{"id":63500,"date":"2019-09-25T14:41:57","date_gmt":"2019-09-25T11:41:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/?p=63500"},"modified":"2023-04-24T18:27:50","modified_gmt":"2023-04-24T15:27:50","slug":"anointing-a-traitor-by-proxy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/anointing-a-traitor-by-proxy\/","title":{"rendered":"Anointing A Traitor By Proxy"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Jehu is presented by the text as the agent of God, but further examination raises some disquieting questions about him. Why does Elisha abdicate his mission and instead select a subordinate to anoint Jehu? After all, Elisha traveled to Damascus to instigate Hazael’s rise to power (II Kings 8:7-15). If the national prophet can travel unhindered and unharmed to appoint an enemy king, what impedes his active role in this instance? Furthermore, the subordinate prophet’s instruction “to flee without delay” (9:3) suggests highly irregular behavior; even Jehu’s colleagues observe the prophet’s erratic behavior and presume that he is insane! What do we make of this unorthodox conduct?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Abarbanel offers an explanation: [Elisha] could not travel to Ramoth Gilead to anoint Jehu, as the excitement of his arrival would disclose the event [of Jehu’s anointing.] He thus performed the act by proxy, giving instructions to one of the prophets who sat before him…to enact [the anointing] in an inner room so that the king not be informed…and to ensure that the prophet not be endangered; and he commanded [the prophet] to flee so that he not remain there.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Treason is risky business. One cannot openly spur a loyal army officer to revolt without endangering one’s life. In our story, the prophet is about to interrupt a meeting of the joint chiefs of staff \u2014 a group of men who are by definition loyal to the king \u2014 and to anoint one of them as a traitor, a mutineer against his commander-in-chief, the king.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

We appreciate Abarbanel’s point. Elisha’s public profile precludes him from inciting the rebellion. The youthful prophet, who rushes in and exits quickly, may just get away, even if the plan backfires. The privacy of the anointing affords Jehu the option of keeping the clandestine message secret for the time being, allowing him time to think and plan. His initial response when questioned about the prophet’s purpose \u2014 “You know the man and the way he speaks” (II Kings 9:11) \u2014 feigns refusal to divulge the secret, but in fact, it invites further inquiry. When his comrades press him for the truth, he readily reveals the prophet’s purpose. An ad hoc coronation is staged, the event so hurried that the nearby staircase is turned into an impromptu podium on which to “enthrone” Jehu. The group’s spontaneous backing of the mutiny is indicative of a discernable dissatisfaction with King Jehoram. Possibly this was a pervasive sentiment in the military after Jehoram failed in his military campaign against Moab (ch. 3), and was defeated in his conflict with Aram (8:28-29). The unanimous and instantaneous response of these high ranking officers reveals a deep loss of confidence in the national leadership.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Alex Israel, II Kings: In a Whirlwind, Maggid Books, 2019, Jehu\u2019s Revolt\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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