2 Kings 9:31

And as Jehu entered in at the gate, she said, Had Zimri peace, who slew his master?

EXPOSITORY (ENGLISH BIBLE)

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(31) And as . . . she said.—And Jehu had come into the gate, and she said.

Had Zimri . . . master?—Rather, Art well (literally, Is it peace), thou Zimri, his master’s murderer? The “Is it peace?” which Jezebel addresses to Jehu, appears to be an ironical greeting. Thenius explains: “Is there to be peace or war between me and thee, the rebel?” referring to the same phrase in 2Kings 9:17-19; 2Kings 9:22, supra. The phrase is vague enough to admit of many meanings, according to circumstances. Perhaps Jezebel, in her mood of desperate defiance, repeats the question which Jehoram had thrice asked of Jehu, as a hint that she herself is now the sovereign to whom Jehu owes an account of his doings. She goes on to call him a second Zimri—i.e., a regicide like him who slew Baasha, and likely to enjoy as brief a reign as he. (See 1Kings 16:15-18.)

Benson Commentary

2 Kings 9:31. Had Zimri peace, who slew his master? — Remember that thy brother traitor, Zimri, had but a very short enjoyment of the benefit of his treason, and was speedily and severely punished for it by my grand-father Omri, (see the margin,) and expect thou the same treatment from some of my posterity. She took no notice of the hand of God gone out against her family, but flew in the face of him who was only a sword in that hand. Thus men are very apt, when they are in trouble, to break out into passion against the instruments of their trouble, when they ought to be submissive to God, and angry at themselves only. The cases of Zimri and Jehu were not at all parallel. Zimri, who had come to the throne by blood and treachery, and who, within seven days, was constrained to burn the palace over his head, and himself in it, had no warrant for assuming the government, but was incited to do it purely by his own ambition and cruelty; whereas Jehu was anointed to be king at the express command of God, given to Elijah, (1 Kings 19:16,) and in all he did against the house of Ahab, acted by divine direction. In comparing persons and things, we must carefully distinguish between the precious and the vile; and take heed, lest in the fate of sinful men we read the doom of useful men.

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary

9:30-37 Instead of hiding herself, as one afraid of Divine vengeance, Jezebel mocked at fear. See how a heart, hardened against God, will brave it out to the last. There is not a surer presage of ruin, than an unhumbled heart under humbling providences. Let those look at Jezebel's conduct and fate, who use arts to seduce others to commit wickedness, and to draw them aside from the ways of truth and righteousness. Jehu called for aid against Jezebel. When reformation-work is on foot, it is time to ask, Who sides with it? Her attendants delivered her up. Thus she was put to death. See the end of pride and cruelty, and say, The Lord is righteous. When we pamper our bodies, let us think how vile they are; shortly they will be a feast for worms under ground, or beasts above ground. May we all flee from that wrath which is revealed from heaven, against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Painted her face - literally, "put her eyes in antimony " - i. e., dyed the upper and under eyelids, a common practice in the East, even at the present day. The effect is at once to increase the apparent size of the eye, and to give it unnatural brilliancy. Representations of eyes thus embellished occur on the Assyrian sculptures, and the practice existed among the Jews (marginal reference; and Jeremiah 4:30).

Tired her head - Dressed (attired) her head, and no doubt put on her royal robes, that she might die as became a queen, in true royal array.

A window - Rather, "the window." The gate-tower had probably, as many of those in the Assyrian sculptures, one window only.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

30. Jezebel painted her face—literally, "her eyes," according to a custom universal in the East among women, of staining the eyelids with a black powder made of pulverized antimony, or lead ore mixed with oil, and applied with a small brush on the border, so that by this dark ligament on the edge, the largeness as well as the luster of the eye itself was thought to be increased. Her object was, by her royal attire, not to captivate, but to overawe Jehu.

Matthew Poole's Commentary

At the gate of the king’s palace.

Had Zimri peace, who slew his master? remember that thy brother traitor Zimri had but a very short enjoyment of the benefit of his treason, and was speedily and severely punished for it by my grandfather, Omri, 1 Kings 16:9,16, and do thou expect the same from some of my posterity.

Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

And as Jehu entered in at the gate,.... Either of the city of Jezreel, or of the king's palace:

she said, had Zimri peace, who slew his master? Elah the son of Baasha king of Israel; no, he had not; he reigned but seven days, and, being besieged, burnt the king's house over him, and died, 1 Kings 16:10, suggesting that the like would be his fate, who had slain his master Joram; or the words may be rendered, "O Zimri, the slayer of his master"; calling Jehu so, because of his likeness to Zimri.

Geneva Study Bible

And as Jehu entered in at the gate, she said, Had {m} Zimri peace, who slew his master?

(m) As if to say, Can a traitor or anyone who rises against his superior succeed?, see 1Ki 16:10.

EXEGETICAL (ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)

Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

31. at the gate] Of Jezreel. The king’s palace was sure to be there, because it was the custom for the king to sit in the gate to hear causes and complaints brought to him for judgement.

Had Zimri peace, who slew his master?] R.V. Is it peace, thou Zimri, thy master’s murderer? The Hebrew has ‘his master’s murderer’. These sudden changes of person are common in Hebrew but cannot be reproduced easily in English. For an example cf. verses 1, 2 of Psalms 68. ‘God … cause His face to shine … that Thy way may be known’. Jezebel could not expect peace from Jehu. The salutation must therefore be looked on as having lost its literal significance, and become a mere exclamation. For Zimri’s slaughter of Elah, and his seven days’ reign, cf. 1 Kings 16:9-20. With a like short tenure of power, and the same fate, Jezebel would threaten Jehu.

Pulpit Commentary

Verse 31. - And as Jehu entered in at the gate, she said, Had Zimri peace, who slew his master? This is a possible meaning of Jezebel's words, and it has among its advocates - Luther, De Wette, Maurer, and Dathe, besides our own translators. But so defiant an utterance is quite incompatible within intention to captivate and conciliate. Probably, therefore, we should understand the queen either as saying affirmatively, "Peace to thee, Zimri!" (or, "Hail, Zimri!") "slayer of thy lord," or else as asking, "Is it peace" (i.e. "Is it peace now between thee and me?"), Zimri, slayer of thy lord?" In either case, Zimri is an honorific appellation, recalling the fact of another Israelite general, who had revolted, slain his master, and reigned as king. 2 Kings 9:31

Keil and Delitzsch Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament

Death of Jezebel. - 2 Kings 9:30. When Jehu came to Jezreel and Jezebel heard of it, "she put her eyes into lead polish (i.e., painted them with it), and beautified her head and placed herself at the window." פּוּך is a very favourite eye-paint with Oriental women even to the present day. It is prepared from antimony ore (Arab. khl, Cohol or Stibium of the Arabs), which when pounded yields a black powder with a metallic brilliancy, which was laid upon the eyebrows and eyelashes either in a dry state as a black powder, or moistened generally with oil and made into an ointment, which is applied with a fine smooth eye-pencil of the thickness of an ordinary goose-quill, made either of wood, metal, or ivory. The way to use it was to hold the central portion of the pencil horizontally between the eyelids, and then draw it out between them, twisting it round all the while, so that the edges of the eyelids were blackened all round; and the object was to heighten the splendour of the dark southern eye, and give it, so to speak, a more deeply glowing fire, and to impart a youthful appearance to the whole of the eyelashes even in extreme old age. Rosellini found jars with eye-paint of this kind in the early Egyptian graves (vid., Hille, ber den Gebrauch u. die Zusammensetzung der oriental. Augenschminke: Deutsch. morg. Ztsch. v. p. 236ff.). - Jezebel did this that she might present an imposing appearance to Jehu and die as a queen; not to allure him by her charms (Ewald, after Ephr. Syr.). For (2 Kings 9:31) when Jehu entered the palace gate, she cried out to him, "Is it peace, thou Zimri, murderer of his lord?" She addressed Jehu as Zimri the murderer of the king, to point to the fate which Jehu would bring upon himself by the murder of the king, as Zimri had already done (vid., 1 Kings 16:10-18).