2 Kings 9:11
in 2 Kings 9When Jehu went out to the servants of his master, they asked, “Is everything all right? Why did this madman come to you?” “You know his kind and their babble,” he replied.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
Then Jehu came forth to the servants of his lord: and one said unto him, Is all well? wherefore came this mad fellow to thee? And he said unto them, Ye know the man and what his talk was.
KJV
Then Jehu came forth to the servants of his lord: and one said unto him, Is all well? wherefore came this mad fellow to thee? And he said unto them, Ye know the man, and his communication.
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This verse in 2 Kings 9
Commentary
7 notes on this verseA commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
This mad fellow - The captains, seeing his excited look, his strange action, and his extreme haste, call him (as soldiers would) “this wild fellow.”
This site's exposition
wherefore came this mad fellow
on 2 Kings 9:11-13
The captains call the messenger this mad fellow, the contempt Scripture elsewhere aims at ecstatic prophets, and Jehu answers only, ye know the man, and his communication, letting them draw their own conclusion. Once he repeats the anointing word plainly, the captains do not deliberate; they strip their own cloaks onto the stairs for a throne and blow trumpets, an acclamation as sudden as the anointing itself. Wesley reads their haste as evidence the army was already ripe for Joram's fall.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers1 voice
"Then the prophet Elisha called a member of the company of prophets and said to him, 'Gird up your loins; take this flask of oil in your hand, and go to Ramoth-gilead.' " Here the Scripture reports the just sentence that befalls the house of …
The Puritans and the Awakening3 voices
What business had he with thee? And why wouldst thou humour him so far as to retire for conversation with him? Are prophets company for captains?" They are called him a mad fellow, because he was one of those that would not run with them to an excess of riot ( 1 Pet. iv.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — unbalanced-parens+odd-straight-quotes
Those that have no religion, commonly speak of those that are religious with disdain, and look upon them as crack-brained. They said of our Lord, He is beside himself; of St. Paul, that much learning had made him mad. The highest wisdom is thus represented as folly, and they that best understand themselves, as men beside themselves.
Then Jehu came forth to the servants of his lord,....
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
Wherefore came this mad fellow to thee? - Was it because he was a holy man of God that he was reputed by a club of irreligious officers to be a madman? In vain do such pretend that they fight for religion, and are the guardians of the public welfare and morals, if they persecute religion and scoff at holy men. But this has been an old custom with all the seed, the sons, of the serpent. As to religious soldiers, they are far to seek, and ill to find, according to the old proverb. Ye know the man, and his communication - Ye know that he is a madman, and that his message must be a message of folly. Jehu did not appear willing to tell them what had been done, lest it should promote jealousy and envy.
How the passage was read
What the Jewish commentators add
“You know the man.” You recognize the man, that he is insane. 5 Occasionally, prophets under the influence of prophecy lost control of themselves and acted strangely.—Metzudas Dovid. See I Shmuel:24. Also, followers of the Baal were making these derogatory remarks about the prophet.—Radak
1 more on this passage, in their own words ▾
They said, “That is a lie.” [What] you are saying; you are hiding what he said to you. 6 Yeihu wanted to conceal the prophecy and wait for a more opportune time to reveal it.
This section is reception history: how the passage was read and kept in the Jewish tradition. Where a reading parts from an essential of the Christian faith, the section says so at that point.
Texts and citation data: Sefaria; each excerpt follows its version’s licence. 5 further sources are cited on this chapter that carry no English text this site may quote or only restate the verse.
The words behind it
21 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וְיֵה֗וּא | veyehu' | and Jehu | H3058 → | 58 times |
| יָצָא֙ | yatza' | he went out | H3318 → | 1067 times |
| אֶל־ | ʾel- | to | H413 → | 5510 times |
| עַבְדֵ֣י | ʾavdei | [the] servants of | H5650 → | 799 times |
| אֲדֹנָ֔יו | ʾadonav | master<s> his | H113 → | 333 times |
| וַיֹּ֤אמֶר | vaiyomer | and someone said | H559 → | 5305 times |
| לוֹ֙ | lo | to him | ||
| הֲשָׁל֔וֹם | hashalom | ¿ peace | H7965 → | 236 times |
| מַדּ֛וּעַ | madua' | why? | H4069 → | 72 times |
| בָּֽא־ | ba'- | did he come | H935 → | 2568 times |
| הַמְשֻׁגָּ֥ע | hamshuga' | the mad [man] | H7696 → | |
| הַזֶּ֖ה | hazeh | <the> this | H2088 → | 1180 times |
| אֵלֶ֑יךָ | ʾeleikha | to you | H413 → | 5510 times |
| וַיֹּ֣אמֶר | vaiyomer | and he said | H559 → | 5305 times |
| אֲלֵיהֶ֔ם | ʾaleihem | to them | H413 → | 5510 times |
| אַתֶּ֛ם | ʾatem | you | H859 → | 1094 times |
| יְדַעְתֶּ֥ם | yeda'tem | you know | H3045 → | 945 times |
| אֶת־ | ʾet- | <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| הָאִ֖ישׁ | haish | the man | H376 → | 1663 times |
| וְאֶת־ | veet | and <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| שִׂיחֽוֹ׃ | sicho | talk his | H7879 → |
וְיֵה֗וּאand Jehu
veyehu'H3058 →58 times
יָצָא֙he went out
yatza'H3318 →1067 times
אֶל־to
ʾel-H413 →5510 times
עַבְדֵ֣י[the] servants of
ʾavdeiH5650 →799 times
אֲדֹנָ֔יוmaster<s> his
ʾadonavH113 →333 times
וַיֹּ֤אמֶרand someone said
vaiyomerH559 →5305 times
לוֹ֙to him
lo
הֲשָׁל֔וֹם¿ peace
hashalomH7965 →236 times
מַדּ֛וּעַwhy?
madua'H4069 →72 times
בָּֽא־did he come
ba'-H935 →2568 times
הַמְשֻׁגָּ֥עthe mad [man]
hamshuga'H7696 →
הַזֶּ֖ה<the> this
hazehH2088 →1180 times
אֵלֶ֑יךָto you
ʾeleikhaH413 →5510 times
וַיֹּ֣אמֶרand he said
vaiyomerH559 →5305 times
אֲלֵיהֶ֔םto them
ʾaleihemH413 →5510 times
אַתֶּ֛םyou
ʾatemH859 →1094 times
יְדַעְתֶּ֥םyou know
yeda'temH3045 →945 times
אֶת־<obj.>
ʾet-H853 →10935 times
הָאִ֖ישׁthe man
haishH376 →1663 times
וְאֶת־and <obj.>
veetH853 →10935 times
שִׂיחֽוֹ׃talk his
sichoH7879 →
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Acts 26:24At this stage of Paul’s defense, Festus exclaimed in a loud voice, “You are insane, Paul! Your great learning is driving you to madness!”
it leads to
- Mark 3:21
When His family heard about this, they went out to take custody of Him, saying, “He is out of His mind.”
Reached by 3 separate paths from here.
- 1 Corinthians 2:13–14
And this is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom, but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words.
- 1 Corinthians 1:23
but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles,
- 2 Corinthians 5:13
If we are out of our mind, it is for God; if we are of sound mind, it is for you.
- 1 Corinthians 4:10
We are fools for Christ, but you are wise in Christ. We are weak, but you are strong. You are honored, but we are dishonored.
- Mark 3:21
Through
John 10:20Many of them said, “He is demon-possessed and insane. Why would you listen to Him?”
it leads to
- John 7:20
“You have a demon,” the crowd replied. “Who is trying to kill You?”
- John 7:20
Through
Jeremiah 29:26‘The LORD has appointed you priest in place of Jehoiada, to be the chief officer in the house of the LORD, responsible for any madman who acts like a prophet—you must put him in…
it leads to
- Jeremiah 20:1–2
When Pashhur the priest, the son of Immer and the chief official in the house of the LORD, heard Jeremiah prophesying these things,
- Jeremiah 20:1–2
Through
Hosea 9:7The days of punishment have come; the days of retribution have arrived—let Israel know it. The prophet is called a fool, and the inspired man insane, because of the greatness of your iniquity and…
it leads to
- Acts 26:24–25
At this stage of Paul’s defense, Festus exclaimed in a loud voice, “You are insane, Paul! Your great learning is driving you to madness!”
- Acts 26:24–25
Where this verse is studied
On this page
About 2 Kings
Who and where
1 name in this verse with a page on the site.
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Ephrem the Syrian, ON THE SECOND BOOK OF KINGS 9:1-24; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.