2 Kings 10:1

2 Kings 10:1-11. Jehu destroys the whole family of Ahab (Not in Chronicles)

1. And[R.V. Now] Ahab had seventy sons The conjunction is the usual copulative, but it is somewhat in the style of O.T. translation to commence a new section of the narrative with -Now".

in Samaria It would seem that the name here is for the whole district, as some of those slain appear to have been in Jezreel (see verse 11). But in verse 2 we have an allusion to a fenced city as though the cityof Samaria were specially intended.

And Jehu wrote letters Josephus (Ant.IX. 6. 5) says - twoletters, one to the bringers up of the children, the other to the authorities of Samaria".

sentto Samaria, unto the rulers of Jezreel There is a difficulty here. We cannot see why the rulers of Jezreel should be in Samaria, or why the great men in Israel should have been named -rulers of Jezreel". Hence some have suggested that for -Jezreel" we should read -Israel". The LXX. says -unto the rulers of Samaria", and with this agrees Josephus. But it is very clumsy to say -he sent to Samaria unto the rulers of Samaria". Thenius suggests that the original was -he sent from Jezreel to the rulers of Samaria" which seems much the easiest solution.

It was extremely politic of Jehu to send a letter to Samaria rather than to go there before he had gathered a force around him. He had come from Ramoth-gilead with a very small company, and the fame of what he had done at Jezreel would produce more effect than his presence in Samaria with a mere handful of men to support him.

to[R.V. even] the elders As there is no preposition here in the original, and the preposition is expressed in the next clause, it seems more correct to take -the elders" as in apposition to -the rulers of Jezreel".

and to[R.V. unto] them that brought up Ahab'schildren] [R.V. the sons of Ahab]. The change in the preposition is merely to indicate that it is the same word as that before -rulers" in the previous clause. In the final words the Hebrew is somewhat irregular. -Them that brought up" should properly be in construction with some noun, but as -children" or -sons" is not expressed, the word stands absolutely, and -Ahab" is put without connection after it. No doubt the sense is expressed in the translation. Of course it was only for the -sons" of the royal family that this provision of tutors was made, because out of them would come the successor to the throne.