Jehu, in the Bible, the 10th king of Israel; reigned 843?–816? B.C. In his early-career he was a general under King Ahab and under Jehoram (Joram). After being secretly anointed king by a young prophet on behalf of the prophet Elisha, Jehu organized a revolt and seized the throne. He killed Jehoram, the queen mother Jezebel, the rest of the royal family, and the priests of the pagan Baal religion. During his reign Jehu lost his territory east of the Jordan River to Assyria and had to pay tribute. His dynasty held the throne nearly a century. The story of Jehu is told in II Kings 9, 10.