2 Kings 23, Josiah's death (23:25–30)
Both of them learned about the prophecy of doom on their dynasties that would happen not during their lifetimes, but during the reign of their sons (1 Kings 21:20-29; 2 Kings 22:15-20), with two sons of Ahab (Ahaziah in 2 Kings 1 and Jehoram in 2 Kings 3:1; 9:14-16) to reign over Israel, before the whole dynasty was eliminated by Jehu  (2 Kings 9–10), and two generations (three sons--Jehoahaz, Jehoiakim, Zedekiah-- and one grandson, Jehoiachin) succeeding Josiah to reign over Judah before the kingdom was destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar. The huge difference is that Josiah receives the highest praise from the editors of the book of Kings for his religious reforms (verse 25), which was also confirmed by Jeremiah, who describes him as a popular king who was 'modest and socially just' (Jeremiah 22:15–16).


2 Kings 23, Jehoahaz ben Josiah king of Judah (23:31–35)
The regnal account of Jehoahaz consists of an introductory regnal part (verses 31–32) and his replacement with Jehoaikim by Pharaoh Necho (verses 33–35) without the typical concluding part. The waw-consecutive syntatical sequence employed in the account of Necho's action (verses 33–34a)  shifts to a 'conjunctive waw sequence in verses 34b–35 for the statements of Jehoahaz's death in Egypt and Jehoiakim's taxation to pay tribute to Necho.


2 Kings 23, Jehoahaz ben Josiah king of Judah (23:31–35)
After defeating Josiah at Megiddo in 609 BCE, Necho had no time to interfere Judah's affair because he had to quickly go to help his Assyrian allies in the last stand against Babylonia in Harran. The battle with Josiah hindered Necho to arrive in time, so he could only attempt  in vain for several months to bring back Assuruballit (his Assyrian ally) on the throne. Meanwhile, the anti-Egyptian people in Judah crowned Jehoahaz, a younger son of Josiah, only to be dethroned three months later by Necho, who also penalized the inhabitants with heavy taxation. Necho placed as his puppet king Jehoahaz's older brother, Eliakim (Jehoiakim), who was earlier rejected by the people of Judah and whose mother's family was from the northern part of Israel (verse 36), so it could provide a base of support against the threat of Babylonia.


2 Kings 23, Jehoiakim ben Josiah king of Judah (23:36–37)
This part contains the introductory regnal formula on the account of Jehoiakim's reign as king of Judah. The regnal account continues to the main part in 2 Kings 24:1–4 and the concluding regnal formula in 2 Kings 24:5–7.


2 Kings 23, Illustration
Josiah commanded the priests to remove idols from the temple of the Lord


2 Kings 23, Illustration
All workers with familiar spirits, and the wizards were cast away from the land of Judah


2 Kings 23, Illustration
The altar and high place in Bethel were torn down


2 Kings 23, Illustration
Josiah turned to the Lord with all his heart, and with all his soul, and with all his might, according to all the law of Moses


2 Kings 24
2 Kings 24 is the twenty-fourth chapter of the second part of the  Books of Kings in the Hebrew Bible or the Second Book of Kings in the Old Testament of the Christian Bible. The book is a compilation of various annals recording the acts of the kings of Israel and Judah by a Deuteronomic compiler in the seventh century BCE, with a supplement added in the sixth century BCE. This chapter records the events during the reigns of Jehoiakim, Jehoiachin and Zedekiah, kings of Judah.


2 Kings 24, Text
This chapter was originally written in the Hebrew language. It is divided into 20 verses.


2 Kings 24, Text, Textual witnesses
Some early manuscripts containing the text of this chapter in Hebrew are of the Masoretic Text tradition, which includes the Codex Cairensis (895), Aleppo Codex (10th century), and Codex Leningradensis (1008).


2 Kings 24, Text, Textual witnesses
There is also a translation into Koine Greek known as the Septuagint, made in the last few centuries BCE. Extant ancient manuscripts of the Septuagint version include Codex Vaticanus (B; G{\displaystyle {\mathfrak {G}}}B; 4th century) and Codex Alexandrinus (A; G{\displaystyle {\mathfrak {G}}}A; 5th century).


2 Kings 24, Analysis
A parallel pattern of sequence is observed in the final sections of 2 Kings between 2 Kings 11-20 and 2 Kings 21-25, as follows:


2 Kings 24, Analysis
2 Kings 23–24 contain a 'neat scheme' within the chaos at the end of the kingdom of Judah:


2 Kings 24, Judah overrun by enemies (24:1–7)
With the placement of Jehoiakim as the puppet king in 609 BCE, Judah was firmly in Egypt's hand. When the Egyptian army of Necho II and his Assyrian allies were defeated by the Babylonian army of Nebuchadnezzar II and his  allies -- the Medes, Persians, and Scythians -- in the Battle of Carchemish (605 BCE), Jehoiakim switched to be Babylonian vassal.


2 Kings 24, Judah overrun by enemies (24:1–7)
In 601 BCE, a battle near Pelusium between Egypt and Babylonia resulted in heavy casualties on both sides, forcing Nebuchadnezzar to return to Babylon to rebuild his army, but Jehoiakim apparently considered this as a Babylonian defeat, so he revolted against Babylonia and returned under the Egypt's wing. During 601-598 BCE Nebuchadnezzar dispatched 'raiding parties from various surrounding nations to harass Judah', until he mustered strong enough army to attack Jerusalem (cf. Jeremiah 35:1, 11; Zephaniah 2:8-10; Babylonian Chronicles, ANET 564), while Egypt could not protect Judah anymore (verse 7).


2 Kings 24, Judah overrun by enemies (24:1–7)
In late 598 BCE, the Babylonian army laid siege to Jerusalem for three months. Jehoiakim apparently died before the siege ended. The Book of Chronicles recorded that "Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon ... bound him in fetters, to carry him to Babylon." Jeremiah prophesied that he died without proper funeral, describing the people of Judah "shall not lament for him, saying, 'Alas, master!' or 'Alas, his glory!'


2 Kings 24, Judah overrun by enemies (24:1–7)
He shall be buried with the burial of a donkey, dragged and cast out beyond the gates of Jerusalem" () "and his dead body shall be cast out to the heat of the day and the frost of the night" (Jeremiah 36:30). Josephus wrote that Nebuchadnezzar slew Jehoiakim along with high-ranking officers and then commanded Jehoiakim's body "to be thrown before the walls, without any burial."


2 Kings 24, Jehoiachin, king of Judah (24:8–16)
The regnal account of Jehoiachin (also called Jeconiah) consists of an introductory regnal form (verses 8-9) and a two-part narrative describing the brief three months reign and his exile to Babylon. The first part is marked by the 'syntactically independent introductory temporal formula' of waw-consecutive verbal form, "in that time" (verse 10) regarding the siege of Jerusalem (verses 10-13), whereas the second one (verses 14-17) starts with a 'converted perfect verbal form', "and he exiled". There is no concluding regnal formula, because Jehoiachin's account did not end with his death. The record in 2 Kings 25:27-30 describes his release from the prison during the reign of Nebuchadnezzar's son, Evil-Merodach, stating that he was still alive the writing of the book of Kings was concluded.


2 Kings 24, Zedekiah, king of Judah (24:17–20)
The regnal account of Zedekiah consists of an introductory regnal part (verses 18–20) and the main part in 2 Kings 25:1–30, without the typical concluding part, because there was no king to succeeded him on the throne after Jerusalem was destroyed.


2 Kings 25
2 Kings 25 is the twenty-fifth (and the final) chapter of the second part of the  Books of Kings in the Hebrew Bible or the Second Book of Kings in the Old Testament of the Christian Bible. The book is a compilation of various annals recording the acts of the kings of Israel and Judah by a Deuteronomic compiler in the seventh century BCE, with a supplement added in the sixth century BCE. This chapter records the events during the reign of Zedekiah, the last king of Judah, the fall of Jerusalem, the governorship of Gedaliah and the release of Jehoiachin from prison in Babylon.


2 Kings 25, Text
This chapter was originally written in the Hebrew language. It is divided into 30 verses.


2 Kings 25, Text, Textual witnesses
Some early manuscripts containing the text of this chapter in Hebrew are of the Masoretic Text tradition, which includes the Codex Cairensis (895), Aleppo Codex (10th century), and Codex Leningradensis (1008).


2 Kings 25, Text, Textual witnesses
There is also a translation into Koine Greek known as the Septuagint, made in the last few centuries BCE. Extant ancient manuscripts of the Septuagint version include Codex Vaticanus (B; G{\displaystyle {\mathfrak {G}}}B; 4th century) and Codex Alexandrinus (A; G{\displaystyle {\mathfrak {G}}}A; 5th century).


2 Kings 25, Analysis
A parallel pattern of sequence is observed in the final sections of 2 Kings between 2 Kings 11-20 and 2 Kings 21-25, as follows:


2 Kings 25, The fall of Jerusalem and exile of Judah (25:1–21)
King Nebuchadnezzar II of Babylon took the last of Solomon's accumulated masses of gold and silver (verse 15) as he burned Solomon's Temple, palace and much of the city of Jerusalem (verse 9). The fall of Jerusalem parallels the fall of Samaria:


2 Kings 25, The fall of Jerusalem and exile of Judah (25:1–21)
The last siege of Jerusalem lasted nineteen months (verses 1, 8), until 'the people of the land' being overcome by hunger (verse 3, Lamentations 2:11–12; 4:4–5, 9–10). Zedekiah tried to escape the city, but was captured and heavily punished (verses 4–7). Thereafter, Jerusalem and its remaining inhabitants suffered destruction, burning, plundering, deportation and executions (verses 8–21).


2 Kings 25, Governorship of Gedaliah (25:22–26)
The aftermath of Jerusalem's defeat seemed to start promisingly, but ended disastrously when the Babylon-appointed governor, Gedaliah ben Ahikam ben Safan was killed by Ishmael ben Nethaniah ben Elishama of the royal family, causing the remaining inhabitants to flee to Egypt in fear of Babylonian reprisal. This passage probably is a summary of a more detailed report in Jeremiah 40–41.


2 Kings 25, Governorship of Gedaliah (25:22–26), Verse 25
The assassination of Gedaliah was commemorated in Fast of Gedalia, one of the fast days lamenting the fall of Jerusalem (Zechariah 8:19).


2 Kings 25, Jehoiachin pardoned (25:27–30)
Shifting the view from the land of Judah and the community in Egypt to the situation in Babylonia, the books of Kings end with a sign of hope. King Jehoiachin who was in prison since his capture in 598 BCE (attested by clay tablets from 592 BCE reporting regular provisions he received from Babylonian administrators) was pardoned and received special honor from the king of Babylon.


2 Kings 25, Jehoiachin pardoned (25:27–30)
With this passage, the editors of the books wished to stress that the history of Davidic kingdom did not end with the fate of Zedekiah and his sons (verse 7), but continue in Jehoiachin as a symbol of hope for freedom, a return to the homeland, and the restoration of the kingdom. The book of Ezekiel, written during the exile in Babylon, dated its prophecies according to Jehoiachin's regnal years (Ezekiel 1:2; 29:17; 31:1). Among his sons and grandchildren (1 Chronicles 3:17–19), Zerubbabel emerged as a hopeful political figure after Babylon's decline (Ezra 2:2; Haggai 2:20–23). The conclusion of the book must have been written during the reign of Evil-Merodach (562-560 BCE), as it seems unaware of the Babylonian king's demise after only two year on throne.


2 Kings 25, Illustration
Zedekiah's sons were killed and Zedekiah was made blind before king Nebuchadnezzar


2 Kings 25, Illustration
The Babylonians took away the valuable items from the temple and burnt the buildings


2 Kings 3
2 Kings 3 is the third chapter in the second part of the Books of Kings in the Hebrew Bible or the Second Book of Kings in the Old Testament of the Christian Bible. The book is a compilation of various annals recording the acts of the kings of Israel and Judah by a Deuteronomic compiler in the seventh century BCE, with a supplement added in the sixth century BCE.


2 Kings 3
After a short introduction to the reign of the last king of Israel from the Omride dynasty, Jehoram the son of Ahab, this chapter records the war of the coalition of the kings of Israel, Judah, and Edom, against Mesha the king of Moab with some contribution of Elisha the prophet. Another view of the events in this chapter is notably provided by the inscription on the Mesha Stele made by the aforementioned king of Moab in c. 840 BCE.


2 Kings 3, Text
This chapter was originally written in the Hebrew language and since the 16th century is divided into 27 verses.


2 Kings 3, Text, Textual witnesses
Some early manuscripts containing the text of this chapter in Hebrew are of the Masoretic Text tradition, which includes the Codex Cairensis (895), Aleppo Codex (10th century), and Codex Leningradensis (1008).


2 Kings 3, Text, Textual witnesses
There is also a translation into Koine Greek known as the Septuagint, made in the last few centuries BCE. Extant ancient manuscripts of the Septuagint version include Codex Vaticanus (B; G{\displaystyle {\mathfrak {G}}}B; 4th century) and Codex Alexandrinus (A; G{\displaystyle {\mathfrak {G}}}A; 5th century).


2 Kings 3, Analysis
2 Kings 3 has rather coherent syntax with virtually no indications of redactional work on a syntactic level.


2 Kings 3, Analysis
However, from topographical considerations, the narrative could have at least two layers: the original tradition preserved in verses 4–6 and 24–27 describing the punitive war of Israel against Moab from the north some time after the rebellion of Mesha, which is in accord with the extrabiblical evidence and the settlement history of Trans-Jordan in the ninth century BCE; and another story in verses 7–23 augmenting this basic layer, introducing the formation of an alliance between Israel, Judah, and Edom; the oracle of Elisha; and an attack on Moab from the south. Despite some inconsistencies, the pro-Judean redactor skillfully joined this expansion of the story into a coherent information. The narrative of 2 Kings 3 has thematic and lexical parallels to other passages in the Bible, such as 1 Kings 22 or Numbers 20.


2 Kings 3, King Jehoram of Israel (3:1–3)
Jehoram is the last ruler of the Omri dynasty and as the other monarchs in the dynasty he received a negative rating before God, although more favourable than his parents Ahab and Jezebel because 'he is said to have abolished the "pillar of Baal", a cult-stone setup by his father' (although it is not mentioned in 1 Kings 16:32). Nonetheless, he is later killed by Jehu (2 Kings 9:24) and his family dynasty is completely annihilated as prophesied.


2 Kings 3, War against Moab (3:4–27)
At one point Israel under the Omri dynasty is recognized as a 'regional superpower' that 'the kingdoms of Judah and Edom were compliant' (verses 7–8), 'the kingdom of Moab was a vassal liable to pay tribute' (verse 4), and any rebellions face military reprisals. However, the success of Israel's wars were not without the interference of YHWH, as shown in this section.


2 Kings 3, War against Moab (3:4–27)
When the coalition of the kings of Israel, Judah, and Edom against Moab threatens to fail as water supplies ran out in the desert of Edom, Jehoshaphat, the king of Judah, asked to call for a prophet of YHWH. Elisha, an Israelite prophet, showed up but wished only to deal with the king of Judah (verses 11–14) The prophet ensured the success of the campaign with the miraculous help of YHWH.


2 Kings 3, War against Moab (3:4–27)
The advance of the allied army against Moab managed to destroy the entire region (verses 24b–26) until the king of Moab, out of desperation, made a terrible sacrifice of his firstborn son to his god, that caused Israel be struck with 'great wrath' and forced the attacking armies to retreat (verse 27).


2 Kings 3, War against Moab (3:4–27), Verse 5
This and the following verses elaborate the statement in the opening verse of 2 Kings, about Moab's rebellion. Just as the unified kingdom of Israel divides in the days of Solomon's son, the resulted kingdom of Israel divides (with the loss of Moab) in the days of Ahab's son, indicating the framing of Ahab as a perverse Solomon (comparing 2 Kings 3:5 to 1 Kings 12:19).


2 Kings 3, Relation to the Mesha Stele
The inscription on the Mesha Stele (Mesha Inscription or "MI") verifies certain things recorded in 2 Kings 3 and makes other things in the biblical text more understandable:


2 Kings 3, Relation to the Mesha Stele
On the other hand, the Mesha Inscription spoke about victory over Israel, in contrast to the report of Israel's victory over Moab in 2 Kings 3, but the biblical account of Moab's invasion helps explain why 'Moab is nowhere mentioned in the inscriptions of Shalmaneser III (858-824)', that is, 'Israel's punitive raid had rendered them militarily not worth mentioning'. Therefore, even though detailed synchronization between the Mesha Inscription and 2 Kings 3 can be problematic, Hermann states that "on the whole, the texts complement each other."


2 Kings 4
2 Kings 4 is the fourth chapter of the second part of the  Books of Kings in the Hebrew Bible or the Second Book of Kings in the Old Testament of the Christian Bible. The book is a compilation of various annals recording the acts of the kings of Israel and Judah by a Deuteronomic compiler in the seventh century BCE, with a supplement added in the sixth century BCE.


2 Kings 4
In this chapter some of Elisha's acts are recorded: the first part (verses 1–7) is how he helped a poor widow of a prophet to repay her family debts, the second part (verses 8–37) is how he helped a family to have a son, and the third part (verses 38–44) is how he helped to make the food of his disciples harmless to eat as well as to multiply a small amount of food to feed  about one hundred guests with some leftovers.


2 Kings 4, Text
This chapter was originally written in the Hebrew language and since the 16th century is divided into 44 verses.


2 Kings 4, Text, Textual witnesses
Some early manuscripts containing the text of this chapter in Hebrew are of the Masoretic Text tradition, which includes the Codex Cairensis (895), Aleppo Codex (10th century), and Codex Leningradensis (1008).


2 Kings 4, Text, Textual witnesses
There is also a translation into Koine Greek known as the Septuagint, made in the last few centuries BCE. Extant ancient manuscripts of the Septuagint version include Codex Vaticanus (B; G{\displaystyle {\mathfrak {G}}}B; 4th century) and Codex Alexandrinus (A; G{\displaystyle {\mathfrak {G}}}A; 5th century).


2 Kings 4, Analysis
The narrative moves abruptly from a war story involving Israel and Judah into a series of four small-scale episodes in which Elisha performs miracles for individuals or his disciples, the first two of which involve women, one poor and one rich. Overall, this chapter gives a view about the way the groups of prophets live, such as the community around Elisha. They seemed to lead an 'eremitic existence' in deserted areas, with extremely modest needs, but had followers in the cities from where they received visitors and sometimes they made preaching journeys to the cities themselves.


2 Kings 4, Analysis
Elisha himself acts as a 'traveling temple, a human "tabernacle" that bears the life-giving glory of Yahweh', supplying the northern Israel what they could have gotten from the temple in Jerusalem: the water of life and cleansing, food, access to the presence of God.


2 Kings 4, Analysis
Water is an important object, symbolizing life from YHWH, that through Elisha's contribution, water at Jericho was purified (2 Kings 2:19-22), water came from nowhere to sustain the armies and animals of the three kings (2 Kings 3:20); Naaman was directed to the water of cleansing (2 Kings 5), an iron tool was made floating on the water (2 Kings 6:1-7), and Jehoram was directed to give food and water to Aramean soldiers (2 Kings 6:22-23).


2 Kings 4, Analysis
The Shunammite woman even sets up a little "temple" for Elisha in the "upper room," (verse 10) where she places a bed, a table, a chair and a lampstand (Hebrew: menorah); a comparable set of furniture to those in the Jerusalem temple ("table" for "showbread"; "chair"/"throne" for "ark"; "bed" for "altar").


2 Kings 4, Analysis
Elisha speaks to the woman through his "priest," Gehazi (2 Kings 4:12–13), the Shunammite visits the prophet on Sabbaths and new moons (4:23; in the northern Kingdom, Sabbath and new moons are usually kept, as is evidenced from Amos 8:5), and the sons of the prophets bring him their firstfruits (4:42), and what Israel normally expects at the temple is available from Elisha; what Israelites would expect to do at the temple they do in the presence of Elisha.


2 Kings 4, Elisha helps a poor widow (4:1–7)
A wife of a prophet-disciple in Elisa's group of prophets was left with an insolvent debt when her husband died, and faced a pressure from the creditor to give up her sons as temporary slaves as the payment for the debts. This is a lawful arrangement for the people of Israel (cf. Exodus 21:2-4; Deuteronomy 15:12), which is also found throughout the ancient Near East. However, in Elisha's time, this was used systematically as a method to rob farmers of their land (Isaiah 5:8; Amos 2:6; Micah 2:2).


2 Kings 4, Elisha helps a poor widow (4:1–7)
In the widow's case, the loss of support from her sons, after losing the protection from her husband, would severely ruin her life. Elisha, apparently regarded as the spiritual leader of the prophet-fraternity as well as 'a kind of clan-chief carrying social  responsibility for its members', might not have the material, financial or legal means to help her, but he can perform miracles; this time by increasing what little she has beyond all measure with the active help of her and her children.


2 Kings 4, Elisha helps a poor widow (4:1–7)
The widow showed her faith in the prophet and his God (cf. a similar structure in 1 Kings 17:7–16 and Mark 6:35–44; 8:1–10) and received some full jars of oil, worth enough money to relieve the woman and her children from their plight. As in the earlier purification story of the water (2:19-22), Elisha enlists the help of the person for whom the miracle is to be performed.


2 Kings 4, Elisha helps a childless woman to bear a son (4:8–37)
Compared to the previous miraculous provision of oil, the second episode reveals interesting contrasts: "The poor widow was with two children but no food, but here is a rich matron was with no children but plenty to offer Elisha. The poor woman appealed to Elisha; the Shunammite woman asks for nothing. The miracle of the oil saves the poor woman's children; the miracle of the Shunammite's child leads to his death. Elisha instructs the poor woman; the Shunammite takes matters into her own hands and forces Elisha to revive her dead son". In this episode, Elisha is 'twice caught off guard and must quickly find solutions to the situations that confront him'. The story of the woman and her son will be concluded in chapter 8.


2 Kings 4, Elisha helps a childless woman to bear a son (4:8–37), Structure of 4:8–37
The main act is the Shunammite's appeal to Elisha and his response, and this is prefaced by three background scenes, each of which begins with the phrase "one day". The episode may be outlined as follows:


2 Kings 4, Elisha helps the disciples with meals (4:38–44)
The group of prophets in Elisha's community must literally scrape together a living in the barren area of lower Jordan valley, but their trust in YHWH enables them to enjoy divine care. Two of their miraculous experiences are recorded here. One obviously inexperienced man finds a vegetable he does not recognize and put it in the large cooking-pot for meal, but it turns out to have toxic effects. Elisha performs a miracle to make it harmless by adding a little amount of flour (verses 38–41). Another short episode in verses 42–44 involves the multiplication of food (such as known in the New Testament) from a little that they have to an amount that all who are hungry can be satisfied and still having some left over.


2 Kings 4, House of Elisha?
During the 2013 excavations in Tel Rehov a team directed by the Hebrew University of Jerusalem archaeologist Amihai Mazar uncovered a pottery fragment (sherd) bearing the name "Elisha", a table and a bench in a particular room excavated from a ruin dated to the second half of the ninth century BCE (the period when the prophet Elisha was active), which is linked to 2 Kings 4:8–10. Additionally, a storage jar from the same period was found in the ruin of another building at Tel Rehov bearing the inscription "Nimshi", the same name as the father or grandfather of the 9th-century king Jehu.


2 Kings 5
2 Kings 5 is the fifth chapter of the second part of the  Books of Kings in the Hebrew Bible or the Second Book of Kings in the Old Testament of the Christian Bible. The book is a compilation of various annals recording the acts of the kings of Israel and Judah by a Deuteronomic compiler in the seventh century BCE, with a supplement added in the sixth century BCE. This chapter records an astonishing healing of Naaman, an Aramean general, by the prophet Elisha.


2 Kings 5, Text
This chapter was originally written in the Hebrew language. It is divided into 27 verses.


2 Kings 5, Text, Textual witnesses
Some early manuscripts containing the text of this chapter in Hebrew are of the Masoretic Text tradition, which includes the Codex Cairensis (895), Aleppo Codex (10th century), and Codex Leningradensis (1008). A fragment containing a part of this chapter in Hebrew was found among the Dead Sea Scrolls, that is, 6Q4 (6QpapKgs; 150–75 BCE) with the extant verse 26.


2 Kings 5, Text, Textual witnesses
There is also a translation into Koine Greek known as the Septuagint, made in the last few centuries BCE. Extant ancient manuscripts of the Septuagint version include Codex Vaticanus (B; G{\displaystyle {\mathfrak {G}}}B; 4th century) and Codex Alexandrinus (A; G{\displaystyle {\mathfrak {G}}}A; 5th century).


2 Kings 5, The healing of Naaman (5:1–19)
This story of Elisha healing neighboring Aram's highest-ranking military officer, Naaman, of an uncurable illness happened in a period of significant Aramean control over Israel (verse 2; Aram could give Israel orders, verses 6–7), perhaps during the time of Ben-Hadad II and Jehoram, or during the time of Hazael of Aram (reigned 842–796 BCE) Jehu (reigned 841–814 BCE), Jehoahaz (reigned 814–798 BCE) or Joash of Israel (reigned 798–782 BCE; cf. 2 Kings 8:11–12; 10:32–33; 13:22).


2 Kings 5, The healing of Naaman (5:1–19)
Elisha's reputation as a miracle-worker spread to Aram through a young female Israelite prisoner-of-war (verse 3), whose information not only helped her master, but also her people in the service of her God. In helping the Aramean general, Elisha simultaneously helped the Israelite king.


2 Kings 5, The healing of Naaman (5:1–19)
The Aramean king sent a lot of money and ordered his vassal in Samaria to do impossible task: to immediately produce the necessary miracle to heal Naaman (verse 6–7), but Elisha somehow knew about the letter (seper; literally "scroll") from Aram and sent his own letter to the Israelite king asking Naaman to be directed to the prophet for treatment.


2 Kings 5, The healing of Naaman (5:1–19)
Naaman who expected respectful conventional behavior of miracle-healing was understandably unhappy that Elisha did not meet him personally and only prescribed instructions to ritually bathe in the Jordan (verses 9–12), yet after advised by his more sensible soldiers (verse 13), Naaman complied and immediately experienced complete healing (verse 14). Naaman quickly returned to his benefactor, wishing to ensure the future proximity of YHWH whose power had convinced him. Since this God resides only in Israel, he took two mule-loads of Israelite earth to Damascus in order to be able to sacrifice to YHWH there (verses 15a, 17; a sincere 'earthbound understanding of God') with the blessing of Elisha who parted from Naaman in peace (verse 19).


2 Kings 5, The healing of Naaman (5:1–19), Verses 2–3
The young girl had much reason to doubt the power of YHWH because of her abduction, but nonetheless showed her confidence in YHWH when informing her mistress about Elisha, in contrast to Naaman who was responsible to subjugate Israel and take away slaves but powerless about his disease.


2 Kings 5, Gehazi's greed and punishment (5:20–27)
This passage is an appendix to the main story, the healing of Naaman, with the same purpose of hailing the glory of God and Elisha, but here in the teaching of disciples: what can a prophet accept as recompense for services to God and at what point is it considered selling one's soul?


2 Kings 5, Gehazi's greed and punishment (5:20–27)
In verses 15b,16, Elisha showed a good example: in a case like this, a prophet accepts nothing, clarifying that great power and wealth cannot force or buy the support of prophets and God, nor must prophets allowed themselves be used as tools for any interest groups (cf. Micah 3:5). Gehazi, Elisha's servant (also mentioned in 2 Kings 4:27–37; 8:4–5) became the complementary negative example: cunningly accepting the presents brought by Naaman for himself, but then receiving condemnation by his master for the act ands afflicted by Naaman's former sickness.


2 Kings 5, Gehazi's greed and punishment (5:20–27), Verses 26–27
Elisha has been directing Naaman's thoughts to YHWH alone as the healer of the disease, so the prophet was out of sight until Naaman was fully cured and steadfastly refused any present to remove any indication that he was in any way instrumental in the healing. Naaman must have been very impressed with the act and pledged to worship YHWH. However, Gehazi's actions possibly obliterated the impression. In listing of all the Gehazi's plan to purchase using the ill-gotten talents Elisha showed Gehazi that he has been reading all his thoughts.


2 Kings 6
2 Kings 6 is the sixth chapter of the second part of the  Books of Kings in the Hebrew Bible or the Second Book of Kings in the Old Testament of the Christian Bible. The book is a compilation of various annals recording the acts of the kings of Israel and Judah by a Deuteronomic compiler in the seventh century BCE, with a supplement added in the sixth century BCE. This chapter records some miraculous deeds of the prophet Elisha.


2 Kings 6, Text
This chapter was originally written in the Hebrew language. It is divided into 33 verses.


2 Kings 6, Text, Textual witnesses
Some early manuscripts containing the text of this chapter in Hebrew are of the Masoretic Text tradition, which includes the Codex Cairensis (895), Aleppo Codex (10th century), and Codex Leningradensis (1008). A fragment containing a part of this chapter in Hebrew was found among the Dead Sea Scrolls, that is, 6Q4 (6QpapKgs; 150–75 BCE) with the extant verse 32.


2 Kings 6, Text, Textual witnesses
There is also a translation into Koine Greek known as the Septuagint, made in the last few centuries BCE. Extant ancient manuscripts of the Septuagint version include Codex Vaticanus (B; G{\displaystyle {\mathfrak {G}}}B; 4th century) and Codex Alexandrinus (A; G{\displaystyle {\mathfrak {G}}}A; 5th century).


2 Kings 6, The axe head recovered (6:1–7)
The passage shows how Elisha helped his disciples, even for something seemingly trivial. Elisha's followers lost a borrowed axe in the water (hence an obligation to repay its owner for the loss; cf. Exodus 22:13–14), and the prophet came to help by using "a kind of analogical magic" on the last spot of the axe, before letting the disciple picked it up out of the water. This episode is tied syntactically to the earlier passage by an 'initial waw-consecutive verb' (in "and they said") and thematically by similar emphasis of Elisha's 'divinely granted powers' as well as in its relation to Jordan River.


2 Kings 6, Elisha captures Arameans and subsequently ensures their release (6:8–23)
The scene moves to a larger political world, where Aramean troops attacked Israelite territory unhindered, but with the help from the prophet, the Israelite army could avoid falling into their hands several times. The Aramean king (likely Ben-Hadad II; 2 Kings 6:24) could only presume he had been betrayed (verse 11), until he found out that the Israelite king (verse 12, Jehoram) was guided by a 'clairvoyant prophet', so he sent an 'army regiment with horses and chariots' to Dothan (about 15 km. north of Samaria) to arrest Elisha.


2 Kings 6, Elisha captures Arameans and subsequently ensures their release (6:8–23)
The prophet's servant saw in despair that the city was completely surrounded, yet Elisha could see a heavenly host with horses and chariots of fire (verse 17) guarding him (referring to Elisha's archaic title: 'chariots of Israel and its horsemen [better: horses]', 2 Kings 13:14).


2 Kings 6, Elisha captures Arameans and subsequently ensures their release (6:8–23)
There was no battle with the Arameans, because God 'struck them with blindness' (verse 18), so that Elisha can mock them that the one they seek (which is the prophet himself) was not there, and he led them into his trap, right into the middle of the strongly fortified royal city of Samaria, where the Arameans were now completely surrounded with no escape (verses 19–23).


2 Kings 6, Elisha captures Arameans and subsequently ensures their release (6:8–23)
However, Elisha prevented the king (who respectfully called the prophet 'father'; cf. 2 Kings 13:14) from simply killing the helpless prisoners, and instead to feed and release the Arameans (verses 21–22); a humane act which might help to reduce tensions and enmities at the time (verse 23). Initially the narrative refers Elisha as "the man of God" and only later employs his name, emphasizing that the prophet is indeed the man of God.


2 Kings 6, Ben-Hadad besieges Samaria(6:24–33)
Despite the kind gesture of 2 Kings 6:23, the Arameans who no longer made plundering raids through the country, now directly besieged the capital, Samaria. Such a siege in ancient times could last for months, even years, in order literally to starve out the people in the city (cf. 2 Kings 17:5; 25:1–2). The attacker is identified as Ben-Hadad II whom Ahab foolishly released in the time of Elijah (1 Kings 20), then later caused Ahab's death (1 Kings 22) and now threatened Ahab's son, Jehoram (as this report appeared within his regnal report in 2 Kings 3:1–8:15).


2 Kings 6, Ben-Hadad besieges Samaria(6:24–33)
The narrative displays the increasingly desperate situation: poor-quality food and fuel became extremely expensive (verse 25), ravenous hunger drove people to cannibalism (verses 26–29, cf. also Lamentations 2:20; 4:10), the king was completely powerless and deeply dejected (verses 27, 30). At last, the prophet Elisha was mentioned—not as a possible helper, but as the king's enemy (verses 31–32), because apparently the prophet had encouraged resistance to the enemy and trust in YHWH, and now the king's patience had come to an end and sent messengers to arrest Elisha (verse 33).


2 Kings 6, Ben-Hadad besieges Samaria(6:24–33)
The location of Elisha's house was presumably in Samaria, not in Dothan, since Samaria was under siege. The presence of some elders in Elisha's house indicates a consultation session regarding oracles from YHWH (cf. Ezekiel 8:1). Elisha called the king as "this son of a murderer", likely recalling the acts of Ahab, the father of the present king Jehoram, in murdering the sons of the prophets (1 Kings 18).


2 Kings 7
2 Kings 7 is the seventh chapter of the second part of the  Books of Kings in the Hebrew Bible or the Second Book of Kings in the Old Testament of the Christian Bible. The book is a compilation of various annals recording the acts of the kings of Israel and Judah by a Deuteronomic compiler in the seventh century BCE, with a supplement added in the sixth century BCE. This chapter records the fulfillment of Elisha's prophecy during the siege of Arameans on Samaria.


2 Kings 7, Text
This chapter was originally written in the Hebrew language. It is divided into 20 verses.


2 Kings 7, Text, Textual witnesses
Some early manuscripts containing the text of this chapter in Hebrew are of the Masoretic Text tradition, which includes the Codex Cairensis (895), Aleppo Codex (10th century), and Codex Leningradensis (1008). Fragments containing parts of this chapter in Hebrew were found among the Dead Sea Scrolls, that is, 6Q4 (6QpapKgs; 150–75 BCE) with extant verses 8–10, 20.


2 Kings 7, Text, Textual witnesses
There is also a translation into Koine Greek known as the Septuagint, made in the last few centuries BCE. Extant ancient manuscripts of the Septuagint version include Codex Vaticanus (B; G{\displaystyle {\mathfrak {G}}}B; 4th century) and Codex Alexandrinus (A; G{\displaystyle {\mathfrak {G}}}A; 5th century).


2 Kings 7, Elisha’s prophecy of plenty (7:1–2)
Facing the death threat from the Israelite king (2 Kings 6), Elisha attacked back using a prophecy from God that good-quality food would be available at normal prices within one day (verse 1). When the king's adviser showed doubts over the hardly imaginable salvation under the circumstances, Elisha even proclaimed a woeful prophecy against him (verse 2). The king's silence seems to indicate that he was ready to give Elisha one final chance.


2 Kings 7, The Syrians flee (7:3–15)
The narrative's dramatic climax starts with four lepers, who stood daily at the city gates, rejected and avoided by other city inhabitants, going to the Aramean encampment and becoming the first to witness the sudden retreat of the big army, but instead of taking personal advantage of the situation they decided to announce the news to state officials (verses 3–11; a wonderful precursor to Jesus' recognition that God loves making the last first; cf. Mark 10:31ff).


2 Kings 7, The Syrians flee (7:3–15)
An information was supplied (what the lepers did not know) that God brought hallucinations to the Arameans, convincing them that great Egyptian and Hittite armies advanced to attack, thus forcing them to break off the siege immediately (verses 6–7). The Israelite king suspected a trick (verse 12; cf. a very similar scene in 2 Kings 3:23–24), but finally sent people to investigate the situation and found the Arameans' eastward retreat toward the Jordan leaving their weapons and goods in panic (verses 13–15).


2 Kings 7, Elisha’s prophecy fulfilled (7:16–20)
The report about Arameans' retreat triggered the people to enter the camp close to the city and take possession of their provisions, causing food prices to sink to the level forecast by Elisha (verse 16). The story ended with the fate of the doubting adviser who saw the prophecy fulfilled but was trampled to death before he could enjoy the victory (verses 17–20). Verse 19 quotes the words of the officer and the prophet Elisha to clarify the fulfillment of the prophecy.


2 Kings 8
2 Kings 8 is the eighth chapter of the second part of the  Books of Kings in the Hebrew Bible or the Second Book of Kings in the Old Testament of the Christian Bible. The book is a compilation of various annals recording the acts of the kings of Israel and Judah by a Deuteronomic compiler in the seventh century BCE, with a supplement added in the sixth century BCE.


2 Kings 8
This chapter records Elisha's acts in helping the family of Shunammite woman to escape famine, then to gain back their land (verses 1–6) and in contributing to Hazael's ascension to the throne of Syria (Aram) in verses 7–15; then subsequently records the reigns of Joram and Ahaziah, the kings of Judah.


2 Kings 8, Text
This chapter was originally written in the Hebrew language and since the 16th century is divided into 29 verses.


2 Kings 8, Text, Textual witnesses
Some early manuscripts containing the text of this chapter in Hebrew are of the Masoretic Text tradition, which includes the Codex Cairensis (895), Aleppo Codex (10th century), and Codex Leningradensis (1008). Fragments containing parts of this chapter in Hebrew were found among the Dead Sea Scrolls, that is, 6Q4 (6QpapKgs; 150–75 BCE) with extant verses 1–5.


2 Kings 8, Text, Textual witnesses
There is also a translation into Koine Greek known as the Septuagint, made in the last few centuries BCE. Extant ancient manuscripts of the Septuagint version include Codex Vaticanus (B; G{\displaystyle {\mathfrak {G}}}B; 4th century) and Codex Alexandrinus (A; G{\displaystyle {\mathfrak {G}}}A; 5th century).


2 Kings 8, Locations
This chapter mentions or alludes to the following places (in order of appearance):


2 Kings 8, Elisha helps a refugee (8:1–6)
The part is a continuation to the story of the Shunammite woman in 4:8–37. Elisha foresees famine, warns the woman, and recommends her and her family to leave the area until the famine ends (cf. the stories of Ruth and Joseph and the so-called "economic refugees" today). On her return seven years later she found that her property belongs to someone else, probably fell into the crown's hands since it had no owner for a while (as there is no record of a dispute with neighbors). The woman appeals to the king who returns her the land on hearing of her connections with Elisha after being impressed by Elisha's miracle-working power told by Elisha's servant Gehazi.


2 Kings 8, Elisha triggers a change of power in Damascus (8:7–15)
The events that continue to 2 Kings 9–10 form one of two political stories placed at the end of the Elisha cycle (the other in 2 Kings 13:14–21). The Aramean king, named here as Benhadad, becomes seriously ill and sends his general Hazael to Elisha, who was in Damascus at that time, to request an oracle. Elisha's reply is puzzling: Hazael should tell the king he will recover although he will also die (verse 10), which is clarified a little later: the king would have survived his illness (verse 14), but would not survive Hazael's assassination attempt (verse 15).


2 Kings 8, Elisha triggers a change of power in Damascus (8:7–15)
Hazael's brutality against Israel was also revealed by the prophet (verses 11–13; cf. 1 Kings 19:17; 2 Kings 8:28; 10:32–33; 12:17–18; 13:3; Amos 1:3). It is a tragic future event that Elisha could not prevent to happen while the agent of destruction himself was before him at that moment. During the last year's of Benhadad' reign the relationship between Israel and Aram was relaxed, but the change of power in Damascus dramatically worsened it.


2 Kings 8, Elisha triggers a change of power in Damascus (8:7–15)
The war between Hazael and Israel shortly after his accession leads to the Omride Joram's wounding and his murder (followed by the murder of Ahaziah of Judah) by general Jehu. Hazael as an instrument of vengeance against Ahab's family was mentioned during the encounter of YHWH and Elijah at Mount Sinai (1 Kings 19).


2 Kings 8, Elisha triggers a change of power in Damascus (8:7–15), Structure of 8:7–15
A chiastic structure is observed in this part with the focus of attention on the central dialogue between Hazael and Elisha, as follows:


2 Kings 8, Elisha triggers a change of power in Damascus (8:7–15), Verse 13
Elisha carries out the anointing of Hazael according to the divine commission to Elijah, his predecessor, in 1 King's 19:15.


2 Kings 8, Elisha triggers a change of power in Damascus (8:7–15), Verse 15
Hazael (reigns c. 842–800 BCE), seized Israelite territory east of the Jordan River, and the Philistine city of Gath, but unsuccessful to take Jerusalem (2 Kings 12:17–18). His death is mentioned in 2 Kings 13:24. Decorated bronze plaques from chariot horse-harness belonged to Hazael, identified by their inscriptions, have been found as re-gifted  votive objects at two Greek sites, the Heraion of Samos and in the temple of Apollo at Eretria on Euboea. The inscriptions read "that which Hadad gave to our lord Hazael from 'Umq in the year that our lord crossed the River", which may refer to Orontes river.


2 Kings 8, King Joram of Judah (8:16–24)
Joram (or "Jehoram") got the 'harshest possible verdict' among the descendants of David in this book: placed on the same level as the kings of Israel, and especially 'the house of Ahab'. He was married to the Omride princess Athaliah, who was not merely one wife among others, but became the queen mother when her son Ahaziah came to the throne (cf. verses 18 and 26).


2 Kings 8, King Joram of Judah (8:16–24)
The tense relationship between Judah and Israel  after their separation (cf. e.g. 1 Kings 14:30; 15:16) clearly turned to a peaceful one during the time of the Omri dynasty, along with the northern religious supremacy over the south. The link between Judah and the sinful kingdom of Israel could have brought the kingdom of Judah down, but God in his faithfulness to the Davidic covenant (2 Samuel 7:11–16) mercifully spared them (verse 19). Nevertheless, Judah lost the territory of Edom, after the Edomites heavily defeated Joram's troops and achieved independence (cf. 1 Kings 22:48; 2 Kings 3:8-9).


2 Kings 8, King Ahaziah of Judah (8:25–29)
Ahaziah is depicted as bad as his father Joram (and his mother, the Omride Athaliah), although he only reigned for one year. He was soon involved in a war with Aram, in alliance with his uncle, Jehoram of Israel, centered upon Ramoth, a town on the border between Israelite Gilead and Aram's territory to the north ('Israel had been on guard at Ramoth-gilead against King Hazael' in 9:14). The repeated reports of 8:28–29 in 9:14–15a, and in 9:16 may indicate that the narrative could stem from three different sources: the annals of Judah and Israel, as well as a separate record on Jehu.


2 Kings 8, King Ahaziah of Judah (8:25–29), Verse 28
The inscription by Hazael the king of Aram (Syria) in the Tel Dan Stele stated that after the death of his father 'the king of Israel invaded, advancing in my father's land' (lines 3–4). It corresponds well with 2 Kings 8:28a stating that the kings of Israel and Judah launched a campaign and attacked the Aramaeans at Ramoth-gilead. The city was soon occupied by Hazael for the whole period of his reign, but would be in Israelite hands again thereafter (cf. 2 Kings 13:25; 14:25, 28; Amos 6:13).


2 Kings 8, Relation to the Tel Dan Stele
Tel Dan Stele, a fragmentary stele from the 9th century BCE was discovered in 1993 (first fragment) and 1994 (two smaller fragments) in Tel-Dan. The stele contains several lines of Aramaic detailing that the author of the inscription (likely Hazael, an Aramean king from the same period) killed both Jehoram, the son of Ahab, king of Israel, and Ahaziah, the son of Jehoram, the king of the house of David. This artifact is currently on display at the Israel Museum, and is known as KAI 310.


2 Kings 8, Relation to the Tel Dan Stele
Although the part containing the name of the Israelite king is not complete, the only king, either of Israel or of Judah, whose name ends with resh and mem is Jehoram, who is either a son of Ahab, king of Israel, or a son of Jehoshaphat, king of Judah.


2 Kings 8, Relation to the Tel Dan Stele
The letters y-h-u, followed by b-n, 'the son of', must belong to a Hebrew theophorous name and in the ninth century BCE, the two royal names ending with -yah(u)" were Ahazyah(u)" (Ahaziah) and "Atalyah(u)" (Ataliah; becoming queen of Judah after her son Ahaziah), so the only name of the king is Ahaziah.


2 Kings 8, Relation to the Tel Dan Stele
The name “Ahaziah” can refer to a king of Israel and a king of Judah, but only one can be taken into consideration: the son of Jehoram and grandson of Jehoshaphat, who ruled in Judah for one year (2 Kings 8:25–26) and was the ally of Jehoram of Israel. After Hazael seized the throne from Ben Hadad II, king of Aram-Damascus, he fought Jehoram of Israel and Ahaziah of Judah at Ramoth Gilead (2 Kings 8:7-15, 28; 2 Chronicles 22:5) and wounded Jehoram (according to 2 Kings 9:24–28, both Jehoram and Ahaziah were slain by Jehu shortly after). Thus, this stele is to be attributed to the campaign of Hazael.


2 Kings 9
2 Kings 9 is the ninth chapter of the second part of the  Books of Kings in the Hebrew Bible or the Second Book of Kings in the Old Testament of the Christian Bible. The book is a compilation of various annals recording the acts of the kings of Israel and Judah by a Deuteronomic compiler in the seventh century BCE, with a supplement added in the sixth century BCE. This chapter  records Jehu's anointing as the next king of Israel and his assassinations of Jehoram the king of Israel, Ahaziah the king of Judah and Jezebel the queen mother of Israel. The narrative is a part of a major section 2 Kings 9:1–15:12 covering the period of Jehu's dynasty.


2 Kings 9, Text
This chapter was originally written in the Hebrew language and since the 16th century is divided into 37 verses.


2 Kings 9, Text, Textual witnesses
Some early manuscripts containing the text of this chapter in Hebrew are of the Masoretic Text tradition, which includes the Codex Cairensis (895), Aleppo Codex (10th century), and Codex Leningradensis (1008). Fragments containing parts of this chapter in Hebrew were found among the Dead Sea Scrolls, that is, 6Q4 (6QpapKgs; 150–75 BCE) with extant verses 1–2.


2 Kings 9, Text, Textual witnesses
There is also a translation into Koine Greek known as the Septuagint, made in the last few centuries BCE. Extant ancient manuscripts of the Septuagint version include Codex Vaticanus (B; G{\displaystyle {\mathfrak {G}}}B; 4th century) and Codex Alexandrinus (A; G{\displaystyle {\mathfrak {G}}}A; 5th century).


2 Kings 9, Locations
This chapter mentions or alludes to the following places (in order of appearance):


2 Kings 9, Analysis
This chapter and the next one contain one continuous narrative of Jehu's overthrow of the Omride dynasty and destruction of the Baal worship in Israel, reopening the battle against apostasy which was started by Elijah (1 Kings 18). Fulfilling the divine commission given to Elijah, Elisha arranged the anointing of Jehu who then executed a total revolution in Israel and Judah, by killing the reigning kings (and their family members) of both kingdoms.


2 Kings 9, Analysis
The narrative may be divided into two parallel sections, the first one about the assassination of the leaders (including Jezebel, the queen mother of Israel) in chapter 9 and the second about the killing of their kinsmen (including the Baal worshippers as Jezebel's "kin"), ending with a summary of Jehu's reign and the consequences of his action in relation to his faithfulness to YHWH in chapter 10. The structure can be as follows:


2 Kings 9, The anointing of Jehu (9:1–15)
The inverted subject-verb order in verse 1 indicates the shift to another story line. Prophets' political influence is shown here as in the previous chapter (8:7–15) when Elisha played a role in Hazael's coupagainst Ben-hadad in Damascus. In this part Elisha uses a military crisis to fulfill the last divine commission in 1 Kings 19:15–17 to support Jehu's ousting of the Omri dynasty. The long oracle in verses 7–10 stems from Elijah's prophecy to Ahab at Naboth's vineyard in Jezreel (1 Kings 21:21–23).


2 Kings 9, Jehu killed King Jehoram of Israel (9:16–26)
The narrative follows an impressive scene from the sentinel's viewpoint (Greek: teichoskopia), how Jehu steers his chariot ('like a maniac') in verses 17–20. Since no messengers he sent to Jehu came back (instead, they got behind Jehu) king Joram decided to investigate the matter himself and met Jehu half way (verse 21). Jehu's reply with sharp criticism of the Omrides' religious policy (verse 22) alerted Joram of Jehu's aggressive intentions, but it is too late to flee, only enough time to warn Ahaziah to run.


2 Kings 9, Jehu killed King Jehoram of Israel (9:16–26)
Joram was killed by Jehu's arrow, because, according to Jehu's reason, 'Joram had to suffer for a sin committed by his father Ahab' (verses 25, 26a). The discrepancies with 1 Kings 21 (which only mention Naboth, but here also his sons) and the addition of religious dimension in verse 22 suggest the originality of the passage in the context.


2 Kings 9, Jehu killed King Jehoram of Israel (9:16–26), Verse 20
The man's "crazy" driving style as the chariot was approaching identified the driver as Jehu. The Hebrew word for "crazy" here () is of the same root word as the nickname "crazy man" () associated to the disciple who anointed Jehu in verse 11.


2 Kings 9, Jehu killed King Jehoram of Israel (9:16–26), Verse 26
After the assassination of Jehoram, Jehu provides a brief flashback that he and Bidkar directly heard the original pronouncement of the oracle against Ahab to avenge the death of Naboth (cf. 1 Kings 21:20–24). This information sheds new light that Jehu accepted the oracle after his anointing without question becausehe had heard it before, thus fueling his conspiracy by thedoubled divine word and justifying the slaying of the son of Ahab as recompense for the murder of the sons of Naboth. The pronouncement is framed by his order to Bidkar to throw Joram into the field of Naboth, fulfilling the prophecy.


2 Kings 9, Jehu kills King Ahaziah of Judah (9:27–29)
Ahaziah the king of Judah initially managed to flee to the south, but was overtaken after about 10 km on the ascent to the mountains and fatally shot, but he could still reach Megiddo, died there, then was taken to Jerusalem by his followers.


2 Kings 9, Jehu had Jezebel killed (9:30–37)
With the death of both kings, Jehu can turn his attention to Jezebel, who is still in Jezreel. He encounters no resistance on entering the city, finding Jezebel, lavishly decorated, appearing at 'the window from which royalty show themselves to the people'. She addressed the approaching Jehu as "Zimri", recalling another usurper who assassinated his royal master, only soon to be overcome himself by Omri (cf. 1 Kings 16:8–20). Jehu responded impatiently and ordered the queen mother to be thrown out of the window.


2 Kings 9, Jehu had Jezebel killed (9:30–37)
After it was promptly executed, Jehu imperturbably went in to eat, then, as an afterthought, he remembered that noble people should be given a decent burial, but there is not enough left of Jezebel to bury (verses 30–35). Verses 33–37 refer to the judgement made in 1 Kings 21:23 to legitimize the events.


2 Kings 9, Jehu had Jezebel killed (9:30–37), Verse 31
Jezebel associates Jehu with another assassin, Zimri, who approximately 44 years before had murdered King Elah, only to meet a violent death just a few days later (1 Kings 16:9–20).


2 Lacertae
2 Lacertae is a binary star in the constellation of Lacerta. With an apparent magnitude of about 4.5, it is faintly visible to the naked eye. Its parallax, measured by the Hipparcos spacecraft, is 5.88 milliarcseconds, corresponding to a distance of about 550 light years (170 parsecs). It is projected against the Lacertae OB1 stellar association to the northeast of the main concentration of stars, but it is likely to be a foreground object.


2 Lacertae
2 Lacertae is a double-lined spectroscopic binary. Its components are too close to be resolved, however periodic Doppler shifts in its spectrum reveal that there are two stars orbiting each other. Both stars are B-type main-sequence stars, orbiting each other every 2.616 days and with an eccentricity of about 0.04. The primary is estimated to be about one magnitude brighter than the secondary. The primary component is close to moving off the main sequence, and has nearly exhausted its core hydrogen (possibly also its companion). It is estimated to have completed over 90% of its time on the main sequence.


2 Legit 2 Quit
"2 Legit 2 Quit" is a song by Hammer featuring Saja (a.k.a. Sonia Moore), released on September 5, 1991 as the first single from his fourth studio album, Too Legit to Quit (1991).


2 Legit 2 Quit, Music video
The music video was directed by Rupert Wainwright, and at almost 15 minutes in length, was one of the most expensive videos ever produced.


2 Legit 2 Quit, Music video
The uncut version of the video begins with a newscaster, played by Jim Belushi, reporting on Hammer's apparent decision to quit the music business, as well as responses from a number of celebrities. It then cuts to an impatient crowd waiting for Hammer to perform, while Hammer has a lengthy conversation with James Brown, who calls Hammer "Godson" and enlists him to get the glove of Michael Jackson. Brown endows Hammer with several blasts of energy before sending Hammer off to perform. The performance is high-budget and laden with pyrotechnics. The video ends with a purported Jackson (seen only from behind) having seen the performance and conceding Hammer to be the superior dancer, while doing the "2 Legit 2 Quit" hand gesture. Hammer spoke with Jackson on the phone about the video, with Jackson giving his approval.


2 Legit 2 Quit, Music video
The song's music video features several athletes making cameo appearances. These athletes can be seen in the following order: José Canseco, Isiah Thomas, Kirby Puckett, Jerry Rice, Rickey Henderson, Deion Sanders, Andre Rison, Wayne Gretzky, Chris Mullin, Roger Clemens, Roger Craig, Ronnie Lott, Lynette Woodard, the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders, David Robinson, and former Atlanta Falcons coach Jerry Glanville. As a result of the appearance of various Falcons team members in the video, the 1991 team became known as the "2 Legit 2 Quit" Falcons, utilizing the song as their team theme song. The uncut version of the video also featured cameos from Danny Glover, Henry Winkler, Mark Wahlberg, Donnie Wahlberg, Eazy-E, DJ Quik, 2nd II None, Tony Danza, Queen Latifah and Milli Vanilli among others commenting on Hammer's apparent decision to "quit".


2 Legit 2 Quit, Music video
The video was No. 5 in MAX Music's World's Worst Ever Video countdown, and No. 1 in its Forgotten Video Clips countdown in 2008. It was also voted No. 24 on MTV's all-time "25 Lame" countdown in 1999. However, it has been selected as a viewer's favorite by VH1.


2 Legit 2 Quit, Music video
A hand gesture became popular as a result of the title song and video which was also shown in the "Addams Groove" movie video and on MTV. It involved forming the number two for "Too", an L for "Legit", and a "cut" motion for "Quit" with the hand and fingers (as seen in the video).


2 Legit 2 Quit, Dance challenge
At the end of the "2 Legit 2 Quit" music video, after James Brown enlists Hammer to obtain the glove of Michael Jackson, a silver-white sequined glove is shown on the hand of a Jackson look-alike doing the "2 Legit 2 Quit" hand gesture. It was a reference to Hammer wanting to challenge Jackson to a dance-off for rights to his famous glove, which is also referenced on the album.


2 Legit 2 Quit, Dance challenge
Hammer and Jackson would later appear, speak and perform at the funeral service for James Brown in 2006. M.C. Hammer appeared on The Wendy Williams Show on July 27, 2009 and told a story about a phone call he received from Michael Jackson, regarding the portion of the "2 Legit 2 Quit" video that included a fake Jackson, giving his approval and inclusion of it. He explained how Jackson had seen the video and liked it, and both expressed they were a fan of each other.


2 Legit 2 Quit, Televised performances
On the December 7, 1991 episode of Saturday Night Live, Hammer was the host and musical guest, performing "2 Legit 2 Quit" and two other songs.


2 Legit 2 Quit, Televised performances
In 1991, the song along with Hammer's "Addams Groove", was featured in the film The Addams Family.


2 Legit 2 Quit, Televised performances
For the opening of the 2010 BET Hip Hop Awards, Rick Ross, Diddy and DJ Khaled performed "MC Hammer" (from the Teflon Don album), at which point Hammer stepped out to perform "2 Legit 2 Quit".


2 Legit 2 Quit, Televised performances
At the 40th American Music Awards, in November 2012, Hammer danced to "2 Legit 2 Quit" and "Gangnam Style" alongside Psy, both wearing his signature Hammer pants. The mashup, suggested by Psy's manager, was repeated by the two stars on December 31, 2012 during Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve and was released on iTunes.


2 Legit 2 Quit, Charts
"2 Legit 2 Quit"proved to be successful in the U.S., peaking in the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100 at No. 5. The single also peaked at No. 60 on the UK Singles Chart.


2 Live Crew
2 Live Crew was an American hip hop group from Miami, Florida, which had its greatest commercial success from the late 1980s to the early 1990s. The group's most well-known line up was composed of Luke Campbell, Fresh Kid Ice, Mr. Mixx, and Brother Marquis. They were considerably controversial in the U.S. due to the sexually explicit content in their songs, particularly on their 1989 album As Nasty as They Wanna Be. They were frequently challenged for their sexually explicit lyrics.


2 Live Crew, History, 1984–1986: Group formation and breakthrough
The 2 Live Crew, although seen as a main fixture in the Miami hip-hop scene, actually got their start in California and was created by DJ Mr. Mixx (David Hobbs) with fellow rappers Fresh Kid Ice (Chris Wong Won), and Amazing Vee (Yuri Vielot).


2 Live Crew, History, 1984–1986: Group formation and breakthrough
The group released its first single, "Revelation", on its own label "Fresh Beat Records" in 1984. The A-side of "Revelation" contained a song by the same where the only rapper featured was Amazing Vee, and on the B-Side it contained a song named "2 Live" where Fresh Kid Ice was the only rapper featured. "Revelation" was popular in Florida. Luke Skyywalker (Luther Campbell), who at the time was local DJ and promoter, invited The 2 Live Crew to relocate to Miami. Also due to the subsequent success of 2 Live Crew, this made Fresh Kid Ice the first rapper to be noted in Asian American in hip hop, and the first Asian rapper to gain notoriety.


2 Live Crew, History, 1984–1986: Group formation and breakthrough
For their second single "What I Like" (1985), Fresh Kid Ice was the only rapper featured. Amazing Vee was only credited as writer, and left the group shortly after.


2 Live Crew, History, 1984–1986: Group formation and breakthrough
The single "Throw The D" released in January 1986 gave a permanent blueprint to how future Miami bass songs were written and produced. Wong Won said that the song came about when they noticed a new popular dance in Miami called "Throwing The Dick", when the Herman Kelly and Life's song "Dance to the drummer's beat" played. The dance consisted of men throwing their hips back and forth, while the girls would squat with their hands on their knees, bend over, and shake their butt.


2 Live Crew, History, 1984–1986: Group formation and breakthrough
Wong Won suggested to Mr. Mixx that they should adapt the hook, and they scratched it into the song. Wong Won felt his voice was too high pitched for the hook, so Mr. Mixx who came up with the pattern did it using an emulator. Wong Won wrote the lyrics in twenty minutes on a plane ride returning to their base. Finally they booked a 16 track studios to record it.


2 Live Crew, History, 1984–1986: Group formation and breakthrough
Rapper Brother Marquis (Mark Ross) joined The 2 Live Crew. Luke Skyywalker (Luther Campbell) gave The 2 Live Crew a record deal and worked as the group's manager. He also joined the group as its hype-man and spokesperson in their subsequent controversies.


2 Live Crew, History, 1984–1986: Group formation and breakthrough
The 2 Live Crew's debut album, The 2 Live Crew Is What We Are, was released in 1986. Alex Henderson of AllMusic commented that the album "did take sexually explicit rap lyrics to a new level of nastiness", with tracks such as "We Want Some Pussy" and "Throw the 'D'". With word-of-mouth attention, the album was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Bob Rosenberg of Will to Power remixed "Beat Box" (originally released as "Two Live") and was billed "King of Edits" by Luke Skyywalker. In 1987, a Florida store clerk was acquitted of felony charges for selling the album to a 14-year-old girl.


2 Live Crew, History, 1988–1998: Best selling albums and controversy
In 1988, the group released their second album, Move Somethin' It was certified Gold and featured the singles "Move Somethin'" and "Do Wah Diddy Diddy". The album improved on the charts from the previous album, making in to No. 68 on the Billboard 200 and No. 20 on the Top R&B/Hip Hop Albums chart.


2 Live Crew, History, 1988–1998: Best selling albums and controversy
Campbell decided to sell a separate clean version in addition to the explicit version of the album, Move Somethin' (1988), produced by Mr. Mixx. A record store clerk in Alexander City, Alabama, was cited for selling a copy to an undercover police officer in 1988. It was the first time in the United States that a record store owner was held liable for obscenity over music. The charges were dropped after a jury found the record store not guilty.


2 Live Crew, History, 1988–1998: Best selling albums and controversy
In 1989, the group released their third album, As Nasty as They Wanna Be, which also became the group's most successful album. A large part of its success was due to the single "Me So Horny", which was popular locally with heavy radio rotation on Miami's WPOW-Power 96 FM. The American Family Association (AFA) did not think the presence of a "Parental Advisory" sticker was enough to adequately warn listeners of what was inside the case.


2 Live Crew, History, 1988–1998: Best selling albums and controversy
Jack Thompson, a lawyer affiliated with the AFA, met with Florida Governor Bob Martinez and convinced him to look into the album to see if it met the legal classification of obscenity. In 1990, action was taken at the local level and Nick Navarro, Broward County sheriff, received a ruling from County Circuit Court judge Mel Grossman that probable cause for obscenity violations existed. In response, Luther Campbell maintained that people should focus on issues relating to hunger and poverty rather than on the lyrical content of their music.


2 Live Crew, History, 1988–1998: Best selling albums and controversy
Navarro warned record store owners that selling the album might be prosecutable. 2 Live Crew then filed a suit against Navarro. That June, U.S. district court Judge Jose Gonzalez ruled the album obscene and illegal to sell. Charles Freeman, a local retailer, was arrested two days later, after selling a copy to an undercover police officer.


2 Live Crew, History, 1988–1998: Best selling albums and controversy
This was followed by the arrest of three members of 2 Live Crew after they performed the As Nasty as They Wanna Be album at Club Futura in Hollywood, Florida, hosted by radio personality Tony the Tiger (Ira Wolf) from Power 96 FM, one of the few radio stations in the U.S. that continued airplay while the trial ensued.


2 Live Crew, History, 1988–1998: Best selling albums and controversy
After international exposure with support from freedom of speech advocates like SCREW magazine's Al Goldstein (who owned a house in Broward County) and many others, they were acquitted soon after, as professor Henry Louis Gates, Jr. testified at their trial in defense of their lyrics. Freeman's conviction was overturned on appeal as well.


2 Live Crew, History, 1988–1998: Best selling albums and controversy
"A lot of people have gotten the impression that I'm this rude, sexual deviant or something," Campbell told journalist Chuck Philips. "But contrary to what has been printed about me in the papers, I'm no moral threat to anybody. I'm just a hard-working guy marketing a new product."


2 Live Crew, History, 1988–1998: Best selling albums and controversy
In 1992, the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit overturned the obscenity ruling from Judge Gonzalez, and the Supreme Court of the United States refused to hear Broward County's appeal. As in the Freeman case, Gates testified on behalf of 2 Live Crew, arguing that the material that the county alleged was profane actually had important roots in African-American vernacular, games, and literary traditions and should be protected.


2 Live Crew, History, 1988–1998: Best selling albums and controversy
As a result of the controversy, sales of As Nasty as They Wanna Be remained brisk, selling over two million copies. It peaked at number 29 on the Billboard 200 and number 3 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. A few other retailers were later arrested for selling it as well, including Canadian Marc Emery, who was convicted in Ontario in 1991, and later gained fame as a marijuana activist. Later hard-rock band Van Halen sued over an uncleared sample of their song "Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love" in the 2 Live Crew song "The Fuck Shop".


2 Live Crew, History, 1988–1998: Best selling albums and controversy
The publicity then continued when George Lucas, owner of the Star Wars universe, successfully sued Campbell for appropriating the name "Skywalker" for his record label, Luke Skyywalker Records. Campbell changed his stage name to Luke (and changed the record label's name to Luke Records) and the group released an extremely political follow-up album, Banned in the U.S.A., after obtaining permission to use an interpolation of Bruce Springsteen's "Born in the U.S.A.".


2 Live Crew, History, 1988–1998: Best selling albums and controversy
Banned in the U.S.A was the group's fourth album. It was originally credited as Luke's solo album. The certified Gold album included the hits "Do the Bart" and the title track. It was also the first release to bear the RIAA-standard Parental Advisory warning sticker. The eponymous title single is a reference to the decision in a court case that its album, As Nasty as They Wanna Be, was obscene (the decision was overturned on appeal).


2 Live Crew, History, 1988–1998: Best selling albums and controversy
Displeased over the decision of Florida Governor Bob Martinez who, on being asked to examine the album, decided it was obscene and recommended local law enforcement take action against it and over the subsequent action of Broward County, Florida, sheriff Nick Navarro, who arrested local record-store owners on obscenity charges for selling the group's albums and the subsequent arrest of members of the group on obscenity charges, the group included the song "Fuck Martinez", which also includes multiple repetitions of the phrase "fuck Navarro". The group found two other men with the same names, and had them sign releases, as they thought that this action would make it impossible for Martinez or Navarro to sue them.


2 Live Crew, History, 1988–1998: Best selling albums and controversy
Live in Concert (1990) was their fifth album. This was 2 Live Crew's first and only live album, and was also the only 2 Live Crew release under the Effect subsidiary label of Luke Records, a move that was deemed necessary for the company to be able to release additional 2 Live Crew material outside of their distribution deal with Atlantic Records, which was signed in 1990 – the same year they released Banned in the U.S.A.


2 Live Crew, History, 1988–1998: Best selling albums and controversy
Sports Weekend: As Nasty as They Wanna Be, Pt. 2 was their sixth album. Released in 1991, it is the sequel of As Nasty as They Wanna Be. A clean version was released later that same year titled Sports Weekend: As Clean as They Wanna Be Part II. This was the last studio album by all original members of the 2 Live Crew. It contains the successful single "Pop That Pussy". The album was certified a gold record.


2 Live Crew, History, 1988–1998: Best selling albums and controversy
From that point on, all the releases by 2 Live Crew would always vary, having one or two member of the original line up missing, with the exception of Fresh Kid Ice.


2 Live Crew, History, 1988–1998: Best selling albums and controversy
In 1994, Back at Your Ass for the Nine-4 was released. This album the group was billed as "The New 2 Live Crew" as Brother Marquis and Mr. Mixx had left the group, the line-up for this album was Fresh Kid Ice, Luke and new member, Verb. It is the last album with the 2 Live Crew banner to feature Campbell. The album became a moderate hit, peaking at No. 52 on the Billboard 200 and No. 9 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums. Two charting singles were produced, "Hell, Yeah" and "You Go Girl" who were both made into music videos.


2 Live Crew, History, 1988–1998: Best selling albums and controversy
1995 saw a reunion of Fresh Kid Ice, Brother Marquis and Mr. Mixx re-formed again to record "Hoochie Mama" for the soundtrack of movie Friday. The soundtrack reached No. 1 on the Billboard 200, where it held the position for two weeks, and the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart for six weeks.


2 Live Crew, History, 1988–1998: Best selling albums and controversy
Fresh Kid Ice, Mr. Mixx, and Brother Marquis left Luke and Luke Records to go to Lil' Joe Records and released Shake a Lil' Somethin' (1996) without Luther Campbell. Shake a Lil' Somethin' is their seventh album. It was released on August 6, 1996, for Lil' Joe Records and was produced by Mr. Mixx.


2 Live Crew, History, 1988–1998: Best selling albums and controversy
The album made it to No. 145 on the Billboard 200 and No. 33 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums and two singles "Shake a Lil' Somethin'", which peaked at No. 11 on the Hot Rap Singles chart and "Do the Damn Thing", which reached No. 24 on the same chart. It peaked at number 59 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop and albums chart. At the time of this album, Fresh Kid Ice had left the New 2 Live Crew (which consisted of himself, Luke and Verb and Luke Records) to re-join original members Mr. Mixx and Brother Marquis. However, the reunion was short lived as Mr. Mixx left the group after this album.


2 Live Crew, History, 1988–1998: Best selling albums and controversy
The Real One is their eighth and last studio album. It was released on April 7, 1998, for Lil' Joe Records and with the absence of Mr. Mixx, was produced by various producers. The album peaked at No. 59 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums. Shortly after the release of this album, Brother Marquis left as well.


2 Live Crew, History, 2000–2009: Hiatus and reformation
In the early 2000s, both Brother Marquis and Fresh Kid Ice pursued solo projects.


2 Live Crew, History, 2000–2009: Hiatus and reformation
Circa 2006–2007 Fresh Kid Ice and Brother Marquis discussed their differences and decided to relaunch 2 Live Crew. They offered other past members to be involved but were declined. Both of them started to tour and release singles.


2 Live Crew, History, 2010–present: Awards, Mr. Mixx return, and death of Fresh Kid Ice
In 2010, Brother Marquis and Fresh Kid Ice briefly reunited with Luther Campbell, and Mr. Mixx as they were honorees winners at the 2010 VH1 Hip-Hop Honors: The Dirty South Edition.


2 Live Crew, History, 2010–present: Awards, Mr. Mixx return, and death of Fresh Kid Ice
Later that year, the both of them released the singles "I'm 2 Live" featuring Mannie Fresh, "Cougar", "Boom" featuring E-40. They announced the release of a new 2 Live Crew album called Just Wanna be Heard with guest Too Short, E-40, and Insane Clown Posse. It was set to be released in August 2010, but remains unreleased to this day.


2 Live Crew, History, 2010–present: Awards, Mr. Mixx return, and death of Fresh Kid Ice
In June 2014, the 2 Live Crew released a new single, "Take It Off", the video clip featured cameos by Mannie Fresh, Flavor Flav, Trina, Flo Rida, and Trick Daddy. The single is available on iTunes Later that year they made a cameo in the Flo Rida music video "G.D.F.R. ".


2 Live Crew, History, 2010–present: Awards, Mr. Mixx return, and death of Fresh Kid Ice
Also in 2014, they announced an album called Turn Me On, which also remains unreleased. By Thanksgiving of that year, 2 Live Crew reunited with Campbell for a series of shows until 2015.


2 Live Crew, History, 2010–present: Awards, Mr. Mixx return, and death of Fresh Kid Ice
In 2016, Fresh Kid Ice left the group to relaunch Chinaman Records. Shortly after Mr. Mixx returned to the 2 Live Crew. That same year the new 2 Live Crew duo released two singles; "How Bout Dem Cowboys" (2016) and "One Horse Sleigh" (2016).


2 Live Crew, History, 2010–present: Awards, Mr. Mixx return, and death of Fresh Kid Ice
On July 13, 2017, at age 53, Fresh Kid Ice died in a Miami hospital from cirrhosis.


2 Live Crew, "Oh, Pretty Woman" lawsuit
The Crew parodied Roy Orbison's "Oh, Pretty Woman" on the album As Clean As They Wanna Be. The copyright owners of the original song brought a lawsuit in 1990 claiming copyright infringement. In 1994, the United States Supreme Court unanimously adopted a rule from an earlier Ninth Circuit case involving Rick Dees, and ruled that the 2 Live Crew's parody was fair use, and thus did not infringe.


2 Live Crew discography
The discography of 2 Live Crew consists of eight studio albums, one live album and 13 singles.


2 Live Jews
2 Live Jews was a comedy hip hop duo composed of MC Moisha (Eric Lambert) and Easy Irving (Joe Stone). Its name is a parody of 2 Live Crew. The duo were known for songs that mixed and spoofed hip hop culture and Jewish American stereotypes; the members were purportedly two elderly Jewish men who had recently discovered their rhyming ability. In reality, Lambert and Stone were young men who were raised Jewish.


2 Live Jews, Style
2 Live Jews' original rhyming style involved hip hop lyrics typical of the golden age hip hop of the early 1990s, but included sung and non-hip hop tunes. Its lyrics tended toward cliché or stereotypical Ashkenazi Jewish topics. In keeping with Jewish stereotypes the duo's lyrics are full of Yiddish words, often unknown to most non-Yiddish speakers. Despite Moisha and Irving's ages, they adopted haggard voices for effect.


2 Live Jews, History
2 Live Jews released its debut album, As Kosher as They Wanna Be, in 1990. The name of the group and the album were spoofs of 2 Live Crew's 1989 hit album, As Nasty as They Wanna Be. With songs such as "Oy! It's So Humid" (a parody of 2 Live Crew's hit "Me So Horny"), "Young Jews be Proud," and "Shake Your Tuchas" (which borrowed liberally from KC and the Sunshine Band's "(Shake, Shake, Shake) Shake Your Booty"), the album was a success and launched 2 Live Jews into the spotlight.


2 Live Jews, History
As Kosher as They Wanna Be was the duo's most successful and popular album. 2 Live Jews released four others. Fiddling With Tradition (1991), a hip-hop reworking of the 1964 musical, Fiddler on the Roof; it got only minor attention and was not a successful. 2 Live Jews released Disco Jews in 1994, and Christmas Jews in 1998. On VH1, the duo guest-starred as talking heads for the special "40 Least Hip Hop Moments." In 2005, Moisha and Irving released a greatest-hits album, The Worst of 2 Live Jews...the Best of the Shticks.


2 Live Stews
The  2 Live Stews was an American syndicated sports talk radio show originating from WQXI, AM 790 the Zone, in Atlanta, Georgia hosted by brothers Doug and Ryan Stewart.


2 Live Stews, The hosts and cast
Both brothers were born and raised in Moncks Corner, South Carolina. Doug Stewart is a former running back at Newberry College who then transferred to South Carolina State University where he graduated. He was also a former sports agent, mortgage lender, and Foot Action USA store manager. Ryan Stewart (RJR) is a former Georgia Tech All-American and Detroit Lions football player. The brothers are members of Omega Psi Phi fraternity. The Stewart brothers both currently reside in Atlanta, and they support the  local Atlanta charities, particularly Big Brothers, Big Sisters.


2 Live Stews, The hosts and cast
Quasimoto (Malcolm Brown) and Opie (Keith Allen) were the in-house producers with the Stews in Atlanta, GA. Marvin Byrd (a.k.a. Marvinsky) was the sound engineer. Kyle and Dave were the sound engineers in Houston, TX


2 Live Stews, History
Hitting the airwaves in 2001, Doug and Ryan Stewart have taken their hip hop style of sports talk from "the basement to the penthouse." Calling it a "keep it real show," the Stews try to tell the blunt, unvarnished truth, and encourage guests and callers to do the same. The show initially aired in the late evenings, was later moved to mid-days, and then the prime afternoon drive slot. Five years into their gig the 2 Live Stews have become Atlanta-based radio station 790 The Zone's highest-rated show.


2 Live Stews, History
In 2004, the Stews were voted "Best Air Talent of the Year" at the Sports Radio Awards presented by ESPN Radio. In 2005, The Stews signed on to do a show for ESPN2, which aired Wednesdays at 12:30am. In October 2005, after months of negotiation, the Stews announced a deal with Radio One and Reach Media to nationally syndicate their show; said deal ended with Radio One's departure from the syndication business in 2007.


2 Live Stews, History
On June 4, 2007, the Stews joined ESPN2's morning show First Take (formerly Cold Pizza) as regular contributors to the show. Additionally, they have done some work as analysts in the NFL Live studio. On September 24, 2007, TV One Network signed The Stews to host Season Two of 'Black Men Revealed', the series that brings together males from all walks of life to frankly discuss and often explore the myths and truths surrounding black men.


2 Live Stews, Future of the show
Original syndicator Syndication One left the syndication business in 2007; the show was subsequently picked up for a time by Sporting News Radio. The station is now off air. The Stews are not working in radio.


2 Locating Regiment
2 Locating Regiment was an artillery regiment of the South African Artillery. The regiment provided divisional troops but was typically organized to allocate locating batteries to brigades.


2 Locating Regiment, History, Origin
This unit can trace its origins back to its creation at the University of Witwatersrand. Major H.B. Gilliland was its first commander. The unit struggled initially but by June 1951 a command nucleus could conduct its first training camp in Potchefstroom. By 1956 the unit had grown to such an extent that it could make personnel available to other units. By 1966 the unit moved from Auckland Park to Doornkop Military Base. Its last headquarters was however in Johannesburg.


2 Locating Regiment, History, Command affiliation
With the reorganization of the SA Army in August 1974, the unit, now a regiment was placed under the divisional command of 7 South African Infantry Division, but was also allocated to 8th Armoured Division (South Africa) later.


2 Locating Regiment, History, Renamed and amalgamated
The unit was renamed to the Johannesburg Artillery Regiment around 1990 but was finally amalgamated together with 7 Medium Artillery Regiment into the Transvaal Horse Artillery Regiment.


2 Locating Regiment, History, Specialization
The regiment consisted of 22 Battery. The regiment specialized in the technical search of enemy battery fire by means of delicate and sophisticated measuring equipment, such as radar and meteorology. The battery typically comprised an Intelligence Section, a Meteorological Section, and a Radar Troop of three radar section each with a radar set, a Sound Ranging Troop, a Survey Troop and an observation Troop. Three batteries of this unit conducted border service in the operational area in 1976.


2 Locating Regiment, Insignia
The regiment’s emblem is a blue background with a red diamond and a gold eagle holding a flash of lightning in its right claw and a grenade in its left claw. On its chest is a Roman letter II in red.


2 Long
"2 Long" was the Polish entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 2001, performed in English (the first time the Polish entry had not been performed monolingually in Polish) by Andrzej Piaseczny (PIASEK).


2 Long
The song is an up-tempo number, influenced by urban music. PIASEK sings from the perspective of a man whose lover is leaving him because he has been unfaithful towards her (he describes himself as "a faker"). As she prepares to do so, however, he confesses his true feelings and explains that "life's too short, it would be a crime" if they did not remain together. PIASEK entered the stage wearing a brown fur coat, which he discarded almost immediately, to reveal a navy blue T-shirt. He was accompanied by three female backing singers.


2 Long
The song was performed eighteenth on the night, following Slovenia's Nuša Derenda with "Energy" and preceding Germany's Michelle with "Wer Liebe lebt". At the close of voting, it had received 11 points, placing 20th in a field of 23.


2 Long
Prior to the 2002 contest, the decision was taken to restrict entry to the best-performed countries of 2001, a group which did not include Poland. As a "passive participant" (a country broadcasting but not taking part in the contest), Poland was re-admitted the following year. Thus, the song was succeeded as Polish representative at the 2003 contest by Ich Troje with "Keine Grenzen-Żadnych granic".


2 Low Life Muthas
2 Low Life Muthas is the debut album released by rap group, Poison Clan. It was released on August 20, 1990, for Luke Records and was produced by 2 Live Crew member, Mr. Mixx. The album sold well in the South, but only managed to make it to #42 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums. Two singles did pretty well on the charts, "The Bitch That I Hate", peaked at #18 on the Hot Rap Singles and "Dance All Night" peaked at #14 on the Hot Rap Singles.


2 Low Life Muthas, Trivia
The vinyl version of the album can briefly be seen in the 1992 film Juice in the scene in which its four main characters steal records from a record store.


2 Lupi
2 Lupi is a single star in the southern constellation of Lupus, located 326 light years away from the Sun. It has the Bayer designation f Lupi; 2 Lupi is the Flamsteed designation. This object is visible to the naked eye as a faint, orange-hued star with an apparent visual magnitude of 4.33. It is moving closer to the Earth with a heliocentric radial velocity of −3 km/s.


2 Lupi
This is an aging giant star with a stellar classification of K0 IIIa CH-1. The suffix notation indicates abnormally weak lines of carbyne. Having exhausted the hydrogen at its core, the star evolved away from the main sequence by expanding to 11 times the Sun's radius. The star is radiating 65.6 times the luminosity of the Sun from its enlarged photosphere at an effective temperature of 4,953 K. It is a suspected variable star of unknown type.


2 Lyncis
2 Lyncis is a binary star system in the northern constellation Lynx. It is visible to the naked eye, having an apparent visual magnitude of 4.44. The distance to this system, judging by an annual parallax shift of 20.83±0.40 mas, is around 157 light years. It is moving closer to the Sun with a heliocentric radial velocity of −2 km/s.


2 Lyncis
This is a spectroscopic binary star system with an orbital period of around 3.6 years and an eccentricity of 0.5. It is classified as a probable (91% chance) eclipsing binary with the variable star designation UZ Lyn, showing a net magnitude decrease of 0.3 during an occultation.


2 Lyncis
The primary component is an A-type main-sequence star with a stellar classification of A2 Vs, where the 's' indicates narrow (sharp) absorption lines. The orbiting companion may be the source of the X-ray emission from this system, as stars similar to the primary component do not generally produce detectable levels of X-rays.


2 Maccabees
The Second Book of Maccabees, also called 2 Maccabees, is a deuterocanonical book originally in Greek which focuses on the Maccabean Revolt against Antiochus IV Epiphanes and concludes with the defeat of the Seleucid Empire general Nicanor in 161 BC by Judas Maccabeus, the "hero of the Jewish wars of independence".


2 Maccabees
Unlike 1 Maccabees, the style of 2 Maccabees suggests that it was written in Koine Greek, probably in Alexandria, some time between 150 and 120 BC (c. 124 BC according to Stephen L. Harris). It presents a revised version of the historical events recounted in the first seven chapters of 1 Maccabees, adding material from the Pharisaic tradition, including prayer for the dead and a resurrection on Judgment Day.


2 Maccabees
The book, like the other Books of the Maccabees, was not included in Masoretic Hebrew canon, the Tanakh. It was included in the Greek Septuagint, known as the Alexandrian canon. For this reason, Jews and Protestants reject most of the doctrinal issues present in the work, while Catholics and Eastern Orthodox consider the work to be deuterocanonical and part of the Bible. Some Protestants include 2 Maccabees as part of the biblical apocrypha, useful for reading in the church. Article VI of the Thirty-Nine Articles of the Church of England defines it as useful but not the basis of doctrine and not necessary for salvation.


2 Maccabees, Author
The author of 2 Maccabees is not identified, but he claims to be abridging a 5-volume work by Jason of Cyrene. This longer work is not preserved, and it is uncertain how much of the present text of 2 Maccabees is simply copied from that work. The author wrote in Greek, apparently, as there is no particular evidence of an earlier Hebrew version. A few sections of the book, such as the Preface, Epilogue, and some reflections on morality are generally assumed to come from the author, not from Jason. Jason's work was apparently written sometime around 100 BC and most likely ended with the defeat of Nicanor, as does the abridgement available to us.


2 Maccabees, Author
The beginning of the book includes two letters sent by Jews in Jerusalem to Jews of the Diaspora in Egypt concerning the feast day set up to celebrate the purification of the temple (see Hanukkah) and the feast to celebrate the defeat of Nicanor. If the author of the book inserted these letters, the book would have to have been written after 124 BC the date of the second letter. Some commentators hold that these letters were a later addition, while others consider them the basis for the work. Catholic scholars tend toward a dating in the last years of the 2nd century BC, while the consensus among Jewish scholars place it in the second half of the 1st century BC.


2 Maccabees, Contents, Summary
Unlike 1 Maccabees, 2 Maccabees does not attempt to provide a complete account of the events of the period, instead covering only the period from the high priest Onias III and King Seleucus IV (180 BC) to the defeat of Nicanor in 161.


2 Maccabees, Contents, Summary
In general, the chronology of the book coheres with that of 1 Maccabees, and it has some historical value in supplementing 1 Maccabees, principally in providing a few apparently authentic historical documents. The author seems primarily interested in providing a theological interpretation of the events; in this book God's interventions direct the course of events, punishing the wicked and restoring the Temple to his people.


2 Maccabees, Contents, Summary
It has been suggested that some events appear to be presented out of strict chronological order to make theological points, but there seems little reason to expect a sequential chronology anyway, and little evidence for demonstrating the point one way or the other. Some of the numbers cited for sizes of armies may also appear exaggerated, though not all of the manuscripts of this book agree.


2 Maccabees, Contents, Summary
The Greek style of the writer is very educated, and he seems well-informed about Greek customs. The action follows a very simple plan: after the death of Antiochus IV Epiphanes, the Feast of the Dedication of the Temple is instituted. The newly dedicated Temple is threatened by Nicanor, and after his death, the festivities for the dedication are concluded. A special day is dedicated to commemorate the Jewish victory in the month of Adar, on the day before "Mordecai's Day" (Purim).


2 Maccabees, Contents, Structure
The divisions used by the New American Bible (Revised Edition) are similar, except that all the "renewed persecution" of 2 Maccabees 10:10 to 15:36 is treated as one section, with a brief "epilogue" in verses 15:37-39.


2 Maccabees, Doctrine
2 Maccabees demonstrates several points of doctrinal interpretation deriving from Pharisaic Judaism, and also found in Catholic and Eastern Orthodox theology.


2 Maccabees, Doctrine
In particular, the long descriptions of the martyrdoms of Eleazar and of a mother with her seven sons (2 Macc 6:18–7:42) caught the imagination of medieval Christians. Several churches are dedicated to the "Maccabeean martyrs", and they are among the few pre-Christian figures to appear on the Catholic calendar of saints' days (that number is considerably higher in the Eastern Orthodox churches' calendars, where they also appear). The book is considered the first model of the medieval stories of the martyrs.


2 Maccabees, Doctrine
Catholic apologist Jimmy Akin examines Hebrews 11:35 ("Some were tortured, refusing to accept release, that they might rise again to a better life") and notes that this hope of eternal life after torture is not found anywhere in the protocanonical books of the Old Testament, but is found in 2 Maccabees 7.


2 Maccabees, Canonicity
Catholics and the Eastern Orthodox regard 2 Maccabees as canonical. Jews and all Protestants other than Anglo-Catholics do not. Based on copies, 1 and 2 Maccabees appears in manuscripts of the Septuagint,    the Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible, which was completed by the 2nd century BC  along with (in some copies) 3 and 4 Maccabees  and Psalm 151 which are considered apocryphal by the Roman Catholic church.


2 Maccabees, Canonicity
The Codex Vaticanus lacks 1 and 2 Maccabees (but includes 1 Esdras) which Codex Sinaiticus  includes along with 4 Maccabees  (but omits Baruch), which evidences a lack of uniformity in the lists of books in early manuscripts of the Septuagint. Neither 1st nor 2nd Maccabees were found among the Dead Sea Scrolls. Pope Damasus I's Council of Rome in 382, if the Decretum Gelasianum is correctly associated with it, issued a biblical canon identical with the list given at Trent including the two books of Maccabees.


2 Maccabees, Canonicity
Origen of Alexandria (A.D. 253), Augustine of Hippo (c. 397 AD), Pope Innocent I (405 AD), Synod of Hippo (393 AD), the Council of Carthage (397 AD), the Council of Carthage (419 AD), the Apostolic Canons, the Council of Florence (1442 AD) and the Council of Trent (1546 AD) listed the first two books of Maccabees as canonical.


2 Maccabees, Canonicity
In the Council of Jamnia (late 1st century AD), according to one theory now largely discredited, rabbis endorsed a narrower canon, excluding deuterocanonical works such as 2 Maccabees. This had little immediate impact on Christians, however, since most Christians did not know Hebrew and were familiar with the Hebrew Bible through the Greek Septuagint text from Hellenistic Jews, although some researchers believe that under Christian auspices the books known to Protestants and Jews as apocryphal and to Roman Catholics as deuterocanonical were added to the Septuagint. In addition, the canonical status of deuterocanonical books was disputed among some notable scholars from early on and into the Council of Trent,  which first definitively settled the matter of the OT Canon on 8 April 1546,  after the death of Martin Luther.


2 Maccabees, Canonicity
Although 2 Maccabees was included by Luther and other early reformers in their Bibles, they were rejected as not being on the same level as canonical writings. Martin Luther said: "I am so great an enemy to the second book of the Maccabees, and to Esther, that I wish they had not come to us at all, for they have too many heathen unnaturalities."


2 Maccabees, Canonicity
Other evangelical writers have been more positive towards the book: twentieth century author James B. Jordan, for example, argues that while 1 Maccabees "was written to try and show the Maccabean usurpers as true heirs of David and as true High Priests" and is a "wicked book", a "far more accurate picture of the situation is given in 2 Maccabees."


2 Maccabees, Liturgical usage and theological significance
In the Roman Catholic Church, the Latin Church Lectionary makes use of texts from 2 Maccabees 6 and 7, along with texts from 1 Maccabees 1 to 6, in the weekday readings for the 33rd week in Ordinary Time, in year 1 of the two-year cycle of readings, always in November, and as one of the options available for readings during a Mass for the Dead.


2 Maccabees, Liturgical usage and theological significance
The texts regarding the martyrdoms under Antiochus IV in 1 Maccabees and 2 Maccabees are held in high esteem by the Anabaptists, who faced persecution in their history.


2 Mai
2 Mai (Romanian pronunciation: [doj maj], "May 2") (according to the Socialist Republic of Romania records) or Două Mai (according to the founding decree signed by Mihail Kogălniceanu in 1887) is a village in the Limanu commune, Constanța County, Dobrogea, Romania. It is found on the shoreline at a distance of 6 km north of Vama Veche and 5 km south from Mangalia. Doi Mai is also a summer vacation destination.


2 Mai
Its name (then Două Mai ) was chosen to celebrate the 2nd of May 1864, when Domnitor Alexandru Ioan Cuza dissolved the Legislative Assembly (Adunarea Legislativă) of the United Principalities of Moldavia and Wallachia to promote his reforms. Nine years earlier Northern Dobruja was given to Romania through the treaty of Berlin after it had been taken from the Ottoman Empire at the end of the Russo-Turkish War of 1877–1878.


2 Mai
Russian voluntary eunuchs of the Old Believers sect, being persecuted in their homeland of the Russian Empire, found refuge here in the 19th century, amongst the Greek fishermen, Romanian shepherds and Tatar horse breeders, which had huts and rudimentary houses in the area.


2 Marsham Street
2 Marsham Street is an office building on Marsham Street in the City of Westminster, London, and has been the headquarters of the Home Office, a department of the British Government, since March 2005. Before this date the Home Office was located at 50 Queen Anne's Gate. It has also housed the headquarters of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs since 2018.


2 Marsham Street, History
The site was previously occupied by the Departments of Environment (DoE) and Transport (DfT). The headquarters offices of both departments were located in Marsham Towers - three 20-floor concrete towers (North, Centre and South) joined together by 'podium' floors to level 3. The towers won an architectural award, and boasted express lifts, marble entrances and escalators to the third floor - very modern government offices for the early 1970s. Construction had started in the early 1960s but was finally completed in 1971, becoming the office of the new DoE created in October 1970 (out of a merger between the Ministry of Housing and Local Government and the Ministry of Transport).