Bible Strands
2 Kings 10:20
And Jehu commanded, “Proclaim a solemn assembly for Baal.” So they announced it.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Jehu commands his attendants to declare a sacred gathering for Baal immediately after summoning all of Baal’s prophets, servants, and priests under threat of death for absence.
The words — קַדְּשׁוּ עֲצָרָה (qaddəshû ‘ăṣārâ) literally means “consecrate an assembly,” using the exact Hebrew ritual terminology Joel 1:14 applies to fasting.
The thread — This formal summons mirrors the gathering commands in Joel 1:14, parallels the deceptive feast proclamation in Exodus 32:5, and directly continues the Baal-prophet mobilization from 1 Kings 18:19.
Why it lands — The text records a calculated religious announcement that demands immediate compliance, requiring the reader to observe how sacred terminology can be deployed to execute a predetermined purge.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
And Jehu said, Proclaim a solemn assembly for Baal. And they proclaimed it.
Cross-references
- Joel 1:14 Consecrate a fast; proclaim a solemn assembly! Gather the elders and all the residents of the land to the house of the LORD your God, and cry out to the LORD.
- Exodus 32:5 When Aaron saw this, he built an altar before the calf and proclaimed: “Tomorrow shall be a feast to the LORD.”
- 1 Kings 18:19 Now summon all Israel to meet me on Mount Carmel, along with the four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal and the four hundred prophets of Asherah who eat at Jezebel’s table.”
- 1 Kings 21:12 They proclaimed a fast and gave Naboth a seat of honor among the people.