The Meaning of 2 Kings 9:30 Explained

2 Kings 9:30

KJV: And when Jehu was come to Jezreel, Jezebel heard of it; and she painted her face, and tired her head, and looked out at a window.

YLT: And Jehu cometh in to Jezreel, and Jezebel hath heard, and putteth her eyes in paint and maketh right her head, and looketh out through the window.

Darby: And Jehu came to Jizreel; and Jezebel heard of it, and she put paint to her eyes, and decked her head, and looked out at the window.

ASV: And when Jehu was come to Jezreel, Jezebel heard of it; and she painted her eyes, and attired her head, and looked out at the window.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And when Jehu  was come  to Jezreel,  Jezebel  heard  [of it]; and she painted  her face,  and tired  her head,  and looked out  at a window. 

What does 2 Kings 9:30 Mean?

Context Summary

2 Kings 9:27-37 - "the Word Of The Lord By Elijah"
Let us read again 1 Kings 21:23. How those words came back to the two men, who had heard them from the lips of God's servant years before! God's mills grind slowly, but to powder. In a deep sense Ahab's blood was licked by dogs, as it flowed from the gaping wounds of his son. As a man sows he reaps, and when his children follow his steps, they too reap. But Ezekiel makes it perfectly clear that a godly son may break the entail of his father's iniquities. See Ezekiel 18:1-32, which has a most important bearing on the modern doctrine of heredity.
Jezebel's heart was proud and unbroken. She thought to make the conqueror the slave of her charms. When these failed, she taunted him with the fate of Zimri, so closely associated with the rise of Ahab's family to the throne. His reign of seven days was thrown in Jehu's teeth, 1 Kings 16:15, etc. But Jezebel could not avert her fate. Her very chamberlains turned against her. How often does God's representative ask the same question, "Who is on my side?" Let us heed the challenge and dare to "look out" in answer! There is service appointed for us all, and we must not fail to render it. [source]

Chapter Summary: 2 Kings 9

1  Elisha sends a young prophet with instructions to anoint Jehu at Ramoth Gilead
4  The prophet having done his message, flees
11  Jehu, being made king by the soldiers, kills Joram in the field of Naboth
27  Ahaziah is slain at Gur, and buried at Jerusalem
30  Proud Jezebel is thrown down out of a window, and eaten by dogs

What do the individual words in 2 Kings 9:30 mean?

And when had come Jehu to Jezreel and Jezebel heard [of it] and she put paint on her eyes and adorned - her head and looked through a window
וַיָּב֥וֹא יֵה֖וּא יִזְרְעֶ֑אלָה וְאִיזֶ֣בֶל שָׁמְעָ֗ה וַתָּ֨שֶׂם בַּפּ֤וּךְ עֵינֶ֙יהָ֙ וַתֵּ֣יטֶב אֶת־ רֹאשָׁ֔הּ וַתַּשְׁקֵ֖ף בְּעַ֥ד הַחַלּֽוֹן

וַיָּב֥וֹא  And  when  had  come 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: בֹּוא 
Sense: to go in, enter, come, go, come in.
יֵה֖וּא  Jehu 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יֵהוּא  
Sense: the king of the northern kingdom Israel who overthrew the dynasty of Omri.
יִזְרְעֶ֑אלָה  to  Jezreel 
Parse: Proper Noun, feminine singular, third person feminine singular
Root: יִזְרְעֶאל 
Sense: a descendant of the father or founder of Etam of Judah.
וְאִיזֶ֣בֶל  and  Jezebel 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: אִיזֶבֶל  
Sense: queen of Israel, wife of Ahab, daughter of Ethbaal.
שָׁמְעָ֗ה  heard  [of  it] 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person feminine singular
Root: שָׁמַע 
Sense: to hear, listen to, obey.
וַתָּ֨שֶׂם  and  she  put  paint 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person feminine singular
Root: שׂוּמָה 
Sense: to put, place, set, appoint, make.
עֵינֶ֙יהָ֙  her  eyes 
Parse: Noun, cdc, third person feminine singular
Root: עֹונָה 
Sense: eye.
וַתֵּ֣יטֶב  and  adorned 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Hifil, Consecutive imperfect, third person feminine singular
Root: יָטַב  
Sense: to be good, be pleasing, be well, be glad.
אֶת־  - 
Parse: Direct object marker
Root: אֹות 
Sense: sign of the definite direct object, not translated in English but generally preceding and indicating the accusative.
רֹאשָׁ֔הּ  her  head 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, third person feminine singular
Root: רֹאשׁ 
Sense: head, top, summit, upper part, chief, total, sum, height, front, beginning.
וַתַּשְׁקֵ֖ף  and  looked 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Hifil, Consecutive imperfect, third person feminine singular
Root: שָׁקַף  
Sense: to overlook, look down or out, overhang, look out and down.
בְּעַ֥ד  through 
Parse: Preposition
Root: בַּעַד 
Sense: behind, through, round about, on behalf of, away from, about.
הַחַלּֽוֹן  a  window 
Parse: Article, Noun, common singular
Root: חַלֹּון 
Sense: window (piercing of the wall).