2 Kings 9:11

“Then Jehu came forth to the servants of his lord, etc.] The rest of the captains of the army, who served under Joram as he did: and one said unto him, is all well? one of the captains, the greatest of them, as Kimchi; he inquired whether he brought any ill news, since he came and went in such haste: wherefore came this mad fellow to thee? so profane men, especially the worshippers of Baal, as those captains might be, were wont to call the prophets of the Lord, because of their habit, their manner of living, and the gestures they sometimes used in prophesying, and especially because of the things they prophesied of; and even prophets were sometimes called so, because, in the time of their…”

“Is all well? &c.--Jehu's attendants knew that the stranger belonged to the order of the prophets by his garb, gestures, and form of address; and soldiers such as they very readily concluded such persons to be crackbrained, not only from the sordid negligence of their personal appearance and their open contempt of the world, but from the religious pursuits in which their whole lives were spent, and the grotesque actions which they frequently performed (compare Jer 29:26).”

“This mad fellow - The captains, seeing his excited look, his strange action, and his extreme haste, call him (as soldiers would) “this wild fellow.” return to 'Top of Page'”

“Mad fellow - They perceived him to be a prophet by his habit, and gestures, and manner of speech. And these prophane soldiers esteemed the prophets mad - men. Those that have no religion, commonly speak of those that are religious with disdain, and look upon them as crack - brained. They said of our Lord, He is beside himself; of St. Paul, that much learning had made him mad. The highest wisdom is thus represented as folly, and they that best understand themselves, as men beside themselves. 4 Kings (2 Kings) 9:13”

“9:11 madman: God’s faithful servants are often disdained as mad by others (see Jer 29:26; Hos 9:7).”

“Is all well: Kg2 9:17, Kg2 9:19, Kg2 9:22, Kg2 4:26, Kg2 5:21 this mad fellow: It is probable there was something peculiar in the young prophet's manner and address, similar to the vehement actions sometimes used by the prophets when under the Divine influence, which caused the bystanders to use this contemptuous language. Isa 59:15 \*marg. Jer 29:26; Hos 9:7; Mar 3:21; Joh 10:20; Act 17:18, Act 26:24; Co1 4:10; Co2 5:13 4 Kings (2 Kings) 9:12”

“Jehu's Conspiracy against Joram. - Kg2 9:11. When Jehu came out again to his comrades in arms, after the departure of the pupil of the prophets, they inquired השׁלום, i.e., "is it all well? why did this madman come to thee?" not because they were afraid that he might have done him some injury (Ewald), or that he might have brought some evil tidings (Thenius), but simply because they conjectured that he had brought some important news. They called the prophet משׁגּע, a madman, in derision, with reference to the ecstatic utterances of the prophets when in a state of holy inspiration. Jehu answered evasively, "Ye know the man and his muttering," i.e., ye know that he is mad and says nothing…”