2 Kings 9 31

2 Kings 9:31 kjv

And as Jehu entered in at the gate, she said, Had Zimri peace, who slew his master?

2 Kings 9:31 nkjv

Then, as Jehu entered at the gate, she said, "Is it peace, Zimri, murderer of your master?"

2 Kings 9:31 niv

As Jehu entered the gate, she asked, "Have you come in peace, you Zimri, you murderer of your master?"

2 Kings 9:31 esv

And as Jehu entered the gate, she said, "Is it peace, you Zimri, murderer of your master?"

2 Kings 9:31 nlt

When Jehu entered the gate of the palace, she shouted at him, "Have you come in peace, you murderer? You're just like Zimri, who murdered his master!"

2 Kings 9 verses

2 Kings 9 31 Meaning

2 Kings 9:31 depicts Queen Jezebel's final, defiant confrontation with Jehu as he enters Jezreel's city gate. Her rhetorical question, "Is it peace, Zimri, who murdered his master?" is a sarcastic and accusatory challenge. She immediately compares Jehu to Zimri, a short-lived king who had assassinated his master, King Elah (1 Kgs 16), and suffered a swift downfall. This was Jezebel's attempt to discredit Jehu as a mere usurper driven by ambition, predicting a similar ignominious end, rather than acknowledging him as an instrument of divine judgment against her wicked house. It highlights her unrepentant and defiant spirit even in the face of imminent demise.

2 Kings 9 31 Context

The context of 2 Kings 9:31 is the dramatic climax of God's judgment upon the wicked house of Ahab and the Phoenician cult of Baal in Israel. Jehu has been anointed king by a prophet of Elisha with the explicit command to "strike down the house of Ahab your master" (2 Kgs 9:7) and avenge the blood of the prophets shed by Jezebel (2 Kgs 9:7). Following this, Jehu rides swiftly to Jezreel, where King Joram (Ahab's son) and Ahaziah (King of Judah, Ahab's grandson) are recuperating. Joram inquires, "Is it peace, Jehu?" (2 Kgs 9:18, 22), a query Jehu dismisses sharply, emphasizing the "great harlotries of your mother Jezebel." Jehu then slays Joram and Ahaziah, fulfilling prophecies. As Jehu approaches Jezreel's gate to confront Jezebel, this verse captures her final defiant act before her own execution, sealing the divine retribution against a dynasty steeped in idolatry and violence. Her challenge is rooted in her historical understanding of Israelite politics, invoking a past usurper to label Jehu, thus attempting to reframe her impending doom as merely a political assassination rather than a divinely ordained judgment.

2 Kings 9 31 Word analysis

• And as Jehu entered in at the gate,

  • And as Jehu entered: Marks the decisive moment of Jehu's arrival. His mission is relentless and swift. The entry signifies the direct confrontation that has been building throughout the chapter.
  • at the gate: The city gate (שַׁעַר, sha'ar) was a prominent, public, and strategic place in ancient Israel. It was where justice was administered, where significant events took place, and where important people gathered. Jezebel, by positioning herself in a window overlooking the gate, made her confrontation a public spectacle, embodying defiance to the last.

• she said,

  • she: Refers to Jezebel. This action reveals her strong will and refusal to cower. Even facing her end, she asserts her identity and power, making one final statement. Her active role underscores her character throughout the narrative.

• Is it peace,

  • Is it peace?: (הֲשָׁלֹום, hashalom?). This is a rhetorical question, not an actual inquiry about well-being or successful conclusion. It's accusatory and sardonic, dripping with disdain. In biblical context, "peace" (shalom) means completeness, soundness, welfare, or prosperity. Here, Jezebel twists it to question the legitimacy and future stability of Jehu's actions. It contrasts sharply with Joram's earlier hopeful "Is it peace?" (2 Kgs 9:22), highlighting Jezebel's shrewd understanding of the violent implications of Jehu's presence. She perceives his "peace" to be the peace of destruction, not tranquility.

• Zimri,

  • Zimri: A highly significant historical allusion. Zimri (זִמְרִי, Zimri) was an officer who conspired against and murdered King Elah of Israel (1 Kgs 16:9-10). He then reigned for only seven days before Omri, commander of the army, deposed him, leading Zimri to commit suicide by burning his palace around himself (1 Kgs 16:18). By calling Jehu "Zimri," Jezebel implies Jehu is just another ambitious usurper who will meet a swift, disastrous end, just like Zimri. This comparison denies Jehu's divine appointment and reduces him to a common regicide, challenging his legitimacy.

• who murdered his master?

  • who murdered: (רֹצֵחַ, rotseach, "murderer/homicide"). This strong accusation emphasizes the criminal nature of the act. The Hebrew word implies an unjustified killing, rather than lawful execution.
  • his master?: Refers to King Elah in the case of Zimri. For Jehu, it is the royal lineage of Ahab, his 'master' by virtue of being his reigning monarch (even if only titular). This phrase completes the damaging parallel Jezebel intends to draw. It also serves as a polemic against Jehu's mission, attempting to frame his divinely ordained destruction of Ahab's house as merely an act of disloyal ambition, akin to Zimri's perfidy, and thus deserving of a similar downfall.

2 Kings 9 31 Bonus section

Jezebel's bold act of painting her face (2 Kgs 9:30) and presenting herself at the window preceding this verse speaks to her ultimate pride and attempts to maintain a queenly demeanor, even if her life was in danger. Some interpretations suggest the "painting of the eyes" (puk) or "tires her head" was a defiant act of adorning herself for execution, a final act of queenly resolve, or even an attempt at seduction or manipulation to gain some control over the situation. By comparing Jehu to Zimri, a figure from Israel's recent dynastic upheavals, Jezebel reveals her awareness of Israel's violent political history and uses it as her final weapon. This ironic challenge by a foreign queen who had brought foreign gods into Israel and caused immense spiritual corruption stands as her last, futile act of opposition to the God of Israel, whose judgment Jehu was delivering.

2 Kings 9 31 Commentary

Jezebel's final words in 2 Kings 9:31 are a powerful testament to her unwavering defiance and political shrewdness, even in the face of imminent divine judgment. Her sarcastic "Is it peace, Zimri, who murdered his master?" is not a plea but a sharp rhetorical question, aiming to expose Jehu as a mere usurper. By invoking Zimri, she recalls a well-known historical precedent of a regicide whose reign lasted only seven days before a violent end, suggesting Jehu would suffer a similar fate. She attempts to define Jehu's divinely commanded mission of righteous judgment as an act of mere ambition and treachery.

This outburst showcases Jezebel's hardened spirit, a characteristic consistent with her portrayal as the ruthless advocate of Baal worship and the persecutor of God's prophets (1 Kgs 18:4, 21:7-14). Even in extremis, her pride and scorn remained unbroken, signaling her unrepentant heart. However, her attempt to control the narrative failed entirely, as Jehu's next move swiftly fulfilled prophecy (1 Kgs 21:23; 2 Kgs 9:10) and dismantled her power entirely. It underscores the ultimate futility of human defiance against divine purpose.