And they brake down the image of Baal, and brake down the house of Baal, and made it a draught house unto this day.

2 KINGS 10:27KJV
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2 Kings 10:27 (KJV)

What does 2 Kings 10:27 mean?

2 Kings 10:27 describes how Jehu’s followers destroyed the statue of Baal, tore down Baal’s temple, and turned the site into a public latrine, making it unusable for worship from that time onward. This act showed their determination to completely erase Baal worship from Israel.

In the story, Jehu is carrying out a campaign to remove the worship of Baal, a foreign god, from Israel after taking the throne. The verse highlights not only the physical destruction of Baal’s image and temple but also the deliberate humiliation of the site by making it a “draught house” (a public toilet), ensuring that the place could never again be used for religious purposes.

The Hebrew behind 2 Kings 10:27

  • “Image” (מַצֵּבָה, matzevah): This word refers to a standing pillar or idol, often used for worship. The destruction of the matzevah shows the thoroughness of Jehu’s purge.
  • “House” (בַּיִת, bayit): Used here for the temple or building dedicated to Baal, emphasizing that not just the idol but the entire structure was torn down.
  • “Draught house” (מַחֲרָאוֹת, macharaot): This word means a place for human waste, a latrine. Turning the temple into a latrine was a way to desecrate it completely, making it unfit for any future worship.

Why 2 Kings 10:27 matters

  • The verse shows the extreme measures Jehu took to end Baal worship, not just removing idols but making sure the site itself was permanently defiled.
  • By describing the temple’s conversion into a latrine, the verse underlines the total rejection and humiliation of Baal worship in Israel.
  • This action connects to the wider story of religious reform in Israel, showing how leaders sometimes used very public, physical acts to signal a break with past practices.

Where else these words appear

“house” Hebrew H4163 · used in 2 verses

  • Micah 5:2 But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.

“image” Hebrew H4676 · used in 31 verses

  • Genesis 28:18 And Jacob rose up early in the morning, and took the stone that he had put for his pillows, and set it up for a pillar, and poured oil upon the top of it.
  • Exodus 34:13 But ye shall destroy their altars, break their images, and cut down their groves:
  • 2 Kings 23:14 And he brake in pieces the images, and cut down the groves, and filled their places with the bones of men.

“down” Hebrew H5422 · used in 41 verses

  • Exodus 34:13 But ye shall destroy their altars, break their images, and cut down their groves:
  • 2 Kings 11:18 And all the people of the land went into the house of Baal, and brake it down; his altars and his images brake they in pieces thoroughly, and slew Mattan the priest of Baal before the altars. And the priest appointed officers over the house of the LORD.
  • Psalms 52:5 God shall likewise destroy thee for ever, he shall take thee away, and pluck thee out of thy dwelling place, and root thee out of the land of the living. Selah.

“Baal” Hebrew H1168 · used in 68 verses

  • Judges 2:11 And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD, and served Baalim:
  • 1 Kings 19:18 Yet I have left me seven thousand in Israel, all the knees which have not bowed unto Baal, and every mouth which hath not kissed him.
  • 2 Chronicles 23:17 Then all the people went to the house of Baal, and brake it down, and brake his altars and his images in pieces, and slew Mattan the priest of Baal before the altars.