The Meaning of 2 Kings 10:13 Explained

2 Kings 10:13

KJV: Jehu met with the brethren of Ahaziah king of Judah, and said, Who are ye? And they answered, We are the brethren of Ahaziah; and we go down to salute the children of the king and the children of the queen.

YLT: and Jehu hath found the brethren of Ahaziah king of Judah, and saith, 'Who are ye?' and they say, 'Brethren of Ahaziah we are, and we go down to salute the sons of the king, and the sons of the mistress.'

Darby: Jehu found the brethren of Ahaziah king of Judah, and said, Who are ye? And they said, We are the brethren of Ahaziah; and have come down to salute the children of the king, and the children of the queen.

ASV: Jehu met with the brethren of Ahaziah king of Judah, and said, Who are ye? And they answered, We are the brethren of Ahaziah: and we go down to salute the children of the king and the children of the queen.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Jehu  met  with the brethren  of Ahaziah  king  of Judah,  and said,  Who [are] ye? And they answered,  We [are] the brethren  of Ahaziah;  and we go down  to salute  the children  of the king  and the children  of the queen. 

What does 2 Kings 10:13 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 10:13 mean?

and Jehu met - with the brothers of Ahaziah king of Judah and said who [are] you so they answered the brothers of Ahaziah we [are] and we have come down to [ask] of the wellbeing the sons of the king and the sons of the queen mother
וְיֵה֗וּא מָצָא֙ אֶת־ אֲחֵי֙ אֲחַזְיָ֣הוּ מֶֽלֶךְ־ יְהוּדָ֔ה וַיֹּ֖אמֶר מִ֣י ؟ אַתֶּ֑ם וַיֹּאמְר֗וּ אֲחֵ֤י אֲחַזְיָ֙הוּ֙ אֲנַ֔חְנוּ וַנֵּ֛רֶד לִשְׁל֥וֹם בְּנֵֽי־ הַמֶּ֖לֶךְ וּבְנֵ֥י הַגְּבִירָֽה

וְיֵה֗וּא  and  Jehu 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יֵהוּא  
Sense: the king of the northern kingdom Israel who overthrew the dynasty of Omri.
מָצָא֙  met 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: מָצָא  
Sense: to find, attain to.
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.
אֲחֵי֙  with  the  brothers 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct
Root: אָח  
Sense: brother.
אֲחַזְיָ֣הוּ  of  Ahaziah 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: אֲחַזְיָה 
Sense: ruler of Israel, son of Ahab.
מֶֽלֶךְ־  king 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: מֶלֶךְ 
Sense: king.
יְהוּדָ֔ה  of  Judah 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יְהוּדָה  
Sense: the son of Jacob by Leah.
וַיֹּ֖אמֶר  and  said 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: אָמַר 
Sense: to say, speak, utter.
מִ֣י  who  [are] 
Parse: Interrogative
Root: מִי  
Sense: who?, whose?, whom?, would that, whoever, whosoever.
וַיֹּאמְר֗וּ  so  they  answered 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: אָמַר 
Sense: to say, speak, utter.
אֲחֵ֤י  the  brothers 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct
Root: אָח  
Sense: brother.
אֲחַזְיָ֙הוּ֙  of  Ahaziah 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: אֲחַזְיָה 
Sense: ruler of Israel, son of Ahab.
אֲנַ֔חְנוּ  we  [are] 
Parse: Pronoun, first person common plural
Root: אֲנַחְנוּ  
Sense: we (first pers.
וַנֵּ֛רֶד  and  we  have  come  down 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, first person common plural
Root: יָרַד  
Sense: to go down, descend, decline, march down, sink down.
לִשְׁל֥וֹם  to  [ask]  of  the  wellbeing 
Parse: Preposition-l, Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: שָׁלֹום  
Sense: completeness, soundness, welfare, peace.
בְּנֵֽי־  the  sons 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct
Root: בֵּן 
Sense: son, grandson, child, member of a group.
הַמֶּ֖לֶךְ  of  the  king 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: מֶלֶךְ 
Sense: king.
וּבְנֵ֥י  and  the  sons 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, masculine plural construct
Root: בֵּן 
Sense: son, grandson, child, member of a group.
הַגְּבִירָֽה  of  the  queen  mother 
Parse: Article, Noun, feminine singular
Root: גְּבִירָה  
Sense: queen, lady.