Text -- 1 Kings 16:1-5 (NET)

16:1 Jehu son of Hanani received from the Lord this message predicting Baasha’s downfall: 16:2 “I raised you up from the dust and made you ruler over my people Israel. Yet you followed in Jeroboam’s footsteps and encouraged my people Israel to sin; their sins have made me angry. 16:3 So I am ready to burn up Baasha and his family, and make your family like the family of Jeroboam son of Nebat. 16:4 Dogs will eat the members of Baasha’s family who die in the city, and the birds of the sky will eat the ones who die in the country.” 16:5 The rest of the events of Baasha’s reign, including his accomplishments and successes, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Israel.

Commentary -- Verse Notes / Footnotes

NET Notes: 1Ki 16:1

¹ tn Heb “and the word of the Lord came to Jehu son of Hanani concerning [or “against”] Baasha, saying.”

NET Notes: 1Ki 16:2

¹ tn The Hebrew text has “because” at the beginning of the sentence. In the Hebrew text vv. 2-3 are one sentence comprised of a causal clause giving the reason for divine punishment (v. 2) and the main clause announcing the punishment (v. 3). The translation divides this sentence for stylistic reasons.

² tn Heb “walked in the way of Jeroboam.”

³ tn Heb “angering me by their sins.”

NET Notes: 1Ki 16:3

¹ tn The traditional view understands the verb בָּעַר (ba’ar) to mean “burn.” However, an alternate view takes בָּעַר (ba’ar) as a homonym meaning “sweep away” (HALOT 146 s.v. II בער). In this case one might translate, “I am ready to sweep away Baasha and his family.” Either metaphor emphasizes the thorough and destructive nature of the coming judgment.

² tc The Old Greek, Syriac Peshitta, and some mss of the Targum have here “his house.”

NET Notes: 1Ki 16:4

¹ tn Heb “the ones belonging to Baasha.”

NET Notes: 1Ki 16:5

¹ tn Heb “As for the rest of the events of Baasha, and that which he did and his strength, are they not written on the scroll of the events of the days of the kings of Israel?”