English Standard Version
2 Kings 10:6
6Then 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.
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.
- 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.
- New Living Translation (NLT)Jehu responded with a second letter: “If you are on my side and are going to obey me, bring the heads of your master’s sons to me at Jezreel by this time tomorrow.” Now the seventy sons of the king were being cared for by the leaders of Samaria, where they had been raised since childhood.
Context of 2 Kings 10:6
4But they were exceedingly afraid and said, "Behold, the two kings could not stand before him. How then can we stand?" 5So he who was over the palace, and he who was over the city, together with the elders and the guardians, sent to Jehu, saying, "We are your servants, and we will do all that you tell us. We will not make anyone king. Do whatever is good in your eyes." 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. 7And as soon as the letter came to them, they took the king's sons and slaughtered them, seventy persons, and put their heads in baskets and sent them to him at Jezreel. 8When the messenger came and told him, "They have brought the heads of the king's sons," he said, "Lay them in two heaps at the entrance of the gate until the 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
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 9:32And he lifted up his face to the window and said, "Who is on my side? Who?" Two or three eunuchs looked out at him.
- Matthew 12:30Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters.
- Luke 9:50But Jesus said to him, "Do not stop him, for the one who is not against you is for you."
- Numbers 25:4And the Lord said to Moses, "Take all the chiefs of the people and hang them in the sun before the Lord, that the fierce anger of the Lord may turn away from Israel."
- 1 Kings 21:8So she wrote letters in Ahab's name and sealed them with his seal, and she sent the letters to the elders and the leaders who lived with Naboth in his city.
- Deuteronomy 5:9You shall not bow down to them or serve them; for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me,
- Joshua 7:24And Joshua and all Israel with him took Achan the son of Zerah, and the silver and the cloak and the bar of gold, and his sons and daughters and his oxen and donkeys and sheep and his tent and all that he had. And they brought them up to the Valley of Achor.
- Job 21:19You say, 'God stores up their iniquity for their children.' Let him pay it out to them, that they may know it.
- Isaiah 14:21Prepare slaughter for his sons because of the guilt of their fathers, lest they rise and possess the earth, and fill the face of the world with cities."
- Revelation 2:20But I have this against you, that you tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess and is teaching and seducing my servants to practice sexual immorality 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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