The Chariot Commander Who Witnessed Prophecy
Bidkar was a high-ranking officer in the army of Jehu, the fierce general whom God anointed to become king over Israel and execute judgment upon the house of Ahab. Bidkar is mentioned only once in the Bible, but that single appearance places him right at the center of one of the most powerful fulfillment moments of prophecy in the Old Testament.
Serving Under Jehu
The brief mention of Bidkar occurs in II Kings 9:25. The context is the confrontation between King Jehu and Jehoram, the reigning King of Israel and son of the wicked Ahab and Jezebel. Jehu was riding furiously to Jezreel to confront Jehoram, as commanded by the prophet’s charge to destroy the dynasty of Ahab.
When Jehoram and his ally, Ahaziah (King of Judah), rode out in their respective chariots to meet Jehu, they encountered him on the very piece of land that held a history of grievous sin.
The Scene of Judgment
The encounter took place at the field of Naboth the Jezreelite. This was the very vineyard that Ahab had coveted and obtained through the false testimony and judicial murder orchestrated by his wife, Jezebel (I Kings 21). The prophet Elijah had pronounced a terrible curse upon Ahab and his lineage on that exact spot.
When Jehoram realized that Jehu’s intentions were hostile, he turned to flee. Jehu immediately drew his bow and shot Jehoram, the arrow piercing his heart.
It is at this moment that Bidkar’s presence is noted. Jehu gives a direct command to him:
“Then said Jehu to Bidkar his captain, Take up, and cast him in the portion of the field of Naboth the Jezreelite: for remember how that, when I and thou rode together after Ahab his father, the Lord laid this burden upon him;” (II Kings 9:25, KJV)
The Witness to Prophecy
This single verse reveals two critical things about Bidkar:
- His Position: He was Jehu’s “captain,” likely commanding a portion of the chariot forces, confirming him as a trusted and high-ranking military officer.
- His Shared History: Bidkar was with Jehu years earlier when the prophet Elijah pronounced the divine judgment upon King Ahab in that very field. Jehu tells Bidkar to remember the “burden,” or prophetic word, that the Lord laid upon Ahab.
Jehu’s command was not just a disposal of a corpse; it was the meticulous fulfillment of a prophetic decree, designed to show the absolute certainty and justice of God’s Word. By ordering his captain, Bidkar, to cast Jehoram’s body precisely into Naboth’s portion of the field, Jehu ensured that the judgment was executed exactly where the sin had been committed.
Bidkar, therefore, serves in Scripture as an eyewitness and an instrument in the dramatic and public demonstration that the words spoken by the Lord through His prophets will always come to pass:
“Surely I have seen yesterday the blood of Naboth, and the blood of his sons, saith the Lord; and I will requite thee in this plat, saith the Lord. Now therefore take and cast him into the plat of ground, according to the word of the Lord.” (II Kings 9:26, KJV)
As a faithful captain, Bidkar carried out the order, fulfilling his small but vital role in this great moment of divine judgment.