Jehu

Biblical Account

Jehu, the son of Jehoshaphat and grandson of Nimshi, was a military commander of the northern kingdom of Israel (2 Kings 9:2, 5). At Mount Horeb, God commanded Elijah to anoint Jehu as king (1 Kings 19:16). This command was later carried out at Ramoth-gilead by one of the sons of the prophets sent by Elisha (2 Kings 9:1–10).

After receiving the anointing, Jehu immediately drove his chariot to Jezreel. Seeing the chariot approach, the watchman recognized Jehu, "for he driveth furiously" (2 Kings 9:20). Jehu shot Joram, king of Israel, with an arrow and killed him, and he also killed Ahaziah, king of Judah, who was with Joram (9:24–27; 2 Chronicles 22:7–9). He then had Jezebel thrown from a window, and the text records that dogs ate her corpse, fulfilling Elijah's prophecy (1 Kings 21:23; 2 Kings 9:30–37). Afterward, he put to death the seventy sons of Ahab and forty-two kinsmen of Ahaziah (10:1–14).

Jehu took Jehonadab the son of Rechab into his chariot and said, "See my zeal for the LORD" (10:15–16). Then, claiming that he too would serve Baal, he gathered the worshipers of Baal into their temple, killed them all, and tore down the temple (10:18–28).

Jehu, however, did not depart from the sins of Jeroboam, who had led Israel to worship the golden calves at Bethel and Dan (10:29–31). Because of what Jehu had done to the house of Ahab, God promised that his descendants would sit on the throne to the fourth generation (10:30). Scripture records that this promise was fulfilled in the time of Zechariah (2 Kings 15:12). During Jehu's reign, Hazael king of Aram began to seize Israelite territory (10:32–33).

Another person of the same name is the prophet Jehu, the son of Hanani (1 Kings 16:1; 2 Chronicles 19:2). He is distinct from King Jehu, the subject of this article.

Significance in Scripture

The books of Kings portray Jehu as an instrument of judgment against the house of Ahab and the worship of Baal. At the same time, they assess him as one who "took no heed to walk in the law of the LORD God of Israel with all his heart" (2 Kings 10:31). About a century later, Hosea proclaimed, "I will avenge the blood of Jezreel upon the house of Jehu" (Hosea 1:4). Jehu is not mentioned in the New Testament.

Interpretation and Debate

Interpreters differ on how to reconcile the commendation in 2 Kings 10:30 with the declaration of judgment in Hosea 1:4. Some hold that Jehu exceeded the scope of his commission, carrying out excessive bloodshed motivated by his own pursuit of power. Others hold that because Jehu's dynasty persisted in idolatry, the events at Jezreel ultimately became grounds for judgment. Whether the deceptive means by which he gathered the worshipers of Baal were ethically justified is also frequently debated.

An extrabiblical source is the Black Obelisk of the Assyrian king Shalmaneser III. It is widely held to depict "Jehu, son of Omri" presenting tribute. Scholars disagree as to whether the prostrate figure represents Jehu himself or his envoy.

In the Korean Church

In Korean church preaching, Jehu is usually discussed in connection with the phrase "my zeal for the LORD" (2 Kings 10:16). Pointing out that he was zealous yet would not abandon the golden calves, preachers often present him as a cautionary example against zeal that does not spring from an upright heart and against partial obedience.