2 Kings 10:8

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.

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Word by word — the Hebrew

Word	Hebrew	Strong’s	Meaning
came	וַיָּבֹ֤א vai.ya.Vo'	H935	to go or come (in a wide variety of applications) · conjunction + verb, qal sequential imperfect, 3rd person masculine singular
messenger	הַמַּלְאָךְ֙ ha.mal.'oKh	H4397	a messenger · definite article + noun, common masculine singular absolute
told	וַיַּגֶּד vai.ya.ged-	H5046	properly · conjunction + verb, hiphil sequential imperfect, 3rd person masculine singular
saying	לֵאמֹ֔ר le.Mor	H559	to say (used with great latitude) · preposition + verb, qal infinitive construct
brought	הֵבִ֖יאוּ he.Vi.'u	H935	to go or come (in a wide variety of applications) · verb, hiphil perfect, 3rd person common plural
heads	רָאשֵׁ֣י ra.Shei	H7218	the head (as most easily shaken) · noun, common masculine plural construct
king’s	הַמֶּ֑לֶךְ ha.Me.lekh	H4428	a king · definite article + noun, common masculine singular absolute
sons	בְנֵֽי ve.nei-	H1121	a son (as a builder of the family name) · noun, common masculine plural construct
said	וַיֹּ֗אמֶר vai.Yo.mer	H559	to say (used with great latitude) · conjunction + verb, qal sequential imperfect, 3rd person masculine singular
Lay	שִׂ֣ימוּ Si.mu	H7760	to put (used in a great variety of applications · verb, qal imperative, 2nd person masculine plural
two	שְׁנֵ֧י she.Nei	H8147	two · noun, common both genders dual construct
heaps	צִבֻּרִ֛ים tzi.bu.Rim	H6652	a pile · noun, common masculine plural absolute
in	פֶּ֥תַח Pe.tach	H6607	an opening (literally) · noun, common masculine singular construct
gate	הַשַּׁ֖עַר ha.Sha.'ar	H8179	an opening · definite article + noun, common masculine singular absolute
morning	הַבֹּֽקֶר ha.Bo.ker	H1242	properly · definite article + noun, common masculine singular absolute

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).

Cross-references

Deuteronomy 21:23 His body shall not remain all night upon the tree, but thou shalt in any wise bury him that day; (for he that is hanged is accursed of God;)…
2 Samuel 11:18-21 Then Joab sent and told David all the things concerning the war;
1 Kings 21:14 Then they sent to Jezebel, saying, Naboth is stoned, and is dead.
Mark 6:28 And brought his head in a charger, and gave it to the damsel: and the damsel gave it to her mother.

Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).

Commentary

Matthew Henry on 2 Kings 10:1-14

We left Jehu in quiet possession of Jezreel, triumphing over Joram and Jezebel; and we must now attend his further motions. He knew the whole house of Ahab must be cut off, and therefore proceeded in this bloody work, and did not do it deceitfully, or by halves, Jer 48:10. I. He got the heads of all the sons of Ahab cut off by their own guardians at Samaria. Seventy sons (or grandsons) Ahab had, Gideon's number, Jdg 8:30. In such a number that bore his name his family was likely to be perpetuated, and yet it is extirpated all at once. Such a quiver full of arrows could not protect his house from divine vengeance. Numerous families, if vicious, must not expect to be long prosperous. These son…

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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on 2 Kings 10:8

Lay ye them in two heaps at the entering in of the gate, &c.--The exhibition of the heads of enemies is always considered a glorious trophy. Sometimes a pile of heads is erected at the gate of the palace; and a head of peculiarly striking appearance selected to grace the summit of the pyramid.

Adam Clarke on 2 Kings 10:8

Lay ye them in two heaps - It appears that the heads of these princes had arrived at Jezreel in the night time: Jehu ordered them to be left at the gate of the city, a place of public resort, that all the people might see them, and be struck with terror, and conclude that all resistance to such authority and power would be vain.

John Gill on 2 Kings 10:8

And there came a messenger, and told him, saying, they have brought the heads of the king's sons,.... Perhaps this messenger to Jehu came from the great men of Samaria themselves, to let him know that they had obeyed his orders: and he said, lay ye them in two heaps at the entering in of the gate until the morning; very probably it was towards or at the evening they were brought; and he ordered them to be taken out of the baskets, and laid in two heaps at the entering of the gate of the city, that they might be taken notice of, and publicly viewed by the people that passed and repassed the gate; and where they met in great numbers, either on account of the market there, or court of judicatu…

Dictionary and topics

Behead — A method of taking away life practised among the Egyptians (Gen. 40:17-19). There are instances of this mode of punishment also among the Hebrews (2 Sam. 4:8; 20:21, 22; 2 Kings 10:6-8). It is also…
Jezreel — God scatters. (1.) A town of Issachar (Josh. 19:18), where the kings of Israel often resided (1 Kings 18:45; 21:1; 2 Kings 9:30). Here Elijah met Ahab, Jehu, and Bidkar; and here Jehu executed his…
Ahab · . — .
Enthusiasm · .Jehu — .Jehu
Gates · Bodies of criminals exposed to view at — Bodies of criminals exposed to view at
Jehu · .Religious zeal of, in killing idolaters — .Religious zeal of, in killing idolaters
Massacre · . — .

Dictionary: Easton's (1897) and Smith's (1863), public domain. Topics: Nave's Topical Bible (1896) and Torrey's Topical Textbook (1897), public domain. Both as parsed by NEUU (CC BY 4.0).

2 Kings 10:8

Word by word — the Hebrew

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on 2 Kings 10:1-14

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on 2 Kings 10:8

Adam Clarke on 2 Kings 10:8

John Gill on 2 Kings 10:8

Dictionary and topics

2 Kings 10:8

Word by word — the Hebrew

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on 2 Kings 10:1-14

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on 2 Kings 10:8

Adam Clarke on 2 Kings 10:8

John Gill on 2 Kings 10:8

Dictionary and topics

Keil & Delitzsch on 2 Kings 10:8-10

Tyndale Open Study Notes on 2 Kings 10:6-7

Rashi on 2 Kings 10:8