2 Kings 9:26 kjv
Surely I have seen yesterday the blood of Naboth, and the blood of his sons, saith the LORD; and I will requite thee in this plat, saith the LORD. Now therefore take and cast him into the plat of ground, according to the word of the LORD.
2 Kings 9:26 nkjv
'Surely I saw yesterday the blood of Naboth and the blood of his sons,' says the LORD, 'and I will repay you in this plot,' says the LORD. Now therefore, take and throw him on the plot of ground, according to the word of the LORD."
2 Kings 9:26 niv
'Yesterday I saw the blood of Naboth and the blood of his sons, declares the LORD, and I will surely make you pay for it on this plot of ground, declares the LORD.' Now then, pick him up and throw him on that plot, in accordance with the word of the LORD."
2 Kings 9:26 esv
'As surely as I saw yesterday the blood of Naboth and the blood of his sons ? declares the LORD ? I will repay you on this plot of ground.' Now therefore take him up and throw him on the plot of ground, in accordance with the word of the LORD."
2 Kings 9:26 nlt
'I solemnly swear that I will repay him here on this plot of land, says the LORD, for the murder of Naboth and his sons that I saw yesterday.' So throw him out on Naboth's property, just as the LORD said."
2 Kings 9 26 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| 1 Kgs 21:19 | "Thus says the Lord: ‘Have you murdered and also taken possession?... In the place where dogs licked up the blood of Naboth shall dogs lick up your own blood.’" | Elijah's prophecy against Ahab for Naboth. |
| 1 Kgs 21:21-24 | "Behold, I will bring disaster upon you... every male belonging to Ahab..." | Broader judgment on Ahab's house. |
| 2 Kgs 9:7-10 | "Strike down the house of Ahab... avenge the blood of My servants the prophets... Jezebel the dogs shall eat..." | Jehu's commission to fulfill prophecy. |
| Gen 4:10-11 | "The voice of your brother's blood is crying to me from the ground. And now you are cursed from the ground..." | Blood crying out for justice from the ground. |
| Num 35:33 | "You shall not pollute the land in which you live, for blood pollutes the land, and no atonement can be made..." | Land defilement by innocent blood. |
| Deut 32:35 | "Vengeance is Mine, and recompense; In due time their foot will slip..." | God's right to vengeance. |
| Ps 94:1 | "O Lord, God of vengeance, O God of vengeance, shine forth!" | Prayer for divine vengeance/justice. |
| Rom 12:19 | "Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, 'Vengeance is Mine, I will repay, says the Lord.'" | God retains the right to vengeance. |
| Heb 10:30 | "For we know Him who said, 'Vengeance is Mine; I will repay.'" | Reiterates God's prerogative for vengeance. |
| 1 Sam 2:3 | "The Lord is a God of knowledge, and by Him actions are weighed." | God's omniscience and just judgment. |
| Job 20:27 | "The heavens will reveal his iniquity, and the earth will rise up against him." | Earth's witness to sin and its consequence. |
| Prov 16:5 | "Everyone who is proud in heart is an abomination to the Lord; assuredly, he will not go unpunished." | Certainty of judgment for wickedness. |
| Isa 34:8 | "For the Lord has a day of vengeance, a year of recompense for the cause of Zion." | The certainty of God's day of recompense. |
| Jer 5:9 | "Shall I not punish them for these things? declares the Lord; And shall I not avenge Myself on a nation such as this?" | God's justice demanding action. |
| Eze 18:4 | "Behold, all souls are Mine... The soul who sins shall die." | Divine principle of individual accountability. |
| Joel 3:21 | "I will avenge their blood, which I have not avenged..." | God's promise to avenge innocent blood. |
| Mal 3:5 | "Then I will draw near to you for judgment... against those who oppress the wage earner... and turn aside the sojourner... and do not fear Me." | God as a swift witness and judge. |
| Lk 11:50-51 | "...so that the blood of all the prophets, shed from the foundation of the world, may be charged against this generation..." | Accountability for historical bloodshed. |
| Rev 6:9-10 | "I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain... they cried out with a loud voice, 'O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long before you will judge and avenge our blood...?'" | Martyred saints' cry for divine justice. |
| Gal 6:7 | "Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap." | The principle of divine recompense. |
| Ps 10:14 | "But You, O Lord, are a God who sees trouble and sorrow, that You may requite it with Your hand." | God's observation and repayment of evil. |
| Jer 14:10 | "Therefore the Lord does not accept them... He will remember their iniquity and punish their sins." | God remembers and punishes sin. |
2 Kings 9 verses
2 Kings 9 26 Meaning
This verse states God's direct declaration that He witnessed the unjust murder of Naboth and his sons. It unequivocally asserts that, as a result, the Lord Himself will bring about direct retribution upon Ahab's house precisely in the same plot of land where the original atrocity occurred. It underscores God's perfect omniscience and unwavering commitment to divine justice.
2 Kings 9 26 Context
This verse occurs during Jehu's ruthless purge of the house of Ahab, acting as an instrument of divine judgment. Specifically, Jehu is in the Jezreel valley, having just executed King Joram, Ahab's son, in the field that was once Naboth's vineyard. Ahaziah, King of Judah, who was allied with Joram, also flees and is mortally wounded by Jehu. As Jehu surveys the scene, he directly quotes this divine declaration, revealing his understanding and conviction of his mission as the fulfillment of a long-standing prophecy given to Ahab by Elijah the prophet in 1 Kings chapter 21. The historical context includes Ahab and Jezebel's unparalleled wickedness in Israel, particularly their scheme to unjustly seize Naboth's vineyard by orchestrating his murder through false accusations of blasphemy.
2 Kings 9 26 Word analysis
- Surely (אכן - akhen): This word serves as a strong affirmative particle, conveying certainty, truth, or a definitive confirmation. It emphasizes that what follows is a settled divine truth, leaving no room for doubt about the Lord's statement or its basis. It suggests an unwavering pronouncement.
- I saw (רָאִיתִי - ra'iti): This is a first-person singular form of the verb "to see," emphasizing God's direct, personal, and unimpeachable eyewitness account. It conveys omniscience—God's ability to see all things, including hidden acts of injustice. Unlike human testimony, His seeing is perfect and without distortion, establishing the ultimate legal basis for judgment.
- yesterday (אֶמֶשׁ - 'emes): This term, when used in divine pronouncements concerning past events, signifies a clarity and freshness in God's memory, as if the event had just happened. It contrasts with human tendency to forget or dismiss old sins. For God, time does not diminish His awareness or resolve for justice. Some interpretations see it from Jehu's perspective, implying an event within his own recall and linking the immediate past (his understanding of Naboth's death) to God's eternal truth.
- the blood of Naboth (דַּם נָבוֹת - dam Navoth): "Blood" here refers to life itself, the violent shedding of life, and acts as a potent symbol for innocent murder. In ancient Near Eastern thought and Hebrew scripture, shed blood cries out from the ground for justice (Gen 4:10). Naboth's murder was particularly egregious due to its fraudulent nature, legal perversion, and greed.
- and the blood of his sons (וְדַם בָּנָיו - v'dam banav): This crucial detail confirms the complete annihilation of Naboth's male heirs, which was likely necessary for Ahab to claim permanent ownership of the vineyard (as ancestral land was generally inalienable except in extreme circumstances). This makes the crime even more heinous, eradicating Naboth's lineage and rightful claim, thereby compounding the injustice. It signifies a premeditated act to seize land permanently rather than just eliminate a nuisance.
- declares the Lord (נְאֻם יְהוָה - ne'um YHWH): This is a powerful prophetic formula, meaning "the utterance of Yahweh" or "the Lord's oracle." It indicates a direct divine utterance, guaranteeing the authenticity and unchangeable nature of the prophecy. It asserts divine authority behind the declaration, transforming it from a mere observation into a binding decree of judgment.
- I will repay you (אֲשַׁלֵּם לָךְ - ashallem lakh): "Repay" (שָׁלַם - shalem) means to restore, to complete, or to recompense, often with the nuance of paying back what is due—either good or evil. Here, it explicitly denotes divine retribution, signifying that God Himself is the one directly executing judgment against the house of Ahab, settling the debt of injustice owed to Naboth. The personal pronoun "I" further stresses God's direct involvement.
- in this plot of ground (בַּחֶלְקָה הַזֹּאת - baḥelqah hazzot): "Plot of ground" refers specifically to Naboth's vineyard. The precision of location signifies a direct, fitting, and almost poetic justice (lex talionis principle: "an eye for an eye," in this case, "blood for blood in the same place"). It physically ties the scene of the crime to the scene of the judgment, showing God's specific memory and exacting fulfillment of justice where the injustice originated. It highlights that no sin escapes God's detailed attention or appropriate consequence.
2 Kings 9 26 Bonus section
- This verse powerfully illustrates God's memory concerning sin. While God is gracious to forgive repented sins, unrepentant iniquity, especially gross injustice like the murder of Naboth and his sons, is not forgotten.
- The passage implicitly underscores the principle that the land itself, granted by God as an inheritance, is sacred and can be polluted by bloodshed (Num 35:33). The judgment being rendered "in this plot of ground" reinforces the defilement and subsequent purging of the land from sin.
- Jehu's recollection and declaration of this prophecy show the ongoing awareness within Israel of God's specific promises of judgment and the expectation of their fulfillment, even years after they were first spoken by Elijah.
- The episode with Naboth's vineyard (1 Kgs 21) serves as a classic Old Testament case study in abuse of power, perversion of justice, and covetousness leading to murder. This verse provides the ultimate divine answer to that injustice.
2 Kings 9 26 Commentary
2 Kings 9:26 is a profound declaration of divine justice, directly linking God's perfect omniscience with His unwavering commitment to righteousness. It underscores that God not only observes all iniquity but actively remembers it with a clear intent to execute retribution. The reference to "the blood of Naboth and the blood of his sons" highlights the severity of the original crime—not merely property seizure, but cold-blooded murder and lineage extermination, rooted in unholy desire. God's emphatic "I saw" eradicates any notion of ignorance or oversight, asserting His role as the supreme witness and judge. The use of the prophetic formula "declares the Lord" authenticates the pronouncement as an absolute divine decree. Furthermore, the divine promise "I will repay you in this plot of ground" emphasizes the specificity and fittingness of God's judgment. This retribution, occurring in the exact location of the original sin, is a powerful demonstration that divine justice is both exact and comprehensive, fulfilling prophecy and reminding humanity that no sin, especially against the innocent, goes unpunished by the Lord who sees all.