Глава 9

God's judgment on the house of Ahab. 1–10. The anointing of Jehu as the kingdom of Israel. 11–29. Conspiracy of Jehu against Joram and his killing of the latter and Ahaziah of Judah. 30–37. The terrible death of Jezebel. 2 Kings 9:1. Elisha the prophet called one of the sons of the prophets and said to him: Gird up your loins, and take this vessel of oil in your hand, and go to Ramoth-gilead. 2 Kings 9:2. Having arrived there, look there for Jehu the son of Jehoshaphat, the son of Namasha, and go and order him to come out from among his brothers, and bring him into the inner room; 2 Kings 9:3. and take a vessel of oil and pour it on his head, and say, “Thus says the Lord: I will anoint you king over Israel.” Then open the door and run, and don’t wait. 2 Kings 9:4. And the lad, the prophet's servant, went to Ramoth-gilead, 2 Kings 9:5. and he came, and behold the captains of the army were sitting. And he said: I have a word before you, commander. And Jehu said, Who cares among us all? And he said: before you, commander. 2 Kings 9:6. And he got up and entered the house. And the boy poured oil on his head, and said to him, Thus says the Lord God of Israel: “I will anoint you king over the people of the Lord over Israel. 2 Kings 9:7. and thou shalt destroy the house of Ahab thy lord, that I may avenge the blood of my servants the prophets, and the blood of all the servants of the Lord who have fallen by the hand of Jezebel; 2 Kings 9:8. and all the house of Ahab will perish, and I will destroy from Ahab the one who urinates against the wall, and the prisoner, and the one who remains in Israel, 2 Kings 9:9. And I will make the house of Ahab as the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and as the house of Baasha the son of Ahiin; 2 Kings 9:10. Jezebel will be eaten up by dogs in the field of Jezreel, and no one will bury her.” And he opened the door and ran away. Fulfilling the last part of the command given by Jehovah to the prophet Elijah (1 Kings 19:16), the prophet Elisha commands one of the sons of the prophets (according to the rabbis, the prophet Jonah) to anoint to the kingdom of Israel one of the military leaders of the Israeli king Joram - Jehu, who at that time was defending Ramoth-gileadsky with his army from the Syrians (verses 1-2, cf. 2 Kings 8:28). The whole work of anointing Jehu, the avenger of the house of Ahab, had to happen urgently and in secret. “This had to be done secretly, so that Joram could be killed as quickly as possible. And if he had known this before, he would have entered the battle, and in the battle it was necessary for many to fall on both sides” (Blessed Theodoret, question 26). Having performed the anointing, the prophet, according to the command of the prophet Elisha (v. 3), immediately leaves, “so as not to be captured and not be in danger” (Blessed Theodoret, question 27). When Jehu was anointed to the kingdom (cf. 1 Kings 1:34,39), the prophet indicates that the new anointed one will be an instrument of God’s execution (v. 7) over the house of Ahab (in fulfillment of the prediction of the prophet Elijah, 1 Kings 21:21–22), which will be destroyed as completely as the wicked dynasties of Jeroboam and Baasha (1 Kings 15:29,16:3). In addition to the shedding of the blood of the prophets and other innocents by the house of Ahab, especially Jezebel (v. 7), the grave sin of that entire dynasty was the officially introduced cult of Baal and Asherah (1 Kings 16:31–33): its eradication was also the task of Jehu, exactly completed by him (2 Kings 10:18–30). No doubt there was a warning to Jehu himself in the mention of the former wicked dynasties. The very name of Jehu (Heb. Negu, “Jehovah is God”) may indicate service to his theocratic idea, although this did not exclude his own criminality and submission to the judgment of God (Hos. 1:4). The name Jehu in the form Iáua is also found in the wedge-shaped Assyrian documents of Shalmaneser II (860–825), as a tributary of this king. 2 Kings 9:11. And Jehu went out to his master's servants, and they said to him, “Are you in peace?” Why did this frantic one come to you? And he said to them: You know this man and what he says. 2 Kings 9:12. And they said: It’s not true, tell us. And he said, This and that he said to me, saying, “Thus says the Lord: I will anoint you king over Israel.” 2 Kings 9:13. And they hurried, and each took his clothes, and laid them on him on the very steps, and blew the trumpet, and said: Jehu reigns! The appearance and rapid disappearance of the prophet, his excited appearance prompts other military leaders to ask about the purpose of the coming of the “furious one” (Heb.: meshuggah, Greek: ἐπίληπτος, Vulg.: insanus), as the prophets were called in an abusive or disapproving sense (Hos. 9:7; Jer. 29:26; cf. Blessed Theodoret, question 28). After Jehu's failed attempt to evade the answer, he reveals the fact and anointing to his comrades, and they immediately proclaimed Jehu king, announcing his accession to the throne with trumpets (cf. 1 Kings 1:39) and giving him the royal honors of laying clothes under his feet (v. 13), as they later greeted the people of Christ during His entry into Jerusalem (Matt. 21:8). 2 Kings 9:14. And Jehu the son of Jehoshaphat the son of Namasha rebelled against Jehoram; Now Jehoram was with all Israel in Ramoth-gilead, on guard against Hazael king of Syria. 2 Kings 9:15. However, King Joram himself returned to be treated in Jezreel for the wounds that the Syrians inflicted on him when he fought with Hazael, king of Syria. And Jehu said: If you agree [with me], then let no one leave the city to go and give news to Jezreel. 2 Kings 9:16. And Jehu mounted his horse, and rode to Jezreel, where Jehoram lay [the king of Israel, to heal the wounds which the Syrians inflicted on him at Ramoth, when he fought with Hazael king of Syria, strong and mighty], and where Ahaziah king of Judah came to visit Jehoram. 2 Kings 9:17. There was a watchman on the tower of Jezreel, and he saw the horde of Jehu as it came, and said, “I see the horde.” And Joram said, Take the horseman, and go to meet them, and let him say, Is there peace? 2 Kings 9:18. And the rider on a horse rode out to meet him, and said: Thus says the king: Is it in peace? And Jehu said, What have you to do with peace? Follow me. And the watchman reported and said: he reached them, but did not return. 2 Kings 9:19. And they sent another horseman, and he came to them, and said: Thus says the king: Is it in peace? And Jehu said, What have you to do with peace? Follow me. 2 Kings 9:20. And the watchman reported, saying: he has reached them, and does not return, but his gait is like that of Jehu, the son of Namashe, because he walks swiftly. 2 Kings 9:21. And Joram said, Harness it. And they harnessed his chariot. And Jehoram king of Israel and Ahaziah king of Judah came out, each one in his chariot. And they went out to meet Jehu, and met him in the field of Naboth the Jezreelite. 2 Kings 9:22. And when Joram saw Jehu, he said, Is Jehu at peace? And he said: What peace is there with the fornication of Jezebel your mother, and with her many sorceries? 2 Kings 9:23. And Joram turned his hands and ran, and said to Ahaziah: Treason, Ahaziah! 2 Kings 9:24. And Jehu drew his bow with his hand, and struck Joram between his shoulders, and an arrow went through his heart, and he fell in his chariot. 2 Kings 9:25. And Jehu said to Bidecar, his official: Take him, throw him into the part of the field of Naboth the Jezreelite, for remember how you and I rode together behind Ahab his father, and how the Lord spoke this prophecy against him: 2 Kings 9:26. Truly, I saw the blood of Naboth and the blood of his sons yesterday, says the Lord, and I will take vengeance on you in this field. So take it, throw it into the field, according to the word of the Lord. 2 Kings 9:27. When Ahaziah king of Judah saw this, he ran along the road to the house in the garden. And Jehu pursued him, and said, Slay him also with a chariot. It was on the hill of Gur, which is near Ivleam. And he ran to Megiddon and died there. 2 Kings 9:28. And his servants carried him to Jerusalem, and buried him in his tomb with his fathers in the city of David. 2 Kings 9:29. In the eleventh year of Jehoram the son of Ahab, Ahaziah reigned in Judah. 2 Kings 9:30. And Jehu arrived in Jezreel. Jezebel, having received the news, painted her face and adorned her head, and looked out of the window. 2 Kings 9:31. When Jehu entered the gate, she said, “Is there peace with Zimri, the murderer of his sovereign?” 2 Kings 9:32. And he raised his face to the window and said: who is with me, who? And two or three eunuchs looked out to him. 2 Kings 9:33. And he said: Throw it away. And they threw it away. And her blood splashed on the wall and on the horses, and they trampled her. 2 Kings 9:34. And Jehu came and ate and drank, and said: Find this accursed one and bury her, for she is the king’s daughter. 2 Kings 9:35. And they went to bury her, and found nothing from her except her skull, legs, and hands. 2 Kings 9:36. And they returned and reported to him. And he said, This was the word of the Lord, which He spake by His servant Elijah the Tishbite, saying, In the field of Jezreel the dogs shall eat up the body of Jezebel, 2 Kings 9:37. and the carcass of Jezebel will be in the land of Jezreel like dung in a field, so that no one will say, “This is Jezebel.” Jehu's bloody reprisal against the house of Ahab began with his most important, royal representatives: Joram, Ahaziah (Jewish), Jezebel. The ease and speed of the accession to the throne (v. 13) and the execution of Jehu’s plot (verses 14–15; the circumstance of Jehoram’s stay in Israel at this time is repeated here after mention in 2 Kings 8:29) show that among the people and army there was strong dissatisfaction with Jehoram and the house of Ahab in general (the murder of Naboth was not without influence here: 1 Kings 21; cf. 2 Kings 9:25 and further), on the other hand, that Jehu probably earned the trust of the army and people through personal exploits. At the same time, both the determination of Jehu and the carelessness of Joram are visible (vv. 17–20); The position of security is characteristic of the ancient and modern East - watchtowers and watchmen, giving signals to the authorities and the population about the emergence of danger (cf. Ezek. 33:2). Worry more and more took possession of Joram, as shown by his repeated question: “Are you in peace?” (see verses 17, 19, 22). The fatal meeting with Jehu took place on the former site of Naboth, which foreshadowed the death of both kings of the Ahab family (cf. 1 Kings 21:19,23). Jehu's stern answer (v. 22) points to the “fornication” and “witchcraft” of Jezebel as the reason for the impossibility of peace: these names, in addition to their own meaning, in the Old Testament often mean idolatry (Jer. 3:2-3; Ezek. 23:27; Mic. 5:11), and the first of these names is applicable to Jezebel and the cult of Asherah introduced by her in Israel - and in the proper sense; At the same time, Joram was also accused of connivance or even assistance. In the murder of Joram committed by Jehu, the first type, in agreement, perhaps, with the general opinion of the people, was the fulfillment of the prophetic word of Elijah about Ahab and his house (1 Kings 21:19 et seq.) - especially since he and the dignitary who now accompanied him were eyewitnesses of Ahab’s criminal entry into possession of Naboth’s vineyard. Death also befell Ahaziah of Judah, the grandson of Ahab and Jezebel (v. 27; cf. 2 Chron. 22:9); he was mortally wounded on a certain hill Gur (LXX: Γαί, Vulg.: Gaver; Evsev. Γήρ, Jerome: Ger, Onomast. 356) near Ivleam, a city in the tribe of Manasseh (Josh. 17:11; Judg. 1:27) and died in Megiddo, and was buried royally in Jerusalem ( 2 Chronicles 22:9). Jezebel, having learned about the fate of her son and grandson and not seeing salvation from the sword of Jehu, decides to at least die with dignity: she performs the usual cosmetics among women of the East, wanting to influence Jehu with her royal bearing, then she sharply denounces Jehu for the murder of the legitimate sovereign, calls Jehu’s deed by his real name, and himself - Zamri, recalling the failure and death of the latter ( 1 Kings 16:9). After this, she was shamefully killed, and now the priest himself. the writer testifies (vv. 26–27) that the death of Joram fulfilled the prediction of the prophet Elijah (1 Kings 16:19; cf. Blessed Theodoret, question 31). You might be interested in: