2 Kings 9:8 kjv
For the whole house of Ahab shall perish: and I will cut off from Ahab him that pisseth against the wall, and him that is shut up and left in Israel:
2 Kings 9:8 nkjv
For the whole house of Ahab shall perish; and I will cut off from Ahab all the males in Israel, both bond and free.
2 Kings 9:8 niv
The whole house of Ahab will perish. I will cut off from Ahab every last male in Israel?slave or free.
2 Kings 9:8 esv
For the whole house of Ahab shall perish, and I will cut off from Ahab every male, bond or free, in Israel.
2 Kings 9:8 nlt
The entire family of Ahab must be wiped out. I will destroy every one of his male descendants, slave and free alike, anywhere in Israel.
2 Kings 9 8 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Fulfillment of Prophecy | ||
| 1 Kgs 21:21-22 | "Behold, I will bring disaster upon you... and utterly cut off from Ahab every male... I will make your house like the house of Jeroboam... and like the house of Baasha..." | Prophecy against Ahab's house. |
| 1 Kgs 14:10-11 | "...I will bring evil on the house of Jeroboam and will cut off from Jeroboam every male... to the one who dies in the city the dogs shall eat..." | Similar judgment on Jeroboam's house. |
| Isa 55:11 | "so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose..." | God's word always fulfills its purpose. |
| Num 23:19 | "God is not a man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind. Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it?" | God is faithful to His word and judgment. |
| Divine Judgment & Wrath | ||
| 1 Kgs 16:3-4 | "I will utterly sweep away Baasha and his house, and I will make your house like the house of Jeroboam..." | Judgment on Baasha's house. |
| Deut 7:4 | "...then the anger of the LORD would be kindled against you, and he would destroy you quickly..." | Consequences of turning to other gods. |
| Josh 23:15 | "But just as all the good things that the LORD your God promised you have come true, so the LORD will bring upon you all the evil things..." | God fulfills curses as well as blessings. |
| Rom 2:5 | "But because of your hard and unrepentant heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath..." | Accumulation of divine wrath for wickedness. |
| Deut 28:15 | "But if you will not obey the voice of the LORD your God... then all these curses shall come upon you and overtake you." | General principle of covenant curses. |
| Consequences of Idolatry | ||
| 1 Kgs 16:31-33 | "He not only considered it trivial to commit the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, but he also married Jezebel... and began to serve Baal and worship him." | Ahab's great wickedness, establishing Baal worship. |
| Exod 20:5 | "...for I the LORD your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me." | God's jealousy and generational judgment for idolatry. |
| Deut 4:26 | "...you will soon perish from the land that you are going over the Jordan to possess. You will not live long in it but will be utterly destroyed." | Perishing from the land due to idolatry. |
| Jer 32:30 | "For the people of Israel and the people of Judah have done nothing but evil in my sight from their youth; indeed, the people of Israel have provoked me to anger by the work of their hands..." | Constant provocation of God through sin. |
| Thoroughness of Judgment | ||
| 1 Sam 2:30-33 | "...I declare that I will cut off your arm and the arm of your father’s house, so that there will not be an old man in your house..." | Thorough cutting off of a priestly line (Eli's). |
| Deut 29:20 | "The LORD will not be willing to forgive him, but the anger of the LORD and his jealousy will smoke against that man..." | No room for escape from the decree. |
| Exod 12:29 | "...the LORD struck down all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sat on his throne to the firstborn of the captive who was in the dungeon..." | Thorough judgment across all societal levels (Egypt). |
| Ps 37:28 | "...the lawless shall be utterly destroyed, and the future of the wicked shall be cut off." | Destiny of the wicked. |
| Prov 2:22 | "but the wicked will be cut off from the land, and the treacherous will be uprooted from it." | Removal of the wicked from the land. |
| Instruments of Judgment | ||
| 2 Kgs 9:6-7 | "...I anoint you king over Israel of the LORD... You shall strike down the house of Ahab your master, so that I may avenge the blood of my servants the prophets..." | Jehu's commission to execute judgment. |
| Jer 25:9 | "behold, I will send for all the tribes of the north... and Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, my servant, and I will bring them against this land..." | God raises up instruments for His judgment. |
| Mercy Contrasted (NT Echoes) | ||
| Eph 2:4-5 | "But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ..." | Contrast of divine wrath with divine mercy for believers. |
| Titus 3:5 | "he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy..." | Salvation by mercy, not works. |
2 Kings 9 verses
2 Kings 9 8 Meaning
2 Kings 9:8 declares the definitive and comprehensive divine judgment upon the house of Ahab, prophesying their complete extermination. It signifies that every male, regardless of their status (bond or free), from Ahab's lineage, would be cut off, ensuring the complete end of his dynasty due to their grave wickedness and idolatry. This is the Lord's absolute and unsparing word against a house that profoundly rejected His covenant and led Israel into severe apostasy.
2 Kings 9 8 Context
This verse is part of the divine commission given to Jehu through a young prophet from Elisha's company (2 Kgs 9:1-10). It directly elaborates on the specific judgment against Ahab's dynasty, echoing and fulfilling the earlier prophecy pronounced by Elijah against Ahab himself for his immense wickedness, particularly for his role in Naboth's murder and for his unparalleled promotion of Baal worship in Israel (1 Kgs 21:20-24). Ahab, aided and incited by his Phoenician wife Jezebel, introduced a profound spiritual corruption to the northern kingdom, turning Israel away from the worship of Yahweh. The "house of Ahab" includes Ahab's son Joram (Jehoram), the current king, and their entire lineage. The swift and total eradication of Ahab's descendants is a decisive act of God's justice against a royal line that had consistently provoked His anger and endangered the spiritual integrity of His covenant people. It marks a violent but necessary purge to eliminate the profound spiritual decay from the kingdom.
2 Kings 9 8 Word analysis
For the whole house of Ahab:
- For the whole: Implies complete, total, entire. Nothing will be left out.
- house of Ahab: (Hebrew: בֵּית אַחְאָב, bêṯ ’aḥ’āḇ). "House" (bêṯ) here signifies not just the immediate family, but the entire royal dynasty, the descendants, the lineage, and all connected to it. In ancient Near Eastern thought, the "house" encompassed the entire social and familial unit, including male offspring, dependents, and even retainers. The phrase emphasizes the corporate solidarity and destiny of the entire family line. This is a judgment against the persistence of their evil influence through generations.
shall perish: (Hebrew: אָבַד, ’ābad). This verb means "to be lost, to go astray, to be destroyed, to perish." It conveys a sense of utter destruction, cessation of existence, and irreversible ruin. It is a strong term for divine judgment, implying not just death, but eradication of memory and lineage.
and I will cut off: (Hebrew: וְהִכְרַתִּי, wəhiḵratî). This verb (kārat) is very significant. While it literally means "to cut, to cut down," it is also widely used in a theological context to mean "to cut off" or "exterminate," especially when referring to divine judgment for covenant breaking. It implies a severing of connection, often leading to death and eradication of descendants, effectively ending a line. The 'I will' signifies direct divine agency behind this action, through Jehu.
from Ahab every male:
- from Ahab: Emphasizes the origin of the lineage targeted.
- every male: This specific detail underscores the totality of the judgment against the continuation of Ahab's family name and lineage. In a patriarchal society, the male line carried the family name and legacy. By eliminating "every male," God ensures no heir remains to perpetuate Ahab's line or his idolatrous practices as ruler.
both bond and free: (Hebrew: עָצוּר וְעָזוּב, ‘āṣûr wə‘āzûḇ). This is an idiomatic expression that literally translates to "one shut up and one left free," or "one held in (confined, possibly in prison or by sickness) and one let go (at liberty, released)." It is an intensifier meaning "everyone without exception," or "every single individual, from the lowest to the highest," regardless of status, age, or circumstances. It refers to every member of the family capable of carrying the male line, or indeed, every male dependent of the house. This comprehensive nature reinforces the finality and thoroughness of God's judgment against Ahab's household. It parallels other phrases like "young and old" or "slave and free" to signify inclusivity.
2 Kings 9 8 Bonus section
The judgment pronounced in 2 Kings 9:8 on the house of Ahab serves as a profound example of God's attribute of retributive justice in the Old Testament. While modern sensibilities might question the concept of "corporate punishment," from a biblical perspective, particularly concerning covenant peoples and leaders, the sin of the leader could have severe consequences for the entire lineage or nation. Ahab's sin was not merely personal but institutional, infecting the nation's spiritual life and leading many to idolatry and apostasy. The eradication of his male line ensures that the wicked legacy cannot continue through blood descent. This decree specifically avenged "the blood of my servants the prophets and the blood of all the servants of the Lord" (2 Kgs 9:7) which Jezebel and Ahab had shed. It was a visible and undeniable act demonstrating that the Lord God of Israel was still supreme and would not tolerate the worship of false gods in His land or the persecution of His devoted servants. This thorough judgment allowed for a momentary cleansing and an opportunity for Israel to turn back to Yahweh.
2 Kings 9 8 Commentary
2 Kings 9:8 serves as a pivotal decree within the narrative of Israel's kings, demonstrating God's sovereign hand in judgment against the unholy and idolatrous rule of Ahab and his lineage. This verse is the pronouncement of an unalterable divine sentence, articulated through the prophetic word, designed to purge Israel of its profound spiritual corruption. The specific targets—"the whole house of Ahab" and "every male, both bond and free"—highlight the complete and utter eradication planned by God. This was not a mere shift in power, but a definitive end to a dynasty marked by intense Baal worship, injustice, and direct rebellion against the Lord. The severity of the judgment underscores God's absolute holiness and His demand for exclusive worship. It functions as a warning that unchecked evil and defiance of God's commands will inevitably lead to destruction, particularly for those in positions of authority who lead their people astray. Jehu is presented not as a mere usurper but as the divinely appointed instrument for executing this righteous judgment, thereby validating the prophecies spoken against Ahab and upholding God's covenant with Israel.