JE'HU perhaps from ielzo-lig, Yahweh is he). Tenth King of Israel. e.842 815 B.C.. son of .Jehoshaphat and grandson of Nimshi. From the position of one of the body guards of Ahab he rose to that of general under .foram. He seized the opportunity of Jo•am's absence in Jezreel, whither he had gone to seek healing from his wounds received in the battle with the Syrians, to seat him self on the throne. Having control of the army intrusted to him for the protection of the border city ilamoth-Gilead against the Arameans. Jelm proceeded against his royal master, slew Jorarn and also Ahaziah, King of Judah, who was on a visit to the King of Israel. Ile also had Jezebel, the wife of Ahab, put to death, and, not content with this. brought about a wholesale massacre of Ahab's (or Joram's) family, and also of forty two kinsmen of .1haziali. This story of Jehu's con spiracy is told (II. Kings ix.-x.) in emmeetion with the narrative of the Prophet Elijah. Jehu's (beds are portrayed as retribution for the judi cial murder of Naboth (1. Kings xxi.), and he is ri presented as the instrument of Yahweh to bring about the destruction of Ahab. Such an inter pretation. of course. reflects the later religious point of view; but it would seem that Jelin indeed posed as the devotee of Yahweh, for he follows till his destruction of the house of Ahab by an extermination of the prophets and priests of Baal. By n cunning stratagem he collects them together in the temple court and pots them to death (II. Kings x. 18-28). Whatever his
motives may have been,lie does not appear in the light of a religious reformer to the later Old Testament writers, who cannot disguise the fact that Jelin was not a Yahweh-worshiper according to their ideals. In fact, he maintained the 'high places' with the Canaanitish rites and associa tions. and the triumph of Yahweh simply meant for Jelni an absorption of Baal's ride by the Hebrew deity. The political activity of Jelin was mainly directed toward the subjugation of 'Wall, which under Ahab had practically become a vassal of Israel. (See JEnosit.s.eitAT.) At the close of his reign, however. Judah was in a somewhat more favorable position than at the beginning. In 11.C. 842, shortly after mounting the throne. Jelin purchased the favor of Shillala n•ser 11. of Assyria by rich gifts. The Assyrian king laid siege to Damascus, and on his return from his campaigns erected a monmnent in Nine veh (the so-called black obelisk of Shalmaneser 11., now in the British Museum). on which, among other events, he depicted this tribute of Jelea. The latter. however, gained little by curry ing favor with Assyria. Syria again began to stir itself and assumed the offensive against Israel, and before the cud of Jehu's reign his kingdom was weakened on various sides, though he was able to hand over the succession to his son Jelmahaz (q.v.).