New American Standard Bible 1995
2 Kings 10:6
6Then he wrote a letter to them a second time saying, “If you are on my side, and you will listen to my voice, take the heads of the men, your master’s sons, and come to me at Jezreel tomorrow about this time.” Now the king’s sons, seventy persons, were with the great men of the city, who were rearing them.
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 feared greatly and said, “Behold, the two kings did not stand before him; how then can we stand?” 5And the one who was over the household, and he who was over the city, the elders, and the guardians of the children, sent word to Jehu, saying, “We are your servants, all that you say to us we will do, we will not make any man king; do what is good in your sight.” Then he wrote a letter to them a second time saying, “If you are on my side, and you will listen to my voice, take the heads of the men, your master’s sons, and come to me at Jezreel tomorrow about this time.” Now the king’s sons, seventy persons, were with the great men of the city, who were rearing them. 7When 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, saying, “They have brought the heads of the king’s sons,” he said, “Put 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 he wroteכָּתַבkâthab · to writeH3789
- a letterסֵ֫פֶרsêpher siphrâh · scroll: documentH5612
- to them a secondשֵׁנִיshênîy · secondH8145
- sayingאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
- Ifאִם'im · ifH518
- you are on my side, and you will listenשָׁמַעshâma‛ · to hear: obeyH8085
- to my voiceקוֹלqôl qôl · voice: messageH6963
- takeלָקַחlâqach · to take: takeH3947
- the headsרֹאשׁrô'sh · headH7218
- of the menאִישׁ'îysh · manH376
- your master’sאָדוֹן'âdôn 'âdôn · lordH113
- sonsבֵּןbên · son: childH1121
- and comeבּוֹאbô' · to come (in): comeH935
- to me at Jezreelיִזְרְעֶאלyizre‛ê'l · JezreelH3157
- tomorrowמָחָרmâchâr · tomorrowH4279
- about this timeעֵת‛êth · timeH6256
- Now the king’sמֶ֫לֶךְmelek · kingH4428
- seventyשִׁבְעִיםshib‛îym · seventyH7657
- personsאִישׁ'îysh · manH376
- with the greatגָּדוֹלgâdôl gâdôl · great: largeH1419
- menגָּדוֹלgâdôl gâdôl · great: largeH1419
- of the cityעִיר‛îyr ‛âr ‛âyar · cityH5892
- were rearingגָּדַלgâdal · to magnifyH1431
Cross-references for 2 Kings 10:6
- 2 Kings 9:32Then he lifted up his face to the window and said, “Who is on my side? Who?” And two or three officials 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 9:50But Jesus said to him, “Do not hinder him; for he who 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 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 sent letters to the elders and to the nobles who were living with Naboth in his city.
- Deuteronomy 5:9You shall not worship them or serve them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, and on the third and the fourth generations of those who hate Me,
- Joshua 7:24Then Joshua and all Israel with him, took Achan the son of Zerah, the silver, the mantle, the bar of gold, his sons, his daughters, his oxen, his donkeys, his sheep, his tent and all that belonged to him; and they brought them up to the valley of Achor.
- Job 21:19You say, ‘God stores away a man’s iniquity for his sons.’ Let God repay him so that he may know it.
- Isaiah 14:21Prepare for his sons a place of slaughter Because of the iniquity of their fathers. They must not arise and take possession of the earth And fill the face of the world with cities.”
- Revelation 2:20But I have this against you, that you tolerate the woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, and she teaches and leads My bond-servants astray so that they commit acts of immorality and eat things 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
New American Standard Bible 1995 — © 1960–1995 The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.
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