18 And Jehu gathereth the whole of the people, and saith unto them, 'Ahab served Baal a little—Jehu doth serve him much: 19 and now, all the prophets of Baal, all his servants, and all his priests, call ye unto me; let not a man be lacking, for a great sacrifice I have for Baal; every one who is lacking—he doth not live;' and Jehu hath done 'it' in subtilty, in order to destroy the servants of Baal. 20 And Jehu saith, 'Sanctify a restraint for Baal;' and they proclaim 'it'. 21 And Jehu sendeth into all Israel, and all the servants of Baal come in, and there hath not been left a man who hath not come in; and they come in to the house of Baal, and the house of Baal is full—mouth to mouth. 22 And he saith to him who 'is' over the wardrobe, 'Bring out clothing to all servants of Baal;' and he bringeth out to them the clothing. 23 And Jehu goeth in, and Jehonadab son of Rechab, to the house of Baal, and saith to the servants of Baal, 'Search and see, lest there be here with you of the servants of Jehovah—but, the servants of Baal by themselves.' 24 And they come in to make sacrifices and burnt-offerings, and Jehu hath set for himself in an out-place eighty men, and saith, 'The man who letteth escape 'any' of the men whom I am bringing in unto your hand—his soul for his soul.' 25 And it cometh to pass at his finishing to make the burnt-offering, that Jehu saith to the runners, and to the captains, 'Go in, smite them, let none come out;' and they smite them by the mouth of the sword, and the runners and the captains cast 'them' out; and they go unto the city, to the house of Baal, 26 and bring out the standing-pillars of the house of Baal, and burn them, 27 and break down the standing-pillar of Baal, and break down the house of Baal, and appoint it for a draught-house unto this day. 28 And Jehu destroyeth Baal out of Israel,
29 only—the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, that he caused Israel to sin, Jehu hath not turned aside from after them—the calves of gold that 'are' at Beth-El, and in Dan.
Matthew Henry's Commentary on 2 Kings 10:18-29
Commentary on 2 Kings 10:15-28
(Read 2 Kings 10:15-28)
Is thine heart right? This is a question we should often put to ourselves. I make a fair profession, have gained a reputation among men, but, is my heart right? Am I sincere with God? Jehonadab owned Jehu in the work, both of revenge and of reformation. An upright heart approves itself to God, and seeks no more than his acceptance; but if we aim at the applause of men, we are upon a false foundation. Whether Jehu looked any further we cannot judge. The law of God was express, that idolaters were to be put to death. Thus idolatry was abolished for the present out of Israel. May we desire that it be rooted out of our hearts.
Commentary on 2 Kings 10:29-36
(Read 2 Kings 10:29-36)
It is justly questionable whether Jehu acted from a good principle, and whether he did not take some false steps in doing it; yet no services done for God shall go unrewarded. But true conversion is not only from gross sin, but from all sin; not only from false gods, but from false worships. True conversion is not only from wasteful sins, but from gainful sins; not only from sins which hurt our worldly interests, but from those that support and befriend them; in forsaking which is the great trial whether we can deny ourselves and trust God. Jehu showed great care and zeal for rooting out a false religion, but in the true religion he cared not, took no heed to please God and do his duty. Those that are heedless, it is to be feared, are graceless. The people were also careless, therefore it is not strange that in those days the Lord began to cut Israel short. They were short in their duty to God, therefore God cut them short in their extent, wealth, and power.