Then a messenger came and told him, saying, “They have brought the heads of the king’s sons.” And he said, “Lay them in two heaps at the entrance of the gate until morning.”
Parallel translations
- WEB A messenger came and told him, “They have brought the heads of the king’s sons.” He said, “Lay them in two heaps at the entrance of the gate until the morning.”
- KJV And there came a messenger, and told him, saying, They have brought the heads of the king’s sons. And he said, Lay ye them in two heaps at the entering in of the gate until the morning.
- BSB When the messenger arrived, he told Jehu, “They have brought the heads of the sons of the king.” And Jehu ordered, “Pile them in two heaps at the entrance of the gate until morning.”
- NASB When the messenger came and informed him, saying, “They have brought the heads of the king’s sons,” he said, “Put them in two heaps at the entrance of the gate until morning.”
- NLT A messenger went to Jehu and said, “They have brought the heads of the king’s sons.” So Jehu ordered, “Pile them in two heaps at the entrance of the city gate, and leave them there until morning.”
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Told the heads had arrived, Jehu ordered them piled in two heaps at the gate until morning. He displayed the proof of the dynasty's destruction publicly.
Overview
Jehu's public display of the heads at the city gate serves as a stark announcement that Ahab's house was finished. The grim spectacle would confront the people with the reality of the judgment. Jehu uses the moment to underscore that the dynasty's end was complete and to prepare for his address to the assembled people.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 4
- Mark 6:28and brought his head on a platter, and gave it to the young lady; and the young lady gave it to her mother.
- Deut 21:23his body shall not remain all night on the tree, but you shall surely bury him the same day; for he who is hanged is accursed of God; that you don’t defile your land which Yahweh your God gives you for an inheritance.
- 2 Sam 11:18–21Then Joab sent and told David all the things concerning the war;
- 1 Kgs 21:14Then they sent to Jezebel, saying, “Naboth has been stoned, and is dead.”
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Christ at the center
Amid the long decline toward exile, the promise to David's house refuses to die; the flickering lamp kept burning anticipates the coming King who will not fail or be cut off.
How 2 Kings 10:8 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
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