2 Kings 9:32

2Ki 9:32 And he lifted up his face to the window, and said, Who [is] on my side? who? And there looked out to him two [or] three eunuchs.

Ver. 32. There looked out to him two or three eunuchs.] Those rats of the court, as a certain emperor called them: these were active in their lady’s death, all hope of further advantage by her being taken away.

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

2Ki 9:32-33. He said, Who is on my side? — He had been called out by God to the work of punishing those who had corrupted the land, and he here calls out for assistance in doing it. And there looked out to him two or three eunuchs — Or chamberlains, for such used to attend upon queens in their chambers. “And by their great fidelity and obsequiousness, they generally gained the esteem, and were admitted to the confidence, of those they served; and so, very often, into places of great trust and profit. It is remarkable, however, of Jezebel’s eunuchs, that they were far from being faithful to her; to let us see how suddenly courtiers are wont to change with the fortune of their masters.” He said, Throw her down. So they threw her down — Being mercenary creatures, they quickly comply with Jehu’s command, sacrificing her life to save their own. “Thus, as she had done, so she suffered. She had commanded Naboth to be stoned, and now she is stoned herself: for there were two ways of stoning among the Hebrews, either by throwing stones at malefactors till they were knocked down and killed, or by throwing them down from a high place, and so dashing them to pieces.” — Dodd, who refers to Patrick and Calmet on the punishments of the Jews. And he trode her under foot — Houbigant renders it, they, that is, the horses, trod her under foot, after she had been dashed against the wall and pavement, which, with the horses, were besmeared with her blood.

Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

9:32-33 Jehu showed his violent nature when he trampled Jezebel’s body under his horses’ hooves. • While the Hebrew word translated eunuchs can refer to emasculated males, it can also refer to high officials.

Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Or, chief servants.

Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain. Text via Bolls.life.

(32) Who is on my side? who?—This hardly implies, as Thenius thinks, that Jezebel had made preparations for resistance. Jehu knew that the imperious and cruel queen was well hated by the palace officials. The “two or three eunuchs,” who a moment before had crouched in servile dread before Jezebel, would now be eager to curry favour with the regicide, and, at the same time, wreak their malice upon their former tyrant. (The repetition, “Who is on my side? who?” accords well with Jehu’s character. The LXX. has the strange reading, “he saw her, and said, Who art thou? Come down with me.” Josephus adopts this; but Thenius shows clearly that it has originated in easy corruptions of the present Hebrew text.)

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

32. to the window] Here the LXX. adds ‘and saw her’. After which it continues, ‘And he said, Who art thou? Come down with me. And there looked out &c.’ Josephus makes Jezebel’s remark to be: ‘A pretty servant you, who have killed your master!’ and then describes Jehu’s reply in much the same way as the LXX. The Hebrew as represented in our version is exactly like the impetuous sentence of such a man as Jehu was.

two or three eunuchs] There is no conjunction in the original, as the italics in A.V. indicate. But in all languages the omission of connecting particles between numerals is common. There have however been several explanations offered; as that at first two looked forth and, soon after, another; or that two looked out at one window and three at another. Most likely the omission is a colloquial form of expression. ‘Twothree’, as one word, is used in some English dialects for ‘several’. See Halliwell’s Glossary s.v.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Wherefore they came again, and told him,.... How things were, and what only could be found of Jezebel:

and he said, this is the word of the Lord; or the fulfilment of it:

which he spake by his servant Elijah the Tishbite, saying; as in Kg1 21:23.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

This. "Who dares address me with such provoking language?" Hebrew, "Who with me, who?" will punish the wretch? The eunuchs, who had hitherto waited upon Jezabel, immediately shewed their readiness to take part with her enemy: so little dependence can be placed on servants in the hour of adversity, when they have long been witnesses of their masters’ crimes. --- Hoofs. Hebrew, "and the horses, and he trod her under foot." (Haydock) --- Jehu shewed the example. (Menochius)

George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).

For such used to attend upon queens in their chambers.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

And he lifted up his face to the window, and said, Who is on my side? who? Whatever Jezebel"s intention, Jehu yielded not a jot; he was deaf to her flatteries, blind to her seductions. He had made up his mind for "war to the knife" before he embarked upon his enterprise, and the feeble attempts of a queen whose part was played out, whose age he knew, and whom he no doubt regarded as an old woman, had no power on him. Instead of responding to her blandishments, he took a stern and hard line. He would not see her privately. He summoned to his aid the menials of the palace the eunuchs -those on whom beauty has least influence. "Who is on my side? who?" he exclaimed (literally, "Who is with me? who?"); thus calling on the court servants to desert their masters, the guards to turn their swords against their employers, the menials to consummate an intra-palatial revolution. We cannot deny to Jehu the credit of vigor, promptness, audacity, the talent to seize on the opportunity of the moment, and to make the most of it; but he must ever present himself to us as the rough soldier, with no courtesy, with no chivalry, bent on accomplishing his own ends, and shrinking from no deed of blood, no precedent pessimi exempli, if thereby his ends might be brought about. And there looked out to him two or three eunuchs. Eunuchs had become an integral part both of the Jewish and of the Israelite courts from the time of David. (1Ch_28:1) They are an institution which almost necessarily accompanies polygamy; and they had long held high office in. Egypt, in Babylon, and in Assyria. A position outside nature, at variance with all men"s natural feelings and aspirations, of necessity depraves the character, weakens the moral principle, and ends by debasing the class. In Oriental history, the lowest, vilest part is always played by the eunuchs of the palace, who are ever ready to take part in any intrigues, in any conspiracies, and who seem to be almost wholly devoid of the ordinary feelings of humanity. The eunuchs who "looked out" to Jehu were probably the chief eunuchs of the palace, who had authority over the others, and indeed over the court officials generally.

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

But Jehu did not deign to answer the worthless woman; he simply looked up to the window and inquired: "Who is (holds) with me? who?" Then two, three chamberlains looked out (of the side windows), and by Jehu's command threw the proud queen out of the window, so that some of her blood spirted upon the wall and the horses (of Jehu), and Jehu trampled her down, driving over her with his horses and chariot.

Keil & Delitzsch — Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament (1861–1891) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API. (Old Testament only.)

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

Rashi on the Tanakh — English translations: “The Judaica Press complete Tanach with Rashi, translated by A. J. Rosenberg” (CC BY 4.0); “Pentateuch with Rashi's commentary by M. Rosenbaum and A.M. Silbermann, 1929-1934” (public domain); “The Metsudah Tanach series, Lakewood, N.J” (CC BY 4.0); and “The Book of Joshua, Metsudah Publications, 1997” (CC BY 4.0). Text via Sefaria.