Who was responsible for killing the 70 sons of the house of Ahab?

[tonychanyt]

Who was responsible for killing the 70 sons of the house of Ahab?

Elijah prophesied to Ahab in 1K 21:

21 This is what the LORD says: ‘I will bring calamity on you and consume your descendants; I will cut off from Ahab every male in Israel, both slave and free.'

14 years later, to fulfill the purge, Jehu told the guardians of Ahab's descendants to behead them. Their actions were driven by fear and self-preservation, highlighting the brutal political realities of the time. 2K 10:

9 The next morning Jehu went out. He stood before all the people and said, “You are innocent.

The public at large were innocent.

It was I who conspired against my master and killed him,

Jehu was responsible.

but who killed all these?

That's a rhetorical question pointing to the guardians. They were also responsible. Jehu was shedding some of his responsibility to them.

10 Know, then, that not a word the Lord has spoken against the house of Ahab will fail. The Lord has done what he announced through his servant Elijah.” 11 So Jehu killed everyone in Jezreel who remained of the house of Ahab, as well as all his chief men, his close friends and his priests, leaving him no survivor.

Who was responsible for killing the 70 sons of the house of Ahab?

1. In the immediate sense, the guardians were responsible. They physically carried out the execution order.
2. In the strategic sense, Jehu was responsible. He conspired against his king and planned the execution.
3. Ultimately, God was responsible. He divinely commissioned Jehu (2K 9:7).
4. Causally, Ahab was responsible for his sin against Naboth (1K 21:19).

Different actors played roles at various levels. This layered structure of responsibility is crucial to have a more complete understanding of the narrative.