KJV onlyists often make outlandish claims against modern translations. I often encounter this in my numerous engagement with KJV Onlyists in social media. This time the text in dispute is 2 Kings 9:31.
2 Kings 9:31 – Jezebel Readies for Her Close-Up
And when Jehu was come to Jezreel, Jezebel heard of it; and she painted her face, and tired her head, and looked out at a window. (2 Kings 9:30)
And as Jehu entered in at the gate, she said, Had Zimri peace, who slew his master? (KJV)
And as Iehu entred at the gate, she sayd: Had Zimri peace, which slue his maister (Bishop’s)
And as Jehu entered the gate, she said, “Is it peace, you Zimri, murderer of your master?” (ESV)
As Jehu entered the gate, she asked, “Have you come in peace, you Zimri, you murderer of your master?” (NIV)
As Jehu came through the gate, she called out, “You Zimri! You assassin! Why are you here?” (GNT)
After Jehu had dispatched King Jehoram of Israel and King Ahaziah of Judah, he came to finish off Queen Jezebel of Israel. She had been Ahab’s wife and was Jehoram’s mother. She must have been significantly older by now, but she nonetheless painted her eyes in an attempt to look alluring to Jehu (who just killed her son). When he drove into the city and confronted her, she referred to the earlier King Zimri of Israel who had assassinated his predecessor. In other words, she was saying Zimri deserved to die and so did her son, so she didn’t object to Jehu killing him. It was self-serving flattery (Radak). This is how some versions, including the KJV, interpret her words.
Alternatively, she was berating Jehu for being a murderer like Zimri, per the ESV and most other modern versions. This doesn’t comport with her evil nature, however, nor does it explain her trying to look attractive to Jehu. The Hebrew can be read either way, but the KJV is more logical. Unimpressed, Jehu had the eunuchs throw her out the window. He trampled her under his chariot, whereupon the dogs ate her and excreted in the fields:
And the carcase of Jezebel shall be as dung upon the face of the field in the portion of Jezreel; so that they shall not say, This is Jezebel. (2 Kings 9:37)
Let me demonstrate how non-sensical and illogical are the accusations of KJV Onlyists against modern translation in this particular text. Counter arguments are as follows:
1.) The ESV and the KJV is basically saying the same thing
Putting 2 King 9:31-32 side by side, spot the difference:
KJV: And when Jehu was come to Jezreel, Jezebel heard of it; and she painted her face, and tired her head, and looked out at a window.And as Jehu entered in at the gate, she said, Had Zimri peace, who slew his master?
ESV: When Jehu came to Jezreel, Jezebel heard of it. And kshe painted her eyes and adorned her head and looked out of the window. And as Jehu entered the gate, she said, l“Is it peace, you Zimri, murderer of your master?”
No matter which you look at it, it takes a leap of imagination to accuse the ESV of not comporting “with her evil nature, however, nor does it explain her trying to look attractive to Jehu. The Hebrew can be read either way. Unimpressed, Jehu had the eunuchs throw her out the window. He trampled her under his chariot, whereupon the dogs ate her and excreted in the fields” because basically both version is saying the thing albeit using somewhat different words in each respective translations.
Only KJV Onlyists would have such outlandish imagination to come up with such nonsense conspiracy theory.
2.) Most Bible commentators do not support the idea that “she nonetheless painted her eyes in an attempt to look alluring to Jehu (who just killed her son). When he drove into the city and confronted her, she referred to the earlier King Zimri of Israel who had assassinated his predecessor. In other words, she was saying Zimri deserved to die and so did her son, so she didn’t object to Jehu killing him.”
Richard Patterson and Hermann J. Austel writes in the Expositor’s Bible commentary. “NEWS OF ALL THIS HAD NO DOUBT REACHED JEZEBEL. SENSING HER OWN IMMINENT DEMISE, SHE ARRANGED HERSELF IN QUEENLY FASHION AND WENT TO THE WINDOW TO AWAIT JEHU’S ARRIVAL (V.30). AS JEHU ENTERED THE GATE BELOW, SHE CALLED TAUNTINGLY TO HIM WITH WORDS CALCULATED TO CUT JEHU DOWN TO SIZE (V.31). Jehu is called a “Zimri,” a name Buccellatti (p. 203) notes had become synonymous with “traitor,” the implication being that usurpers usually do not last too long themselves. Jehu was fully up to the occasion. Looking up to the window where Jezebel was, he called out for anyone who would stand with him (v.32). When some of the eunuchs responded to Jehu’s bidding, Jezebel was thrown to the courtyard below (v.33). Jehu subsequently rode over the fallen body and went in to dine in the banquet hall of his predecessor (v.34a).” (Capitalization for emphasis mine)
Paul R. House in the New Americal commentary writes “Jezebel will be killed next, but she will not die quietly. She puts on makeup, fixes her hair, and waits for Jehu by her window. THIS IS NO ATTEMPT TO SEDUCE THE REBEL. RATHER, SHE DOES THESE THINGS TO LOOK LIKE, AND DIE LIKE, A QUEEN.93 When Jehu arrives, she sarcastically asks if he has come in peace. She then insults him by calling him Zimri, the ineffectual, short-lived usurper of Elah’s throne (cf. 1 Kgs 16:8–20). Of course, Jehu is the killer of his master, so it may be the insinuation of a brief reign that provides the bite to her [Vol 8: 1,2 Kgs, p. 291] accusation/insult.” (Capitalization for emphasis mine)
Hebrew scholars C.F Keil and F. Delitzch writes in the OT Commentary “Death of Jezebel.—V. 30. When Jehu came to Jezreel and Jezebel heard of it, “she put her eyes into lead polish (i.e., painted them with it), and beautified her head and placed herself at the window.” פּוּךְ is a very favourite eye-paint with Oriental women even to the present day. It is prepared from antimony ore (Arab. kḥl, Cohol or Stibium of the Arabs), which when pounded yields a black powder with a metallic brilliancy, which was laid upon the eyebrows and eyelashes either in a dry state as a black powder, or moistened generally with oil and made into an ointment, which is applied with a fine smooth eye-pencil of the thickness of an ordinary goose-quill, made either of wood, metal, or ivory. The way to use it was to hold the central portion of the pencil horizontally between the eyelids, and then draw it out between them, twisting it round all the while, so that the edges of the eyelids were blackened all round; and the object was to heighten the splendour of the dark southern eye, and give it, so to speak, a more deeply glowing fire, and to impart a youthful appearance to the whole of the eyelashes even in extreme old age. Rosellini found jars with eye-paint of this kind in the early Egyptian graves (vid., Hille, über den Gebrauch u. die Zusammensetzung der oriental. Augenschminke: Deutsch. morg. Ztsch. v. p. 236ff.).—JEZEBEL DID THIS THAT SHE MIGHT PRESENT AN IMPOSING APPEARANCE TO JEHU AND DIE AS A QUEEN; NOT TO ALLURE HIM BY HER CHARMS (Ewald, after Ephr. Syr.). For (v. 31) when Jehu entered the palace gate, she cried out to him, “Is it peace, thou Zimri, murderer of his lord?” She addressed Jehu as Zimri the murderer of the king, to point to the fate which Jehu would bring upon himself by the murder of the king, as Zimri had already done (vid., 1 Kings 16:10-18).” (Capitalization for emphasis mine)
3.) Modern translations translate it better and more understandably
The Hebrew text reads “הֲשָׁלוֹם (hasalom) (“Ha” an interrogative followed by “shalom” which is translated peace) which is more understandable if translated as “Have you come in peace?” So if you ask me, the NIV has the better translation in this case.
In conclusion, modern translations especially the NIV translated it better than the KJV and it makes no sense to conclude that “Alternatively, she was berating Jehu for being a murderer like Zimri, per the ESV and most other modern versions. This doesn’t comport with her evil nature, however, nor does it explain her trying to look attractive to Jehu. The Hebrew can be read either way, but the KJV is more logical”
Only KJV Onlyists would have such outlandish imagination to come up with such nonsense conspiracy theory.
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