HarperCollins Study Bible
Page 152
7.17 To be sure readers do not miss the point, the narrator clarifies it in vv. 18–20 (cf. 7.1–3).
2 KINGS 8
The Shunammite Woman’s Land Restored
1Now Elisha had said to the woman whose son he had restored to life, “Get up and go with your household, and settle wherever you can; for the LORD has called for a famine, and it will come on the land for seven years.” 2So the woman got up and did according to the word of the man of God; she went with her household and settled in the land of the Philistines seven years. 3At the end of the seven years, when the woman returned from the land of the Philistines, she set out to appeal to the king for her house and her land. 4Now the king was talking with Gehazi the servant of the man of God, saying, “Tell me all the great things that Elisha has done.” 5While he was telling the king how Elisha had restored a dead person to life, the woman whose son he had restored to life appealed to the king for her house and her land. Gehazi said, “My lord king, here is the woman, and here is her son whom Elisha restored to life.” 6When the king questioned the woman, she told him. So the king appointed an official for her, saying, “Restore all that was hers, together with all the revenue of the fields from the day that she left the land until now.”
Death of Ben-hadad
7Elisha went to Damascus while King Ben-hadad of Aram was ill. When it was told him, “The man of God has come here,” 8the king said to Hazael, “Take a present with you and go to meet the man of God. Inquire of the LORD through him, whether I shall recover from this illness.” 9So Hazael went to meet him, taking a present with him, all kinds of goods of Damascus, forty camel loads. When he entered and stood before him, he said, “Your son King Ben-hadad of Aram has sent me to you, saying, ‘Shall I recover from this illness?’” 10Elisha said to him, “Go, say to him, ‘You shall certainly recover’ but the LORD has shown me that he shall certainly die.” 11He fixed his gaze and stared at him, until he was ashamed. Then the man of God wept. 12Hazael asked, “Why does my lord weep?” He answered, “Because I know the evil that you will do to the people of Israel; you will set their fortresses on fire, you will kill their young men with the sword, dash in pieces their little ones, and rip up their pregnant women.” 13Hazael said, “What is your servant, who is a mere dog, that he should do this great thing?” Elisha answered, “The LORD has shown me that you are to be king over Aram.” 14Then he left Elisha, and went to his master Ben-hadad,d who said to him, “What did Elisha say to you?” And he answered, “He told me that you would certainly recover.” 15But the next day he took the bed-cover and dipped it in water and spread it over the king’s face, until he died. And Hazael succeeded him.
Jehoram Reigns over Judah
16In the fifth year of King Joram son of Ahab of Israel,e Jehoram son of King Jehoshaphat of Judah began to reign. 17He was thirty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned eight years in Jerusalem.18He walked in the way of the kings of Israel, as the house of Ahab had done, for the daughter of Ahab was his wife. He did what was evil in the sight of the LORD. 19Yet the LORD would not destroy Judah, for the sake of his servant David, since he had promised to give a lamp to him and to his descendants forever.
20In his days Edom revolted against the rule of Judah, and set up a king of their own. 21Then Joram crossed over to Zair with all his chariots. He set out by night and attacked the Edomites and their chariot commanders who had surrounded him;f but his army fled home. 22So Edom has been in revolt against the rule of Judah to this day. Libnah also revolted at the same time. 23Now the rest of the acts of Joram, and all that he did, are they not written in the Book of the Annals of the Kings of Judah? 24So Joram slept with his ancestors, and was buried with them in the city of David; his son Ahaziah succeeded him.
Ahaziah Reigns over Judah
25In the twelfth year of King Joram son of Ahab of Israel, Ahaziah son of King Jehoram of Judah began to reign. 26Ahaziah was twenty-two years old when he began to reign; he reigned one year in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Athaliah, a granddaughter of King Omri of Israel. 27He also walked in the way of the house of Ahab, doing 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.
28He went with Joram son of Ahab to wage war against King Hazael of Aram at Ramoth-gilead, where the Arameans wounded Joram. 29King Joram returned to be healed in Jezreel of the wounds that the Arameans had inflicted on him at Ramah, when he fought against King Hazael of Aram. King Ahaziah son of Jehoram of Judah went down to see Joram son of Ahab in Jezreel, because he was wounded.
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a A term for several skin diseases; precise meaning uncertain
b A term for several skin diseases; precise meaning uncertain
c Compare Gk Syr Vg: Meaning of Heb uncertain
d Heb lacks Ben-hadad
e Gk Syr: Heb adds Jehoshaphat being king of Judah,
f Meaning of Heb uncertain
8.1–6 This brief story about the Shunammite woman’s land claim is a sequel to the account in 4.8–37. The narrative demonstrates Elisha’s willingness to use his powers to aid those who support him.
8.1 The story’s connection with the preceding narrative is unclear. The seven-year famine does not seem to be related to the starvation caused by the siege but is a new threat of which the Lord has warned the prophet. Famines were common occurrences in ancient Israel (4.38; 1 Kings 17.1), but sometimes people migrated in order to escape them (Gen 12.10; 26.1).
8.2 The woman’s temporary residence with the Philistines, somewhere on the west coast of Palestine, indicates that the famine was not widespread.
8.3 Apparently the Shunammite’s house and lands had been taken in her absence, although the circumstances of the loss are unclear. They might have become royal property for some reason, or perhaps her neighbors simply expanded their borders.
8.4 In contrast to the preceding narrative (6.31), the king here idolizes Elisha.
8.6 The Shunammite’s involvement in Elisha’s powerful deed is enough to persuade the king to act favorably on her case.
8.7–15 The illness of the Aramean king Ben-hadad provides Elisha with an opportunity to carry out one of the divine commands to his predecessor, Elijah. Yet rather than anointing Hazael as king over Aram (1 Kings 19.15), the prophet simply plants the seeds of rebellion in the mind of the future king.
8.7 Ben-hadad. See note on 6.24. Elisha is portrayed here as a welcome figure in the Aramean capital.
8.8 It was common practice to seek a prophetic oracle in cases of illness (cf. 1.2–8; 1 Kings 14.1–16).
8.9 The present Hazael brings to Elisha is enormous and is intended to indicate the high regard in which the Arameans hold the prophet. Son, used to designate a disciple, here a sign of subservience.
8.10 The translation correctly indicates that Elisha counseled Hazael to lie, although the Hebrew text and many later commentators tried to avoid that interpretation of events. In the end what the Lord showed the prophet turned out to be true.
8.11 Until he was ashamed, possibly simply “for a long time.”
8.12 Hazael’s attacks on Israel are described less dramatically in 10.32; 13.7.
8.16–24 The reign of Jehoshaphat’s son Jehoram (Joram) receives a strong negative evaluation because of his intermarriage with the family of the Northern king Ahab, who represents for the narrator the epitome of evil and apostasy (1 Kings 16.31–33).
8.16 Jehoram and Joram are variant forms of the same name and are used interchangeably in this narrative for both the Northern and Southern kings. Jehoram of Judah reigned ca. 849–843/2 BCE.
8.17 A comparison with 3.1 reveals a chronological problem usually solved by positing a four-year coregency with Jehoshaphat.
8.18 The marriage between Jehoram and Ahab’s daughter Athaliah had been arranged to cement the treaty that made Jehoshaphat Ahab’s vassal (see note on 1 Kings 22.2). In the eyes of the narrator, the Israelite princess introduced evil into the Judea
n royal house in the same way that the Phoenician princess Jezebel introduced evil into the house of Ahab (1 Kings 16.31).
8.19 Lamp. See note on 1 Kings 11.36.
8.20 Edom had been a vassal of Judah’s during Jehoshaphat’s reign. See notes on 3.8; 3.9.
8.21 Zair, an unknown location in or near Edom.
8.22 Libnah was in western Judah near Philistine territory.
8.23 The Book of the Annals of the Kings of Judah. See note on 1 Kings 14.29.
8.25–29 The brief reign of Ahaziah of Judah was also tainted by his kinship with the house of Ahab and receives the expected negative evaluation from the narrator.
8.25 Ahaziah reigned in 843/2 BCE.
8.26 Athaliah was also the daughter of Ahab (v. 18).
8.27 Ahaziah was in fact a blood relative of the house of Ahab, since Ahab was Ahaziah’s grandfather.
8.28 For an earlier dispute between Israel and Aram over Ramoth-gilead, see 1 Kings 22.1–40. The precise location of the town is unknown.
8.29 Ramah, here not the town in Benjamin (see 1 Kings 15.17) but a shortened form of the name Ramoth-gilead.
2 KINGS 9
Anointing of Jehu
1Then the prophet Elisha called a member of the company of prophetsa and said to him, “Gird up your loins; take this flask of oil in your hand, and go to Ramoth-gilead. 2When you arrive, look there for Jehu son of Jehoshaphat, son of Nimshi; go in and get him to leave his companions, and take him into an inner chamber. 3Then take the flask of oil, pour it on his head, and say, ‘Thus says the LORD: I anoint you king over Israel.’ Then open the door and flee; do not linger.”
4So the young man, the young prophet, went to Ramoth-gilead. 5He arrived while the commanders of the army were in council, and he announced, “I have a message for you, commander.” “For which one of us?” asked Jehu. “For you, commander.” 6So Jehub got up and went inside; the young man poured the oil on his head, saying to him, “Thus says the LORD the God of Israel: I anoint you king over the people of the LORD, over Israel. 7You shall strike down the house of your master Ahab, so that I may avenge on Jezebel the blood of my servants the prophets, and the blood of all the servants of the LORD. 8For the whole house of Ahab shall perish; I will cut off from Ahab every male, bond or free, in Israel. 9I will make the house of Ahab like the house of Jeroboam son of Nebat, and like the house of Baasha son of Ahijah. 10The dogs shall eat Jezebel in the territory of Jezreel, and no one shall bury her.” Then he opened the door and fled.
11When Jehu came back to his master’s officers, they said to him, “Is everything all right? Why did that madman come to you?” He answered them, “You know the sort and how they babble.” 12They said, “Liar! Come on, tell us!” So he said, “This is just what he said to me: ‘Thus says the LORD, I anoint you king over Israel.’” 13Then hurriedly they all took their cloaks and spread them for him on the barec steps; and they blew the trumpet, and proclaimed, “Jehu is king.”
Joram of Israel Killed
14Thus Jehu son of Jehoshaphat son of Nimshi conspired against Joram. Joram with all Israel had been on guard at Ramoth-gilead against King Hazael of Aram; 15but King Joram had returned to be healed in Jezreel of the wounds that the Arameans had inflicted on him, when he fought against King Hazael of Aram. So Jehu said, “If this is your wish, then let no one slip out of the city to go and tell the news in Jezreel.” 16Then Jehu mounted his chariot and went to Jezreel, where Joram was lying ill. King Ahaziah of Judah had come down to visit Joram.
17In Jezreel, the sentinel standing on the tower spied the company of Jehu arriving, and said, “I see a company.” Joram said, “Take a horseman; send him to meet them, and let him say, ‘Is it peace?’” 18So the horseman went to meet him; he said, “Thus says the king, ‘Is it peace?’” Jehu responded, “What have you to do with peace? Fall in behind me.” The sentinel reported, saying, “The messenger reached them, but he is not coming back.” 19Then he sent out a second horseman, who came to them and said, “Thus says the king, ‘Is it peace?’” Jehu answered, “What have you to do with peace? Fall in behind me.” 20Again the sentinel reported, “He reached them, but he is not coming back. It looks like the driving of Jehu son of Nimshi; for he drives like a maniac.”
21Joram said, “Get ready.” And they got his chariot ready. Then King Joram of Israel and King Ahaziah of Judah set out, each in his chariot, and went to meet Jehu; they met him at the property of Naboth the Jezreelite. 22When Joram saw Jehu, he said, “Is it peace, Jehu?” He answered, “What peace can there be, so long as the many whoredoms and sorceries of your mother Jezebel continue?” 23Then Joram reined about and fled, saying to Ahaziah, “Treason, Ahaziah!” 24Jehu drew his bow with all his strength, and shot Joram between the shoulders, so that the arrow pierced his heart; and he sank in his chariot. 25Jehu said to his aide Bidkar, “Lift him out, and throw him on the plot of ground belonging to Naboth the Jezreelite; for remember, when you and I rode side by side behind his father Ahab how the LORD uttered this oracle against him: 26‘For the blood of Naboth and for the blood of his children that I saw yesterday, says the LORD, I swear I will repay you on this very plot of ground.’ Now therefore lift him out and throw him on the plot of ground, in accordance with the word of the LORD.”
Ahaziah of Judah Killed
27When King Ahaziah of Judah saw this, he fled in the direction of Beth-haggan. Jehu pursued him, saying, “Shoot him also!” And they shot himd in the chariot at the ascent to Gur, which is by Ibleam. Then he fled to Megiddo, and died there. 28His officers carried him in a chariot to Jerusalem, and buried him in his tomb with his ancestors in the city of David.
29In the eleventh year of Joram son of Ahab, Ahaziah began to reign over Judah.
Jezebel’s Violent Death
30When Jehu came to Jezreel, Jezebel heard of it; she painted her eyes, and adorned her head, and looked out of the window. 31As Jehu entered the gate, she said, “Is it peace, Zimri, murderer of your master?” 32He looked up to the window and said, “Who is on my side? Who?” Two or three eunuchs looked out at him. 33He said, “Throw her down.” So they threw her down; some of her blood spattered on the wall and on the horses, which trampled on her. 34Then he went in and ate and drank; he said, “See to that cursed woman and bury her; for she is a king’s daughter.” 35But when they went to bury her, they found no more of her than the skull and the feet and the palms of her hands. 36When they came back and told him, he said, “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; 37the corpse of Jezebel shall be like dung on the field in the territory of Jezreel, so that no one can say, This is Jezebel.’”
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a Heb sons of the prophets
b Heb he
c Meaning of Heb uncertain
d Syr Vg Compare Gk: Heb lacks and they shot him
9.1–13 The story of the prophetic anointing of Jehu introduces a series of narratives that deal with his successful revolt against the Omride dynasty and with his religious reforms (9.1–10.36). In contrast to the other prophetic narratives about Northern kings, the Jehu stories are extraordinarily favorable toward the king, and it is possible that they were originally the climax of a collection of prophetic legends dealing with the eradication of Baal worship in Israel.
9.1–3 The anointing of Jehu fulfills the last of the commands that God gave to Elijah at Mount Horeb (1 Kings 19.15–16; cf. 1 Kings 19.19–21; 2 Kings 8.7–15).
9.1 The anointing is actually performed by a member of a prophetic guild, of which Elisha is the head.
9.2 Inner chamber, a private room that could be closed off to the public.
9.3 On the practice of the prophetic anointing of kings, see 1 Sam 10.1; 16.3; 1 Kings 1.34. Prophets seem to have been involved particularly in anointing the first king of a new dynasty.
9.4 Ramoth-gilead. See note on 8.28.
9.7 Here the death of Ahab is not only
grounded in the Naboth’s vineyard incident (1 Kings 21.21–24) but is related to retribution against Jezebel for killing God’s prophets (1 Kings 18.4; 19.10, 14).
9.8–10 This portion of the oracle repeats in a slightly altered form the earlier prophecy of Elijah (1 Kings 21.21–24; cf. 1 Kings 14.11; 16.4).
9.11 Madman, an epithet often applied to prophets with low credibility (Jer 29.26; Hos 9.7).
9.14–26 After the anointing (vv. 1–13), Elisha and the prophets play no further role in the narrative. Instead, Jehu himself is the center of attention, and the detailed narrative of the coup is intended to glorify him and his reign.
9.14–16 A repetition of the essence of 8.28–29 to explain why the two kings, Joram and Ahaziah, were at the palace in Jezreel rather than at the site of the battle.
9.17 Joram’s question is a general one. He probably suspects a reversal in the battle rather than a coup.
9.21 The location of the subsequent action at Naboth’s property is influenced by the oracle in 1 Kings 21.19.
9.22 Whoredoms, not to be taken literally; the language of adultery and prostitution is often used to characterize the worship of other gods (Ex 34.16; Lev 17.7; Deut 31.16; Judg 2.17; 8.33; Jer 2.1–13; Hos 1–3).
9.26 Throwing Joram’s body on Naboth’s land represents a conflation of Elijah’s prophecy against Ahab (1 Kings 21.19) and the prophecy against his dynasty (1 Kings 21.21–22).
9.27–29 The text does not explain why Jehu wanted to kill Ahaziah, although the latter was Joram’s vassal and might have felt obligated to support one of Joram’s sons as the next king of Israel.
9.27 Beth-haggan, probably to be identified with modern Jenin, on the main road southwest of Jezreel. The ascent to Gur, which is by Ibleam, located just south of Jenin. Megiddo lies west-northwest of Jezreel in the Plain of Esdraelon.