2 Raja-raja 3:10

3:10 The king of Israel said, “Oh no! ¹  Certainly the Lord has summoned these three kings so that he can hand them over to the king of Moab!”

2 Raja-raja 4:26

4:26 Now, run to meet her and ask her, ‘Are you well? Are your husband and the boy well?’” She told Gehazi, ²  “Everything’s fine.”

2 Raja-raja 6:27

6:27 He replied, “No, let the Lord help you. How can I help you? The threshing floor and winepress are empty.” ³ 

2 Raja-raja 9:31

9:31 When Jehu came through the gate, she said, “Is everything all right, Zimri, murderer of his master?” ⁴ 

2 Raja-raja 10:4

10:4 They were absolutely terrified ⁵  and said, “Look, two kings could not stop him! ⁶  How can we?” ⁷ 

[3:10]  ¹ tn Or “ah.”

[4:26]  ² tn Heb “she said.” The narrator streamlines the story at this point, omitting any reference to Gehazi running to meet her and asking her the questions.

[6:27]  ³ tn Heb “From where can I help you, from the threshing floor or the winepress?” The rhetorical question expresses the king’s frustration. He has no grain or wine to give to the masses.

[9:31]  ⁴ sn Jezebel associates Jehu with another assassin, Zimri, who approximately 44 years before had murdered King Elah, only to meet a violent death just a few days later (1 Kgs 16:9-20). On the surface Jezebel’s actions seem contradictory. On the one hand, she beautifies herself as if to seduce Jehu, but on the other hand, she insults and indirectly threatens him with this comparison to Zimri. Upon further reflection, however, her actions reveal a clear underlying motive. She wants to retain her power, not to mention her life. By beautifying herself, she appeals to Jehu’s sexual impulses; by threatening him, she reminds him that he is in the same precarious position as Zimri. But, if he makes Jezebel his queen, he can consolidate his power. In other words through her actions and words Jezebel is saying to Jehu, “You desire me, don’t you? And you need me!”

[10:4]  ⁵ tn Heb “they were very, very afraid.” The term מְאֹד (me’od) “very,” is repeated for emphasis.

[10:4]  ⁶ tn Heb “did not stand before him.”

[10:4]  ⁷ tn Heb “How can we stand?”