2 Kings 10:23
in 2 Kings 10Next, Jehu and Jehonadab son of Rechab entered the temple of Baal, and Jehu said to the servants of Baal, “Look around to see that there are no servants of the LORD here among you—only servants of Baal.”
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And Jehu went, and Jehonadab the son of Rechab, into the house of Baal; and he said unto the worshippers of Baal, Search, and look that there be here with you none of the servants of Jehovah, but the worshippers of Baal only.
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.
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This verse in 2 Kings 10
Commentary
7 notes on this verseA commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
The presence of persons belonging to another religion was usually regarded by the ancients as a profanation of the rites. In the case of the Greek mysteries such intrusion is said to have been punished by death. Consequently Jehu could give these injunctions without arousing any suspicion.
This site's exposition
Bring forth vestments for all
on 2 Kings 10:22-24
Jehu orders vestments brought out for every worshipper, a detail that lets Baal's own priests be told apart from any stray servant of the Lord who might slip in among them. The distinction he demands for their safety is the same distinction that will condemn them, since no one wearing that robe leaves the building alive. Eighty men are posted outside on pain of their own lives, so the trap depends on human fear as much as on the crowd's misplaced confidence.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers1 voice
"Then Jehu assembled all the people and said to them, 'Ahab offered Baal small service; but Jehu will offer much more.' " We need to examine the purpose of words and actions. And this must be done here too. In fact, since he did not …
The Puritans and the Awakening3 voices
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 (
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — unbalanced-parens
And Jehu went, and Jehonadab the son of Rechab, into the house of Baal,....
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.
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
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 when any extraordinary exhibition of or for their god was expected; thus Callimachus, (Hymn to Apollo), after imagining the temple and its suburbs to be shaken by the approach of Apollo, cries out, Εκας, ἑκας, ὁστις, αλιτρος. To prevent any suspicion of his real design, such might have been Jehu’s plea, else alarm must have been excited, and perhaps some would have escaped.
The words behind it
23 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וַיָּבֹ֥א | vaiyavo' | and he went | H935 → | 2568 times |
| יֵה֛וּא | yehu' | Jehu | H3058 → | 58 times |
| וִיהוֹנָדָ֥ב | vihonadav | and Jonadab | H3082 → | 8 times |
| בֶּן־ | ben- | [the] son of | H1121 → | 4930 times |
| רֵכָ֖ב | rekhav | Rechab | H7394 → | |
| בֵּ֣ית | beit | [the] house of | H1004 → | 2046 times |
| הַבָּ֑עַל | habaal | <the> Baal | H1168 → | 82 times |
| וַיֹּ֜אמֶר | vaiyomer | and he said | H559 → | 5305 times |
| לְעֹבְדֵ֣י | leoedei | to [those who] serve | H5647 → | 288 times |
| הַבַּ֗עַל | habaal | <of the> Baal | H1168 → | 82 times |
| חַפְּשׂ֤וּ | chapesu | search | H2664 → | |
| וּרְאוּ֙ | ureu | and see | H7200 → | 1300 times |
| פֶּן־ | pen- | lest | H6435 → | |
| יֶשׁ־ | yesh- | there | H3426 → | 140 times |
| פֹּ֤ה | poh | here | H6311 → | 82 times |
| עִמָּכֶם֙ | ʾimakhem | with you | H5973 → | 1050 times |
| מֵעַבְדֵ֣י | meavdei | [be] any of [the] servants of | H5650 → | 799 times |
| יְהוָ֔ה | yahweh | Yahweh | H3068 → | 6520 times |
| כִּ֛י | ki | that | H3588 → | 4482 times |
| אִם־ | ʾim- | except | H518 → | 1069 times |
| עֹבְדֵ֥י | ʾoedei | [those who] serve | H5647 → | 288 times |
| הַבַּ֖עַל | habaal | <of the> Baal | H1168 → | 82 times |
| לְבַדָּֽם׃ | levadam | to alone them | H905 → | 200 times |
וַיָּבֹ֥אand he went
vaiyavo'H935 →2568 times
יֵה֛וּאJehu
yehu'H3058 →58 times
וִיהוֹנָדָ֥בand Jonadab
vihonadavH3082 →8 times
בֶּן־[the] son of
ben-H1121 →4930 times
רֵכָ֖בRechab
rekhavH7394 →
בֵּ֣ית[the] house of
beitH1004 →2046 times
הַבָּ֑עַל<the> Baal
habaalH1168 →82 times
וַיֹּ֜אמֶרand he said
vaiyomerH559 →5305 times
לְעֹבְדֵ֣יto [those who] serve
leoedeiH5647 →288 times
הַבַּ֗עַל<of the> Baal
habaalH1168 →82 times
חַפְּשׂ֤וּsearch
chapesuH2664 →
וּרְאוּ֙and see
ureuH7200 →1300 times
פֶּן־lest
pen-H6435 →
יֶשׁ־there
yesh-H3426 →140 times
פֹּ֤הhere
pohH6311 →82 times
עִמָּכֶם֙with you
ʾimakhemH5973 →1050 times
מֵעַבְדֵ֣י[be] any of [the] servants of
meavdeiH5650 →799 times
יְהוָ֔הYahweh
yahwehH3068 →6520 times
כִּ֛יthat
kiH3588 →4482 times
אִם־except
ʾim-H518 →1069 times
עֹבְדֵ֥י[those who] serve
ʾoedeiH5647 →288 times
הַבַּ֖עַל<of the> Baal
habaalH1168 →82 times
לְבַדָּֽם׃to alone them
levadamH905 →200 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Matthew 13:30Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat into my barn.’”
it leads to
- Matthew 3:12
His winnowing fork is in His hand to clear His threshing floor and to gather His wheat into the barn; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”
- 1 Timothy 5:24
The sins of some men are obvious, going ahead of them to judgment; but the sins of others do not surface until later.
- 1 Corinthians 4:5
Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait until the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of men’s hearts. At that time each…
- John 15:6
If anyone does not remain in Me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers. Such branches are gathered up, thrown into the fire, and burned.
- Malachi 3:18
So you will again distinguish between the righteous and the wicked, between those who serve God and those who do not.”
- Matthew 3:12
Through
Matthew 13:41The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will weed out of His kingdom every cause of sin and all who practice lawlessness.
it leads to
- Matthew 24:31
And He will send out His angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather His elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.
- Matthew 18:7
Woe to the world for the causes of sin. These stumbling blocks must come, but woe to the man through whom they come!
- 2 Peter 2:1–2
Now there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them—bringing swift destruction on…
- Matthew 24:31
Where this verse is studied
On this page
About 2 Kings
Who and where
1 name in this verse with a page on the site.
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible and Theodoret of Cyrus, QUESTION 34, ON 2 KINGS.