Story · 6 · Jehu and Elisha
A coup that started with a vial of oil
In the middle of a war council, a prophet's servant pulls the commander Jehu aside and anoints him king. 'Nothing, he's just babbling,' Jehu tells his fellow officers. Minutes later they proclaim him king.
Prophets in the Bible make and unmake kings.
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The southern Palace History uses this story to cast the fall of the Omride dynasty as divine judgment carried out through Elisha. It also credits Jehu, counterfactually, with restoring Yhwh worship to the North.
Bible reference: 2 Kings 9–10
Source: Why the Bible Began, pp. 87–91
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