2 Kings 10:26

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.

2 Kings 10:26-27 . The images of the house of Baal — A collection of different images. The image of Baal — The chief image, which they worshipped more than the rest. And brake down the house of Baal — As, no doubt, they did the rest of the houses of Baal in Israel. And made it a draught-house — A sink or common shore; 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 seven thousand, of all the thousands of Israel, that had not bowed the knee to Baal. Thus will Jehovah, sooner or later, triumph over all the gods of the heathen.

(26) The images. —Rather, the pillars ; which were of wood, and had a sacred significance. (Comp. Hosea 3:4 .) “In primitive times a pillar was the distinguishing mark of a holy place. Idolatrous pillars were commanded to be destroyed ( Exodus 23:24 ), but most critics think that pillars to Jehovah were quite allowable till the time of Hezekiah or Josiah, to which they assign the Book of Deuteronomy. (Comp. Deuteronomy 16:21-22 .) At any rate, the prophet (Isaiah) gives an implicit sanction to the erection of a sacred pillar in Egypt” ( Cheyne ’s Note on Isaiah 19:19 ). The LXX. has the singular here ( τὴν στήλην ) and the plural in the next verse. The Syriac has the singular “statue” in both.

22. Bring forth vestments for all the worshippers of Baal—The priests of Baal were clad, probably, in robes of white byssus while they were engaged in the functions of their office, and these were kept under the care of an officer in a particular wardrobe of Baal's temple. This treacherous massacre, and the means taken to accomplish it, are paralleled by the slaughter of the Janissaries and other terrible tragedies in the modern history of the East.

26 . And they brought forth the images ] R.V. pillars . On this word see above, 2 Kings 3:2 note. The same change is also made by R.V. in the next verse. The LXX. has the singular in this verse ( στήλην ) and the plural in 27. As the worship of Astarte was combined with that of Baal, we can understand that in such a splendid temple as that which Ahab and Jezebel had erected, there would be more pillars (or sacred obelisks) than one, though one would be specially known as ‘the pillar of Baal’. and burnt them ] So that these more numerous pillars must have been of wood. Probably they were of less size than the chief obelisk.

Verse 26. - And they brought forth the images out of the house of Baal ; rather, the pillars (see the comment on 1 Kings 14:23). It was a special feature of the Phoenician worship to represent the gods by στῆλαι or κίονες , which appear to have been conical stones, or obelisks, destitute of any shaping into the semblance of humanity (see Tacitus, 'Hist.,' 2:3; Damasc. ap. Phot, 'Bibliothec.,' p. 1063; Max. Tyr.,' Diss.,' 38. p. 384). The Phoenicians acknowledged several deities besides Baal, as Ashtoreth, Melkarth, Dagon, Adonis or Tammuz, El, Sadyk, Esmun, and the Kabiri. The "pillars brought forth" may have represented some of these deities, who might all of them be "contemplar" deities with Baal; or they may have been "Baalim," i.e. forms and aspects of Baal, each the object of some special cult (see Hovers, 'Phonizier,' § 674). And burned them. The "pillars" in this instance were probably, not of stone, but of wood. 2 Kings 10:26

They then fetched the columns (מצּבת) out of the temple and burned them (the suffix in ישׂרפוּה refers to the plural מצּבת taken as an abstract noun, as in 2 Kings 3:3 ; cf. Ewald, 317, a.). They then broke in pieces the הבּעל מצּבת, column of Baal, i.e., the real image of Baal, probably a conical stone dedicated to Baal, whereas the מצּבת, which were burned, were wooden columns as πάρεδροι or σύμβοομοι of Baal (see Movers, Phniz. i. p. 674).

Verse 22. - Any image ; any pillar , etc . The Hebrew word ( מַצֵבָה , mazzebah ) denotes generally any pillar or stone that is set up, whether as a memorial ( Genesis 28:18 ), or as a sign ( Exodus 24:4 ; Isaiah 19:19 ), or for purposes of utility or ornament ( Jeremiah 43:13 ). Here, as in other passages, it is a pillar or statue set up as an object of worship (cf. 2 Kings 3:2 ; 2 Kings 10:26 ; Hosea 10:1 ; Micah 5:12 ). Deuteronomy 16:22