2 Kings 10:26

2Ki 10:26 And they brought forth the images out of the house of Baal, and burned them.

Ver. 26. And they brought forth the images, and burned them.] So they did here in King Edward VI’s reign; and the same day Musselburgh field in Scotland was won by the English.

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

2Ki 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.

Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

(26) The images.—Rather, the pillars; which were of wood, and had a sacred significance. (Comp. Hos_3:4.) “In primitive times a pillar was the distinguishing mark of a holy place. Idolatrous pillars were commanded to be destroyed (Exo_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. Deu_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 Isa_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.

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

26. And they brought forth the images] R.V. pillars. On this word see above, 2Ki_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.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

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.

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.

2 Kings 10:27

kg2 10:27

kg2 10:27

kg2 10:27And 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.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

The images - Or “pillars” of wood. The Phoenician pillar idols were mere columns, obelisks, or posts, destitute of any shaping into the semblance of humanity (compare 1Ki 14:23 note).

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

Heb. it, i.e. the collection of the images, or each of them.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

26. Brought… the images — These are supposed to have been wooden statues or pillars consecrated to Baal or some of his associate deities.

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

And they brought forth the images out of the house of Baal; rather, the pillars. (see the comment on 1Ki_14:23) It was a special feature of the Phoenician worship to represent the gods by sthlai or kionev, 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," And burned them. The "pillars" in this instance were probably, not of stone, but of wood.

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

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 Kg2 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).

Keil & Delitzsch — Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament (1861–1891) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API. (Old Testament only.)