2 Kings 10:13 kjv
Jehu met with the brethren of Ahaziah king of Judah, and said, Who are ye? And they answered, We are the brethren of Ahaziah; and we go down to salute the children of the king and the children of the queen.
2 Kings 10:13 nkjv
Jehu met with the brothers of Ahaziah king of Judah, and said, "Who are you?" So they answered, "We are the brothers of Ahaziah; we have come down to greet the sons of the king and the sons of the queen mother."
2 Kings 10:13 niv
he met some relatives of Ahaziah king of Judah and asked, "Who are you?" They said, "We are relatives of Ahaziah, and we have come down to greet the families of the king and of the queen mother."
2 Kings 10:13 esv
Jehu met the relatives of Ahaziah king of Judah, and he said, "Who are you?" And they answered, "We are the relatives of Ahaziah, and we came down to visit the royal princes and the sons of the queen mother."
2 Kings 10:13 nlt
he met some relatives of King Ahaziah of Judah. "Who are you?" he asked them. And they replied, "We are relatives of King Ahaziah. We are going to visit the sons of King Ahab and the sons of the queen mother."
2 Kings 10 13 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| 2 Kgs 10:12 | Jehu ...went to Samaria. As he was on the way at the shearing house of the shepherds | Jehu's methodical progress toward Samaria |
| 2 Kgs 10:14 | Jehu said, Take them alive...he slew them...by the pit...forty-two men | Immediate execution fulfilling Jehu's purge |
| 2 Kgs 9:7-10 | Jehu...that you may strike down the house of Ahab your master... | Jehu's divine commission against Ahab's house |
| 2 Kgs 8:18 | Ahaziah walked in the ways of the house of Ahab, for his mother was the daughter of Omri | Ahaziah's wicked lineage and Ahab connection |
| 2 Kgs 8:26 | Ahaziah was twenty-two years old when he began to reign; and he reigned one year in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Athaliah the daughter of Omri | Reinforces Ahaziah's connection to Omri/Ahab |
| 1 Kgs 21:20-22 | Elijah told Ahab...I will bring evil on you; I will utterly sweep away your descendants | Prophecy against Ahab's house of total destruction |
| 1 Kgs 11:1-8 | King Solomon loved many foreign women...who turned his heart after other gods | Warning against intermarriage leading to idolatry (indirectly applies to Ahaziah's ancestry) |
| Deut 7:3-4 | You shall not make marriages with them...for they would turn away your sons from following Me | Direct command against intermarriage due to spiritual danger |
| Exod 20:5 | I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generations | Divine judgment extending to descendants |
| Num 16:32-33 | The earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up...and all the people who belonged to Korah | Example of comprehensive judgment |
| 1 Sam 15:3 | Now go and strike Amalek and utterly destroy all that he has, and do not spare him | Concept of ḥerem (devotion to destruction) applied in judgment |
| Ps 37:28 | The Lord loves justice...but the descendants of the wicked will be cut off | God's justice in cutting off the wicked |
| Isa 14:21 | Prepare slaughter for his sons because of the iniquity of their fathers... | Prophetic principle of family destruction for ancestral sin |
| Jer 19:3-6 | I will bring evil upon this place, that whoever hears of it, his ears will tingle | Divine judgment causes terror and awe |
| Prov 11:21 | Though hand joins in hand, the wicked will not go unpunished; but the offspring of the righteous will be delivered | The certainty of punishment for the wicked |
| Nah 1:2-3 | The Lord is a jealous God and avenging...He will by no means leave the guilty unpunished | God's avenging character against evil |
| Mal 4:1 | For behold, the day is coming, burning like a furnace; and all the arrogant and every evildoer will be chaff | Ultimate divine judgment |
| Matt 3:10 | The ax is already laid at the root of the trees; therefore every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down | Illustration of impending severe judgment |
| Luke 19:27 | But these enemies of mine, who did not want me to reign over them—bring them here and slay them | Principle of judgment on those who reject divine authority |
| Rom 1:18 | For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men | Broader principle of God's wrath |
| 2 Thes 1:8 | inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus | Judgment on disobedience and ignorance of God |
| Rev 18:6 | Pay her back even as she has paid, and give her back double according to her deeds | Retributive justice from God |
2 Kings 10 verses
2 Kings 10 13 Meaning
This verse details Jehu's encounter with forty-two kinsmen of King Ahaziah of Judah, whom he questions about their identity. They unwittingly reveal their familial ties to the Judaean monarchy and their intention to visit the surviving children of the king and queen in Samaria, thus identifying themselves as associated with the very royal house Jehu was commissioned to annihilate.
2 Kings 10 13 Context
This verse is a crucial moment in Jehu's divinely orchestrated purge of the Omride dynasty and all associated with it. Having already assassinated King Jehoram of Israel and King Ahaziah of Judah, and later Jezebel, Jehu sent letters to the elders and guardians in Samaria, demanding the heads of Ahab's seventy sons. This immediate preceding action demonstrated Jehu's ruthlessness and divine mandate. The encounter described in 2 Kings 10:13 takes place as Jehu makes his way from Jezreel to Samaria, indicating his thoroughness in executing God's judgment against the pervasive idolatry that had infected both Israel and Judah through their royal intermarriages and alliances. The relatives of Ahaziah were unwittingly walking into the epicenter of this divinely commissioned eradication. Historically, Jehu's coup was a violent transition of power aimed at eradicating Baal worship, representing a drastic theological cleansing for Israel.
2 Kings 10 13 Word analysis
- Jehu (יֵהוּא - Yehu): Meaning "He is Yahweh" or "Yahweh is He." The name itself emphasizes that Jehu is an instrument of God's will and power in this purge. He acts not merely out of political ambition but as the agent of divine judgment.
- met with: Suggests a direct encounter, possibly a planned interception given Jehu's systematic approach to his purge. This was not a chance meeting for Jehu.
- brethren (אֲחֵי - 'aḥei): While often translated as "brothers," in biblical Hebrew, 'aḥ (plural 'aḥim or 'aḥei) can refer to wider kinship, including kinsmen, relatives, or allies from the same group. Given there were forty-two individuals, this almost certainly means other close relatives (nephews, cousins) of King Ahaziah, not just literal siblings. This signifies the depth of familial connections between the royal houses of Israel and Judah and highlights the thoroughness of the judgment.
- Ahaziah king of Judah: Ahaziah was King of Judah but had strong ties to the house of Ahab through his mother, Athaliah, who was the daughter of King Ahab and Queen Jezebel. His presence in Samaria during Jehoram's illness (2 Kgs 9:16) and his subsequent death (2 Kgs 9:27-28) underscore the intertwined fate of the two royal lines. These "brethren" thus represented Judah's unholy alliance with the idolatrous Omride dynasty.
- Who are ye?: A direct and challenging inquiry from Jehu, indicating his intent to identify their association. Their response would seal their fate.
- We are the brethren of Ahaziah: Their self-identification inadvertently connects them to the condemned house, confirming their link to the purge's targets. Their open admission reflects their innocence of Jehu's true intent.
- go down: Refers to geographical movement. Jerusalem (capital of Judah) is at a higher elevation than Samaria (capital of Israel), so one "goes down" to Samaria. This is a common biblical topographical reference.
- to salute (לִשְׁל֣וֹם - lishlōm): Derived from the root shalom, meaning peace, completeness, welfare. "To salute" means to inquire of someone's peace, welfare, or health. It implies a respectful, peaceful, and customary visit to their royal relatives. This polite purpose stands in stark contrast to the brutal outcome that immediately follows.
- the children of the king and the children of the queen: This refers to the surviving royal offspring of King Ahab and Queen Jezebel in Samaria. These Judahite relatives were coming to visit their Israelite counterparts, highlighting the strong dynastic and social ties that had bound the two royal houses together despite their theological differences and the Lord's warnings against such alliances.
2 Kings 10 13 Bonus section
The number "forty-two" (2 Kings 10:13-14) is specific and significant, suggesting a complete and methodical sweep. This large group of royal kinsmen making a social visit speaks to the established ties and the perceived security of the royal families, even amidst political turmoil. Their presence highlights the deep integration of Judah's royalty with the house of Ahab through Ahaziah's mother, Athaliah. The very act of them coming "to salute" implies a network of familial solidarity and customary diplomacy that God's judgment was severing due to the spiritual contamination it brought. This act solidifies Jehu's image as an unflinching executor of divine retribution, emphasizing that none associated with the deeply rooted idolatry of Ahab's house would escape the purge.
2 Kings 10 13 Commentary
2 Kings 10:13 serves as a stark illustration of the far-reaching consequences of ungodly alliances and the severity of God's judgment against idolatry. These forty-two relatives of King Ahaziah of Judah, though perhaps innocent in their immediate actions of merely paying a customary visit, were part of a lineage corrupted by its association and intermarriage with the deeply idolatrous Omride dynasty of Israel. Jehu, as God's anointed instrument, carried out a comprehensive purge, which encompassed not only the immediate household of Ahab but also those closely linked by blood and association, including this Judahite contingent. This encounter tragically seals their fate, as their innocent identification connects them to the very house divinely destined for complete annihilation. It underscores that God's judgment against sin is thorough and without partiality, impacting all who are found in complicity with the condemned.