מלכים ב, פרק ט׳, פסוק ז׳

A severe and clear command is delivered to the newly anointed king, Jehu, detailing a mission to wipe out a corrupt royal family and execute divine justice for the spilling of innocent blood. The sudden appearance of these detailed instructions raises a question about the sequence of events, as earlier accounts only mentioned the act of anointing him as king. One approach suggests that the prophet actually relayed all these specific details during the initial anointing, but the narrative simply chose to be brief at that moment. Alternatively, a spirit of prophecy may have rested upon Jehu himself, allowing him to understand the exact requirements of his mission independently [חומת אנך].

At the center of this mission is the absolute destruction of the royal household. Jehu is instructed to strike down the king's descendants and his entire family [מצודת דוד]. This harsh decree is a direct consequence of their devotion to the worship of Baal [מלבי״ם].

The second element of the command focuses on retribution. God intends to avenge the blood of His servants, using Jehu as the physical instrument of His justice [מצודת דוד]. The primary goal is to exact payment from Jezebel for the murder of the prophets and anyone else who lost their lives at the hands of the royal family [מלבי״ם, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. Furthermore, the demand to avenge the blood of all of God's servants specifically broadens the scope of this justice to include the murder of Naboth the Jezreelite [רד״ק].