TRV
Translation
American Standard Version
And they brought forth the pillars that were in the house of Baal, and burned them.
World English Bible Messianic
They brought out the pillars that were in the house of Baal, and burned them.
Young's Literal Translation
and bring out the standing-pillars of the house of Baal, and burn them,
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In the KJVVerse 9,820 of 31,102
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Commentary on 2 Kings 10 verses 15–28
15 ¶ And when he was departed thence, he lighted on Jehonadab the son of Rechab coming to meet him: and he saluted him, and said to him, Is thine heart right, as my heart is with thy heart? And Jehonadab answered, It is. If it be, give me thine hand. And he gave him his hand; and he took him up to him into the chariot.
16 And he said, Come with me, and see my zeal for the LORD. So they made him ride in his chariot.
17 And when he came to Samaria, he slew all that remained unto Ahab in Samaria, till he had destroyed him, according to the saying of the LORD, which he spake to Elijah.
18 And Jehu gathered all the people together, and said unto them, Ahab served Baal a little; but Jehu shall serve him much.
19 Now therefore call unto me all the prophets of Baal, all his servants, and all his priests; let none be wanting: for I have a great sacrifice to do to Baal; whosoever shall be wanting, he shall not live. But Jehu did it in subtilty, to the intent that he might destroy the worshippers of Baal.
20 And Jehu said, Proclaim a solemn assembly for Baal. And they proclaimed it.
21 And Jehu sent through all Israel: and all the worshippers of Baal came, so that there was not a man left that came not. And they came into the house of Baal; and the house of Baal was full from one end to another.
22 And he said unto him that was over the vestry, Bring forth vestments for all the worshippers of Baal. And he brought them forth vestments.
23 And Jehu went, and Jehonadab the son of Rechab, into the house of Baal, and said unto the worshippers of Baal, Search, and look that there be here with you none of the servants of the LORD, but the worshippers of Baal only.
24 And when they went in to offer sacrifices and burnt offerings, Jehu appointed fourscore men without, and said, If any of the men whom I have brought into your hands escape, he that letteth him go, his life shall be for the life of him.
25 And it came to pass, as soon as he had made an end of offering the burnt offering, that Jehu said to the guard and to the captains, Go in, and slay them; let none come forth. And they smote them with the edge of the sword; and the guard and the captains cast them out, and went to the city of the house of Baal.
26 And they brought forth the images out of the house of Baal, and burned them.
27 And they brake down the image of Baal, and brake down the house of Baal, and made it a draught house unto this day.
28 Thus Jehu destroyed Baal out of Israel.
Jehu, pushing on his work, is here,
I. Courting the friendship of a good man, Jehonadab the son of Rechab, Kg2 10:15, Kg2 10:16. This Jehonadab, though mortified to the world and meddling little with the business of it (as appears by his charge to his posterity, which they religiously observed 300 years after, not to drink wine nor dwell in cities, Jer 35:6, etc.), yet, upon this occasion, went to meet Jehu, that he might encourage him in the work to which God had called him. The countenance of good men is a thing which great men, if they be wise, will value, and value themselves by. David prayed, Let those that fear thee turn to me, Psa 119:79. This Jehonadab, though no prophet, priest, or Levite, no prince or ruler, was, we may suppose, very eminent for prudence and piety, and generally respected for that life of self-denial and devotion which he lived: Jehu, though a soldier, knew him and honoured him. He did not indeed think of sending for him, but when he met him (though it is likely he drove now as furiously as ever) he stopped to speak to him; and we are here told what passed between them. 1. Jehu saluted him; he blessed him (so the word is), paid him the respect and showed him the good-will that were due to so great an example of serious godliness. 2. Jehonadab assured him that he was sincerely in his interest and a hearty well-wisher to his cause. Jehu professed that his heart was right with him, that he had a true affection for his person and a veneration for the crown of his Nazariteship, and desired to know whether he had the same affection for him and satisfaction in that crown of royal dignity which God had put upon his head: Is thy heart right? a question we should often put to ourselves. "I make a plausible profession, have gained a reputation among men, but is my heart right? Am I sincere and inward with God?" Jehonadab gave him his word (It is), and gave him his hand as a pledge of his heart, yielded to him (so giving the hand is rendered, Ch2 30:8), concurred and covenanted with him, and owned him in the work both of revenge and of reformation he was now about. 3. Jehu took him up into his chariot and took him along with him to Samaria. He put some honour upon him, by taking him into the chariot with him (Jehonadab was not accustomed to ride in a chariot, much less with a king); but he received more honour from him, and from the countenance he gave to his present work. All sober people would think the better of Jehu when they saw Jehonadab in the chariot with him. This was not the only time in which the piety of some has been made to serve the policy of others, and designing men have strengthened themselves by drawing good men into their interests. Jehonadab is a stranger to the arts of fleshly wisdom, and has his conversation in simplicity and godly sincerity; and therefore, if Jehu be a servant of God and an enemy to Ball, he will be his faithful friend. "Come then" (says Jehu), "come with me, and see my zeal for the Lord; and then thou wilt see reason to espouse my cause." This is commonly taken as not well said by Jehu, and as giving cause to suspect that his heart was not right with God in what he did, and that the zeal he pretended for the Lord was really zeal for himself and his own advancement. For, (1.) He boasted of it, and spoke as if God and man were mightily indebted to him for it. (2.) He desired it might be seen and taken notice of, like the Pharisees, who did all to be seen of men. An upright heart approves itself to God and covets no more than his acceptance. If we aim at the applause of men, and make their praise our highest end, we are upon a false bottom. Whether Jehu looked any further we cannot judge; however Jehonadab went with him, and, it is likely, animated and assisted him in the further execution of his commission (Kg2 10:17), destroying all Ahab's friends in Samaria. A man may hate cruelty and yet love justice, may be far from thirsting after blood and yet may wash his feet in the blood of the wicked, Psa 58:10.
II. Contriving the destruction of all the worshippers of Baal. The service of Baal was the crying sin of the house of Ahab: that root of this idolatry was plucked up, but multitudes yet remained that were infected with it, and would be in danger of infecting others. The law of God was express, that they were to be put to death; but they were so numerous, and so dispersed throughout all parts of the kingdom, and perhaps so alarmed with Jehu's beginnings, that it would be a hard matter to find them all out and an endless task to prosecute and execute them one by one. Jehu's project therefore is to cut them all off together. 1. By a wile, by a fraud, he brought them together to the temple of Baal. He pretended he would worship Baal more than ever Ahab had done, Kg2 10:18. Perhaps he spoke this ironically, or to try the body of the people whether they would oppose such a resolution as this, and would resent his threatening to increase his predecessor's exactions, and say, "If it be so, we have no part in Jehu, nor inheritance in the son of Nimshi." But it rather seems to have been spoken purposely to deceive the worshippers of Baal, and then it cannot be justified. The truth of God needs not any man's lie. He issued a proclamation, requiring the attendance of all the worshippers of Baal to join with him in a sacrifice to Baal (Kg2 10:19, Kg2 10:20), not only the prophets and priests, but all, throughout the kingdom, who worshipped Baal, who were not nearly so many as they had been in Elijah's time. Jehu's friends, we may suppose, were aware of what he designed, and were not offended at it; but the bigoted besotted Baalites began to think themselves very happy, and that now they should see golden days again. Joram had put away the image of Baal, Kg2 3:2. If Jehu will restore it, they have what they would have, and come up to Samaria with joy from all parts to celebrate the solemnity; and they are pleased to see the house of Baal crowded (Kg2 10:21), to see his priests in their vestments (Kg2 10:22), and themselves perhaps with some badges or other to notify their relation to Baal, for there were vestments for all his worshippers. 2. He took care that none of the servants of the Lord should be among them, Kg2 10:23. This they took as a provision to preserve the worship of Baal from being profaned by strangers; but it was a wonder that they did not, by this, see themselves brought into a snare and discern a design upon them. No marvel if those that suffer themselves to be deceived by Baal (as all idolaters were by their idols), are deceived by Jehu to their destruction. 3. He gave order for the cutting of them all off, and Jehonadab joined with him therein, Kg2 10:23. When a strict search was made lest any of the servants of God should, either for company or curiosity, have got among them - lest any wheat should be mixed with those tares, and when eighty men were set to stand guard at all the avenues to Baal's temple, that none might escape (Kg2 10:24), then the guards were sent in to put them all to the sword and to mingle their blood with their sacrifices, in a way of just revenge, as they themselves had sometimes done, when, in their blind devotion, they cut themselves with knives and lancets till the blood gushed out, Kg1 18:28. This was accordingly done, and the doing of it, though seemingly barbarous, was, considering the nature of their crime, really righteous. The Lord, whose name is jealous, is a jealous God. 4. The idolaters being thus destroyed, the idolatry itself was utterly abolished. The buildings about the house of Baal (which were so many and so stately that they are here called a city), where Baal's priests and their families lived, were destroyed; all the little images, statues, pictures, or shrines, which beautified Baal's temple, with the great image of Baal himself, were brought out and burnt (Kg2 10:26, Kg2 10:27), and the temple of Baal was broken down, and made a dunghill, the common sink, or sewer, of the city, that the remembrance of it might be blotted out or made infamous. Thus was the worship of Baal quite destroyed, at least for the present, out of Israel, though it had once prevailed so far that there were but 7000 of all the thousands of Israel that had not bowed the knee to Baal, and those concealed. Thus will God destroy all the gods of the heathen, and, sooner or later, triumph over them all.
Matthew Henry (1662–1714) — Commentary on the Whole Bible. This section covers verses 15–28. Public domain.
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Source: Quotations drawn from early Church Fathers and historical Christian theologians (AD 100–1500). Some quotes address the surrounding passage context rather than this verse alone.
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SUMMARY
Second Kings 10:26 chronicles a pivotal moment in Jehu's divinely sanctioned purge of Baal worship from Israel. Having systematically dismantled the royal house of Ahab and Jezebel, Jehu turned his attention to the core of the idolatrous cult that had deeply corrupted the northern kingdom. This verse describes the decisive act of publicly removing and burning the sacred pillars, or "images," from the central temple of Baal in Samaria, thereby symbolizing the complete defilement and eradication of this false worship system. It marks the culmination of Jehu's zealous, albeit imperfect, campaign to cleanse the land of the spiritual abomination introduced by King Ahab.
CONTEXT
EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
Key Word Analysis
Verse Breakdown
Literary Devices
The verse employs several powerful literary devices to convey its profound message. Symbolism is paramount, as the "images" are not merely inert stones but potent symbols of Baal's perceived power and presence among his worshipers. Their public destruction symbolizes the complete overthrow and impotence of Baal himself in the face of the one true God. There is also a strong element of Fulfillment, as Jehu's actions directly fulfill the prophecies of judgment against Ahab's house and the eradication of Baal worship from Israel. The swift and decisive nature of the act also conveys Zeal and Ruthlessness, reflecting Jehu's character as an instrument of divine judgment and the divine imperative behind his mission. The entire scene functions as a dramatic Climax to Jehu's purge, marking the definitive and public end of Baal's overt reign in Israel.
THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
This act of destroying the images of Baal stands as a profound theological statement about God's absolute sovereignty and His uncompromising intolerance for idolatry. Throughout the Old Testament, God repeatedly commands His people to have no other gods before Him, emphasizing His unique status as the Creator and Redeemer. The burning of these images is a visceral manifestation of God's jealous love for His people and His glory, refusing to share worship with impotent, man-made deities. It underscores the truth that idols are nothing but vanity, unable to see, hear, or save, and those who trust in them become like them, spiritually blind and deaf. This event serves as a stark reminder that true worship demands exclusive devotion to the one true God, and any attempt to mix His worship with that of false gods will incur His righteous judgment.
REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
While we no longer face physical images of Baal in our societies, the spiritual principle of idolatry remains profoundly relevant. This verse calls believers to a radical spiritual cleansing, to identify and "burn" the "images" of modern idolatry in our own hearts and lives. These can manifest as anything that usurps God's rightful place: the relentless pursuit of wealth or possessions (materialism), the worship of self (pride, ambition, comfort), the elevation of relationships or human approval above divine command, or the insatiable chase for fame, power, or success. The zeal Jehu displayed, though flawed, challenges us to examine our own devotion. Are we wholeheartedly committed to the Lord, or are there hidden "images" in our lives that subtly compete for our ultimate allegiance? This passage urges us to engage in a continuous process of self-examination and repentance, ensuring that our worship is pure, undivided, and directed solely to the one true God. We are called to "flee from idolatry" (1 Corinthians 10:14) and to pursue holiness, knowing that God desires our complete devotion and that anything less is an affront to His character.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
Was Jehu's zeal truly righteous in God's eyes?
Answer: Jehu's zeal was certainly effective in fulfilling God's immediate judgment against the house of Ahab and the eradication of Baal worship, and the Lord commended him for doing "what was right in My eyes" in this specific task (2 Kings 10:30). However, the biblical narrative also presents a nuanced view. While Jehu was an instrument of divine judgment, his motives were not entirely pure, and his heart was not fully devoted to the Lord. 2 Kings 10:31 explicitly states, "But Jehu took no heed to walk in the law of the Lord God of Israel with all his heart; for he did not depart from the sins of Jeroboam, who had made Israel sin." This indicates that while he purged Baalism, he maintained the calf worship established by Jeroboam, which was also a form of idolatry. Thus, his zeal was a tool God used for a specific purpose, but it was not synonymous with perfect, wholehearted obedience or a truly transformed heart.
What was the significance of burning the images rather than simply breaking them?
Answer: The act of burning the images held profound significance, rooted deeply in the Mosaic Law and ancient Near Eastern practices. Burning was a prescribed method for the complete and irreversible destruction of objects deemed an abomination to God, particularly idols and their associated cultic items (Deuteronomy 7:25 and Exodus 32:20). It ensured that the objects were utterly defiled and could not be salvaged, repaired, or reused for any purpose, thus preventing any lingering reverence or temptation for future worship. Unlike merely breaking, which might leave remnants, burning reduced the "images" to ashes, symbolizing their absolute impotence and the complete eradication of their perceived power. This public act served as a powerful visual declaration of God's triumph over Baal and His demand for exclusive worship, leaving no material trace of the false deity.
CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
The zealous purging of Baal's images by Jehu, though a necessary act of divine judgment and cleansing in the Old Testament, ultimately foreshadows the perfect and complete spiritual cleansing brought about by Jesus Christ. While Jehu's actions were external, physical, and ultimately incomplete in addressing the root of Israel's spiritual infidelity, Christ's work provides an internal, comprehensive, and eternal liberation from all forms of idolatry. The New Testament reveals that true idolatry is not merely bowing to physical statues but elevating anything in creation above the Creator, including greed, self-worship, or anything that takes the place of God in our hearts (Colossians 3:5 and Ephesians 5:5). Jesus, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, came not to destroy physical temples but to cleanse the human heart, which is the true temple of the Holy Spirit for believers (1 Corinthians 6:19). Through His atoning sacrifice on the cross, Christ broke the power of sin and spiritual bondage, including the pervasive grip of idolatry, enabling believers to worship God "in spirit and truth" (John 4:24). He is the ultimate object of our worship, and His finished work provides the means for us to "flee from idolatry" (1 Corinthians 10:14) and live lives of undivided devotion to the one true God, who is perfectly revealed in Him and through whom we receive true spiritual freedom.