II Kings 9:34 · Bible study
2 Kings 9:34 Commentary: Cursed Woman, King’s Daughter
Hebrew · 9 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Jehu orders burial for Jezebel, calling her cursed yet honoring her as royalty. The tension between divine judgment and human dignity in this verse.
Research Summary
- Meaning: After Jezebel’s violent death, Jehu calls her cursed (fulfilling prophecy) yet orders burial, acknowledging her royal birth.
- Key words: Ha’arurah (the cursed one) and bat melekh (king’s daughter) set judgment beside honor.
- Main debate: Whether Jehu’s burial order stems from genuine respect for royalty, political expediency, or a mix of both.
- Theological theme: Divine judgment does not erase the image of God in even the most rebellious persons.
- Best use: Teaching on justice, mercy, and the complexity of carrying out God’s judgment in a fallen world.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
Then Jehu went in and ate and drank. “Take care of this cursed woman,” he said, “and bury her, for she was the daughter of a king.”
WEB World English Bible 2000
When he had come in, he ate and drank. Then he said, “See now to this cursed woman, and bury her; for she is a king’s daughter.”
KJV King James Version 1769
And when he was come in, he did eat and drink, and said, Go, see now this cursed woman, and bury her: for she is a king’s daughter.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
And when he was come in, he did eat and drink; and he said, See now to this cursed woman, and bury her; for she is a king’s daughter.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
And he cometh in, and eateth, and drinketh, and saith, `Look after, I pray you, this cursed one, and bury her, for she is a king's daughter.'
Darby Darby Bible 1890
And he came in, and ate and drank; and he said, Go, look, I pray you, after this cursed [woman], and bury her; for she is a king's daughter.
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
And when he was come in to eat, and to drink, he said: Go, and see after that cursed woman, and bury her; because she is a king's daughter.
Translations in other languages (10 available)
Entró luego, y después que comió y bebió, dijo: Id ahora á ver aquella maldita, y sepultadla; que es hija de rey.
Entrou logo, e depois que comeu e bebeu, disse: Ide agora a ver aquela maldita, e sepultai-a; que é filha de rei.
puis il entra, mangea et but, et il dit: Allez voir cette maudite, et enterrez-la, car elle est fille de roi.
Und da er hineinkam und gegessen und getrunken hatte, sprach er: Sehet doch nach der Verfluchten und begrabet sie; denn sie ist eines Königs Tochter!
Als hij nu ingekomen was, en gegeten en gedronken had, zeide hij: Ziet nu naar die vervloekte, en begraaf ze; want zij is eens konings dochter.
poi entrò, mangiò e bevve, quindi disse: “Andate a vedere di quella maledetta donna e sotterratela, giacché è figliuola di re”.
A gdy tam wszedł, jadł i pił, i rzekł: Obaczcie proszę onę przeklętą, a pogrzebcie ją; boć córką królewską jest.
И пришел Ииуй, и ел, и пил, и сказал: отыщите эту проклятую и похороните ее, так как царская дочь она.
耶戶進去，吃了 喝了，吩咐說：「 你們把 這 被咒詛的婦人 葬埋了，因為 她 是王 的女兒。」
And he came in, and took food and drink; then he said, Now see to this cursed woman, and put her body into the earth, for she is a king's daughter.
Verse in Context
Original Language (Biblical Hebrew)
Old Testament · Biblical Hebrew · II Kings 9:34
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators agree that Jehu’s command to bury Jezebel reflects a tension between divine judgment and human dignity. Barnes notes that calling her this cursed one reminds his hearers that God’s curse had been pronounced through Elijah (2 Kings 9:36). Yet because she is a king’s daughter, Ethbaal’s daughter (1 Kings 16:31), he orders burial as a mark of respect for her royal birth. Clarke emphasizes her high lineage: daughter of Tyre’s king, wife of Ahab, mother of Joram. Gill suggests that despite her curse, “honour must be given where it is due.” The Cambridge Bible adds that the word cursed (ha’arurah) is the same used in Deuteronomy’s list of curses (Deuteronomy 27, 28), tying her fate to covenant violation. The burial order is not a retraction of judgment but a concession to political custom.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Medium
Main views:
- Respect for royal blood: Clarke and Barnes emphasize that Jehu ordered burial because of her birth as a king’s daughter, a mark of honor.
- Political expediency: Barnes also suggests a political motive: avoiding insult to the Sidonian king, Ethbaal.
- Partial fulfillment and human presumption: Gill notes that Jehu initially forgot the prophecy; his order was overridden by God’s decree that dogs would eat her.
What is clear: Jehu carried out God’s judgment against Jezebel while still acknowledging her earthly status—a reminder that divine justice does not erase the dignity of human beings made in God’s image.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| Why Jehu calls Jezebel 'cursed' | Christians agree it refers to God’s curse pronounced through Elijah, not a personal insult. | Some emphasize the curse as a divine verdict on her idolatry (Matthew Henry), while others focus on the public vindication of the prophet’s word (Barnes). |
| The reason for ordering burial | All traditions note that Jehu acknowledges her status as a king’s daughter. | Is this genuine respect for royalty (Clarke), political necessity to avoid offending Sidon (Barnes), or a partial forgetting of the prophecy’s totality (Gill)? |
| The incomplete burial (skull, feet, palms) | All affirm that the dogs eating her flesh fulfills the prophecy of 2 Kings 9:36, 37. | Some see Jehu’s burial order as overruled by God to emphasize the severity of judgment; others see it as God’s sovereign plan unfolding despite human attempts to modify it. |
Historical & Cultural Context
Jezebel’s death comes at the climax of Jehu’s coup against the house of Ahab. As queen mother, she held enormous political and religious sway, having promoted Baal worship and persecuted Yahweh’s prophets. Her defiant act of painting her eyes and taunting Jehu from the window (2 Kings 9:30, 31) underscores her pride. After her brutal death, thrown down by her own eunuchs and trampled, Jehu enters the palace, eats and drinks, then gives the burial order. This detail is deliberate: he shows composure while the body lies on the ground.
Barnes points out that Jehu likely needed to avoid offending Ethbaal, king of Sidon, Jezebel’s father. A denied burial would have been an unpardonable insult to a foreign monarch. The Hebrew word for cursed (ha’arurah) uses the definite article, marking her as the cursed one, a public designation tied to Elijah’s prophecy. Yet the term king’s daughter (bat melekh) carries no article, focusing on the generic status of royalty rather than her personal identity. This linguistic choice highlights the tension: she is under divine curse yet retains an earthly dignity that demands burial. The command to “attend to” (pikdu na, imperative of paqad) her is a respectful directive, not a dismissive order.
The subsequent discovery that only her skull, feet, and palms remain (2 Kings 9:35) fulfills the prophecy that dogs would eat her flesh (2 Kings 9:36, 37). Her body becomes dung on the field, stripped of any memorial. Jehu’s earlier burial order, then, is ultimately unfulfilled, only fragments are left, confirming that God’s word stands over human attempts at honor.
Textual Notes
The supplied sources note no significant textual variants for 2 Kings 9:34. The Hebrew text is stable across major manuscripts. The word ha’arurah (“the cursed woman”) appears with the definite article in all witnesses, reinforcing the public nature of the curse.
Reception History
Throughout church history, Jezebel has often been read as a type of unrepentant rebellion and seduction (Revelation 2:20). Early church writers used her fate as a warning against idolatry and pride. Medieval commentators moralized the story, contrasting her end with the faithful queens of Israel. Reformation-era commentators like Matthew Henry and Gill highlighted the certainty of God’s judgment and the irony that a queen could not escape it. In modern readings, the tension between the curse and the burial has drawn attention to the complexity of divine judgment and human dignity. The verse is rarely quoted in liturgy but frequently appears in studies of prophetic fulfillment and the downfall of oppressive regimes.
Preaching This Verse
Three-Point Outline
- The Terror of Divine Judgment, “This cursed woman” echoes the covenant curses of Deuteronomy. Jezebel’s fate shows that persistent rebellion against God brings consequences. Yet the judgment is not arbitrary; it fulfills a specific prophecy (1 Kings 21:23).
- The Persistence of Human Dignity, Despite the curse, Jehu orders burial “because she is a king’s daughter.” Royal birth commands respect, even in the face of divine wrath. This recognizes a God-given dignity that sin cannot erase.
- The Complexity of Faithful Action, Jehu acts as God’s instrument of judgment, yet his command reveals political and human considerations. Faithfulness does not eliminate pragmatic responsibility.
Five-Point Outline
- Reading the Signs of a Nation’s Corruption, Jezebel embodied the spiritual adultery of Israel.
- The King’s Meal Amidst Carnage, Jehu eats and drinks before attending to the body, showing calculated composure.
- Words That Curse and Words That Honor, “Cursed woman” and “king’s daughter” side by side hold judgment and dignity together.
- Burial as Political Necessity, Respecting royal blood avoids international incident, especially with the Sidonians.
- When God’s Word Overrides Human Plans, The partial remains show that God’s prophecy trumps Jehu’s order for full burial.
Illustration Hooks
- A community leader who has caused great harm is arrested. Some call for total ostracism; others argue that basic dignity (a funeral, a trial) still applies. How do we hold justice and humanity together?
- A company discovers a beloved founder engaged in fraud. The board fires her but agrees to a formal farewell. The tension between condemning the wrongdoing and honoring past contributions mirrors Jehu’s dilemma.
- In a family estrangement, a relative with a troubled past dies. The family debates whether to hold a funeral. The verse raises the question: does a person’s evil erase their God-given worth?
Questions Your Congregation Is Asking
- Why does Jehu care about Jezebel’s burial after he just had her killed? Is it respect, politics, or guilt?
- If God cursed Jezebel, why does Jehu seem to honor her royal status? Does divine judgment cancel human dignity?
- What does this story teach us about how to treat enemies who have done terrible things?
Leading a Discussion
This verse sits at the intersection of justice, dignity, and human complexity. After the violence of Jezebel’s death, Jehu’s order to bury her as a king’s daughter raises sharper questions than answers. Use these questions to explore the tension with your group.
Discussion Questions
- Read 2 Kings 9:30, 37. What picture of Jezebel do you see in the surrounding verses? How does her defiance affect your reading of verse 34?
- Why do you think Jehu ate and drank before addressing the body? What does that decision reveal about him?
- Jehu calls Jezebel “this cursed woman.” What does this phrase mean in light of Deuteronomy 27, 28 and Elijah’s prophecy (1 Kings 21:23)?
- He then orders burial “because she is a king’s daughter.” Why does her birth matter more than her actions at this moment?
- Barnes suggests that Jehu wanted to avoid offending the Sidonian king. How does political prudence interact with obedience to God’s command in this story?
- In verse 35, only skull, feet, and palms remain. Jehu’s burial order could not be fully carried out. What does this say about the certainty of God’s word?
- How does this passage challenge or confirm your understanding of justice and mercy, both in God’s character and in human action?
Word Study
The key original-language words in this verse. Select any word for its full lexicon entry — meaning, every occurrence in Scripture, and related words.
Cross-References
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK, public domain)
| I Kings 16:31 | As if it had been a light thing for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, he took as wife Jezebel the daughter of Ethbaal king of the Sidonians, and went and served Baal and worshiped him. |
| I Kings 18:41 | Elijah said to Ahab, “Get up, eat and drink; for there is the sound of abundance of rain.” |
| I Kings 21:25 | But there was no one like Ahab, who sold himself to do that which was evil in Yahweh’s sight, whom Jezebel his wife stirred up. |
| Esther 3:15 | The couriers went out in haste by the king’s commandment, and the decree was given out in the citadel of Susa. The king and Haman sat down to drink; but the city of Susa was perplexed. |
| Proverbs 10:7 | The memory of the righteous is blessed, but the name of the wicked will rot. |
| Isaiah 65:15 | You will leave your name for a curse to my chosen, and the Lord Yahweh will kill you. He will call his servants by another name, |
| Amos 6:4 | who lie on beds of ivory, and stretch themselves on their couches, and eat the lambs out of the flock, and the calves out of the middle of the stall, |
| Matthew 25:41 | Then he will say also to those on the left hand, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire which is prepared for the devil and his angels; |
Interlinear and lexical data from STEPBible (CC BY 4.0). Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Commentaries are public domain.
For personal reflection
Read the devotional page — prayer, application, and "for families"
What the Commentators Say
9 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Adam Clarke's Commentary Methodist/Wesleyan 1826
Clarke notes that Jezebel was a woman of exceptionally high birth, listing her connections to the royal houses of Tyre, Israel, and Judah as daughter, wife, mother, and grandmother of kings. This lineage shows her extensive royal influence across multiple kingdoms.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible Protestant 1832
Jehu calls Jezebel "this cursed one" to remind everyone that God had already condemned her through Elijah's prophecy, justifying his own harsh treatment. Yet he still arranges her burial, not out of respect for her as Ahab's widow, but because she was a Sidonian king's daughter and denying burial would have insulted a foreign monarch.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
The commentator notes that when Jehu calls Jezebel a "cursed woman," he is not speaking from personal anger. The word "cursed" is the same term used in Deuteronomy's solemn list of God's curses, meaning she has brought divine judgment on herself through idolatry and evil. The "Go" in older translations is implied, not explicitly in the original.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
Jehu first satisfied his own needs for food and drink before attending to Jezebel's burial. Even though he called her a cursed woman, he still ordered her buried out of respect for her royal blood as a king's daughter.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill highlights the tension in Jehu's command: he calls Jezebel a cursed woman, yet orders her buried because she is a king's daughter. Royal dignity, even for someone cursed by God and men, still demands the honor of a proper burial.
Keil & Delitzsch OT Commentary Protestant 1876
Keil-Delitzsch observes that Jehu calls Jezebel "this cursed woman" and explains the Hebrew term means she is smitten by God's own curse, not a human one. They note Jehu still commands her burial out of respect for her being a king's daughter.
Lange's Commentary Reformed 1857
Lange insists Jehu's elevation was a divinely appointed judgment, not an ordinary rebellion. Jehu was surprised by the prophet's anointing and did not conspire beforehand; the army's enthusiasm arose from disgust with Joram's idolatry and cowardice. The revolution was a the
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Henry identifies Jezebel as the greatest offender in Ahab's house, the one who introduced Baal worship and stirred up evil through three reigns. He draws a direct parallel to the false prophetess in Revelation 2, treating Jezebel's downfall as a pattern of God's final judgment on persistent idolatry.
Wesley's Explanatory Notes Methodist/Wesleyan 1754
Wesley observes that the speaker deliberately avoids calling her a king's wife, using "king's daughter" instead, so as not to show any respect to Ahab's wicked house, which God had marked for total destruction. The earlier command appears to have been forgotten.