And they broke down the temple of Baal ,.... Which some take to be Belus, others Saturn, others the sun, which seems most probable: and broke down the house of Baal ; his temple, demolished it: and made it a draught house until this day ; a common sewer, a jakes; a fit place for dunghill gods to be thrown into, and an idol temple to be turned into. read more
Thus Jehu destroyed Baal out of Israel. His images and temples being served thus in all places, throughout the land of Israel, where there were any. read more
Howbeit from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin ,.... Which is the common character given of that king, a blot never to be wiped off: Jehu departed not from after them, to wit, the golden calves that were in Bethel, and that were in Dan : he did not abstain from the worship of them, partly because he might not think it idolatry, because God was worshipped in them; hence he calls the worshippers of the calves the servants of the Lord, 2 Kings 10:23 , and... read more
Ahab served Baal a little - Jehu had determined to have no worship in Israel but that of the golden calves at Dan and Bethel; therefore he purposes to destroy all the worshippers of Baal: and that he may do it without suspicion, he proclaims a great sacrifice; and that he may do it the more easily, he gathers them all together into one place. read more
Whosoever shall be wanting , he shall not live - Because, as he will thereby show himself without zeal for the service of his God, he will justly forfeit his life. All this was done in the very spirit of deceit. read more
He said unto him that was over the vestry - The word vestry comes from vestiarium , and that from vestes , garments, from vestio , I clothe; and signifies properly the place where the sacerdotal robes and pontifical ornaments are kept. The priests of Baal had their robes as well as the priests of the Lord; but the garments were such that one could be easily distinguished from the other. read more
None of the servants of the Lord - Though he was not attached to that service, yet he would tolerate it; and as he was led to suppose that he was fulfilling the will of Jehovah in what he was doing, he would of course treat his worship and worshippers with the more respect. He might have ordered the search to be made on pretense of expelling any of those whom they would consider the profane, especially as this was "a solemn assembly for Baal," as was the custom with the heathen... read more
As soon as he had made an end of offering - Had Jehu been a man of any conscientious principle in religion, he would have finished the tragedy before he offered the burnt-offering; but to a man of no religion, the worship of Jehovah and of Baal are alike. If he prefers either, it is merely as a statesman, for political purposes. To the guard and to the captains - ולשלשים לרצים leratsim uleshalashim ; to the couriers or runners, and the shalashim , the... read more
Made it a draught house - A place for human excrement; so all the versions understand it. Nothing could be more degrading than this; he made it a public necessary. read more
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John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - 2 Kings 10:26
And they brought forth the images out of the house of Baal, and burnt them. Lesser images, the images of other deities, or what were placed as decorations of the temple. read more