The Meaning of 2 Kings 10:19 Explained

2 Kings 10:19

KJV: Now therefore call unto me all the prophets of Baal, all his servants, and all his priests; let none be wanting: for I have a great sacrifice to do to Baal; whosoever shall be wanting, he shall not live. But Jehu did it in subtilty, to the intent that he might destroy the worshippers of Baal.

YLT: and now, all the prophets of Baal, all his servants, and all his priests, call ye unto me; let not a man be lacking, for a great sacrifice I have for Baal; every one who is lacking -- he doth not live;' and Jehu hath done it in subtilty, in order to destroy the servants of Baal.

Darby: And now call me all the prophets of Baal, all his servants, and all his priests: let none be wanting; for I have a great sacrifice to do to Baal; whoever shall be wanting shall not live. But Jehu did it in subtilty, in order that he might bring destruction upon the servants of Baal.

ASV: Now therefore call unto me all the prophets of Baal, all his worshippers, and all his priests; let none be wanting: for I have a great sacrifice to do to Baal; whosoever shall be wanting, he shall not live. But Jehu did it in subtlety, to the intent that he might destroy the worshippers of Baal.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Now therefore call  unto me all the prophets  of Baal,  all his servants,  and all his priests;  let none  be wanting:  for I have a great  sacrifice  [to do] to Baal;  whosoever shall be wanting,  he shall not live.  But Jehu  did  [it] in subtilty,  to the intent that he might destroy  the worshippers  of Baal. 

What does 2 Kings 10:19 Mean?

Context Summary

2 Kings 10:12-24 - Wiping Out Baal-Worship
For the well-being of the race it is sometimes necessary to cut off evil-doers, lest they spread such a contagion of evil as to involve the whole body politic. The actual brethren of Ahaziah were slain by the Arabians, 2 Chronicles 22:1. Jehu's work seems to have been complemented by an invasion of the Bedouins: the men mentioned here were probably, as the margin suggests, cousins or acquaintances. "Brethren" is a wide word, covering many degrees of blood-relationship.
Jehonadab was head of a remarkable tribe, and himself a man of unusual strength of character. The influence of his example and precepts left its mark on following generations, 1 Chronicles 2:55; Jeremiah 35:1-19. Jehu evidently respected Jehonadab's good opinion, and was careful to advertise his own zeal for Jehovah. But the really good man has no need to parade his excellencies; and certainly Jehu could not count that his manner of going to work would be acceptable to the Most High. He might have achieved the same results by less objectionable methods. We must, of course, remember that this Baal-worship was very licentious, and that every Israelite who entered that temple did so in direct defiance of repeated warnings from Elijah and others. [source]

Chapter Summary: 2 Kings 10

1  Jehu, by his letters, causes seventy of Ahab's sons to be beheaded
8  He excuses the fact by the prophecy of Elijah
12  At the shearing house he slays forty-two of Ahaziah's brothers
15  He takes Jehonadab into his company
18  By subtilty he destroys all the worshippers of Baal
29  Jehu follows Jeroboam's sins
32  Hazael oppresses Israel
34  Jehoahaz succeeds Jehu

What do the individual words in 2 Kings 10:19 mean?

Now therefore all the prophets of Baal all his servants and all his priests call to me one no one let be missing for a sacrifice great I have for Baal anyone Whoever is missing not shall live But Jehu acted deceptively with the intent of destroying - the worshipers of Baal
וְעַתָּ֣ה כָל־ נְבִיאֵ֣י הַבַּ֡עַל כָּל־ עֹבְדָ֣יו וְכָל־ כֹּהֲנָיו֩ קִרְא֨וּ אֵלַ֜י אִ֣ישׁ אַל־ יִפָּקֵ֗ד כִּי֩ זֶ֨בַח גָּד֥וֹל לִי֙ לַבַּ֔עַל כֹּ֥ל אֲשֶׁר־ יִפָּקֵ֖ד לֹ֣א יִֽחְיֶ֑ה וְיֵהוּא֙ עָשָׂ֣ה בְעָקְבָּ֔ה לְמַ֥עַן הַאֲבִ֖יד אֶת־ עֹבְדֵ֥י הַבָּֽעַל

וְעַתָּ֣ה  Now  therefore 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Adverb
Root: עַתָּה  
Sense: now.
נְבִיאֵ֣י  the  prophets 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct
Root: נָבִיא  
Sense: spokesman, speaker, prophet.
הַבַּ֡עַל  of  Baal 
Parse: Article, Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: בַּעַל  
Sense: supreme male divinity of the Phoenicians or Canaanites.
עֹבְדָ֣יו  his  servants 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine plural construct, third person masculine singular
Root: עָבַד  
Sense: to work, serve.
וְכָל־  and  all 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: כֹּל  
Sense: all, the whole.
כֹּהֲנָיו֩  his  priests 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct, third person masculine singular
Root: כֹּהֵן  
Sense: priest, principal officer or chief ruler.
קִרְא֨וּ  call 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperative, masculine plural
Root: קָרָא  
Sense: to call, call out, recite, read, cry out, proclaim.
אֵלַ֜י  to  me 
Parse: Preposition, first person common singular
Root: אֶל  
Sense: to, toward, unto (of motion).
אִ֣ישׁ  one 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: אִישׁ 
Sense: man.
אַל־  no  one 
Parse: Adverb
Root: אַל  
Sense: not, no, nor, neither, nothing (as wish or preference).
יִפָּקֵ֗ד  let  be  missing 
Parse: Verb, Nifal, Imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: פָּקַד 
Sense: to attend to, muster, number, reckon, visit, punish, appoint, look after, care for.
זֶ֨בַח  a  sacrifice 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: זֶבַח  
Sense: sacrifice.
גָּד֥וֹל  great 
Parse: Adjective, masculine singular
Root: גָּבֹול 
Sense: great.
לִי֙  I  have 
Parse: Preposition, first person common singular
לַבַּ֔עַל  for  Baal 
Parse: Preposition-l, Article, Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: בַּעַל  
Sense: supreme male divinity of the Phoenicians or Canaanites.
כֹּ֥ל  anyone 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: כֹּל  
Sense: all, the whole.
אֲשֶׁר־  Whoever 
Parse: Pronoun, relative
Root: אֲשֶׁר 
Sense: (relative part.).
יִפָּקֵ֖ד  is  missing 
Parse: Verb, Nifal, Imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: פָּקַד 
Sense: to attend to, muster, number, reckon, visit, punish, appoint, look after, care for.
יִֽחְיֶ֑ה  shall  live 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: חָיָה  
Sense: to live, have life, remain alive, sustain life, live prosperously, live for ever, be quickened, be alive, be restored to life or health.
וְיֵהוּא֙  But  Jehu 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יֵהוּא  
Sense: the king of the northern kingdom Israel who overthrew the dynasty of Omri.
עָשָׂ֣ה  acted 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: עָשָׂה 
Sense: to do, fashion, accomplish, make.
בְעָקְבָּ֔ה  deceptively 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, feminine singular
Root: עָקְבָּה  
Sense: subtlety, insidiousness, craftiness.
לְמַ֥עַן  with  the  intent 
Parse: Conjunction
Root: לְמַעַן 
Sense: purpose, intent prep.
הַאֲבִ֖יד  of  destroying 
Parse: Verb, Hifil, Infinitive construct
Root: אָבַד  
Sense: perish, vanish, go astray, be destroyed.
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.
עֹבְדֵ֥י  the  worshipers 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine plural construct
Root: עָבַד  
Sense: to work, serve.
הַבָּֽעַל  of  Baal 
Parse: Article, Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: בַּעַל  
Sense: supreme male divinity of the Phoenicians or Canaanites.