2 Kings 10:6

a letter the second time Before he presents himself to them, he will let their alarm involve them more deeply than he is involved in the destruction of the royal family.

take ye the heads So Nicanor's head (1Ma 7:47; 2Ma 15:30) was struck off and brought to Jerusalem, and David smote off the head of Goliath (1 Samuel 17:54) and brought it with him from the battle-field.

come to me to Jezreel From what follows we should not discover that they obeyed this part of the order. But no doubt they did, and were ready at the gate, when Jehu came forth on the morrow, to hear what he would say of their prompt obedience. The distance between Jezreel and Samaria was only a journey of a few hours. The heads seem to have been delivered to their new master on the evening of the day on which they were asked for.

Now the king's sons, &c. This parenthetic sentence is inserted to show how easy it was, when they were all of one mind, for the tutors to slay the whole family at a blow.