Berean Standard Bible
2 Kings 10:6
6Then Jehu wrote them a second letter and said: “If you are on my side, and if you will obey me, then bring the heads of your master’s sons to me at Jezreel by this time tomorrow.”
Now the sons of the king, seventy in all, were being brought up by the leading men of the city.
2 Kings 10:6 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)Then he wrote a letter the second time to them, saying, If ye be mine, and if ye will hearken unto my voice, take ye the heads of the men your master’s sons, and come to me to Jezreel by to morrow this time. Now the king’s sons, being seventy persons, were with the great men of the city, which brought them up.
- New International Version (NIV)Then Jehu wrote them a second letter, saying, “If you are on my side and will obey me, take the heads of your master’s sons and come to me in Jezreel by this time tomorrow.” Now the royal princes, seventy of them, were with the leading men of the city, who were rearing them.
- English Standard Version (ESV)Then he wrote to them a second letter, saying, "If you are on my side, and if you are ready to obey me, take the heads of your master's sons and come to me at Jezreel tomorrow at this time." Now the king's sons, seventy persons, were with the great men of the city, who were bringing them up.
- New King James Version (NKJV)Then he wrote a second letter to them, saying: If you are for me and will obey my voice, take the heads of the men, your master’s sons, and come to me at Jezreel by this time tomorrow. Now the king’s sons, seventy persons, were with the great men of the city, who were rearing them.
Context of 2 Kings 10:6
4But they were terrified and reasoned, “If two kings could not stand against him, how can we?” 5So the palace administrator, the overseer of the city, the elders, and the guardians sent a message to Jehu: “We are your servants, and we will do whatever you say. We will not make anyone king. Do whatever is good in your sight.” Then Jehu wrote them a second letter and said: “If you are on my side, and if you will obey me, then bring the heads of your master’s sons to me at Jezreel by this time tomorrow.” Now the sons of the king, seventy in all, were being brought up by the leading men of the city. 7And when the letter arrived, they took the sons of the king and slaughtered all seventy of them. They put their heads in baskets and sent them to Jehu at Jezreel. 8When the messenger arrived, he told Jehu, “They have brought the heads of the sons of the king.” And Jehu ordered, “Pile them in two heaps at the entrance of the gate until morning.”
Read all of 2 Kings 102 Kings 10:6 word by word
וַיִּכְתֹּ֣ב אֲלֵיהֶם֩ סֵ֨פֶר׀ שֵׁנִ֜ית לֵאמֹ֗ר אִם־לִ֨י אַתֶּ֜ם וּלְקֹלִ֣י׀ אַתֶּ֣ם שֹׁמְעִ֗ים קְחוּ֙ אֶת־רָאשֵׁי֙ אַנְשֵׁ֣י בְנֵֽי־אֲדֹנֵיכֶ֔ם וּבֹ֧אוּ אֵלַ֛י כָּעֵ֥ת מָחָ֖ר יִזְרְעֶ֑אלָה וּבְנֵ֤י הַמֶּ֙לֶךְ֙ שִׁבְעִ֣ים אִ֔ישׁ אֶת־גְּדֹלֵ֥י הָעִ֖יר מְגַדְּלִ֥ים אוֹתָֽם׃Read the interlinear
- Then Jehu wroteכָּתַבkâthab · to writeH3789
- themאֶל'êl 'el · to(wards)H413
- a secondשֵׁנִיshênîy · secondH8145
- letterסֵ֫פֶרsêpher siphrâh · scroll: documentH5612
- and saidאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
- Ifאִם'im · ifH518
- you are on my sideאַתֶּם'attâh 'attâ 'ath 'attîy 'attem 'atten 'attênâh 'attênnâh · you(m.p.)H859
- ·קוֹלqôl qôl · voice: messageH6963
- will obey meשָׁמַעshâma‛ · to hear: obeyH8085
- then bringלָקַחlâqach · to take: takeH3947
- the headsרֹאשׁrô'sh · headH7218
- the headsאֱנוֹשׁ'ĕnôsh · humanH582
- of your master’sאָדוֹן'âdôn 'âdôn · lordH113
- of your master’sבּוֹאbô' · to come (in): comeH935
- sonsבֵּןbên · son: childH1121
- to meאֵת'êth · [Obj.]H853
- at Jezreelיִזְרְעֶאלyizre‛ê'l · JezreelH3157
- by this timeעֵת‛êth · timeH6256
- tomorrowמָחָרmâchâr · tomorrowH4279
- of the kingמֶ֫לֶךְmelek · kingH4428
- seventyשִׁבְעִיםshib‛îym · seventyH7657
- in allאִישׁ'îysh · manH376
- in allאֵת'êth · withH854
- were being brought upגָּדַלgâdal · to magnifyH1431
- by the leading menגָּדוֹלgâdôl gâdôl · great: largeH1419
- of the cityעִיר‛îyr ‛âr ‛âyar · cityH5892
Cross-references for 2 Kings 10:6
- 2 Kings 9:32He looked up at the window and called out, “Who is on my side? Who?” And two or three eunuchs looked down at him.
- Matthew 12:30He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters.
- Luke 9:50“Do not stop him,” Jesus replied, “for whoever is not against you is for you.”
- Numbers 25:4Then the LORD said to Moses, “Take all the leaders of the people and execute them in broad daylight before the LORD, so that His fierce anger may turn away from Israel.”
- 1 Kings 21:8Then Jezebel wrote letters in Ahab’s name, sealed them with his seal, and sent them to the elders and nobles who lived with Naboth in his city.
- Deuteronomy 5:9You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on their children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me,
- Joshua 7:24Then Joshua, together with all Israel, took Achan son of Zerah, the silver, the cloak, the bar of gold, his sons and daughters, his oxen and donkeys and sheep, his tent, and everything else he owned, and brought them to the Valley of Achor.
- Job 21:19It is said that God lays up one’s punishment for his children. Let God repay the man himself, so he will know it.
- Isaiah 14:21Prepare a place to slaughter his sons for the iniquities of their forefathers. They will never rise up to possess a land or cover the earth with their cities.
- Revelation 2:20But I have this against you: You tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess. By her teaching she misleads My servants to be sexually immoral and to eat food sacrificed to idols.
Commentaries on 2 Kings 10:6
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 6Come to me to Jezreel - Therefore the letters were not written to Jezreel, but from Jezreel to Samaria.Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 6The heads of rivals, pretenders, and other obnoxious persons are commonly struck off in the East, and conveyed to the chief ruler, in order that he may be positively certified that his enemies have ceased to live. In the Assyrian sculptures we constantly see soldiers conveying heads from place to place, not, however, in baskets, but in their hands, holding the head by the hair.Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 6-7In the ancient Near East, people often beheaded their enemies (2 Kings 6:31–32; 1 Samuel 17:46, 51; see also Matthew 14:11).Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 66. take ye the heads of the men, your master's sons--The barbarous practice of a successful usurper slaughtering all who may have claims to the throne, has been frequently exemplified in the ancient and modern histories of the East.Read the comment
Topics related to 2 Kings 10:6
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on 2 Kings 10
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Rashi on Tanakh
- Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
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