2 Kings 10:23 kjv
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.
2 Kings 10:23 nkjv
Then Jehu and Jehonadab the son of Rechab went into the temple of Baal, and said to the worshipers of Baal, "Search and see that no servants of the LORD are here with you, but only the worshipers of Baal."
2 Kings 10:23 niv
Then Jehu and Jehonadab son of Rekab went into the temple of Baal. Jehu said to the servants of Baal, "Look around and see that no one who serves the LORD is here with you?only servants of Baal."
2 Kings 10:23 esv
Then Jehu went into the house of Baal with Jehonadab the son of Rechab, and he said to the worshipers of Baal, "Search, and see that there is no servant of the LORD here among you, but only the worshipers of Baal."
2 Kings 10:23 nlt
Then Jehu went into the temple of Baal with Jehonadab son of Recab. Jehu said to the worshipers of Baal, "Make sure no one who worships the LORD is here ? only those who worship Baal."
2 Kings 10 23 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| 2 Ki 10:19 | "Now therefore call to me all the prophets of Baal... for I have a great sacrifice to do for Baal..." | Jehu's strategic deception against Baal worshipers. |
| 2 Ki 10:21-22 | "So Jehu sent through all Israel... and there was not a man left who did not come." | Gathering of all Baal worshipers into one place. |
| 2 Ki 10:15 | "Jehu met Jehonadab the son of Rechab... Jehu said, 'Is your heart right with my heart...'" | Jehonadab's initial alignment with Jehu's mission. |
| Num 25:11-13 | "Phinehas, the son of Eleazar... turned away My wrath from the children of Israel, because he was zealous..." | Phinehas' zeal for God; a type of divine cleansing. |
| Psa 69:9 | "For zeal for Your house has consumed me..." | The concept of divine zeal (applied to Christ). |
| Deut 12:2-3 | "You shall utterly destroy all the places... break down their altars..." | Command to destroy idolatrous places. |
| 1 Ki 16:31-32 | "And Ahab took for a wife Jezebel... he built an altar for Baal in the temple of Baal..." | Introduction of Baal worship and the temple's origin. |
| 2 Chr 34:3-7 | "For in the eighth year of his reign, while he was still young, he began to seek the God of his father David... He broke down the altars of the Baals..." | Josiah's reform against idolatry, including Baal. |
| Hos 2:13 | "I will punish her for the days of the Baals when she burned incense to them..." | Prophetic judgment for worshiping Baals. |
| Jer 35:6-10 | "We will drink no wine... We live in tents... we have obeyed the voice of Jonadab the son of Rechab our father..." | Jehonadab's (Jonadab's) family known for obedience and faithfulness. |
| Exod 20:3-5 | "You shall have no other gods before Me... You shall not make for yourself any carved image..." | First commandment against idolatry. |
| Deut 6:14 | "You shall not go after other gods, the gods of the peoples who are all around you..." | Command to not follow foreign gods. |
| Deut 13:1-5 | "If there arises among you a prophet or a dreamer of dreams... saying, 'Let us go after other gods'..." | Warning against false prophets promoting idolatry. |
| 1 Ki 18:20-40 | "Elijah drew near to all the people and said, 'How long will you falter between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow Him...'" | Elijah's decisive confrontation with Baal prophets. |
| Zech 13:2 | "It shall be in that day... I will cut off the names of the idols from the land..." | Prophecy of complete eradication of idolatry. |
| 2 Ki 11:17-18 | "Jehoiada made a covenant between the LORD... And all the people of the land went to the temple of Baal and pulled it down..." | Later destruction of the house of Baal by Jehoiada and the people. |
| Jer 2:27-28 | "They say to wood, 'You are my father'... But where are your gods that you have made for yourselves?" | Futility and condemnation of idol worship. |
| Lev 26:30 | "I will destroy your high places, cut down your incense altars, and cast your carcasses on the carcasses of your idols..." | Consequences of idolatry; divine judgment. |
| Isa 42:8 | "I am the LORD, that is My name; And My glory I will not give to another..." | God's exclusivity and condemnation of sharing worship with others. |
| Judg 2:11-13 | "Then the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD, and served the Baals..." | Recurrent apostasy to Baal worship in Israelite history. |
2 Kings 10 verses
2 Kings 10 23 Meaning
This verse describes Jehu, accompanied by Jehonadab, entering the very house (temple) dedicated to Baal. This act signifies the next critical phase in Jehu's divinely ordained mission to utterly eradicate Baal worship from Israel, demonstrating his zealous, yet shrewd, confrontation with idolatry at its spiritual epicenter.
2 Kings 10 23 Context
This verse is situated at a pivotal moment in Jehu's purge. Having strategically eliminated Ahab's lineage and Judah's allied royals, Jehu turns his full attention to the core issue: institutionalized Baal worship. He shrewdly uses a feigned "great sacrifice" to Baal to gather all the idol worshipers into one location, the house of Baal. Jehonadab's presence highlights the religious integrity behind Jehu's actions, distinguishing it from a mere political coup. The "house of Baal" itself was the central sanctuary for this pagan cult in Samaria, built by King Ahab and Queen Jezebel, symbolizing the depth of Israel's apostasy. Jehu's entry marks the impending, decisive strike against this national sin.
2 Kings 10 23 Word analysis
- Then: Signifies a chronological progression, linking Jehu's immediate action to his earlier strategic deception (2 Ki 10:19-21) to gather the Baal worshipers.
- Jehu: (Hebrew: יֵהוּא, Yehu) Meaning "He is Yahweh" or "YHWH is He." This name profoundly underscores his mission: to affirm the sovereignty of the true God against Baal. He is God's instrument for judgment.
- and Jehonadab: (Hebrew: יְהוֹנָדָב, Yehonadav) Meaning "YHWH is generous" or "YHWH is willing." His inclusion adds significant spiritual weight and legitimacy to Jehu's otherwise bloody actions, signaling alignment with true Mosaic faith. He represents a standard of piety distinct from the surrounding idolatry.
- the son of Rechab: Connects Jehonadab to the Rechabites, a group known for their ascetic lifestyle and unwavering devotion to specific ancestral vows, demonstrating steadfast commitment to covenant faithfulness and a puritanical rejection of settled Canaanite ways and idolatry (cf. Jer 35). Their presence implicitly validates the zealous purification effort against idolatry.
- went into: Implies a deliberate and bold entry. This was not a passive observation but an active penetration of the heart of the enemy's territory, preparatory to their extermination.
- the house of Baal: (Hebrew: בֵּית הַבַּעַל, beit ha-Ba'al) This was a dedicated temple in Samaria built by Ahab (1 Ki 16:32), the central site of the state-sponsored Baal cult in Israel. "Baal" (בַּעַל, ba'al) means "master" or "owner," indicating the worship of a Canaanite storm and fertility god. Entering "the house of Baal" represented a direct invasion of the realm of this false god, asserting the true Lord's authority over supposed "masters" or deities. This location was not just a building; it was the symbol of the deep spiritual rebellion against Yahweh in Israel.
Words-group by words-group analysis:
- "Then Jehu and Jehonadab the son of Rechab": This phrase establishes the key agents in this pivotal act. Jehu is the executing power, while Jehonadab's presence, as a representative of unwavering covenant fidelity, lends moral and spiritual authority to the upcoming judgment against idolatry. Their united action emphasizes both political and religious purging.
- "went into the house of Baal": This action signifies the culmination of Jehu's deception and the initiation of the judgment. Their entry into the very sanctuary of the false god is a potent symbolic act. It signifies God's direct assault, through His chosen agents, on the epicenter of apostasy within Israel. It is a confrontational entry, claiming ground for Yahweh in the domain that had usurped His glory.
2 Kings 10 23 Bonus section
- Polemics against Baal: Jehu's action within the "house of Baal" serves as a direct polemic against the supposed power and authority of Baal. By allowing Baal's priests to gather there, supposedly for a great sacrifice to their god, only to slaughter them within the very sanctuary, Jehu utterly disgraces Baal and his worship. The master (ba'al) is shown to be powerless before the Master, Yahweh.
- God's Use of Unconventional Means: Jehu's strategy, involving a degree of deception and mass execution, illustrates how God can utilize human agents with complex motivations and methods to fulfill His righteous judgments against systemic evil. While Jehu’s zeal was divinely acknowledged (2 Ki 10:30), his methods underscore that God’s ways and instruments are not always palatable to human sensibilities, especially when confronting deep-seated sin like idolatry.
- The Problem of Partial Obedience: Despite Jehu's success in eradicating Baal worship (2 Ki 10:28), he later failed to depart from the "sins of Jeroboam," the worship of the golden calves at Bethel and Dan (2 Ki 10:29). This highlights that zeal against one form of idolatry does not automatically equate to complete obedience or true spiritual transformation in all areas. While the outward symptom of Baal worship was removed, the deeper root of spiritual syncretism remained in Israel.
2 Kings 10 23 Commentary
2 Kings 10:23 marks the chilling precision of Jehu's purge against Baal worship. Having consolidated political power, Jehu moves against the spiritual heart of the apostasy in Israel, utilizing cunning and zeal as divinely ordained tools. His entry into the temple of Baal with Jehonadab is highly symbolic. Jehu, whose very name means "YHWH is He," directly confronts Baal, demonstrating Yahweh's absolute sovereignty over the Canaanite idol. Jehonadab, representing the uncompromising faith of the Rechabites—a group that steadfastly resisted Canaanite influences—legitimizes Jehu's extreme measures as a true reformation and not merely a bloody power grab. The scene prepares for the systematic destruction of Baal worship, not just from the landscape, but from its very institutionalized core. It exemplifies God's unwavering resolve to deal with idolatry and His readiness to use direct, decisive, and even brutal means to cleanse His people from such abominations, fulfilling prophetic words delivered through Elijah and Elisha. This act, though violent, underscores the sanctity of monotheistic worship and the profound consequences of spiritual adultery against God.