Bidkar is a name found in the King James Bible, appearing 1 time in the text.
Who This Was
Bidkar was the chariot officer of Jehu, king of Israel. He is named only once in Scripture, in 2 Kings 9:25, where Jehu addresses him as “his captain.” His role placed him close to Jehu in the moment of Joram’s death, riding and serving alongside the man who would become king. The source note identifies him plainly: Bidkar was the chariot officer of Jehu, who helped execute King Joram.
The setting is the violent transition of power in the northern kingdom of Israel. Jehu had been anointed to strike down the house of Ahab, and Joram, Ahab’s son, was among those marked for judgment. After Joram was struck down, Jehu turned to Bidkar with a command: “Take up, and cast him in the portion of the field of Naboth the Jezreelite.” Bidkar was to remove the body and throw it onto the very ground that had belonged to Naboth.
What Scripture records of Bidkar is chiefly this one act of obedience. Jehu reminded him of a shared memory—how the two of them had ridden together after Ahab and how the LORD had laid a burden upon him concerning this judgment. Bidkar is not described as a man of many words or great prominence; he appears as a captain who carried out his king’s order at a decisive moment. The text presents him without praise or blame, simply as one who was present and who did what he was told.
The Name
The name Bidkar is of Hebrew origin, and its meaning is not clearly recoverable from the biblical text itself. Some have proposed connections to words suggesting “one who stabs” or “son of stabbing,” but such suggestions rest on uncertain etymologies rather than anything stated in Scripture. Because the meaning is not well established, it is best to say so plainly rather than assign a definite sense. The Bible gives us his name and his deed, but not an interpretation of the name.
A Closing Thought
Bidkar’s story is brief, yet it is a reminder that faithfulness is often measured in single moments rather than long records. He was simply present, ready, and obedient when his king gave a command. Most of us will not be remembered in many verses, but we can still be found faithful in the one or two moments that come to us. May we serve where we are placed, trusting that God sees the quiet obedience that history overlooks.
At a Glance
- Gender: Male
- Testament: Old
- Mentions in the KJV: 1
Where It Appears in Scripture
- 2 Kings 9:25 — 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;