And when they went in to offer sacrifices and burnt offerings, Jehu appointed fourscore men without, and said, If any of the men whom I have brought into your hands escape, he that letteth him go, his life shall be for the life of him.
When they went inside to offer sacrifices and burnt offerings, Jehu stationed eighty men outside and said, 'If any of the men I have put in your control escapes, whoever lets him go will pay with his own life.'
Jehu is threatening his guards with death if they allow any of the Baal worshipers to escape from what appears to be a trap disguised as a religious ceremony.
📚 Historical Context
This occurs during Jehu's violent purge of Baal worship from Israel around 841 BC. Jehu had pretended to be a devoted follower of Baal and gathered all the priests and worshipers into the temple under the pretense of holding a great sacrifice. This was actually a carefully planned trap to eliminate Baal worship from the northern kingdom of Israel.
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