(11) The servants of his lord.--Jehoram's captains.
And one said.--Many MSS. and all the versions, except the Targum, have "and they said."
Is all well?--They dreaded some sinister news.
This mad fellow.--They were struck by his wild demeanour and furious haste. Or, perhaps, "this inspired one," in a tone of ridicule. (Comp. Hosea 9:7.)
Ye know the man.--There is emphasis on the ye. Jehu apparently implies that the man was sent to him by his fellow-generals--that they had planned the whole thing. His purpose is to find out their disposition. Or, more probably, his reply may simply mean: "Why ask me, when you yourselves must have divined the right answer to your question?"
His communication.--Or, his meditation (comp. 1 Kings 18:27)--i.e., the thing he had in his mind, his purpose in coming. Corn, a Lapide: "Ye know that he is mad, and accordingly what he says is mad, and therefore neither to be credited nor repeated." LXX., "Ye know the man and his babble;" the Targum, "and his story;" the Syriac, "and his folly;" the Vulg., "and what he said;" the Arabic, "and his news."
Verses 11-22. - Conspiracy of Jehu against Jehoram. Verse 11. - Then Jehu came forth to the servants of his lord. After the young man the prophet had made his precipitate retreat, Jehu, too, quitted the inner chamber, and "came forth" - returned to the place where he had been sitting with "the servants of his lord" - the other captains of the host (ver. 5) - and rejoined their company. And one said unto him, Is all well? One of the other captains of the host took the word and asked, in the ordinary phraseology of the time, "Is it peace?" (comp. vers. 17,18, 19, 22) - or, in other words, u Is all right?" "Is all well?" The sudden appearance and disappearance of the messenger had evidently created an impression that all was not well. Wherefore came this mad fellow to thee? He did not suppose the man to be actually mad. He calls him "this wild fellow" - "this scatterbrain," on account of the haste and strangeness of his conduct; but he quite expects to hear that there was "method in the madness," and that the communication had some serious import. And he - i.e. Jehu - said unto them, Ye know the man, and his communication. Jehu suspected that the whole scene had been arranged beforehand; that Elisha and the young prophet and the captains of the host were in league, and had concerted a way of offering him the throne. He may have had reason to regard the captains as disaffected towards Jehoram, though this does not appear at all distinctly in the very brief narrative.
9:11-15 Those who faithfully deliver the Lord's message to sinners, have in all ages been treated as madmen. Their judgment, speech, and conduct are contrary to those of other men; they endure much in pursuit of objects, and are influenced by motives, into which the others cannot enter. But above all, the charge is brought by the worldly and ungodly of all sorts, who are mad indeed; while the principles and practice of the devoted servants of God, prove to be wise and reasonable. Some faith in the word of God, seems to have animated Jehu to this undertaking.
Then Jehu came forth to the servants of his lord,.... The rest of the captains of the army, who served under Joram as he did:
and one said unto him, is all well? one of the captains, the greatest of them, as Kimchi; he inquired whether he brought any ill news, since he came and went in such haste:
wherefore came this mad fellow to thee? so profane men, especially the worshippers of Baal, as those captains might be, were wont to call the prophets of the Lord, because of their habit, their manner of living, and the gestures they sometimes used in prophesying, and especially because of the things they prophesied of; and even prophets were sometimes called so, because, in the time of their prophesying, they appeared as madmen (m), and in a frenzy:
and he said unto them, ye know the man, and his communication; you saw by his habit of what profession he is, and you may easily guess what he talked of, as such men usually do, about religion, and one whimsical thing or another, reproving men for their sins, and telling them what they ought to do; and such like things you may well imagine he has been talking of to me; you rightly call him a mad fellow, and you may well suppose his discourse was agreeably to his character, and not worth relating and hearing; this he said, to put them off inquiring any further.
And one said.--Many MSS. and all the versions, except the Targum, have "and they said."
Is all well?--They dreaded some sinister news.
This mad fellow.--They were struck by his wild demeanour and furious haste. Or, perhaps, "this inspired one," in a tone of ridicule. (Comp. Hosea 9:7.)
Ye know the man.--There is emphasis on the ye. Jehu apparently implies that the man was sent to him by his fellow-generals--that they had planned the whole thing. His purpose is to find out their disposition. Or, more probably, his reply may simply mean: "Why ask me, when you yourselves must have divined the right answer to your question?"
His communication.--Or, his meditation (comp. 1 Kings 18:27)--i.e., the thing he had in his mind, his purpose in coming. Corn, a Lapide: "Ye know that he is mad, and accordingly what he says is mad, and therefore neither to be credited nor repeated." LXX., "Ye know the man and his babble;" the Targum, "and his story;" the Syriac, "and his folly;" the Vulg., "and what he said;" the Arabic, "and his news."
and one said unto him, is all well? one of the captains, the greatest of them, as Kimchi; he inquired whether he brought any ill news, since he came and went in such haste:
wherefore came this mad fellow to thee? so profane men, especially the worshippers of Baal, as those captains might be, were wont to call the prophets of the Lord, because of their habit, their manner of living, and the gestures they sometimes used in prophesying, and especially because of the things they prophesied of; and even prophets were sometimes called so, because, in the time of their prophesying, they appeared as madmen (m), and in a frenzy:
and he said unto them, ye know the man, and his communication; you saw by his habit of what profession he is, and you may easily guess what he talked of, as such men usually do, about religion, and one whimsical thing or another, reproving men for their sins, and telling them what they ought to do; and such like things you may well imagine he has been talking of to me; you rightly call him a mad fellow, and you may well suppose his discourse was agreeably to his character, and not worth relating and hearing; this he said, to put them off inquiring any further.
(m) David de Pomis, Lexic. p. 204. 3.