Chapter 10

1 Jehu, by his letters, causeth seventy of Ahab’s children to be beheaded. 8 He excuseth the fact by the prophecy of Elijah. 12 At the shearing house he slayeth two and forty of Ahaziah’s brethren. 15 He taketh Jehonadab into his company. 18 By subtilty he destroyeth all the worshippers of Baal. 29 Jehu followeth Jeroboam’s sins. 32 Hazael oppresseth Israel. 34 Jehoahaz succeedeth Jehu.

1. Seventy sons. Large though this number is, it would not be impossible in a country where polygamy was practiced. But the word “sons” is here employed in the usual Hebrew sense of the term, “descendants.” Ahab had been dead 12 years and had left a large posterity.

Jehu wrote letters. Jehu was not only courageous but crafty. In the situation in which he found himself he must use not only force but guile. At the moment he had with him at Jezreel only a small force of men, the main part of the army having been left on guard at Ramoth-gilead. There was no telling what the outcome would be if Jehu himself went down to Samaria, the capital, where the bulk of Ahab’s descendants lived. These men, alone, with their supporters, might well have been sufficient to overwhelm the new king with his present guard. So Jehu would first sound out the inclinations of the leading men at the capital by writing letters before making a personal visit. For “Jezreel” the LXX reads “Samaria.” The sense of the passage seems to require this reading. Jehu was already in Jezreel, and there seems to be no purpose in sending letters to the rulers of that city. There exists, of course, the probability that the princes of Jezreel were in Samaria on some mission and hence were included in the address. Since Jezreel was also a royal city, its princes would appropriately be numbered among those called upon to set up the new king.

For a comment on the ethical problems involved in many of the militant acts of those called by God to stamp out apostasy, see p. 199.

Them that brought up. Heb. haХomenim, foster fathers. The word occurs in Num. 11:12 and Isa. 49:23, where it is translated as “nursing father.” They were of the nobles of Israel who acted as guardians over the members of the royal family and saw to it that they received a proper training, and who would be held accountable for the behavior of their wards.

2. Chariots and horses. Jehu is laying down a challenge to those in Samaria who might be expected to throw in their lot with the children of Joram and the house of Ahab. Since they are well equipped with arms, and protected by strong fortifications, and since it is only to be expected that they will fight to sustain the house of Ahab, let them now take up his challenge. Jehu was well known to them as one of the bravest and most capable generals, and he had under his command the best men of the nation. If they wanted to fight with him, let them do so.

3. Look even out the best. That is exactly what these men would be expected to do. Since Joram had been slain, the nobles who were the guardians of the princes would naturally select a successor for the throne. Jehu conveys the impression that that is exactly what he is looking for them to do and that that is the situation he is prepared to meet.

4. Exceedingly afraid. That is the effect Jehu was seeking to bring about and that is why he wrote the letter he did. He did not want war nor was he urging them to put up resistance. Rather, he was endeavoring to strike terror into their hearts and bring them over to his side without a show of force.

How then shall we stand? It was a good question—if the kings of Israel and of Judah had fallen before the might of Jehu, how could the nobles resist? Jehu, knowing the temper of these men, reasoned that they would not have the courage to fight. Perhaps their luxury and avarice (see Isa. 28:1–7; Hosea 7:1–6; Amos 6:4–6; Micah 2:2; 7:2–6) unnerved them for the struggle. The bold and able soldier used his wit as well as his sword.

6. If ye be mine. If these men were with Jehu they were asked to show it not only with words but with deeds.

By to morrow this time. Jehu was a man who did things with dispatch. They had 24 hours in which to carry out his orders. Jezreel was 21 1/8 mi. (33.8 km.) from Samaria. Hence there was just enough time to carry the messages back and forth, and to have the young men put to death and their heads conveyed to Jezreel.

The king’s sons. The posterity of the royal house. Some were sons of Joram, others were nephews—any one of whom might make a claim to the throne.

7. Put their heads. Decapitation is common in the Orient. The heads of the princes could be easily recognized and easily conveyed. Thus they would present positive proof to Jehu that the orders had been carried out and that there was no attempt at treachery.

8. Entering in of the gate. Heads of those executed are frequently placed on public exhibit in Eastern countries even today. Assyrian sculptures often show heaps of heads at the gates of cities. The object of such practices was, of course, to strike terror into the hearts of any who might think to resist.

9. Ye be righteous. The men of Jezreel were innocent of slaying any of the seed of Ahab, and Jehu publicly pronounced them so. He frankly confessed that it was he who had conspired against his master the king and had put him to death. But he also wanted to make it clear that he was not alone in what was going on—all he had done was to start something in which many were now having part. While Jehu was at Jezreel the leading men of Samaria had put to death all the royal seed; hence they were now participants with him in the move to rid the land of all the family of Ahab.

10. Word of the Lord. Through the prophet Elijah the Lord had foretold the utter downfall of Ahab and his house (1 Kings 21:19, 21, 29). Jehu was setting himself forth as the executioner of the decrees of God. So indeed he was. But the record reveals that he was also selfish, impetuous, unfeeling, and cruel. The fact that Jehu was used of Heaven for a special mission places no sanction upon all the deeds of his life. For his act of executing judgment upon the house of Ahab he received divine commendation (2 Kings 10:30).

11. Slew all that remained. The reference is not to the past but to a new campaign of slaughter. Feeling himself secure in his position, Jehu now proceeded to destroy all who had had any connection with the house of Ahab, immediate or remote.

His great men. All the high officials of the court, and all the most powerful and influential partisans of the crown throughout the land.

His kinsfolks. Rather, his friends or familiar acquaintances.

12. The shearing house. Heb. bethРФeqed haroФim, “house of binding of the shepherds.” BethРФeqed should possibly be given as a proper name, “Beth-eked,” and the last word translated, “of the Shepherds” (see RSV). The place is probably to be identified with the Beth-akad of Eusebius and Jerome, and with the modern Beit Qad, about 3 mi. (4.8 km.) east by north from enРGannim (JenйЖn). It was probably a common meeting place for the shepherds of the neighborhood.

13. The brethren of Ahaziah. Not the actual brothers of the king, for these had been slain by the Arabs before Ahaziah came to the throne (2 Chron. 21:17; 22:1), but the sons of his brothers, as is made clear in 2 Chron. 22:8.

We go down to salute. The frankness of the answer given by these men indicates that they had as yet had no word of the events that had occurred at either Jezreel or Samaria. This shows the speed with which Jehu had carried through his measures against the throne. There seems to have been a close relationship between the royal families of Judah and Israel at this time, for such visits to be made back and forth. They had probably heard that Joram had sufficiently recovered from his wounds, and that a friendly visit was in order from his kinsfolk in the royal household of Judah.

14. Take them alive. Why the order first was given that they be taken alive before their being slain is not clear. Perhaps when they heard of the revolution and Jehu’s slaughter of the royal family of Israel they made some effort at resistance and were then put to death. Through Athaliah, the mother of Ahaziah and the daughter of Ahab and Jezebel, these princes of Judah were related to the royal house of Israel, and were thus included in the “posterity” of Ahab, who, Elijah had prophesied, would perish (1 Kings 21:21).

15. Jehonadab. As Jehu made his departure from Beth-eked he met with Jehonadab, who, it seems, was then on his way to see him. Jehonadab is the son of Rechab mentioned in Jer. 35:6–10, who commanded his descendants to live an abstemious life by not drinking wine, building houses, planting vineyards or fields. They were to live in tents. Rechab belonged to the tribe of Kenites (1 Chron. 2:55), one of the ancient peoples of Palestine (Gen. 15:19), Moses’ father-in-law in Midian was a Kenite (Judges 1:16), and so, at the time of the judges, was Heber, who lived in Galilee (Judges 4:11, 17). When Israel entered Palestine the Kenites settled in the Wilderness of Judah (Judges 1:16). At the time of Saul there were Kenites dwelling among the Amalekites, but they were spared by Saul because of the kindness shown by them to Israel at the time of the Exodus (1 Sam. 15:6). The Rechabites remained constant nomads, having habits much like those of the Arabs. Their leader Jehonadab seems to have sympathized strongly with Jehu and desired to give the countenance of his authority to the new regime.

Is thine heart right? What Jehu meant was, “Is your heart true to mine, as mine is to yours?” Jehu evidently was kindly disposed to Jehonadab and desired his friendship and support. This stern leader had probably become highly displeased with the wicked ways of the Israelite court and gladly gave his support to the new regime.

Give me thine hand. As to the significance of the giving of the hand as an act of fidelity see Eze. 17:18. In 1 Chron. 29:24 the Hebrew phrase which may be literally translated, “they gave the hand,” is rendered, “submitted themselves.”

Into the chariot. As a mark of particular favor and esteem. Jehu would be happy to have the support of this influential ascetic who must have been a man of some note in the kingdom at that time.

16. See my zeal. A man who in his heart is really devoted to the Lord does not need to make so much of his outward zeal. The zeal Jehu manifested seems to have been tinctured with the desire to advance his own personal interests.

17. According to the saying. What Jehu did was as the Lord had foretold (1 Kings 21:21, 22). But he evidently went on beyond what God had required of him in his endeavor to stamp out all possible opposition, for the Lord later declared that He was planning to “avenge the blood of Jezreel upon the house of Jehu” (Hosea 1:4).

18. All the people. This is an indication that, in spite of the reforms of Elijah and Elisha, the worship of Baal still had a strong hold upon the nation, for the people were gathered together ostensibly in the interests of some great festival in the honor of Baal.

19. All the prophets of Baal. Again this gives evidence that the worship of Baal was far from being exterminated out of the land of Israel. Baal still had many devoted followers, prophets and priests, as well as worshipers among the people.

I have a great sacrifice. If deception and trickery might achieve his purpose, he employed such devices without scruple. His antipathy to Baal may not have sprung, to any large degree, from devotion to God. Devotees of false religions are often bitterly arrayed against each other. During the lifetime of Ahab and Jezebel and during the time that Jehu served Joram, there is no record of any deep convictions that Jehu had in the matter of religion, either in favor of Jehovah or against Baal. Not until the house of Ahab had been crushed and there was no longer any danger in a defiance of Baal, did Jehu take his stand against the religion of Jezebel.

In subtilty. This was a crafty trick to attain his end. By means of this ruse, all cleverly planned out aforetime, Jehu thought by one bold, dramatic act to wipe out the religion of Baal from Israel. Unfortunately, it was more deeply rooted than he thought.

20. Proclaim a solemn assembly. Literally, “Sanctify a solemn assembly.” Compare the expression, “Sanctify … a fast” (Joel 1:14). Jehu used language similar to that used for the calling of the most solemn festivals for Jehovah (see Lev. 23:36; Num. 29:35; Deut. 16:8).

21. One end to another. This would include not only the building proper but the surrounding court. The vast courts of ancient Oriental temples could hold large numbers of people.

22. Vestments. These were robes and caps of white linen. There were probably different types of vestments for the various classes of worshipers. The donning of these sacred robes would distinguish these individuals as adherents of Baal.

23. Jehonadab. See on v. 15    . Jehonadab was probably known for his hatred of Baal and recognized for his zeal in behalf of the pure and simple worship of Jehovah.

Servants of the Lord. This would not lead to suspicion concerning Jehu’s intentions, since the presence of persons belonging to some other religious cult would be regarded by the worshipers of Baal as a profanation of their rites.

24. To offer sacrifices. Every preparation had been made for the carrying out of the sacred rites of Baal in a sumptuous manner.

For the life of him. Human life was cheap for such a man as Jehu. He wanted his orders obeyed. If there was any carelessness in the carrying out of his commands, his own soldiers would lose their lives.

25. Offering the burnt offering. It is not clear whether Jehu personally offered this sacrifice, or whether it was done in his behalf by one of the priests of Baal. The Bible frequently speaks of individuals offering their sacrifices in the sense that they provided the victims and had them offered in their behalf (Lev. 3:7, 12; 1 Kings 8:63). The actual sacrifices were probably the priests of Baal.

The guard. The royal bodyguard of the king. Up till this time it had been stationed outside, at the gate. Its presence would not create suspicion, since these soldiers always accompanied the king.

The city of the house of Baal. The exact meaning of this expression is not clear. One of the Greek versions reads “inner shrine” for “city.” The following verse indicates that the soldiers did enter the inner shrine of the house of Baal. As they entered into the court they would naturally first slay the worshipers nearest to them, and after having killed those in the court, they would enter the building and ultimately the central shrine, there to complete their bloody work.

26. Images. Heb. masseboth, “pillars.” In those days sacred pillars were common in Palestine. They are thought to have been masculine symbols of fertility. The Hebrews were commanded to destroy such pillars (Ex. 23:24; 34:13), and were forbidden to erect any “grove” (symbol of the goddess Asherah) or set any pillar near an altar to the Lord (see on Deut. 16:21, 22).

27. They brake down. It would seem that the chief pillar here, that of Baal, was of stone, because it was broken, whereas the other pillars must have been of wood, because they were burnt (v. 26).

A draught house. A “latrine” or “toilet” (see Ezra 6:11; Dan. 2:5; 3:29). This was to show utter contempt for the place formerly employed as a sacred shrine.

28. Destroyed Baal. While Jehu may have destroyed the manifestations of Baal worship from the nation of Israel, he certainly did not destroy the spirit of false religion. What Jehu did was simply to touch upon some of the externals of the religious life of the people. Basically the Israelites were as wicked, dishonest, corrupt, and immoral as before.

29. Jehu departed not. Jehu fought evil, but he employed evil to do it. Sin can never be overcome by sin. Wickedness in one form will never root out wickedness in other forms. Baal worship needed to be wiped out from Israel. But there was little of permanent good to be accomplished if Baal was not to be replaced by the worship of God. Jehu failed in that he did nothing to transform the hearts of his people. A man who himself did not depart from the sins of Jeroboam that had brought evil upon Israel, could hardly hope to deliver his nation from the sad effects of such iniquity.

The golden calves. These were the most important religious shrines in the nation, and were among the chief sources of the nation’s evil. By this time Bethel and Dan were no doubt regarded as national shrines, and held the same place in the regard of the people of Israel as did the Jerusalem Temple in Judah. If Jehu’s main aim had been righteousness and a return to Jehovah, he would have turned his zeal against the golden calves of Dan and Bethel as well as the house of Baal.

30. Because thou hast done well. The worship of Baal was a curse to the land of Israel, and the house of Ahab had been guilty of promoting this system of false religion. It was high time that something be done to put an end to the evil influences of the house of Ahab. It was also time that the idolatrous system of Baal worship be rooted out of the land. Jehu had done much toward checking the influence of evil and wiping out the sources of corruption. In that regard he had performed a great service to his nation and to the cause of righteousness, and this was recognized by the Lord.

Of the fourth generation. The work of Jehu was a mixture of good and evil. To a certain extent he had done the work of the Lord, but there were also serious evils in his methods which did not have the approval of Heaven. His descendants who ruled upon the throne of Israel were Jehoahaz, Jehoash, Jeroboam II, and Zachariah. Shallum brought an end to Jehu’s dynasty by slaying Zachariah (2 Kings 15:10, 12). The house of Jehu ruled Israel for about a century—longer than any other dynasty. The house of Jeroboam ruled 22 years and that of Omri 44 (24 and 48 inclusive; see p. 145; see also pp. 136, 138).

31. Took no heed. Jehu was a law to himself. He had little regard for the statutes of righteousness established by God.

32. To cut Israel short. The meaning is that the Lord began to cut off, or trim off, parts of the territory of Israel. Enemies were allowed to vex the borders, a harbinger of the doom that would come upon the entire nation if the inhabitants did not return to righteousness and God.

Hazael smote them. In fulfillment of the prophecy of Elisha (ch. 8:12). Shalmaneser III claims that in his 18th year he received tribute from Jehu. This, evidently, was the year in which Jehu came to the throne (see on ch. 9:2). Inasmuch as both Shalmaneser and Jehu were then enemies of Syria, Jehu probably thought it well, as soon as he became king of Israel, to make his peace with him by sending him a present. Upon the departure of Shalmaneser for his own land, Hazael could be expected to vent his wrath upon Jehu. The kings of Assyria appear not to have returned again to the Mediterranean coastlands till about 805 b.c., under Adad-nirari III. Syria would thus have a free hand against Israel.

33. Gilead and Bashan. These were districts on the eastern side of Jordan, immediately to the south of Syria, easily accessible to these militant enemies of Israel.

Ellen G. White comments

11  PK 215, 254

16   TM 55; 2T 147; 4T 535; 5T 343

19, 28  PK 215