(2) Wrought evil.--Did the evil in the eyes, &c., i.e., maintained the illicit worship of the bullock at Beth-el (2Kings 3:3).

Like his mother.--Jezebel lived throughout his reign (2Kings 9:30), which explains why he did not eradicate the Baal-worship (2Kings 10:18-28).

For he put away.--And he removed, scil., from its place in the temple of Baal. (Comp. 1Kings 16:31-32.) It must have been afterwards restored, probably by the influence of Jezebel. (Comp. 2Kings 10:26-27, and Notes.)

The image.--Pillar. (Comp. 2Chronicles 34:4.) The LXX., Vulg., and Arabic read "pillars" (a different pointing); and the LXX. adds at the end, "and brake them in pieces." This seems original. Ahab would be likely to set up more than one pillar to Baal.

Verse 2. - And he wrought evil in the sight of the Lord - as did every other king of Israel both before him (1 Kings 14:16; 1 Kings 15:25, 34; 1 Kings 16:13, 19, 25, 30; 1 Kings 22:52) and after him (2 Kings 8:27; 2 Kings 10:31; 2 Kings 13:2, 11; 2 Kings 14:24; 2 Kings 15:9, 18, 24, 28; 2 Kings 17:2) - but not like his father, and like his mother - i.e. Ahab and Jezebel, the introducers of the Baal-worship into Israel - for he put away the image of Baal that his father had made. It had not been said previously that Ahab had actually set up an image of Baal, but only that he had "built him a house in Samaria, and reared him up an altar," and that he "served him and worshipped him" (1 Kings 16:31, 32). But an image of the god for whom a "house" was built was so much a matter of course in the idolatrous systems of the East, that it might have seemed superfluous to mention it. The actual existence of the image appears later, when its destruction is recorded (2 Kings 10:27). It seems that Jehoram, at the commencement of his reign, took warning by the fates of his father and brother, so far as to abolish the state worship of Baal, which his father had introduced, and to remove the image of Baal from the temple where it had been set up. The image, however, was not destroyed - it was only "put away."

3:1-5 Jehoram took warning by God's judgment, and put away the image of Baal, yet he maintained the worship of the calves. Those do not truly repent or reform, who only part with the sins they lose by, but continue to love the sins that they think to gain by.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 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.