2 Kings 10 · Verse 6

2 Kings 10:6

Then he wrote a letter the second time to them, saying, If ye be mine, and if ye will hearken unto my voice, take ye the heads of the men your master’s sons, and come to me to Jezreel by to morrow this time. Now the king’s sons, being seventy persons, were with the great men of the city, which brought them up.
2 Kings 10:6, King James Version

2 Kings 10:6 in other translations

BSBThen Jehu wrote them a second letter and said: “If you are on my side, and if you will obey me, then bring the heads of your master’s sons to me at Jezreel by this time tomorrow.” Now the sons of the king, seventy in all, were being brought up by the leading men of the city.
WEBThen he wrote a letter the second time to them, saying, “If you are on my side, and if you will listen to my voice, take the heads of the men who are your master’s sons, and come to me to Jezreel by tomorrow this time.” Now the king’s sons, being seventy persons, were with the great men of the city, who brought them up.
ASVThen he wrote a letter the second time to them, saying, If ye be on my side, and if ye will hearken unto my voice, take ye the heads of the men your master’s sons, and come to me to Jezreel by to-morrow this time. Now the king’s sons, being seventy persons, were with the great men of the city, who brought them up.
YLTAnd he writeth unto them a letter a second time, saying, ‘If ye are for me, and to my voice are hearkening, take the heads of the men--the sons of your lord, and come unto me about this time to-morrow, to Jezreel;' and the sons of the king are seventy men, with the great ones of the city those bringing them up.
DARBYAnd he wrote a letter the second time to them saying, If ye are mine, and will hearken to my voice, take the heads of the men your master's sons, and come to me to Jizreel to-morrow at this time. Now the king's sons, seventy persons, were with the great men of the city, who brought them up.
BBEThen he sent them a second letter, saying, If you are on my side, and if you will do my orders, come to me at Jezreel by this time tomorrow, with the heads of your master's sons. Now the king's seventy sons were with the great men of the town, who had the care of them.
WebsterThen he wrote a letter the second time to them, saying, if ye are mine, and if ye will hearken to my voice, take ye the heads of the men your master's sons, and come to me to Jezreel by to-morrow this time. Now the king's sons being seventy persons, were with the great men of the city, who brought them up.

What does 2 Kings 10:6 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
6. take ye the heads of the men, your master's sons--The barbarous practice of a successful usurper slaughtering all who may have claims to the throne, has been frequently exemplified in the ancient and modern histories of the East.

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 6 Come to me to Jezreel - Therefore the letters were not written to Jezreel, but from Jezreel to Samaria.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on 2 Kings 10:1-14

In the most awful events, though attended by the basest crimes of man, the truth and justice of God are to be noticed; and he never did nor can command any thing unjust or unreasonable. Jehu destroyed all that remained of the house of Ahab; all who had been partners in his wickedness. When we think upon the sufferings and miseries of mankind, when we look forward to the resurrection and last judgment, and think upon…

Read the full comment on 2 Kings 10:1-14 →

2 Kings 10:6 in the original Hebrew

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

וַיִּכְתֹּ֣בvai.yikh.Toand he wroteH3789
אֲלֵיהֶם֩'a.lei.Hemto themH413
סֵ֨פֶר\׀Se.fera letterH5612
שֵׁנִ֜יתshe.NitsecondH8145
לֵאמֹ֗רle.Mor<to> sayingH559
אִם\־'im-ifH518
לִ֨יli[belong] to me
אַתֶּ֜ם'a.TemyouH859
וּלְקֹלִ֣י\׀u.le.ko.Liand to voice myH6963
אַתֶּ֣ם'a.TemyouH859
שֹׁמְעִ֗יםsho.me.'Im[are] listeningH8085
קְחוּ֙ke.ChutakeH3947
אֶת\־'et-<obj.>H853
רָאשֵׁי֙ra.Shei[the] heads ofH7218
אַנְשֵׁ֣י'an.Shei[the] men ofH582
בְנֵֽי\־ve.nei-[the] sons ofH1121
אֲדֹנֵיכֶ֔ם'a.do.nei.Khemmaster<s> yourH113
וּבֹ֧אוּu.Vo.'uand comeH935
אֵלַ֛י'e.Laito meH413
כָּעֵ֥תka.'Etabout <the> this timeH6256
מָחָ֖רma.ChartomorrowH4279
יִזְרְעֶ֑אלָהyiz.re.'E.lahJezreel towardsH3157
וּבְנֵ֤יu.ve.Neiand [the] sons ofH1121
הַמֶּ֙לֶךְ֙ha.Me.lekhthe kingH4428
שִׁבְעִ֣יםshiv.'ImseventyH7657
אִ֔ישׁ'IshmanH376
אֶת\־'et-[were] withH854
גְּדֹלֵ֥יge.do.Lei[the] great [people] ofH1419
הָעִ֖ירha.'Irthe cityH5892
מְגַדְּלִ֥יםme.ga.de.Lim[who] were bringing upH1431
אוֹתָֽם\׃'o.Tam<obj.> themH853

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for 2 Kings 10:6

  • Revelation 2:20-23

    Notwithstanding I have a few things against thee, because thou sufferest that woman Jezebel, which calleth herself a prophetess, to teach and to seduce my servants to commit fornication, and to eat things sacrificed unto idols. And I gave her space to repent of her fornication; and she repented not. Behold, I will cast her into a bed, and them that commit adultery with her into great tribulation, except they repent of their deeds. And I will kill her children with death; and all the churches shall know that I am he which searcheth the reins and hearts: and I will give unto every one of you according to your works.

  • Numbers 25:4

    And the Lord said unto Moses, Take all the heads of the people, and hang them up before the Lord against the sun, that the fierce anger of the Lord may be turned away from Israel.

  • 2 Kings 9:32

    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.

  • 1 Kings 21:8-11

    So she wrote letters in Ahab’s name, and sealed them with his seal, and sent the letters unto the elders and to the nobles that were in his city, dwelling with Naboth. And she wrote in the letters, saying, Proclaim a fast, and set Naboth on high among the people: And set two men, sons of Belial, before him, to bear witness against him, saying, Thou didst blaspheme God and the king. And then carry him out, and stone him, that he may die. And the men of his city, even the elders and the nobles who were the inhabitants in his city, did as Jezebel had sent unto them, and as it was written in the letters which she had sent unto them.

  • Matthew 12:30

    He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad.

  • Isaiah 14:21-22

    Prepare slaughter for his children for the iniquity of their fathers; that they do not rise, nor possess the land, nor fill the face of the world with cities. For I will rise up against them, saith the Lord of hosts, and cut off from Babylon the name, and remnant, and son, and nephew, saith the Lord.

  • Joshua 7:24-25

    And Joshua, and all Israel with him, took Achan the son of Zerah, and the silver, and the garment, and the wedge of gold, and his sons, and his daughters, and his oxen, and his asses, and his sheep, and his tent, and all that he had: and they brought them unto the valley of Achor. And Joshua said, Why hast thou troubled us? the Lord shall trouble thee this day. And all Israel stoned him with stones, and burned them with fire, after they had stoned them with stones.

  • Luke 9:50

    And Jesus said unto him, Forbid him not: for he that is not against us is for us.

  • Deuteronomy 5:9

    Thou shalt not bow down thyself unto them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me,

  • Job 21:19

    God layeth up his iniquity for his children: he rewardeth him, and he shall know it.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
If ye be mine. Heb. If ye be for me.
9:32; Mt 12:30; Lu 9:50
take ye.
Nu 25:4
See on
1Ki 21:8-11
your master's sons.
De 5:9; Jos 7:24,25; Job 21:19; Isa 14:21,22; Re 2:20-23
which brought them up."The rich," says Mr. Morier, "hire a {dedeh,} or wet nurse for their children. If a boy, the father appoints a steady man from the age of two years to be his {laleh,} who, I conjecture, must stand in the same capacity as the bringers up of children mentioned in the catastrophe of Ahab's sons. But if it be a daughter, she has a {gees sefeed,} or white head, attached to her for the same purpose as the {laleh.}"

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

  • 2 Kings 10:5

    And he that was over the house, and he that was over the city, the elders also, and the bringers up of the children, sent to Jehu, saying, We are thy servants, and will do all that thou shalt bid us; we will not make any king: do thou that which is good in thine eyes.

  • 2 Kings 10:6

    Then he wrote a letter the second time to them, saying, If ye be mine, and if ye will hearken unto my voice, take ye the heads of the men your master’s sons, and come to me to Jezreel by to morrow this time. Now the king’s sons, being seventy persons, were with the great men of the city, which brought them up.

  • 2 Kings 10:7

    And it came to pass, when the letter came to them, that they took the king’s sons, and slew seventy persons, and put their heads in baskets, and sent him them to Jezreel.

Read all of 2 Kings 10

2 Kings 10:6 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909
El entonces les escribió la segunda vez, diciendo: Si sois míos, y queréis obedecerme, tomad las cabezas de los varones hijos de vuestro señor, y venid mañana á estas horas á mí á Jezreel. Y los hijos del rey, setenta varones, estaban con los principales de la ciudad, que los criaban.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885
Et il leur écrivit une lettre pour la seconde fois, disant: Si vous êtes à moi et si vous écoutez ma voix, prenez les têtes des hommes, fils de votre seigneur, et venez vers moi demain à cette heure-ci, à Jizreël. Et les fils du roi, 70 hommes, étaient avec les grands de la ville, qui les élevaient.
German
Elberfelder 1871
Da schrieb er zum zweiten Male einen Brief an sie, welcher lautete: Wenn ihr für mich seid und auf meine Stimme höret, so nehmet die Köpfe der Männer, der Söhne eures Herrn, und kommet morgen um diese Zeit zu mir nach Jisreel.
Latin
Clementine Vulgate
Rescripsit autem eis litteras secundo, dicens: Si mei estis, et obeditis mihi, tollite capita filiorum domini vestri, et venite ad me hac eadem hora cras in Jezrahel. Porro filii regis, septuaginta viri, apud optimates civitates nutriebantur.