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

4But the letter made the officers in Samaria very afraid. They said, ‘Even two kings could not win against Jehu. So we can never fight against him and win!’ 5So these people sent a message to Jehu: the officer who took care of the king's palace, the man who ruled the city of Samaria, the city's leaders, and the men who took care of Ahab's children. The message said, ‘We are your servants. We will do anything that you tell us. We will not make anyone king. You must do what you think is right.’ So Jehu wrote a second letter to them. It said, ‘If you are ready to help me and you will obey me, do this: Bring the heads of your master's sons here to me in Jezreel. Bring them by this time tomorrow.’ At that time, important leaders of the city were taking care of the king's 70 sons. 7When the letter arrived, these men took hold of the king's sons. They killed all 70 of them. They put their heads in baskets. Then they sent them to Jehu in Jezreel. 8Someone told Jehu, ‘They have brought the heads of the king's sons.’ Then Jehu said, ‘Put them in two heaps at the gate of the city. Leave them there until the 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 9:32Jehu looked up at the window and he saw her. Then he shouted, ‘Who wants to help me? Anyone there?’ Two or three eunuchs looked out though a window at him.
• Matthew 12:30If someone does not agree to help me, he is working against me. You should work with me to bring people to me for help. If you do not do that, you are really making people run away from me.
• Luke 9:50‘Do not try to stop him,’ Jesus said, ‘If someone is not against you, he is working to help you.’
• Numbers 25:4The Lord said to Moses, ‘Take hold of all the leaders of these people. Hang them up during the day so that they die and people see them. Do what I tell you, so that I will no longer be angry against the Israelites.’
• 1 Kings 21:8Jezebel wrote some letters as if King Ahab had written them. She used his special seal as a mark on them. Then she sent them to the older leaders and important men who lived in Jezreel with Naboth.
• Deuteronomy 5:9You must not bend down your head to any idol or worship it. I am the Lord your God and I want you to belong to me alone. I will punish children because of the bad things that their fathers have done. I will also punish their grandchildren and their children too. That is how I will punish everyone who hates me.
• Joshua 7:24Then Joshua and all the people took Achan, the son of Zerah, and the silver coins, the coat, and the heavy piece of gold. They also took his sons, his daughters, and his cows, sheep and donkeys. They took all his things to Achor valley.
• Job 21:19You may say, “God will punish a wicked person's children with the punishment that he deserves.” But I say that God should punish the wicked person himself. Then he will realize that he is wicked.
• Isaiah 14:21Prepare to kill this king's children, because of the sins of their ancestors. Then his children will not rule the world. They will not build cities everywhere.’
• Revelation 2:20But I have something to say against you. You let that woman Jezebel teach you. She says that she is a prophet from God. But she leads my servants into bad ways. She teaches them to have sex with many people. And she teaches them to eat food that people have given 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