2 Kings 3:2

2 He did what was evil in the Lord's sight, but not like his father and mother, for he removed the sacred pillar of Baal his father had made.^[a]

2 Kings 3:2 Meaning and Commentary

2 Kings 3:2

And he wrought evil in the sight of the Lord
Was guilty of idolatry:

but not like his father, and like his mother;
his father Ahab, and his mother Jezebel:

for he put away the image of Baal that his father had made;
he did not destroy it, only removed it from the temple of Baal where it was set, that it might not be worshipped, at least publicly, see ( 1 Kings 16:31 1 Kings 16:32 ) this he did, either moved to it by his own conscience, observing the sudden deaths of his father and brother, which he might suppose was for their idolatry; or in order to obtain success in his war with Moab he was entering into; or being instigated by Jehoshaphat to do it, or otherwise he might refuse to join him.

2 Kings 3:2 In-Context

1 Joram son of Ahab became king over Israel in Samaria during the eighteenth year of Judah's King Jehoshaphat; he reigned 12 years.

2 He did what was evil in the Lord's sight, but not like his father and mother, for he removed the sacred pillar of Baal his father had made.

3 Nevertheless, Joram clung to the sins that Jeroboam son of Nebat had caused Israel to commit. He did not turn away from them.

4 King Mesha of Moab was a sheep breeder. He used to pay the king of Israel 100,000 lambs and the wool of 100,000 rams,

5 but when Ahab died, the king of Moab rebelled against the king of Israel.

Footnotes

• [a]. 1 Kg 16:31-32