Bible Commentaries
1 Kings 16

Verse 1

Then the word of the LORD came to Jehu the son of Hanani against Baasha, saying,

Came to Jehu the son of Hanani. — Who was also a prophet, and had, by good education, fitted him for the office.

Verse 2

Forasmuch as I exalted thee out of the dust, and made thee prince over my people Israel; and thou hast walked in the way of Jeroboam, and hast made my people Israel to sin, to provoke me to anger with their sins;

Forasmuch as I exalted thee. — See 1 Kings 14:7 . Ingentia beneficia, flagitia, supplicia, say the Centurists.

Verse 3

Behold, I will take away the posterity of Baasha, and the posterity of his house; and will make thy house like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat.

Behold, I will take away. — It is a just presage and desert of ruin, not to be warned by others’ woes.

Verse 4

Him that dieth of Baasha in the city shall the dogs eat; and him that dieth of his in the fields shall the fowls of the air eat.

Him that dieth of Baasha. — See 1 Kings 14:10-11 .

Verse 5

Now the rest of the acts of Baasha, and what he did, and his might, [are] they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?

Now the rest. — See on 1 Kings 14:19 .

Verse 6

So Baasha slept with his fathers, and was buried in Tirzah: and Elah his son reigned in his stead.

Slept with his fathers. — His posterity only were eaten by dogs and fowls.

Verse 7

And also by the hand of the prophet Jehu the son of Hanani came the word of the LORD against Baasha, and against his house, even for all the evil that he did in the sight of the LORD, in provoking him to anger with the work of his hands, in being like the house of Jeroboam; and because he killed him.

And because he killed him. — Him, that is, his lord Nadab, the son of Jeroboam; not Jehu the prophet, as the Latin translator doateth, and with him A. Lapide and others.

Verse 8

In the twenty and sixth year of Asa king of Judah began Elah the son of Baasha to reign over Israel in Tirzah, two years.

Two years. — Current, but not fully complete. 1 Kings 16:15 So God paid Baasha in kind for his cruelty to Nadab. He loveth to retaliate.

Verse 9

And his servant Zimri, captain of half [his] chariots, conspired against him, as he was in Tirzah, drinking himself drunk in the house of Arza steward of [his] house in Tirzah.

And his servant Zimri. — Perhaps he of Saul’s posterity. 1 Chronicles 8:36

Drinking himself drunk. — Haply to put away the fear of death, like as Tacitus saith, Vitelius trepidus, dein temulentus.

Verse 10

And Zimri went in and smote him, and killed him, in the twenty and seventh year of Asa king of Judah, and reigned in his stead.

And Zimri went in and smote him, and killed him. — Even while he was drunk, and dreamt not of death. So Amnon, so Belshazzar, so not a few in all ages. And yet men will not be warned of this noonday devil, Drunkenness.

Verse 11

And it came to pass, when he began to reign, as soon as he sat on his throne, [that] he slew all the house of Baasha: he left him not one that pisseth against a wall, neither of his kinsfolks, nor of his friends.

As soon as he sat on his throne. — He laid about him lustily: for the seven days’ space only of his reign.

Neither of his kinsfolks nor of friends. — As resolving to leave never a rub to lie in the way that might binder the true running of his bowl.

Verse 12

Thus did Zimri destroy all the house of Baasha, according to the word of the LORD, which he spake against Baasha by Jehu the prophet,

By (the hand of) Jehu, — i.e., By his ministry.

Verse 13

For all the sins of Baasha, and the sins of Elah his son, by which they sinned, and by which they made Israel to sin, in provoking the LORD God of Israel to anger with their vanities.

And by which they made others to sin. — Height of place ever addeth two wings to sin, example and scandal, whereby it soareth higher and flieth much further.

Verse 14

Now the rest of the acts of Elah, and all that he did, [are] they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?

Now the rest. — See 1 Kings 14:19 .

Verse 15

In the twenty and seventh year of Asa king of Judah did Zimri reign seven days in Tirzah. And the people [were] encamped against Gibbethon, which [belonged] to the Philistines.

Did Zimri reign seven days. — God quickly wore this rod of his wrath to the stumps, and then cast it into the fire.

Verse 16

And the people [that were] encamped heard say, Zimri hath conspired, and hath also slain the king: wherefore all Israel made Omri, the captain of the host, king over Israel that day in the camp.

King over Israel that day. — For a matter of such consequence admitted not of any delays: -

“ Semper nocuit differre paratis. ”

Verse 17

And Omri went up from Gibbethon, and all Israel with him, and they besieged Tirzah.

And Omri went out from Gibethon. — Where now the second time the siege was raised. See 1 Kings 15:27 .

Verse 18

And it came to pass, when Zimri saw that the city was taken, that he went into the palace of the king’s house, and burnt the king’s house over him with fire, and died,

The city was taken. — And so himself like to be unkinged. Of the Ruteni it is storied, that many times they have each day a new king, or more, as any of them are of power to make themselves so. This must needs be regnum Cuclopicum.

And burnt the king’s house over him. — The like did Sardanapalus, the last king of Assyria, not willing to fall into the hands of Arbacus his own general, by whom he was besieged at Nineveh. Diodor. Justin. Strabo.

Verse 19

For his sins which he sinned in doing evil in the sight of the LORD, in walking in the way of Jeroboam, and in his sin which he did, to make Israel to sin.

In doing evil. — So active was this man in a quick despatch of the deeds of darkness.

Verse 20

Now the rest of the acts of Zimri, and his treason that he wrought, [are] they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?

Are they not written? — See 1 Kings 14:19 .

Verse 21

Then were the people of Israel divided into two parts: half of the people followed Tibni the son of Ginath, to make him king; and half followed Omri.

Half of the people followed Tibni, … — Both Tibni and Omri should have refused these offered honours: considering what had befallen the kings that had gone before them. Macro, captain of the guard, and Laco, knight of the watch, men that had been active in ruinating Sejanus, had great honours appointed them by the Senate. They refused them: and Dion attributeth the reason of their refusal to the terror of an example so fresh in their memories. Dion, in Tiberio.

Verse 22

But the people that followed Omri prevailed against the people that followed Tibni the son of Ginath: so Tibni died, and Omri reigned.

So Tibni died, and Omri reigned. — An untimely death it was likely that Tibni came to: as did most of the emperors of Rome till Constantine the Great. Of sixty-three of them, six only died in their beds. Ad generum Cereris, … This made Erasmus cry out, O miseros principes, si intelligant sua mala: miseriores, si non intelligant! Oh, the misery of princes, if they know their own misery!

Verse 23

In the thirty and first year of Asa king of Judah began Omri to reign over Israel, twelve years: six years reigned he in Tirzah.

Began Omri to reign. — Without a competitor.

Twelve years, — viz., In all: reckoning the four full years before Tibni’s death.

Verse 24

And he bought the hill Samaria of Shemer for two talents of silver, and built on the hill, and called the name of the city which he built, after the name of Shemer, owner of the hill, Samaria.

And built on the hill. — A city, with a palace royal: for Tirzah was burnt by Zimri. 1 Kings 16:18

Verse 25

But Omri wrought evil in the eyes of the LORD, and did worse than all that [were] before him.

And did worse than all. — Noluit solita peccare, as Seneca saith of some in his time: et puduit non esse impudentem, as Augustine of others in his: he sought to outsin his predecessors.

Verse 26

For he walked in all the way of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and in his sin wherewith he made Israel to sin, to provoke the LORD God of Israel to anger with their vanities.

For he walked in all the way. — In tota via Ieroboami et in singulis peccatis eius: yea, and herein he outdid Jeroboam, in that he "framed mischief by a law," Psalms 94:20 for we read of "the statutes of Omri" Micah 6:16 binding people to idolatry.

Verse 27

Now the rest of the acts of Omri which he did, and his might that he shewed, [are] they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?

Are they not written? — See on 1 Kings 14:19 .

Verse 28

So Omri slept with his fathers, and was buried in Samaria: and Ahab his son reigned in his stead.

And was buried in Samaria. — Herein he sped better than his betters. It is well observed by Augustine, In Ps. xxx. that God punisheth some wicked ones here, lest his providence - and not all, lest his patience and promise of judgment - should be called into question.

Verse 29

And in the thirty and eighth year of Asa king of Judah began Ahab the son of Omri to reign over Israel: and Ahab the son of Omri reigned over Israel in Samaria twenty and two years.

And Ahab reigned in Samaria. — Now the metropolis, and seat of the royal residency.

Verse 30

And Ahab the son of Omri did evil in the sight of the LORD above all that [were] before him.

Above all that were. — He proved an arrant non-such. Bipedum nequissimus.

Verse 31

And it came to pass, as if it had been a light thing for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, that he took to wife Jezebel the daughter of Ethbaal king of the Zidonians, and went and served Baal, and worshipped him.

He took to wife Jezebel the daughter of Ethbaal. — Whom Diodorus Siculus calleth Jeobalus. The very name of this king and his daughter ending in Bel and Baal, show how greatly they were addicted to that idolatry.

Verse 32

And he reared up an altar for Baal in the house of Baal, which he had built in Samaria.

And he reared up an altar. — For the sake, and by the instigation of his wicked wife, a qua totus possidebatur et regebatur, et ut ita dicam, regina erat Rex, Rex vero regina. Bucholc.

Verse 33

And Ahab made a grove; and Ahab did more to provoke the LORD God of Israel to anger than all the kings of Israel that were before him.

To provoke the Lord. — To defy him, and dare him do his worst.

Verse 34

In his days did Hiel the Bethelite build Jericho: he laid the foundation thereof in Abiram his firstborn, and set up the gates thereof in his youngest [son] Segub, according to the word of the LORD, which he spake by Joshua the son of Nun.

In his days did Hiel the Bethelite build Jericho. — Al despite di Die, as that blasphemous Pope once said. But this bold wretch paid dearly for his presumption. See on Joshua 6:26 . He sought for a name, but hath left it for a curse, as Isaiah 65:15 . He might do it also to curry favour with Ahab, as his fellow condemner of God and his prophets.