Elisha the prophet called, etc. At the same time that Yehorom was ill in Yizre’el.

One of the prophets’ disciples. It was Yonah son of Amitai.

“Gird you loins.” Every “girding of the loins” is an expression of hurry¹ [and] might; because he was sent on a perilous mission (he needed to hurry).²

footnotes: ¹ See above 4:29, and Shemos 12:11. ² Even though one who performs a mitzvah is ordinarily immune from any harm befalling him, this does not apply to exceptionally dangerous activities such as this. See Maseches Chulin 142a.

The lad, the prophet’s disciple. The disciple of Elisha the prophet,³ so rendered [Targum] Yonoson, “and the lad, the disciple of the prophet, went.”⁴

footnotes: ³ Rashi is explaining the reason for the repetition of הַנַּעַר in this verse. ⁴ Alternatively, “and the lad, the lad who was a prophet [in his own right], went.”—Malbim

“You know the man.” You recognize the man, that he is insane.⁵

footnotes: ⁵ Occasionally, prophets under the influence of prophecy lost control of themselves and acted strangely.—Metzudas Dovid. See I Shmuel 19:24. Also, followers of the Baal were making these derogatory remarks about the prophet.—Radak

They said, “That is a lie.” [What] you are saying; you are hiding what he said to you.⁶

footnotes: ⁶ Yeihu wanted to conceal the prophecy and wait for a more opportune time to reveal it.

On the top step. (Targum) [Yonoson rendered,] עַל דְּרַג שָׁעַיָּא⁷ [=on the step of the hours], a type of steps made corresponding to the hours of the day,⁸ to know each hour, when the shade descends one hour. גֶּרֶם, ourle, in O.F., an expression of a notch. “הַגְרָמָה,” pertaining to the laws of שְׁחִיטָה [=ritual slaughtering] is from this derivation, that one slaughters in a straight line, and then [cuts] downwards, making an appearance of a mound above.

footnotes: ⁷ Our text reads לִדְּרַג שָׁrַיָּא ⁸ I.e., the steps were a type of a sundial, each step representing one hour of the day.

“If you really want.” That I reign.

The city. From Ramos-Gilod.

[To] report. [לַגִּיד means the] same as לְהַגִּיד [=to tell].

Troop. Troop.⁹

footnotes: ⁹ Alternatively, “a multitude of people.”—Ralbag

Were riding together. How you and I were riding together (other texts: as a pair) after Achov on the day that he killed Navos.

When Adonoy put upon him. This prophecy through Eliyahu the prophet,¹⁰ and we heard.

footnotes: ¹⁰ See I Melochim 21:17-26.

“Strike him down in the chariot, etc.” And in Divrei Hayomim it states, “And he sought Achazyohu, and they captured him when he was hiding in Shomron, and they brought him to Yeihu. ”¹¹ The verses can be reconciled as follows: “And [he] fled by way of the Beis-Hagan,” from Yizre’el to Shomron, and Yeihu pursued him. There is, however, a discrepancy in the matter, because Yeihu did not reign in Shomron until the following day, as it is explained in this account, “Yeihu wrote letters and sent them to Shomron, etc.”¹² Our Rabbis explained in the Aggadah [entitled] “Cheilek,”¹³ “When he was hiding in Shomron,”¹⁴ that he would cut out the Divine Names and write [names of] pagan deities in their place. According to their opinion, one can say that his hiding was not because of Yeihu, rather the following is its explanation: “And he sought Achazyohu, and they captured him when he was escaping by way of the garden.” He had been acting wickedly from the beginning, for he would come to Shomron and hide from the officers of Yehudah, to commit this abomination, because the inhabitants of Shomron were idolaters. “And they brought him to Yeihu,”¹⁵ [i.e.,] Yeihu’s men, who had pursued him, [after which it states,] “And he said, ‘Strike him in the chariot.’”¹⁶

footnotes: ¹¹ II Divrei Hayomim 22:9. ¹² Below 10:1. ¹³ Maseches Sanhedrin 102b. ¹⁴ II Divrei Hayomim 22:9. ¹⁵ Ibid. ¹⁶ Alternatively, Achazyohu was wounded on the way up to Gur, and he fled to Megido where his condition worsened. The verse therefore uses the expression וַיָמָת [literally=“and he died”] to express his condition although he was still alive. See I Shmuel 25:37 where “וַיָמָת” is used to express the condition of a live person. He then went to hide in Shomron where he was discovered by Yeihu’s men. They brought Achazyohu to Yeihu in Yizre’el and he was executed there.—Radak

On the way up to Gur. For they brought him [Achazyoh] there to him [Yeihu].

And he fled to Meggido. He was struck as a result of a conspiracy [=בְנִכְלִיּוּת].¹⁷

footnotes: ¹⁷ See Rashi in Bereishis 37:18. In some editions Rashi’s text is מוּכָּה בְלוּנְכִּיוֹת [=struck by spears].

In the eleventh year of Yorom, son of Achov, Achazyoh became king. Above it states, “In the twelfth year.”¹⁸ And you are forced [to say] that Yehorom his father died in the twelfth year of Yorom, because he became king in the fifth year of Yorom and he reigned for eight years. Why then does it say here, “In the eleventh year”? I say that he reigned one year during his father’s lifetime because he was afflicted with severe maladies, as it is stated, “And after all this, Adonoy afflicted him [in his intestines] with incurable illness, and it was at the end of a year … his intestines came out because of his illness, etc.,”¹⁹ “and the inhabitants of Yerusholayim made king—Achazyohu.”²⁰ Here it states, “Achazyohu was twenty-two years old when he became king,”²¹ but in Divrei Hayomim [it states], “He was forty-two years old when he reigned.”²² Yehorom, his father, lived for forty years, no more, as it is stated, concerning him, “He was thirty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned eight years [in Yerusholayim].”²³ How then is it possible for a son to be two years older than his father? Rather, twenty years before he was born, which is two years before his father was born, this decree was issued. From the day that Asa took Omri’s daughter in marriage for Yehoshophot his son, a decree was issued upon the House of Dovid that it be destroyed with the House of Achov. And similarly it states, “And from God [it was decreed] for the ruination of Achazyohu, that he come to Yorom, etc.”²⁴ Thus it is taught in Seder Olam and in the Tosefta of [Maseches] Sotah.²⁵ However, in all of Scripture, we do not find that Yehoshophot married Omri’s daughter. However, I did find in Divrei Hayomim, “And he intermarried with Achov.”²⁶ Perhaps this [refers to] his sister whom he married. He married her in the thirty-first year of Asa, as it is stated, “In the thirty-first year of the reign of Asa, [King of Yehudah], Omri reigned [over Yisroel].”²⁷ And we learned in Seder Olam that he reigned over the entire kingdom, for six years before then he reigned over half the people, and when Asa took his [Imri’s] daughter in marriage to [his son] Yehoshophot, Imri gained prestige, and they assassinated Tivni. Proceed and calculate from the thirty-first year of Asa until Achazyohu’s death and you will find them to be forty-two [years].

footnotes: ¹⁸ 8:25. ¹⁹ II Divrei Hayomim 21:18-19. ²⁰ Ibid. 22:1. ²¹ Above 8:26. ²² II Divrei Hayomim 22:2. ²³ Above 8:17. ²⁴ II Divrei Hayomim 22:7. ²⁵ 12:3. ²⁶ II Divrei Hayomim 18:1. ²⁷ I Melochim 16:23.

And made up her hair. [Targum Yonoson] (renders) וּתְקָנַת יַת רֵישָׁהּ [=she adorned her head], in order to have charm in Yeihu’s eyes and he would marry her.²⁸

footnotes: ²⁸ Alternatively, she made herself look beautiful hoping that Yeihu would spare her life.—Metzudas Dovid

And she said, “Is everything alright?” Do you wish to be with me in peace?

Zimri, murderer of his master. It is nothing new if you assassinated your master,²⁹ for Zimri too assassinated Eilah, son of Ba’asha.³⁰

footnotes: ²⁹ She was attempting to minimize this murderous act by citing that what he had done had precedent and was therefore acceptable.—Metzudas Dovid ³⁰ See I Melochim 16:9-10.

“Who is with me?” Who among you will come to help me?³¹

footnotes: ³¹ He was also addressing Ezevel’s allies, inviting them to join forces with him.

“Push her out!” Of the window to the ground.

The skull [and] the feet. Our Rabbis said, that she would dance before bridegrooms with her hands and feet, and shake her head.³²³³

footnotes: ³² Because these limbs participated in performing acts of kindness, the merit that she had thereby earned was not forgotten. Therefore these limbs were spared from being devoured by dogs. See Pirkei Derabi Eliezer Chapter 17. Also, she would join funeral processions and clap her hands and lament for the dead. ³³ The prophecy in v. 10 above that “no one will bury her,” referring to Ezevel was fulfilled, because most of her body had been devoured, and was not buried.—Radak

Like dung. [Targum Yonoson] renders כזבל³⁴ [=as dung].

footnotes: ³⁴ Her name indicated her future, אִיזֶבֶל is an acronym for אִי [=woe] that she will be like זֶבֶל [=dung].—Kli Yakar