only Baal worshipers are present (“Search, and see that there is no servant of the Lord here among you, but only the worshipers of Baal”).

When everything is in full swing, Jehu enacts his plan: “Now Jehu had stationed eighty men outside and said, ‘The man who allows any of those whom I give into your hands to escape shall forfeit his life.’” Jehu offers the burnt offering, which is the signal, and he instructs “the guard and . . . the officers, ‘Go in and strike them down; let not a man escape.’”¹⁴ Not only are the worshipers of Baal executed, but, “they brought out the pillar that was in the house of Baal and burned it.” Then both the pillar and the temple of Baal itself are destroyed and converted into a “latrine to this day.”

10:28–36 The summary of the reign of Jehu reflects the ambiguity of the earlier narratives. On the one hand, “Jehu wiped out Baal from Israel.” He was a Yahweh loyalist whose intent, if not his methods, were good. Jehu refers repeatedly to the fact that all these events are according to the word of Yahweh, even while failing himself to worship God as he requires.

According to verse 29, while he did reverse the disastrous drift to idolatry under Ahab, “Jehu did not turn aside from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat.” He succumbed to that peculiarly northern form of heterodoxy that dogged Israel from the earliest days of the divided kingdom, as he worshiped the “golden calves that were in Bethel and in Dan.” God’s verdict on Jehu is suitably mixed. On the one hand, Jehu’s faithful service is rewarded in the form of a dynasty: “Because you have done well in carrying out what is right in my eyes, and have done to the house of Ahab according to all that was in my heart, your sons of the fourth generation shall sit on the throne of Israel.” However, Jehu’s failures in the area of personal piety (he “was not careful to walk in the law of the Lord, the God of Israel, with all his heart,” according to v. 31) lead to a gradual erosion of his kingdom.

Jehu is used by God, but he is an unsterilized instrument. This principle is visible all the way through the Bible, and we only have to read as far as verse 32 to see it again. Hazael, that other king to be anointed by Elijah according to 1 Kings 19, is appointed to bring Yahweh’s discipline to bear on his overexuberant servant. God is able to use vicious assassins and ruthless dictators, even while restricting their brutality:

In those days the Lord began to cut off parts of Israel. Hazael defeated them throughout the territory of Israel: from the Jordan eastward, all the land of Gilead, the Gadites, and the Reubenites, and the Manassites, from Aroer, which is by the Valley of the Arnon, that is, Gilead and Bashan. (2 Kings 10:32–33)

The slide into Baal worship has been arrested, but Jehu’s long rule (“Jehu reigned over Israel in Samaria twenty-eight years”) has not dealt with the issues at the heart of the nation.