2 Kings 9:30-37

2 Kings 9:30-37

[30] 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.  [31] And as Jehu  entered in  at the gate,  she said,  Had Zimri  peace,  who slew  his master?  [32] And he lifted up  his face  to the window,  and said,  Who is on my side? who? And there looked out  to him two  or three  eunuchs.  [33] And he said,  Throw her down.  and some of her blood  was sprinkled  on the wall,  and on the horses:  and he trode her under foot.  [34] And when he was come in,  he did eat  and drink,  and said,  Go,  see now this cursed  woman, and bury  her: for she is a king's  daughter.  [35] to bury  her: but they found  no more of her than  the skull,  and the feet,  and the palms  of her hands.  [36] Wherefore they came again,  and told  him. And he said,  This is the word  of the LORD,  which he spake  by  his servant  Elijah  the Tishbite,  saying,  In the portion  of Jezreel  shall dogs  eat  the flesh  of Jezebel:  [37] And the carcase  of Jezebel  shall be as dung  upon the face  of the field  in the portion  of Jezreel;  so that they shall not say,  This is Jezebel. 

What does 2 Kings 9:30-37 Mean?

Contextual Meaning

Jezebel evidently painted her eyes and adorned her head ( 2 Kings 9:30) to receive Jehu. Unwittingly, or perhaps deliberately, [1] she prepared herself for her own death. At least one interpreter believed she was trying to seduce Jehu. [2] Her greeting to Jehu may have been a sarcastic, derogatory threat ( 2 Kings 9:31). [3] She asked, "Is it peace?" as the two horsemen and Joram had ( 2 Kings 9:17; 2 Kings 9:19; 2 Kings 9:22). However she meant, "Have you established peace (by assassinating the king)?" She implied he had not by calling him Zimri. Zimri was the rebel who, about44years earlier, had assassinated his king, Elah, only to die seven days later at the hand of Jezebel"s father-in-law, Omri ( 1 Kings 16:8-10; 1 Kings 16:17-19). Jezebel implied that Jehu would suffer a similar fate. This interpretation seems better than that Jezebel saw Jehu as a rebel but complemented him on being the one who pruned Omri"s dynasty. [4] Wiseman believed Jezebel wanted to reach a peaceful agreement with Jehu. By calling him Zimri she was not referring to Jehu as a traitor but as a hero (Ugaritic dmr). [1] This seems unlikely to me. "Zimri" may have become synonymous with "traitor" by this time. [6]
"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!"" [7]
In response to Jehu"s question, "Who is on my side?" a few officers (Heb. saris), who acted as harem attendants, threw Jezebel out of her upper-story window. The way Jehu treated Jezebel"s body shows his complete lack of respect for her. Rather than mourning her death, he feasted. He fulfilled Elijah"s prophecy of how God would end her life ( 1 Kings 21:23). She who had ordered the murders of Naboth and his sons died on the very ground she had stolen from them. This was the same plot of ground where Jehu had thrown Joram"s corpse ( 2 Kings 9:24-26). Yahweh and the godly people of Israel shared Jehu"s lack of respect for the queen. Jezebel had been responsible for much of the apostasy, wickedness, and consequent divine discipline that had plagued Israel for over30 years. As always in Kings, the writer recorded the type of death a person died to document God"s faithfulness in blessing the obedient and cursing the disobedient. [8]
When Jehu occupied Jezreel, he had not yet established himself as Israel"s king. Jezreel was only a secondary residence of Ahab"s royal family, after Samaria. [9]