2 Kings 9:19 kjv
Then he sent out a second on horseback, which came to them, and said, Thus saith the king, Is it peace? And Jehu answered, What hast thou to do with peace? turn thee behind me.
2 Kings 9:19 nkjv
Then he sent out a second horseman who came to them, and said, "Thus says the king: 'Is it peace?' " And Jehu answered, "What have you to do with peace? Turn around and follow me."
2 Kings 9:19 niv
So the king sent out a second horseman. When he came to them he said, "This is what the king says: 'Do you come in peace?'?" Jehu replied, "What do you have to do with peace? Fall in behind me."
2 Kings 9:19 esv
Then he sent out a second horseman, who came to them and said, "Thus the king has said, 'Is it peace?'" And Jehu answered, "What do you have to do with peace? Turn around and ride behind me."
2 Kings 9:19 nlt
So the king sent out a second horseman. He rode up to them and said, "The king wants to know if you come in peace." Again Jehu answered, "What do you know about peace? Fall in behind me!"
2 Kings 9 19 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| 1 Kgs 19:16 | "...you shall anoint Jehu... as king over Israel, and Elisha... as prophet in your place." | God's prior designation of Jehu for a specific task. |
| 2 Kgs 9:6-7 | "...I anoint you king over Israel... that you may strike down the house of Ahab..." | Jehu's direct prophetic commission, empowering his resolute actions. |
| 2 Kgs 9:11 | "...Why did this madman come to you?... | Jehu's followers recognizing the urgency and perceived 'madness' of his quick departure. |
| 2 Kgs 9:17 | "...Is it peace, Jehu? And he said, What have you to do with peace? Turn behind me..." | The immediate prior instance, reinforcing Jehu's consistent, blunt response. |
| 2 Kgs 9:22 | "...When Joram saw Jehu, he asked, "Is it peace, Jehu?" He answered, "What peace, so long as the harlotries..." | Jehu reiterates his disdain for "peace" in light of Jezebel's evil. |
| Judg 9:48 | "...Abimelech went up to Mount Zalmon, he and all the people who were with him..." | Leader demanding followers join his path towards an objective. |
| 1 Sam 15:10-11 | "...The word of the Lord came to Samuel: "I regret that I have made Saul king, for he has turned back from following me..." | Contrast: Saul "turned back" from God's command; Jehu will not. |
| 2 Chr 25:16 | "...Have we made you royal counsel?... He turned back, and he killed him." | Consequence for those who oppose God's messenger and "turn back." |
| Isa 14:24 | "The Lord of hosts has sworn: "As I have planned, so shall it be, and as I have purposed, so shall it stand..." | God's plans are unwavering, just as Jehu's resolve is to fulfill them. |
| Isa 43:13 | "...When I act, who can reverse it?" | Emphasizes the irreversible nature of divine action, mirrored by Jehu's unyielding advance. |
| Jer 1:17 | "...do not be dismayed by them, lest I dismay you before them." | Call for a prophet/messenger to be firm and not turn back from opposition. |
| Ezek 2:4 | "...I am sending you to children of Israel... they will not listen..." | Prophetic call for unyielding resolve in delivering God's message, even in rejection. |
| Zech 1:3-4 | "...Thus says the Lord of hosts, 'Return to Me,' declares the Lord of hosts..." | The term "turn" (שוב - shuv) is often used for repentance, a concept alien to Jehu's mission here. |
| Zech 7:11 | "...they refused to pay attention and turned a stubborn shoulder and stopped their ears that they might not hear." | Refusal to turn or listen often leads to divine judgment. |
| Prov 28:13 | "Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy." | Repentance ("forsaking") requires a "turning" away from sin, highlighting Jehu's mission of cutting off. |
| Joel 2:13 | "Rend your hearts and not your garments. Return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and merciful..." | Again, "return" (shuv) implies turning to God, while Jehu is turning against sin. |
| Mal 3:6 | "For I the Lord do not change..." | God's unchanging character undergirds the certainty of His judgments, enacted by Jehu. |
| Luke 9:62 | "No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God." | New Testament echo: total commitment, no turning back once committed to a divine task. |
| John 18:6 | "When Jesus said to them, 'I am he,' they drew back and fell to the ground." | The power of divine presence can cause others to "draw back" or turn away in fear. |
| Acts 7:51 | "...You always resist the Holy Spirit. As your fathers did, so do you." | Stubborn refusal to "turn" to God's will leading to condemnation. |
| 2 Cor 10:3-4 | "For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh... divinely powerful to destroy strongholds." | The spiritual battle, with an unyielding purpose to destroy evil structures, analogous to Jehu's task. |
| Rev 19:11 | "Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True..." | Christ leading heavenly armies with determined justice, fulfilling judgment, just as Jehu does earthly. |
2 Kings 9 verses
2 Kings 9 19 Meaning
2 Kings 9:19 records Jehu's second, more forceful, and dismissive response to the envoy sent by King Joram. Having received his divine commission to utterly destroy the house of Ahab, Jehu is now single-mindedly prosecuting his mission. His statement, "What have you to do with peace? Turn around and follow me," is a direct repudiation of the envoy's purpose of seeking news or assessing Jehu's intent for peace. It signals Jehu's unwavering determination to fulfill the divine judgment, declaring that negotiation or turning back is out of the question. Instead, he co-opts the messenger into his burgeoning company, asserting immediate authority and leaving no room for dissent or delay in his swift march towards Samaria.
2 Kings 9 19 Context
This verse is part of a rapid sequence of events following Jehu's anointing in Ramoth-gilead. The prophet, acting under Elisha's instruction, declares Jehu king of Israel and charges him with destroying the entire house of Ahab, a judgment long promised by God. Immediately, Jehu and his officers mount chariots and speed towards Jezreel, where King Joram of Israel (Ahab's son) is recovering from battle wounds, accompanied by King Ahaziah of Judah. The frantic pace is emphasized by the watchman's repeated reports of an approaching company. When the first and second chariots are sent to ascertain Jehu's intentions with the question "Is it peace?", Jehu's consistent, unyielding, and now-dismissive response in 2 Kings 9:19 underscores his determined and swift advance towards fulfilling his divine commission. He is not coming for peace, but for judgment and the overthrow of the current regime.
2 Kings 9 19 Word analysis
- And he said: Signifies Jehu's direct, personal, and authoritative reply. He speaks with certainty and power.
- What: The interrogative particle 'מַה' (mah), signifying an inquiry, but in this context, it functions rhetorically, indicating dismissal or indignation.
- have you: 'לְךָ֙' (lekha), a pronominal suffix meaning "to you" or "for you." Together with "What," 'מַה לְּךָ֙' (mah lekha) literally means "What to you?" or "What is to you?".
- to do with peace?: This phrase (often implying 'what concern is it of yours concerning peace?') powerfully rejects the notion of diplomacy or peaceful negotiation. It contrasts starkly with the initial question posed by the king's envoys, immediately signaling hostility and the irrevocability of his mission. Peace is antithetical to Jehu's divine mandate for judgment.
- Turn around: 'שְׁבַ֣ב' (shevav), an imperative form of the verb 'שׁוּב' (shuv), which means "to turn," "to return," "to go back," or "to repent." In this military and political context, it means "turn back." Jehu commands the envoy not to return to Joram with news, but to physically reorient and follow him. This verb is critically important; Jehu refuses to turn back (as in v.18), and now demands others turn and align with him.
- and follow me: 'וּסֹ֣ב אַחֲרָ֑י' (u-sov akharay). 'וּסֹ֣ב' (u-sov) is from the root 'סָבַב' (savav), meaning "to turn," "to go around," "to surround," or "to travel about." In conjunction with 'אַחֲרָ֑י' (akharay) meaning "behind me" or "after me," it's an imperative to join his retinue and ride behind him. This command implies absorption and immediate allegiance, demonstrating Jehu's aggressive expansion of his ranks and his unchallenged authority as he proceeds to fulfill God's commission. The envoys are immediately swept up into the tide of his revolution.
2 Kings 9 19 Bonus section
The repeated dispatch of charioteers by Joram, and Jehu's repeated absorption of them, illustrates not only Jehu's swiftness but also Joram's increasingly desperate state. Each messenger who joins Jehu signifies a dwindling of Joram's power and an increase in Jehu's rapidly assembling force. This subtle narrative detail emphasizes Jehu's total disregard for normal diplomatic protocol, operating purely on the principle of divine imperative. Jehu's actions are not simply about military might, but about enacting the precise words of prophecy, rendering political or peaceful negotiation obsolete. His immediate commandeering of the messengers serves as a direct fulfillment of the divine charge given to him. This scene acts as a miniature demonstration of a divinely commissioned agent disrupting established order with unstoppable momentum, fulfilling ancient prophecies of judgment.
2 Kings 9 19 Commentary
2 Kings 9:19 crystallizes Jehu's absolute commitment to his divine mandate. The question "Is it peace?" holds no relevance in the face of a divine decree of judgment. Jehu's curt dismissal ("What have you to do with peace?") strips away any pretense of diplomacy, asserting that peace is not an option for the corrupt house of Ahab. His imperative, "Turn around and follow me," immediately co-opts the royal envoy, forcing allegiance to his cause. This is a moment of clear transition of authority, displaying Jehu's unwavering resolve and the swift, uncompromising nature of divine judgment that leaves no room for hesitation or retreat. It underscores that once God's appointed agent moves, all who stand in the way or seek to delay are swept aside or absorbed into His unfolding purpose.