2 Kings 10:33 kjv
From Jordan eastward, all the land of Gilead, the Gadites, and the Reubenites, and the Manassites, from Aroer, which is by the river Arnon, even Gilead and Bashan.
2 Kings 10:33 nkjv
from the Jordan eastward: all the land of Gilead?Gad, Reuben, and Manasseh?from Aroer, which is by the River Arnon, including Gilead and Bashan.
2 Kings 10:33 niv
east of the Jordan in all the land of Gilead (the region of Gad, Reuben and Manasseh), from Aroer by the Arnon Gorge through Gilead to Bashan.
2 Kings 10:33 esv
from the Jordan eastward, all the land of Gilead, the Gadites, and the Reubenites, and the Manassites, from Aroer, which is by the Valley of the Arnon, that is, Gilead and Bashan.
2 Kings 10:33 nlt
east of the Jordan River, including all of Gilead, Gad, Reuben, and Manasseh. He conquered the area from the town of Aroer by the Arnon Gorge to as far north as Gilead and Bashan.
2 Kings 10 33 Cross References
Verse | Text | Reference |
---|---|---|
1 Kgs 19:15-17 | "Go back by the way... and anoint Hazael to be king over Syria. And Jehu... anoint as king over Israel... whoever escapes... Jehu shall put to death." | God raising Hazael for judgment. |
2 Kgs 8:12-13 | "And Hazael said, 'Why does my lord weep?' Elisha answered, 'Because I know the evil that you will do... smite with the sword... tear in pieces...' " | Elisha's prophecy of Hazael's cruelty. |
2 Kgs 10:29 | "Nevertheless, Jehu did not turn aside from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, which he made Israel to sin—the golden calves that were in Bethel and in Dan." | Jehu's incomplete obedience, continued sin. |
2 Kgs 10:31 | "But Jehu was not careful to walk in the law of the LORD, the God of Israel, with all his heart. He did not turn from the sins of Jeroboam..." | Jehu's heart not fully devoted to God. |
2 Kgs 13:3 | "And the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel, and he gave them continually into the hand of Hazael king of Syria..." | Hazael oppressing Israel due to God's anger. |
2 Kgs 13:7 | "For there was left to Joahaz of his army only fifty horsemen, ten chariots, and ten thousand footmen, for the king of Syria had destroyed them..." | Hazael diminishing Israel's military might. |
2 Kgs 13:22 | "Now Hazael king of Syria oppressed Israel all the days of Jehoahaz." | Hazael's continuous oppression. |
Deut 28:15 | "But if you will not obey the voice of the LORD your God... then all these curses shall come upon you and overtake you." | Consequences of disobedience. |
Deut 28:47-48 | "Because you did not serve the LORD your God with joy... therefore you shall serve your enemies whom the LORD will send against you." | Enemy subjugation for spiritual neglect. |
Lev 26:14-17 | "But if you will not listen to me and will not do all these commandments... I will appoint terror over you, consumption and fever... those who hate you shall rule over you." | Covenant curses for rebellion. |
Josh 23:15-16 | "But just as all the good things that the LORD your God promised you have come about for you, so the LORD will bring upon you all the evil things..." | Blessings for obedience, curses for turning away. |
Judg 2:14-15 | "So the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel, and he gave them into the hands of plunderers who plundered them... he gave them into the hands of their enemies all around." | God raising enemies as instruments of judgment. |
Isa 10:5-6 | "Ah, Assyria, the rod of my anger; the staff in their hand is my fury! Against a godless nation I send him, and against the people of my wrath I command him..." | God using foreign powers as instruments. |
Jer 25:9 | "Behold, I will send for all the tribes of the north... and Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, my servant..." | God's specific use of a king as "His servant." |
Hab 1:5-6 | "For behold, I am raising up the Chaldeans, that bitter and hasty nation, who march through the breadth of the earth, to seize dwellings not their own." | God raising nations for His purpose. |
Amos 1:3-5 | "Thus says the LORD: 'For three transgressions of Damascus, and for four, I will not revoke the punishment, because they have threshed Gilead with threshing sledges of iron.' " | Divine judgment upon Aram for cruelty against Gilead. |
Rom 13:1 | "Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God." | God's sovereignty over earthly authorities. |
John 19:11 | "Jesus answered him, 'You would have no authority over me at all unless it had been given you from above. Therefore he who delivered me over to you has the greater sin.'" | Authority granted from divine source. |
Col 3:5-6 | "Put to death therefore what is earthly in you... For because of these things the wrath of God is coming." | Idolatry and other sins bring divine wrath. |
1 Cor 10:6,11 | "Now these things took place as examples for us... these things happened to them as examples, but they were written down for our instruction..." | Old Testament events as lessons for believers. |
Heb 12:5-11 | "My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord... For the Lord disciplines the one he loves..." | God's discipline of His children. |
Gal 6:7 | "Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap." | Principle of sowing and reaping consequences. |
Psa 78:56-62 | "Yet they tested and rebelled against the Most High God... So he gave his power to captivity, his glory to the hand of the foe." | Israel's rebellion and God's anger. |
1 Sam 15:22-23 | "Has the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice... rebellion is as the sin of divination, and presumption as iniquity and idolatry." | Importance of full obedience; rebellion as idolatry. |
2 Kings 10 verses
2 Kings 10 33 Meaning
This verse signifies the beginning of God's direct judgment upon the Northern Kingdom of Israel during the reign of King Jehu, who, despite his zealous reforms against Baal worship, did not fully obey the Lord by removing the golden calves established by Jeroboam I. As a consequence of this partial obedience and persistent idolatry, the Lord Himself began to weaken Israel by allowing King Hazael of Aram to severely attack and reduce Israel's territory, specifically beyond the Jordan River. It illustrates God's sovereignty over nations and His use of foreign powers as instruments of divine discipline when His covenant people stray from His commands.
2 Kings 10 33 Context
This verse occurs immediately following the summary of Jehu's reign in the Northern Kingdom of Israel. Jehu was divinely anointed to eradicate the wicked house of Ahab and eliminate Baal worship, which he did with brutal efficiency. However, the preceding verse (2 Kings 10:31) states that "Jehu was not careful to walk in the law of the LORD, the God of Israel, with all his heart. He did not turn from the sins of Jeroboam, who made Israel sin—the golden calves that were in Bethel and Dan." Despite fulfilling part of God's commission, his incomplete obedience regarding the deep-seated idolatry of the golden calves led to this impending judgment. The historical context shows that God had previously declared through Elijah and Elisha that Hazael would be an instrument of divine punishment against Israel (1 Kgs 19:15-17; 2 Kgs 8:12-13). Thus, 2 Kings 10:33 marks the initiation of the specific judgment for Jehu's and Israel's continued spiritual compromise, specifically territorial loss to Aram.
2 Kings 10 33 Word analysis
- In those days: Hebrew bayamim hahem (בַּיָּמִים הָהֵם). This phrase establishes a specific temporal marker, signaling the commencement of a new phase during Jehu's reign, marking the start of a period of national decline due to divine intervention. It refers to the historical reality experienced by the original audience.
- the LORD: Hebrew YHWH (יְהוָה). The covenant name of God, emphasizing that it is the sovereign God of Israel who is initiating this action, not merely a natural military expansion by Hazael. This underscores His ultimate control over world events and the destiny of His people.
- began: Hebrew heḥel (הֵחֵל). From the root ḥll meaning to begin or profane. Here, it denotes the initiation of a process, implying that the "cutting off" was not a single, instantaneous event but the start of a period of sustained pressure and loss. This points to God's measured, albeit certain, discipline.
- to cut off parts: Hebrew leḥatṣot beYisra'el (לְקַצּוֹת בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל). The verb qaṣaṣ (קצץ) means to cut off, prune, or destroy. "Parts" implies territorial fragmentation and weakening, not total annihilation immediately. This signifies God's precise and deliberate act of judgment, diminishing Israel's strength and size in direct consequence of their unfaithfulness. It echoes the warnings in the Pentateuch about territorial loss for disobedience.
- of Israel: Hebrew Yisra'el (יִשְׂרָאֵל). Refers specifically to the Northern Kingdom, which maintained the idolatry of Jeroboam.
- and Hazael: Hebrew Ḥaza'el (חֲזָאֵל). King of Aram (Damascus), a powerful gentile king, chosen by God (prophesied earlier) to execute His judgment upon Israel. This highlights God's absolute sovereignty, using even foreign, unbelieving kings to accomplish His will.
- attacked them: Hebrew vayakkem (וַיַּכֵּם). From nakah (נכה), meaning to strike, smite, attack, or defeat. It indicates direct, forceful military engagement resulting in casualties and subjugation. Hazael was the visible instrument, but the action originated with the Lord.
- throughout all the territory of Israel: Hebrew bekol-gevul Yisra'el (בְּכָל־גְּבוּל יִשְׂרָאֵל). This phrase emphasizes the extensive reach and widespread devastation caused by Hazael's invasions. It suggests a comprehensive rather than isolated assault, affecting the entirety of Israel's borders and internal lands, particularly Gilead beyond the Jordan, which was geographically vulnerable to Aramaean incursions.
Words-group by words-group analysis
- "In those days the LORD began": This phrase firmly attributes the historical events to divine initiation. It’s not just human conflict but a divine unfolding of judgment. This establishes God as the primary actor behind the suffering of His people.
- "to cut off parts of Israel": This vividly describes the precise nature of the judgment. God didn't abandon Israel completely but allowed them to be diminished in a piecemeal fashion, indicating a deliberate, strategic weakening as a consequence of their sin. This highlights the concept of progressive discipline.
- "and Hazael attacked them throughout all the territory of Israel": This identifies the specific human instrument of God's judgment and the geographical extent of the suffering. It connects the divine decree with its historical fulfillment, showcasing Hazael as an unwitting tool in God's hand for executing the forewarned consequences of disobedience. The suffering was real, tangible, and pervasive.
2 Kings 10 33 Bonus section
The "cutting off" specifically began in the trans-Jordanian regions (Gilead, Reuben, Gad, and Manasseh), which were most exposed to Hazael's attacks from Damascus. This detail is given in the preceding verse, 2 Kings 10:32, explicitly naming "all the territory of Israel beyond the Jordan, all the land of Gilead, the Gadites, and the Reubenites, and the Manassites." This geographical specificity emphasizes the tangible loss of God's promised land due to covenant violation, particularly those areas where early settlement often faced external pressures. The subsequent book of 2 Kings details how this period of Aramaean oppression persisted throughout the reign of Jehu's successor, Jehoahaz, until God eventually granted a measure of relief and deliverance (2 Kgs 13:3-7, 23-25). This verse marks the opening phase of a long decline that would ultimately lead to the exile of the Northern Kingdom. It underscores the severity of retaining syncretistic practices (like the golden calves) alongside worship of the Lord.
2 Kings 10 33 Commentary
2 Kings 10:33 serves as a pivotal theological statement within the narrative of the divided kingdom. It is a stark reminder that while human leaders may achieve some measure of success, even fulfilling parts of a divine mandate like Jehu did in destroying Baalism, incomplete obedience and persistent compromise with idolatry will inevitably invite God's disciplinary hand. The verse underscores God's sovereignty, showing Him not merely reacting to events but actively initiating them – "the Lord began to cut off parts." Hazael, the Aramean king, acted as an instrument of God's righteous judgment, illustrating how even pagan rulers serve the divine will, whether they acknowledge it or not. The "cutting off" refers to a systematic erosion of Israel's strength and territory, leading to significant national distress and humiliation. It exemplifies the consistent biblical pattern: faithfulness brings blessing, but covenant unfaithfulness brings curses and divine discipline.
- Example: Just as a loving parent disciplines a child for their own good, God disciplined Israel to draw them back to Himself and prevent their utter destruction by persistent idolatry.
- Example: Similar to how a farmer prunes branches to ensure the health of the entire tree, God allowed parts of Israel to be cut off to address the root issue of sin that threatened the nation's spiritual well-being.