2 Kings 9:12

. Nevertheless, they shall be his servants,.... tributaries to the king of Egypt: that they may know my service, and the service of the kingdoms of the countries; the difference between them, how easy the one, which they might perform without taxes and tributes, and how hard and heavy the other, through the exactions and exorbitant demands of those to whom they became subjects. 2 Chronicles 12:9 Ver. 9-11. So Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem,.... The Vulgate Latin version is, "departed from Jerusalem,'' as he did, having taken it, and spoiled it of its riches, and settled a yearly tax on the inhabitants of the land; of this, and the two following verses, See Gill on "1 Kings 14:26". See Gill on "1 Kings 14:27". See Gill on "1 Kings 14:28". 2 Chronicles 12:10 Ver. 10. See Gill on "2 Chronicles 12:9". 2 Chronicles 12:11 Ver. 11. See Gill on "2 Chronicles 12:9". 2 Chronicles 12:12 Ver. 12. And when he humbled himself,....

And they said, it is false, tell us now,.... They did not believe he spoke truth, but concealed from them the real matter; which they concluded to be of some importance, by the hastiness of the messenger, the privacy between them, the countenance of Jehu, which discovered thoughtfulness and concern, and the trifling answer he sought to put them off with; all which increased their curiosity, and made them urgent and importunate to know the truth of the matter: and he said: thus and thus spake he to me; such and such words as above: and particularly saying, thus saith the Lord, I have anointed thee king over Israel; and no doubt told them that he poured oil on his head, and anointed him, and he might show them the oil.

9:11-15 Those who faithfully deliver the Lord's message to sinners, have in all ages been treated as madmen. Their judgment, speech, and conduct are contrary to those of other men; they endure much in pursuit of objects, and are influenced by motives, into which the others cannot enter. But above all, the charge is brought by the worldly and ungodly of all sorts, who are mad indeed; while the principles and practice of the devoted servants of God, prove to be wise and reasonable. Some faith in the word of God, seems to have animated Jehu to this undertaking.

It is false: there is something extraordinary and of great importance in his message, as we plainly perceive by his calling thee into an inner chamber, by his great expedition, and by his gesture and carriage. Tell us now: his concealment of the thing made them more greedy to know it.

11. Is all well? &c.—Jehu's attendants knew that the stranger belonged to the order of the prophets by his garb, gestures, and form of address; and soldiers such as they very readily concluded such persons to be crackbrained, not only from the sordid negligence of their personal appearance and their open contempt of the world, but from the religious pursuits in which their whole lives were spent, and the grotesque actions which they frequently performed (compare Jer 29:26).

(12) It is false. —This is rather too strong, and does not convey the exact force of the reply. The captains reply to Jehu’s “Oh, you know all about it!” with the one word, “trickery!” i.e., “you are pretending!” “mere evasion!” They then assume a tone of persuasion: “Do tell us.” Even if they had really guessed the import of the prophet’s visit, their manner now convinced Jehu that he might safely trust them.

12 . It is false ] In the bluntest way they make Jehu understand that his answer is a mere subterfuge, and that in spite of having called the prophet a madman, they feel that he has not come without some special errand. Thus saith the Lord, I have anointed thee ] It is worthy of notice how constantly the people of the northern kingdom, though it was given up to calf-worship, and Baal-worship, yet attach the highest importance to the messages of God’s prophets, and act upon them without demur. Jehu and his companions, being about the court of Ahab, Ahaziah and Joram, no doubt joined in the idolatry and excesses of the time. But at the voice of the prophet they are prepared to dethrone the house of Ahab and put Jehu in his place.

Verse 12. - And they said, It is false. There was no rudeness in the reply. It merely denied that Jehu's supposition was correct. There had been no collusion between the spiritual and temporal authorities. The captains had no knowledge of the young prophet's errand. Tell us now. "Tell us," i.e. , "what the young prophet said, since we are completely in the dark upon the subject." And he said, Thus and thus spoke he to me, saying, Thus saith the Lord, I have anointed thee king over Israel. Jehu declared to them without any reserve all that the young prophet had said to him. He accepted their declaration that they were not in league with him, and then gave them an exact account of all that had occurred. He left it for them to determine what, under the circumstances, they would do. 2 Kings 9:12

Verse 12. - See 1 Kings 3:5 ; 1 Kings 9:2 ; Deuteronomy 12:2, 3, 5-7, 11, 14 ; and, by turning to the last of these sets of references, the emphasis laid here upon the house as the house of sacrifice will be amply accounted for without supposing a rather premature aside as regards synagogues. Meantime, what a feature, manifestly, the sacrifices were! 2 Chronicles 7:12