Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of 2 Kings 9:12
And they said, [It is] false; tell us now. And he said, Thus and thus spoke he to me, saying, Thus saith the LORD, I have anointed thee king over Israel.
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.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Verse 12. They said, It is false] Or, as the Chaldee has it, Thou liest. Or, perhaps, it might be thus understood, “We know he has said nothing but folly and lies, nevertheless, let us hear what he has said.”
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
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.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
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.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
(12) It is false.This is rather too strong, and does not convey the exact force of the reply. The captains reply to Jehus 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 prophets visit, their manner now convinced Jehu that he might safely trust them.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
12. False; tell us now Though they had contemptuously called him a madman, their better nature told them that this was false, and now, as they notice Jehu’s disposition to evade their question, they insist on knowing the prophet’s mission.
Thus and thus spake he to me He at once decides to tell them just that part of the prophet’s discourse and action which referred to his being made king, thinking, possibly, that they might consider that declaration further evidence of his being crazy. Of his commission to destroy the house of Ahab he said nothing.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
2Ki 9:12 And they said, [It is] false; tell us now. And he said, Thus and thus spake he to me, saying, Thus saith the LORD, I have anointed thee king over Israel.
Ver. 12. And they said, It is false. ] It is no ordinary errand that he cometh on to thee; and this they might gather by the prophet’s calling Jehu into an inner chamber, and perhaps by Jehu’s troubled thoughts appearing in his countenance.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Thus and thus: 2Ki 9:6-10