2 Kings 9 30

2 Kings 9:30 kjv

And when Jehu was come to Jezreel, Jezebel heard of it; and she painted her face, and tired her head, and looked out at a window.

2 Kings 9:30 nkjv

Now when Jehu had come to Jezreel, Jezebel heard of it; and she put paint on her eyes and adorned her head, and looked through a window.

2 Kings 9:30 niv

Then Jehu went to Jezreel. When Jezebel heard about it, she put on eye makeup, arranged her hair and looked out of a window.

2 Kings 9:30 esv

When Jehu came to Jezreel, Jezebel heard of it. And she painted her eyes and adorned her head and looked out of the window.

2 Kings 9:30 nlt

When Jezebel, the queen mother, heard that Jehu had come to Jezreel, she painted her eyelids and fixed her hair and sat at a window.

2 Kings 9 verses

2 Kings 9 30 Meaning

When Jehu arrived in Jezreel to execute God's judgment upon the house of Ahab, Jezebel, sensing her impending doom, deliberately prepared herself by painting her eyes with kohl and adorning her head. She then positioned herself at a window, seemingly in an act of defiant confrontation or a final, queenly assertion of power before her fate was sealed.

2 Kings 9 30 Context

The events of 2 Kings chapter 9 occur immediately after the reign of Joram, king of Israel, son of Ahab and Jezebel. Jehu has just been secretly anointed by a prophet, specifically commissioned by God through Elisha, to fulfill the prophecy given to Elijah: to utterly destroy the house of Ahab as divine judgment for their pervasive idolatry, injustice, and persecution of God's prophets, specifically naming Jezebel. Jehu's arrival in Jezreel is swift and purposeful, a direct fulfillment of this divine mission. Jezebel, a Phoenician princess who introduced widespread Baal worship and harlotry into Israel, along with orchestrating Naboth's murder (1 Ki 21), represents the zenith of Israel's apostasy under the Omrid dynasty. Her defiant actions in 2 Kings 9:30 are her last act before the swift execution of God's righteous wrath, showcasing her unyielding pride even at the precipice of her demise. The cultural context suggests kohl eye paint was used for beauty and could be a symbol of royalty or harlotry; in Jezebel’s case, it serves both as a defiant queen and as a foreshadowing of the harlot image the prophets would use for idolatrous Israel.

2 Kings 9 30 Word analysis

• When Jehu came to Jezreel:
  • Jehu (יֵהוּא - Yehú): Means "He is Yahweh." His very name suggests divine authority and serves as a powerful reminder of whose judgment is about to be executed. His swift arrival symbolizes the inevitability and immediacy of God's appointed judgment.
  • Jezreel (יִזְרְעֶ֑אל - Yizrəʿeʾl): A highly significant location associated with Ahab and Jezebel's sin, particularly Naboth's vineyard (1 Ki 21). It means "God sows" or "God scatters," and ironically, in this instance, it is where God scatters the house of Ahab and Jezebel, sowing the seeds of judgment.
• Jezebel heard of it:
  • Jezebel (אִיזֶבֶל - ʼÎzevel): An infamous Phoenician princess, wife of Ahab, whose name has come to signify wickedness, idolatry, and moral corruption. Some interpretations suggest the name might mean "where is the prince?" (referring to Baal) or "unexalted," possibly a pejorative Jewish interpretation of a Phoenician name, reflecting her moral status in Israelite tradition. Her "hearing of it" implies a direct knowledge of Jehu's approach and his lethal intent, marking the onset of the final divine retribution she had long resisted.
• and she painted her eyes:
  • painted her eyes (וַתָּ֤שֶׂם בַּפּוּךְ֙ עֵינֶ֔יהָ - wattā́šem bap̄ūḵ ʿêneyhā): Literally "placed antimony in her eyes." Antimony or kohl was a dark cosmetic applied around the eyes, common in the ancient Near East for both beautification and, notably, as associated with women of loose morals or idolatrous practices (Jer 4:30; Eze 23:40). In Jezebel’s context, this is interpreted not just as an act of personal vanity but as a final defiant assertion of queenly status, a psychological ploy, or a theatrical gesture of one preparing for a dramatic end. It underscores her unrepentant pride and her attachment to worldly display, even as divine judgment approaches.
• and adorned her head:
  • adorned her head (וַתֵּ֣יטֶב אֶת־רֹאשָׁ֔הּ - wattêṭeḇ ʼeṯ-rōʾšāh): Lit. "made good her head" or "arranged her head well." This suggests a deliberate act of arranging her hair or perhaps putting on a crown or elaborate headdress. This act, coupled with painting her eyes, paints a picture of deliberate, ostentatious self-presentation, aiming to maintain a facade of control, dignity, or perhaps even an attempt to intimidate her executioner through sheer regal presence or theatrical defiance. It indicates a mind fixed on appearance even in death.
• and looked out of the window:
  • looked out of the window (וַתִּשְׁקֵ֖ף בַּחַלּֽוֹן - wattishqēp̄ baḥallôn): This act positions her visibly and publicly. Windows often symbolize observation, exposure, or a point of critical encounter. For a queen, it could be a place of pronouncement. Here, it is her final defiant perch, enabling her to verbally challenge Jehu as he approaches, establishing a dramatic face-to-face encounter, and grimly foreshadowing the very window from which she would shortly be thrown down to her death.

2 Kings 9 30 Bonus section

The scene with Jezebel is rich in theological significance. It represents a dramatic end to a deeply corrupt period in Israel's history dominated by Ahab and Jezebel's pagan influence and persecution of Yahwistic worship. Jezebel's very posture at the window, coupled with her defiant greeting to Jehu (2 Ki 9:31), signifies her active opposition to God's chosen agent and thus to God Himself. Her final display of royal pomp, far from instilling fear or respect in Jehu, ironically underscores the futility of human pride and earthly glory against the will of the Most High. This account serves as a powerful biblical warning against the dangers of unrepentant sin, idolatry, and arrogance, demonstrating God's consistent justice in executing judgment against wickedness. The vivid detail prepares the reader for the shocking and decisive end of this central figure of apostasy in Israel.

2 Kings 9 30 Commentary

2 Kings 9:30 portrays Jezebel's final, characteristic act before divine judgment. Her elaborate adornment—painting her eyes and styling her head—is far more than a simple act of personal grooming. It is a potent symbol of her unyielding pride, her regal defiance, and her profound unrepentance in the face of impending doom. Some scholars see it as her desperate attempt to maintain an aura of power and control, perhaps even hoping to psychologically disarm Jehu, typical of a queen trying to project an image of invincibility. Others interpret it through the prophetic lens of idolatry as harlotry, suggesting her adornment is a final, spiritual harlot's seduction or theatrical defiance. She refused to yield or repent, preferring to face her end with a painted façade of earthly glory. This vividly contrasts her vain self-adornment with the stark, prophesied death that awaits her, reinforcing the absolute sovereignty of God's judgment over all human pride and pretense. It exemplifies that no amount of worldly preparation or show can withstand the divine decree, highlighting the certainty of God's justice against those who persistently oppose Him and His will.