2 Kings 10:14 kjv
And he said, Take them alive. And they took them alive, and slew them at the pit of the shearing house, even two and forty men; neither left he any of them.
2 Kings 10:14 nkjv
And he said, "Take them alive!" So they took them alive, and killed them at the well of Beth Eked, forty-two men; and he left none of them.
2 Kings 10:14 niv
"Take them alive!" he ordered. So they took them alive and slaughtered them by the well of Beth Eked?forty-two of them. He left no survivor.
2 Kings 10:14 esv
He said, "Take them alive." And they took them alive and slaughtered them at the pit of Beth-eked, forty-two persons, and he spared none of them.
2 Kings 10:14 nlt
"Take them alive!" Jehu shouted to his men. And they captured all forty-two of them and killed them at the well of Beth-eked. None of them escaped.
2 Kings 10 14 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Fulfillment of Prophecy / Divine Judgment on Ahab's House | ||
| 1 Kgs 21:21 | “Behold, I will bring disaster upon you and will utterly burn you up, and will cut off from Ahab every male, bond or free, in Israel." | Prophecy of total destruction of Ahab's house. |
| 1 Kgs 21:23 | "Also concerning Jezebel the LORD spoke, saying, ‘The dogs shall eat Jezebel by the wall of Jezreel.’" | Part of the prophecy against Ahab's house. |
| 2 Kgs 9:7 | "You shall strike down the house of Ahab your master, so that I may avenge on Jezebel the blood of my servants the prophets..." | Jehu's commission to destroy Ahab's house. |
| 2 Kgs 9:10 | "...and the dogs shall eat Jezebel in the territory of Jezreel, and none shall bury her.” | Confirmation of prophecy regarding Jezebel. |
| Jehu's Zeal and Execution of Judgment | ||
| 2 Kgs 9:24 | "So Jehu drew his bow with his full strength and shot Joram between his shoulders, so that the arrow pierced his heart, and he sunk down in his chariot." | Jehu kills King Joram of Israel. |
| 2 Kgs 9:27-28 | "When Ahaziah the king of Judah saw this, he fled by the way of the garden house... and he fled to Megiddo and died there." | Jehu pursues and kills King Ahaziah of Judah. |
| 2 Kgs 10:1-7 | "Now Ahab had seventy sons in Samaria... Jehu wrote letters and sent them to Samaria... saying, 'Send me the heads of your master’s sons.'..." | Jehu orders the slaughter of Ahab's 70 sons. |
| 2 Kgs 10:17 | "When he came to Samaria, he struck down all who remained to Ahab in Samaria, till he had destroyed him, according to the word of the LORD that he spoke to Elijah." | Jehu completes the purge in Samaria. |
| 2 Kgs 10:18-28 | "Then Jehu assembled all the people and said to them, 'Ahab served Baal a little, but Jehu will serve him much.'" | Jehu eradicates Baal worship. |
| 2 Chr 22:8-9 | "When Jehu was executing judgment on the house of Ahab, he found the officials of Judah and the sons of Ahaziah’s relatives who were ministering to Ahaziah, and he killed them." | Chronicles account parallels this event. |
| Consequences of Wickedness / Idolatry / Alliance | ||
| 1 Kgs 16:30-33 | "Ahab the son of Omri did more evil in the sight of the LORD than all who were before him... he married Jezebel... and went and served Baal." | Ahab's initial wickedness and idolatry. |
| 2 Kgs 8:18 | "He [Jehoram of Judah] walked in the way of the kings of Israel, as the house of Ahab had done, for the daughter of Ahab was his wife." | The marriage alliance connecting Judah and Israel, explaining their involvement. |
| 2 Chr 18:1 | "Now Jehoshaphat had great riches and honor, and he made a marriage alliance with Ahab." | Origin of the harmful alliance between Judah and Israel. |
| Prov 29:2 | "When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; but when the wicked rule, the people groan." | Implied reason for divine intervention and purge. |
| Exod 34:7 | "...visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children’s children, to the third and the fourth generation." | Principle of generational consequences for sin. |
| Ps 9:16 | "The LORD is known by the judgment he executes; the wicked are ensnared by the work of their hands." | God's justice in action. |
| Isa 3:10-11 | "Tell the righteous that it shall be well with them... Woe to the wicked! It shall be ill with him, for what his hands have dealt out shall be done to him." | Affirmation of divine justice against wickedness. |
| Rom 1:18 | "For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth." | General principle of God's wrath against sin. |
| Rev 19:2 | "For his judgments are true and just; for he has judged the great prostitute who corrupted the earth with her immorality, and has avenged on her the blood of his servants." | Broader biblical theme of God's avenging justice. |
| Parallel Instances of Extensive Judgment | ||
| Num 16:32 | "and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up, with their households and all the people who belonged to Korah..." | Example of comprehensive divine judgment on a rebellious house. |
| Deut 7:2 | "and when the LORD your God gives them over to you, you shall conquer them and utterly destroy them. You shall make no covenant with them and show no mercy to them." | Command to utterly destroy wicked nations, illustrating the severity of judgment. |
2 Kings 10 verses
2 Kings 10 14 Meaning
The verse describes Jehu's immediate command to capture and subsequently execute forty-two men at the well or pit near Beth-eked, completely eliminating them. These men were relatives of King Ahaziah of Judah and, by extension, connected to the house of Ahab, reinforcing Jehu's divine mission to cleanse Israel of the Omrid dynasty's influence and its associated idolatry. This act signifies the brutal and complete fulfillment of God's judgment.
2 Kings 10 14 Context
The verse is situated during Jehu's ruthless purge of the house of Ahab and the widespread Baal worship in Israel. Having just assassinated King Joram of Israel (Ahab's son) and King Ahaziah of Judah (Joram's nephew through marriage to Ahab's daughter), and orchestrated the massacre of Ahab's seventy sons in Samaria, Jehu is on his way to Samaria to consolidate his power and complete his divinely mandated task. In the immediate preceding verses (2 Kgs 10:12-13), Jehu encounters these forty-two men near a "shepherds' house," who are identified as the "brothers of Ahaziah king of Judah," implying close kinsmen or high officials from Judah, journeying to pay respects to the children of the compromised royal families. Their association with Ahaziah, whose mother was Athaliah (daughter of Ahab and Jezebel), makes them implicated in the wider web of wickedness linked to the Omrid dynasty. Historically, the Northern Kingdom of Israel (Ahab's house) had descended into profound idolatry under Ahab and Jezebel, while the Southern Kingdom of Judah (through Jehoshaphat's alliance and his son Jehoram's marriage to Athaliah) had also been corrupted. God, through Jehu, executed a severe and complete judgment to eradicate this systemic apostasy, seeing Judah's ruling family as complicit.
2 Kings 10 14 Word analysis
- And he said, "Take them alive.": Refers to Jehu, who, having asserted his authority as God's anointed, gives a direct command. "Take them alive" (Hebrew: tap-pə-shuh-hu chay-yîm - תפְּשֻׂ֣הוּ חַיִּ֑ים) implies a deliberate, calculated action to capture them rather than an immediate, chaotic slaughter. This likely facilitated their identification and ensured none escaped before execution, highlighting the methodical nature of the purge.
- So they took them alive: Indicates the immediate obedience of Jehu's men, demonstrating their unwavering loyalty to his violent commission.
- and slaughtered them: (Hebrew: wai-yiš-ḥā-ṭūm - וַֽיִּשְׁחָטוּם). The verb "slaughtered" (from shaḥat - שָׁחַט) is often used for the ritualistic killing of animals for sacrifice, and in some contexts, for decisive, thorough killing of people, like a judicial execution. Its use here underscores the definitive and unmerciful nature of the act, framing it as a sacred, purging judgment, not merely murder.
- at the pit of Beth-eked: (Hebrew: bo'r beyt-`eqed - בֹּ֣אר בֵּית־עֵ֑קֶד). "Pit" or "well" refers to a cistern or water source, which would have been a central or public gathering point, making the execution a visible act. "Beth-eked" (meaning "house of binding" or "shearing house") suggests a place for gathering and shearing sheep, drawing a grim parallel to the rounding up and slaughter of these men. It reinforces the cold, calculated efficiency of the purge. Its previous mention as a "shepherds' house" (v. 12) points to it being a familiar and established locale.
- forty-two men: This precise number, also given in 2 Kgs 10:13, indicates a specific, targeted group. As the "brothers of Ahaziah king of Judah," they represented the Judahite branch of the corrupted royal lineage and were removed as part of the broader judgment against the Ahab dynasty and its allied wicked houses.
- neither left he any of them: Emphasizes the utter thoroughness and totality of the execution. There were no survivors, no witnesses to potentially contradict Jehu, and no lingering threats or contenders for power associated with the doomed houses. This finality reflects the comprehensive nature of divine judgment, which, once executed, is complete and unsparing.
2 Kings 10 14 Bonus section
- The connection between these "forty-two men" and the "brothers of Ahaziah King of Judah" from 2 Kings 10:13 is crucial. They were not incidental passers-by but individuals loyal to and closely associated with a compromised monarchy that had embraced Baal worship. Their execution signifies the judgment extending beyond the immediate Omrid household to all who aligned with their wicked ways.
- The "pit of Beth-eked" highlights how ordinary locations can become sites of profound historical and divine significance. The term itself, suggesting "house of binding" or "shearing," could evoke images of sheep being gathered and prepared for slaughter, eerily mirroring the fate of the forty-two men.
- While seemingly barbaric, this event, like the broader Jehuite purge, must be understood within its theological context as God's sovereign hand breaking the cycle of deep-seated idolatry and immorality that threatened to destroy Israel's covenant relationship with Him. This severe judgment paved the way, albeit temporarily, for a spiritual housecleaning.
- The narrative style emphasizes Jehu's single-mindedness and resolve ("he said," "they took," "he left not one"). This portrays him as a force of nature, driven by divine imperative, highlighting the unstoppable nature of God's decreed judgment when it falls.
2 Kings 10 14 Commentary
2 Kings 10:14 serves as a grim but vital detail in the larger narrative of Jehu's purge, demonstrating the meticulous and complete execution of God's judgment against the Omrid dynasty and all connected to its pervasive idolatry. Having previously dealt with Joram and Ahaziah, and arranged the massacre of Ahab's seventy sons, Jehu's actions here confirm that God's wrath extended even to the peripheral members of the condemned royal houses, particularly those from Judah who had willingly entangled themselves through political alliances and intermarriage (as seen in the "brothers of Ahaziah"). The brutal efficiency – capturing them alive only to slaughter them immediately at a specific, publicly recognizable location – underscored the absolute authority of Jehu as God's instrument and the comprehensive nature of divine justice. This was not mere personal vengeance, but a mandated cleansing to excise deep-seated evil from Israel. While Jehu's character is later shown to be imperfect (2 Kgs 10:31), his zeal in this moment ensured that not one remnant of the idolatrous lineage remained to continue the cycle of Baal worship.