2 Kings 10:6

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

4However, they were terrified and reasoned, “Look, two kings couldn’t stand against him; how can we?” 5So the overseer of the palace, 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 tell us. We will not make anyone king. Do whatever you think is right.” Then Jehu wrote them a second letter, saying: If you are on my side, and if you will obey me, bring me the heads of your master’s sons at this time tomorrow at Jezreel. All seventy of the king’s sons were being cared for by the city’s prominent men. 7When the letter came to them, they took the king’s sons and slaughtered all seventy, put their heads in baskets, and sent them to Jehu at Jezreel. 8When the messenger came and told him, “They have brought the heads of the king’s sons,” the king said, “Pile them in two heaps at the entrance of the city gate until morning.”

2 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

Words taken from the KJV.

• Then he wroteכָּתַבkâthab · to writeH3789
• a letterסֵ֫פֶרsêpher siphrâh · scroll: documentH5612
• the second timeשֵׁנִיshênîy · secondH8145
• to them, sayingאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
• ye will hearkenשָׁמַעshâma‛ · to hear: obeyH8085
• unto my voiceקוֹלqôl qôl · voice: messageH6963
• takeלָקַחlâqach · to take: takeH3947
• ye the headsרֹאשׁrô'sh · headH7218
• of the menאֱנוֹשׁ'ĕnôsh · humanH582
• your master’sאָדוֹן'âdôn 'âdôn · lordH113
• sonsבֵּןbên · son: childH1121
• and comeבּוֹאbô' · to come (in): comeH935
• to me to Jezreelיִזְרְעֶאלyizre‛ê'l · JezreelH3157
• by to morrowמָחָרmâchâr · tomorrowH4279
• this timeעֵת‛êth · timeH6256
• Now the king’sמֶ֫לֶךְmelek · kingH4428
• seventyשִׁבְעִיםshib‛îym · seventyH7657
• personsאִישׁ'îysh · manH376
• with the great menגָּדוֹלgâdôl gâdôl · great: largeH1419
• of the cityעִיר‛îyr ‛âr ‛âyar · cityH5892
• which brought them upגָּדַלgâdal · to magnifyH1431

Cross-references for 2 Kings 10:6

• 2 Kings 9:32He looked up toward the window and said, “Who is on my side? Who?” Two or three eunuchs looked down at him,
• Matthew 12:30Anyone who is not with me is against me, and anyone who does not gather with me scatters.
• Luke 9:50“Don’t stop him,” Jesus told him, “because whoever is not against you is for you.”
• Numbers 25:4The Lord said to Moses, “Take all the leaders of the people and execute them in broad daylight before the Lord so that his burning anger may turn away from Israel.”
• 1 Kings 21:8So she wrote letters in Ahab’s name and sealed them with his seal. She sent the letters to the elders and nobles who lived with Naboth in his city.
• Deuteronomy 5:9Do not bow in worship to them, and do not serve them, because I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, bringing the consequences of the fathers’ iniquity on the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate me,
• Joshua 7:24Then Joshua and all Israel with him took Achan son of Zerah, the silver, the cloak, and the bar of gold, his sons and daughters, his ox, donkey, and sheep, his tent, and all that he had, and brought them up to the Valley of Achor.
• Job 21:19God reserves a person’s punishment for his children. Let God repay the person himself, so that he may know it.
• Isaiah 14:21Prepare a place of slaughter for his sons, because of the iniquity of their ancestors. They will never rise up to possess a land or fill the surface of the earth with cities.
• Revelation 2:20But I have this against you: You tolerate the woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess and teaches and deceives my servants to commit sexual immorality and to eat meat 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

• Ahab
• Children
• Enthusiasm
• Government
• Homicide
• Jehu
• Massacre

In the dictionaries

• Jezreel
• Jezreel, Jezreelite
• Behead
• Writing
• Elijah
• Elisha
• Epistle
• Fact
• Hazael
• Jehonadab

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