Bible Strands
2 Kings 9:23
Joram turned around and fled, calling out to Ahaziah, “Treachery, Ahaziah!”
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — Joram turns and flees in his chariot upon seeing Jehu approach, shouting “Treachery, Ahaziah!” at the moment Jehu declares that peace is impossible while Jezebel’s idolatry remains.
The words — מִרְמָה (mir-mah) translates literally as “treachery” or “deceit,” marking Joram’s sudden realization that Jehu’s arrival is a coordinated coup rather than a diplomatic visit.
The thread — The pattern of royal flight and exposed betrayal runs through Jehu’s purge, later mirrored in the collapse of Athaliah’s usurpation in 2 Kings 11:14 and 2 Chronicles 23:13.
Why it lands — It requires the reader to acknowledge that political security and royal alliances dissolve when divine judgment confronts entrenched idolatry, demanding a clear-eyed assessment of where true loyalty resides.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
And Joram turned his hands, and fled, and said to Ahaziah, There is treachery, O Ahaziah.
Cross-references
- 2 Kings 11:14 And she looked out and saw the king standing by the pillar, according to the custom. The officers and trumpeters were beside the king, and all the people of the land were rejoicing and blowing trumpets. Then Athaliah tore her clothes and screamed, “Treason! Treason!”
- 2 Chronicles 23:13 And she looked and saw the king standing by his pillar at the entrance. The officers and trumpeters were beside the king, and all the people of the land were rejoicing and blowing trumpets, while the singers with musical instruments were leading the praises. Then Athaliah tore her clothes and screamed, “Treason, treason!”