Question 1

Who is Jehu in this passage and why is he anointed king?

Accepted Answer

Jehu is a military commander in Israel serving under King Joram. In this passage, a young prophet, sent by Elisha, secretly anoints Jehu with oil and tells him that the Lord has made him king over Israel. This is not about Jehu trying to take power for himself. God chooses him to bring judgment on Ahab’s family for killing God’s prophets and leading Israel into idol worship. Jehu’s new role shows that God is still in charge of Israel, even when its rulers are unfaithful.

Question 2

Why did God judge the house of Ahab through Jehu?

Accepted Answer

God judged Ahab’s family because of their long pattern of evil, especially their violence against His servants and their idol worship. The passage mentions “the blood of my servants the prophets” and the servants of the Lord who were killed under Ahab and Jezebel. God had already spoken words of judgment about Ahab and Jezebel, and now He uses Jehu to carry them out. Jehu’s task is to end this corrupt line so that their sin and influence will not continue to spread in Israel.

Question 3

What is the significance of Jezebel’s death and the dogs eating her body?

Accepted Answer

Jezebel’s death is described in a very stark way to show that God’s earlier words about her are coming true. She mocks Jehu from the window, but at his command, the eunuchs throw her down. Later, when they try to bury her, only her skull, feet, and hands are left because dogs have eaten her body in the area of Jezreel. This matches what God had said would happen to her. The shameful end of such a powerful queen shows that no one is beyond God’s judgment when they oppose Him and harm His people.

Question 4

Why did the captains call the young prophet a “mad fellow”?

Accepted Answer

When the young prophet came to anoint Jehu, the other captains called him a “mad fellow.” This shows how lightly they took someone who spoke for God. People who do not care about God’s ways often look down on those who bring God’s message. They may think serious faith is strange or foolish. Yet the words of this so-called “mad fellow” turn out to be very real and powerful, because God backs them up. It is a quiet warning not to dismiss God’s messengers just because they seem odd or unpopular.

Question 5

What does Jehu mean when he says, “What peace, so long as the whoredoms of thy mother Jezebel and her witchcrafts are so many?”

Accepted Answer

When Joram asks Jehu, “Is it peace?” Jehu answers that there can be no peace while Jezebel’s “whoredoms” and “witchcrafts” continue. Here “whoredoms” refers to spiritual unfaithfulness, especially the idol worship and false religion Jezebel brought into Israel. Her “witchcrafts” point to wicked spiritual practices linked with that idolatry. Jehu is saying that true peace cannot exist while the nation is wrapped up in such evil. It shows that peace with God matters more than outward calm or political stability.

Question 6

Why does Jehu kill both Joram of Israel and Ahaziah of Judah?

Accepted Answer

Jehu kills Joram because God has made him king in Joram’s place and commanded him to judge Ahab’s house. Joram is Ahab’s son and continues in the same sins. Ahaziah, king of Judah, is visiting Joram in Jezreel and is closely tied to Ahab’s family. When Ahaziah tries to flee after seeing Joram killed, Jehu orders his men to strike him too. The passage shows that judgment reaches not only the direct line of Ahab but also those deeply joined with that wicked house and its ways.

Question 7

What does this passage teach about God’s justice and control over history?

Accepted Answer

This passage shows that God’s justice may seem delayed but it is not forgotten. Ahab, Jezebel, and their family had done great harm for years, killing God’s servants and turning Israel to idols. Yet God had already spoken about what would happen to them. In this chapter, those earlier words come to pass through Jehu’s rise and actions. Even though it looks like human plotting and war, the story shows God directing events. Kings come and go, but God remains in charge and will deal with evil in His own time.

Question 8

How should readers today think about the violence in Jehu’s actions?

Accepted Answer

This passage can feel hard to read because it is very violent. It helps to remember that Jehu is not acting on personal revenge or random cruelty. He is carrying out a specific command from God to judge a particular family for very deep and long-lasting evil. This is part of God’s unique way of working with Israel’s history, not a pattern for private revenge today. For readers now, the point is to see how seriously God treats sin and injustice, and to trust His right to judge, rather than copying Jehu’s methods.

2 Kings 9:1

And Elisha the prophet called one of the children of the prophets, and said unto him, Gird up thy loins, and take this box of oil in thine hand, and go to Ramoth-gilead:

Jehu Anointed King of Israel

Jehu Kills Joram and Ahaziah

Jezebel’s Violent Death

Jehu Anointed King of Israel

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2 Kings 9:1

And Elisha the prophet called one of the children of the prophets, and said unto him, Gird up thy loins, and take this box of oil in thine hand, and go to Ramoth-gilead:

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Jehu Anointed King of Israel

Jehu Kills Joram and Ahaziah

Jezebel’s Violent Death

Jehu Anointed King of Israel

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