Jehu

Jehu (meaning the LORD is he) was the military commander of Israel who was anointed by a prophet sent by Elisha to be king and to execute divine judgment on the house of Ahab (2 Kings 9-10; 1 Kings 19:16). In a sweeping purge, Jehu killed King Joram of Israel, King Ahaziah of Judah, Jezebel the queen mother, all seventy sons of Ahab, the Baal priests, and all Ahab's officials and associates — fulfilling to the letter the judgment pronounced by Elijah. He reigned over Israel approximately 841–814 B.C.

Jehu is theologically complex: God commended his execution of Ahab's house as faithful obedience (2 Kings 10:30), yet Hosea 1:4 declares that God will punish the house of Jehu for "the blood of Jezreel" — suggesting the manner of the purge exceeded proper bounds, or that Jehu's own subsequent failures negated the commendation. Though he eliminated Baal worship from Israel, he continued the golden calves of Jeroboam and did not follow the LORD with all his heart. His dynasty was the longest in Israel's northern kingdom, lasting four generations.