Jehu ruled the kingdom of Israel from about 842 to 814 B.C. The name Jehu means the Lord is he. In the Bible , Jehu’s story is told in 2 Kings 9-10. Jehu’s father was Jehoshapat, son of Nimshi. Jehu became king after revolting against King Joram (also called Jehoram). Joram was the son of Ahab , who, with Queen Jezebel, encouraged the worship of Baal in Israel. The worship of the Canaanite god Baal angered the prophets and others loyal to Israel’s God.
According to the Bible, the prophet Elisha sent one of his disciples to anoint Jehu, an officer in King Joram’s army, as king in place of Joram. Other commanders of the army supported Jehu. Jehu drove in his chariot to the capital, Jezreel. He killed Joram when Joram rode out to meet him. He also killed King Ahaziah of Judah, who had come to visit Joram. Jehu had Queen Jezebel thrown from a window, then trampled by horses. He also had Joram’s 70 sons killed, along with his friends, leaders, and priests. Finally, he summoned all the priests, prophets, and worshipers of Baal into their temple, where his soldiers killed them too. Jehu and his descendants ruled Israel for more than 100 years.
The Bible also mentions a prophet named Jehu (1 Kings 16:1-4), son of Hanani. The Black Obelisk monument of the Assyrian King Shalmaneser III, preserved at the British Museum in London, shows Jehu paying tribute to the king.
