Text -- 1 Kings 16:16-34 (NET)

16:16 While deployed there, the army received this report: “Zimri has conspired against the king and assassinated him.” So all Israel made Omri, the commander of the army, king over Israel that very day in the camp. 16:17 Omri and all Israel went up from Gibbethon and besieged Tirzah. 16:18 When Zimri saw that the city was captured, he went into the fortified area of the royal palace. He set the palace on fire and died in the flames. 16:19 This happened because of the sins he committed. He did evil in the sight of the Lord and followed in Jeroboam’s footsteps and encouraged Israel to continue sinning. 16:20 The rest of the events of Zimri’s reign, including the details of his revolt, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Israel.

Omri’s Reign over Israel

16:21 At that time the people of Israel were divided in their loyalties. Half the people supported Tibni son of Ginath and wanted to make him king; the other half supported Omri. 16:22 Omri’s supporters were stronger than those who supported Tibni son of Ginath. Tibni died; Omri became king. 16:23 In the thirty-first year of Asa’s reign over Judah, Omri became king over Israel. He ruled for twelve years, six of them in Tirzah. 16:24 He purchased the hill of Samaria from Shemer for two talents of silver. He launched a construction project there and named the city he built after Shemer, the former owner of the hill of Samaria. 16:25 Omri did more evil in the sight of the Lord than all who were before him. 16:26 He followed in the footsteps of Jeroboam son of Nebat and encouraged Israel to sin; they angered the Lord God of Israel with their worthless idols. 16:27 The rest of the events of Omri’s reign, including his accomplishments and successes, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Israel. 16:28 Omri passed away and was buried in Samaria. His son Ahab replaced him as king.

Ahab Promotes Idolatry

16:29 In the thirty-eighth year of Asa’s reign over Judah, Omri’s son Ahab became king over Israel. Ahab son of Omri ruled over Israel for twenty-two years in Samaria. 16:30 Ahab son of Omri did more evil in the sight of the Lord than all who were before him. 16:31 As if following in the sinful footsteps of Jeroboam son of Nebat were not bad enough, he married Jezebel the daughter of King Ethbaal of the Sidonians. Then he worshiped and bowed to Baal. 16:32 He set up an altar for Baal in the temple of Baal he had built in Samaria. 16:33 Ahab also made an Asherah pole; he did more to anger the Lord God of Israel than all the kings of Israel who were before him. 16:34 During Ahab’s reign, Hiel the Bethelite rebuilt Jericho. Abiram, his firstborn son, died when he laid the foundation; Segub, his youngest son, died when he erected its gates, just as the Lord had warned through Joshua son of Nun.

Commentary -- Verse Notes / Footnotes

NET Notes: 1Ki 16:16

¹ tn Heb “and the people who were encamped heard.”

² tn Heb “has conspired against and also has struck down the king.”

NET Notes: 1Ki 16:18

¹ tn Heb “and he burned the house of the king over him with fire and he died.”

NET Notes: 1Ki 16:19

¹ tn Heb “in the eyes of.”

² tn Heb “walking in the way of Jeroboam and in his sin which he did to make Israel sin.”

NET Notes: 1Ki 16:20

¹ tn Heb “As for the rest of the events of Zimri, and his conspiracy which he conspired, are they not written on the scroll of the events of the days of the kings of Israel?”

NET Notes: 1Ki 16:24

¹ map For location see Map2 B1; Map4 D3; Map5 E2; Map6 A4; Map7 C1.

² tn The Hebrew term כִּכָּר (kikkar, “circle”) refers generally to something that is round. When used of metals it can refer to a disk-shaped weight made of the metal or to a standard unit of weight, generally regarded as a talent. Since the accepted weight for a talent of metal is about 75 pounds, this would have amounted to about 150 pounds of silver.

³ tn Heb “he built up the hill.”

NET Notes: 1Ki 16:25

¹ tn Heb “in the eyes of.”

NET Notes: 1Ki 16:26

¹ tn Heb “walked in all the way of Jeroboam son of Nebat and in his sin which he made Israel sin.”

² tn Heb “angering the Lord God of Israel with their empty things.”

NET Notes: 1Ki 16:27

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

NET Notes: 1Ki 16:28

¹ tn Heb “lay down with his fathers.”

² tc The Old Greek has eight additional verses here. Cf. 1 Kgs 22:41-44.

NET Notes: 1Ki 16:29

¹ map For location see Map2 B1; Map4 D3; Map5 E2; Map6 A4; Map7 C1.

NET Notes: 1Ki 16:30

¹ tn Heb “in the eyes of.”

NET Notes: 1Ki 16:31

¹ tn Heb “and he went and served Baal and bowed down to him.”

sn The Canaanites worshiped Baal as a storm and fertility god.

NET Notes: 1Ki 16:33

¹ tn Heb “Ahab”; the proper name has been replaced by the pronoun (“he”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.

NET Notes: 1Ki 16:34

¹ tn Heb “in his days.”

² map For location see Map5 B2; Map6 E1; Map7 E1; Map8 E3; Map10 A2; Map11 A1.

³ tn Heb “with Abiram, his firstborn, he founded it.”

⁴ tn Heb “with Segub, his youngest, he set up its gates.”

⁵ tn Heb “according to the word of the Lord which he spoke.”

⁶ sn Warned through Joshua son of Nun. For the background to this statement, see Josh 6:26, where Joshua pronounces a curse on the one who dares to rebuild Jericho. Here that curse is viewed as a prophecy spoken by God through Joshua.