2 Kings 9 35

2 Kings 9:35 kjv

And they went to bury her: but they found no more of her than the skull, and the feet, and the palms of her hands.

2 Kings 9:35 nkjv

So they went to bury her, but they found no more of her than the skull and the feet and the palms of her hands.

2 Kings 9:35 niv

But when they went out to bury her, they found nothing except her skull, her feet and her hands.

2 Kings 9:35 esv

But when they went to bury her, they found no more of her than the skull and the feet and the palms of her hands.

2 Kings 9:35 nlt

But when they went out to bury her, they found only her skull, her feet, and her hands.

2 Kings 9 verses

2 Kings 9 35 Meaning

The verse describes the gruesome discovery made by Jehu’s men when they attempted to bury Jezebel. After she was thrown from a window and her body trampled and consumed by dogs, all that remained of her royal person were a skull, her feet, and the palms of her hands. This horrifying scene directly fulfills the prophecy delivered by Elijah, signifying a complete and utterly ignominious end for the wicked queen, stripped of all honor and even proper burial.

2 Kings 9 35 Context

Chapter 9 of 2 Kings opens with Elisha commissioning a prophet to anoint Jehu king over Israel, with the explicit instruction to "strike down the house of Ahab your master" to avenge the blood of God's servants, the prophets, and all who suffered under Jezebel's hand. Jehu immediately begins his violent ascent to power, killing King Joram of Israel and King Ahaziah of Judah. As he approaches Jezreel, Jezebel, showing a defiant pride even in her impending doom, adorns herself and attempts to challenge him from her window. Jehu, without hesitation, commands her eunuchs to throw her down. She falls, her blood splatters, and her body is trampled. Later, Jehu, having eaten and drunk, commands her burial, likely out of a practical custom to avoid a defiled land (cf. Deut 21:23) or perhaps a passing respect for her former royal status. However, when they go to bury her, they find only remnants, indicating the complete and public fulfillment of Elijah’s prophecy that dogs would devour her by the wall of Jezreel and that none would bury her.

2 Kings 9 35 Word analysis

• And they went to bury her: Hebrew, va-yeleḵū le-ḳabərāh. This indicates an intention and action initiated by Jehu's command. The verb implies purposeful movement. Despite Jezebel's wickedness, the custom of burial, even for a deposed monarch, was often observed, perhaps to prevent ceremonial defilement of the land, as referenced in Dt 21:23 regarding criminals. This gesture makes the ensuing discovery even more striking.
• but they found no more of her: Hebrew, we-lō’ māṣə’ū vāh. The emphatic "no more" (literally, "and they found in her nothing") powerfully conveys the near-total consumption of her body. This highlights the severity and completeness of the divine judgment and the fulfillment of prophecy, leaving almost no trace of her powerful, notorious self.
• than the skull: Hebrew, ‘im ki im-gulgōlet. The word gulgōlet (גֻּלְגֹּלֶת) specifically means "skull" or "head." Its discovery points to the only immediately recognizable part of what was once a person, emphasizing the utter dismemberment and destruction. The head, once crowned and adorned, now a mere bone. This is a vivid image of total dehumanization and dishonor in death.
• and the feet: Hebrew, wəhāraḡlāyim. The term refers to "feet" or "legs." These extremities, along with the skull and hands, are perhaps the more bony, less meaty parts that dogs might not consume entirely or as quickly, or they may have been parts that clung to the wall after her fall or were pressed into the ground. Their bare presence signifies the body's thorough dismemberment and scavenging.
• and the palms of her hands: Hebrew, wəkappōt yāḏeyhā. "Palms of her hands" (kappot yadeyha) refers specifically to the inner surface of the hands. The hands, which symbolically had taken Naboth's vineyard (through a wicked plot instigated by Jezebel) and were instrumental in promoting Baal worship and persecuting prophets, are now reduced to unburied fragments, underscoring the poetic justice in her judgment. The specific mention of these body parts accentuates the complete degradation and lack of a proper, dignified end.

2 Kings 9 35 Bonus section

The motif of bodies being devoured by dogs is a recurring curse against wicked kings and their houses in the Old Testament, such as for Jeroboam (1 Ki 14:11) and Baasha (1 Ki 16:4). This fate was considered the epitome of dishonor and a profound spiritual defilement. Jezebel's demise highlights the precision of biblical prophecy, where even the specific manner of death is foretold and accurately accomplished. The choice of specific body parts remaining (skull, feet, hands) may imply the extent of the desecration, as well as an ironic parallel to the human body often associated with divine creation and order; here, it is completely disintegrated by judgment.

2 Kings 9 35 Commentary

2 Kings 9:35 vividly recounts the dramatic and brutal culmination of divine judgment upon Jezebel. This verse is the final, horrific fulfillment of Elijah's prophecy from 1 Kings 21:23. Her ignominious end, devoured by dogs and left without a proper burial, symbolized utter desecration and the severest possible dishonor in the ancient world. It served as a stark testament to God's unwavering justice against rebellion and idolatry. The fragments of her body—skull, feet, and hands—emphasize that despite her previous power and regal pride, nothing but a few unrecognizable remnants remained. Her once royal person was rendered into mere carrion, a powerful object lesson on the futility of human defiance against God and the certainty of His prophetic word being fulfilled.