The Meaning of 2 Kings 10:7 Explained

2 Kings 10:7

KJV: 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.

YLT: And it cometh to pass, at the coming in of the letter unto them, that they take the sons of the king, and slaughter seventy men, and put their heads in baskets, and send unto him to Jezreel,

Darby: And it came to pass when the letter came to them, that they took the king's sons, and slaughtered seventy persons, and put their heads in baskets, and sent them to him to Jizreel.

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

KJV Reverse Interlinear

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. 

What does 2 Kings 10:7 Mean?

Context Summary

2 Kings 10:1-11 - The Doom Of The House Of Ahab
What an iconoclast was this Jehu! Before his strong hand the whole structure of Baal-worship received its death-blow. And as we meet Elijah's name in this chapter, connecting him with these events, we turn back to the story of Horeb, with its solemn words: "And it shall come to pass that him that escapeth from the sword of Hazael shall Jehu slay: and him that escapeth from the sword of Jehu shall Elisha slay." God has many nets, and if the fish escape one set of meshes, they will be caught by another-none shall finally escape. "Everyone shall give an account of himself to God." See 2 Kings 10:10.
It is a searching thought! Because men escape one judgment, they count themselves immune; but it is not so. He that escapes Hazael shall meet Jehu. "As if a man did flee from a lion and a bear met him; or went into the house and leaned his hand on the wall, and a serpent bit him," Amos 5:19. "There shall fall unto the earth nothing"¦ which the Lord spake," 2 Kings 10:10. "How shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation," and trifle with such a God, whose love is as searching as His chastening wrath? Jeremiah 16:16-17. [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 10:7 mean?

So it was when came the letter to them that they took - sons of the king and slaughtered seventy persons and put their heads in baskets and sent [them] to him at Jezreel
וַיְהִ֗י כְּבֹ֤א הַסֵּ֙פֶר֙ אֲלֵיהֶ֔ם וַיִּקְחוּ֙ אֶת־ בְּנֵ֣י הַמֶּ֔לֶךְ וַֽיִּשְׁחֲט֖וּ שִׁבְעִ֣ים אִ֑ישׁ וַיָּשִׂ֤ימוּ רָֽאשֵׁיהֶם֙ בַּדּוּדִ֔ים וַיִּשְׁלְח֥וּ אֵלָ֖יו יִזְרְעֶֽאלָה

וַיְהִ֗י  So  it  was 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: אֶהְיֶה 
Sense: to be, become, come to pass, exist, happen, fall out.
כְּבֹ֤א  when  came 
Parse: Preposition-k, Verb, Qal, Infinitive construct
Root: בֹּוא 
Sense: to go in, enter, come, go, come in.
הַסֵּ֙פֶר֙  the  letter 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: סֵפֶר 
Sense: book.
אֲלֵיהֶ֔ם  to  them 
Parse: Preposition, third person masculine plural
Root: אֶל  
Sense: to, toward, unto (of motion).
וַיִּקְחוּ֙  that  they  took 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: יָקַח 
Sense: to take, get, fetch, lay hold of, seize, receive, acquire, buy, bring, marry, take a wife, snatch, take away.
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.
בְּנֵ֣י  sons 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct
Root: בֵּן 
Sense: son, grandson, child, member of a group.
הַמֶּ֔לֶךְ  of  the  king 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: מֶלֶךְ 
Sense: king.
וַֽיִּשְׁחֲט֖וּ  and  slaughtered 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: שָׁחַט 
Sense: to kill, slaughter, beat.
שִׁבְעִ֣ים  seventy 
Parse: Number, common plural
Root: שִׁבְעִים  
Sense: seventy.
אִ֑ישׁ  persons 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: אִישׁ 
Sense: man.
וַיָּשִׂ֤ימוּ  and  put 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: שׂוּמָה 
Sense: to put, place, set, appoint, make.
רָֽאשֵׁיהֶם֙  their  heads 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct, third person masculine plural
Root: רֹאשׁ 
Sense: head, top, summit, upper part, chief, total, sum, height, front, beginning.
בַּדּוּדִ֔ים  in  baskets 
Parse: Preposition-b, Article, Noun, masculine plural
Root: דּוּד  
Sense: pot, jar, basket, kettle.
וַיִּשְׁלְח֥וּ  and  sent  [them] 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: שָׁלַח  
Sense: to send, send away, let go, stretch out.
אֵלָ֖יו  to  him 
Parse: Preposition, third person masculine singular
Root: אֶל  
Sense: to, toward, unto (of motion).
יִזְרְעֶֽאלָה  at  Jezreel 
Parse: Proper Noun, feminine singular, third person feminine singular
Root: יִזְרְעֶאל 
Sense: a descendant of the father or founder of Etam of Judah.