2 Kings 9:17-26

B. THE DEATH OF JEHORAM OF ISRAEL 9:17-26

TRANSLATION

(17) Now the watchman was standing upon the tower in Jezreel, and he saw the company of Jehu as he came, and he said, A company I see! And Joram said, Take a horseman, and send to meet them, and let him say, Is all well? (18) So a horseman went to meet him and he said, Thus says the king: Is all well? And Jehu said, What concern is it of yours? Turn in behind me. And the watchman told, saying, The messenger came unto them, and he did not return. (19) And he sent a second horseman, and he came unto them, and said, Thus says the king: Is all well? And Jehu said, What concern is it of yours? Turn in behind me. (20) And the watchman told, saying, He came unto them, and he did not return. And the driving is like the driving of Jehu son of Nimshi, for he drives like a madman. (21) And Joram said, Hitch up! And he hitched up his chariot. And Joram the king of Israel and Ahaziah the king of Judah went out, each in his chariot, and they went out to meet Jehu. And they found him in the portion of Naboth the Jezreelite. (22) And it came to pass when Joram saw Jehu that he said, Is all well, Jehu? And Jehu said, How can it be so long as the harlotries of Jezebel your mother and her many witchcrafts con tinue. (23) And Joram turned his hands, and fled, and said to Ahaziah, Treachery, O Ahaziah! (24) And Jehu drew his bow, and smote Joram between his shoulders, and the arrow went out at his heart, and he slumped over in his chariot. (25) Then he said to Bidkar his captain, Take up, cast him in the portion of the field of Naboth the Jezreelite; for remember when you and I rode together after Ahab his father, and the LORD laid this burden upon him: (26) Surely I have seen yesterday the blood of Naboth, and the blood of his sons (oracle of the LORD); and I will recompense you in this portion (oracle of the LORD). Now lift him up, and cast him into the portion according to the word of the LORD.

COMMENTS

A watchman in the tower at Jezreel spied the band approaching and notified the king. Joram was not alarmed, and suspected that the small group of chariots was bringing news from the war front. He dispatched a messenger to find out if the news was good or bad (2 Kings 9:17). Jehu refused to answer the question of the messenger, but said to him in effect, What does it matter to a common man like you whether or not my tidings are peaceful? He then directed the messenger to fall in behind him, and the messenger had no choice but to obey. The watchman noting this suspicious behavior reported it at once to the king. Joram should now have realized something was amiss, but he seems to have been oblivious to danger (2 Kings 9:18). A second messenger was sent out with the same question, and he too was rebuffed and ordered to fall in behind Jehu (2 Kings 9:19). The sending of the second messenger was an indication that the king was displeased with the detention of the first. When the second messenger failed also to return, Joram realized that whoever was leading that chariot band was acting in open defiance of the royal will. From the reckless pace at which the chariots were heading for Jezreel the watchman at Jezreel concluded that General Jehu, who had a reputation for such driving, was leading the group (2 Kings 9:20).

When Joram heard that Jehu led the company which was approaching, his apprehension disappeared. Jehu was known for his loyalty to the house of Ahab. The king and his nephew from Judah decided to ride out to meet the great general to find out why he had abandoned his post at Ramoth-gilead. It so happened in God's judicial providence that the kings meet Jehu and his company in the portion of ground which Ahab had so ruthlessly taken away from Naboth (2 Kings 9:21). Joram asked the same question which the two messengers asked, but perhaps there is a bit different connotation to it. Jehu at any rate interpreted the king's question, Is all well? to mean, Is all well between you and me? Jehu answered the question in the negative. Now that the king is within bowshot, Jehu threw off his mask and announced, as it were, his conspiracy. No peace between Jehu and Joram could exist so long as the idolatrous influence of the queen mother was allowed to continue. The witchcrafts of Jezebel would be those magical acts commonly practiced in heathen kingdoms of that day but forthrightly condemned in the Law of Moses (2 Kings 9:22). By so speaking of the queen mother, Jehu was clearly indicating that he was no longer willing to be a subject of her son.

Joram realized his precarious position and ordered his chariot driver to turn the chariot. At the same time, Joram shouted to Ahaziah to warn him of the treachery (2 Kings 9:23). Jehu by this time had his bow in hand, and he quickly shot an arrow that penetrated the king's back and came out his heart. The king immediately slumped into his chariot dead (2 Kings 9:24). Jehu then gave orders to one of his captains to cast the corpse of the king into the portion of ground which had formerly belonged to Naboth. Several years earlier both men had ridden with Ahab in his chariot, and they had heard the burden or sentence pronounced against him by Elijah (2 Kings 9:25). Due to the lapse of some fifteen years, Jehu could not recall the exact words of the prophecy, but he remembered the gist of it, viz., that in Naboth's plot Ahab would be recompensed for his crime (2 Kings 9:26). The execution of Naboth's sons was not previously mentioned, but Ahab would have to have had them slain, else he could not have come into possession of the plot. The evil pronounced against Ahab had been deferred to the days of his sons since Ahab did manifest some repentance with regard to the violence done against Naboth.