New King James Version
2 Kings 10:6
6Then 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.
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 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, “Look, two kings could not stand up to him; how then can we stand?” 5And he who was in charge of the house, and he who was in charge of the city, the elders also, and those who reared the sons, sent to Jehu, saying, “We are your servants, we will do all you tell us; but we will not make anyone king. Do what is good in your sight.” 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. 7So it was, when the letter came to them, that they took the king’s sons and slaughtered seventy persons, put their heads in baskets and sent them to him at Jezreel. 8Then a messenger came and told him, saying, “They have brought the heads of the king’s sons.” And he said, “Lay 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
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 looked up at the window, and said, “Who is on my side? Who?” So two or three eunuchs looked out at him.
- Matthew 12:30He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters abroad.
- Luke 9:50But Jesus said to him, “Do not forbid him, for he who is not against us is on our side.”
- Numbers 25:4Then the Lord said to Moses, “Take all the leaders of the people and hang the offenders before the Lord, out in the sun, that the fierce anger of the Lord may turn away from Israel.”
- 1 Kings 21:8And she wrote letters in Ahab’s name, sealed them with his seal, and sent the letters to the elders and the nobles who were dwelling in the city with Naboth.
- Deuteronomy 5:9you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and 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 garment, the wedge of gold, his sons, his daughters, his oxen, his donkeys, his sheep, his tent, and all that he had, and they brought them to the Valley of Achor.
- Job 21:19They say, ‘God lays up one’s iniquity for his children’; Let Him recompense him, that he may know it.
- Isaiah 14:21Prepare slaughter for his children Because of the iniquity of their fathers, Lest they rise up and possess the land, And fill the face of the world with cities.”
- Revelation 2:20Nevertheless I have a few things against you, because you allow that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, to teach and seduce My servants to commit sexual 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 King James Version — © 1982 Thomas Nelson, Inc
Commentaries