1 Kings 16

Passage overview

1 Kings 16 deals with a turbulent period in the northern kingdom of Israel, when several kings are replaced within a short time. This chapter briefly records five kings—Baasha, Elah, Zimri, Omri, and Ahab—along with their reigns and the results that followed.

1verseThe LORD’s word came to Jehu the son of Hanani against Baasha, saying,

2verse“Because I exalted you out of the dust and made you prince over my people Israel, and you have walked in the way of Jeroboam and have made my people Israel to sin, to provoke me to anger with their sins,

3versebehold, I will utterly sweep away Baasha and his house; and I will make your house like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat.

4verseThe dogs will eat Baasha’s descendants who die in the city; and he who dies of his in the field, the birds of the sky will eat.”

5verseNow the rest of the acts of Baasha, and what he did, and his might, aren’t they written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?

6verseBaasha slept with his fathers, and was buried in Tirzah; and Elah his son reigned in his place.

7verseMoreover the LORD’s word came by the prophet Jehu the son of Hanani against Baasha and against his house, both because of all the evil that he did in the LORD’s sight, to provoke him to anger with the work of his hands, in being like the house of Jeroboam, and because he struck him.

8verseIn the twenty-sixth year of Asa king of Judah, Elah the son of Baasha began to reign over Israel in Tirzah for two years.

9verseHis servant Zimri, captain of half his chariots, conspired against him. Now he was in Tirzah, drinking himself drunk in the house of Arza, who was over the household in Tirzah;

10verseand Zimri went in and struck him and killed him in the twenty-seventh year of Asa king of Judah, and reigned in his place.

11verseWhen he began to reign, as soon as he sat on his throne, he attacked all the house of Baasha. He didn’t leave him a single one who urinates on a wall among his relatives or his friends.

12verseThus Zimri destroyed all the house of Baasha, according to the LORD’s word which he spoke against Baasha by Jehu the prophet,

13versefor all the sins of Baasha, and the sins of Elah his son, which they sinned and with which they made Israel to sin, to provoke the LORD, the God of Israel, to anger with their vanities.

14verseNow the rest of the acts of Elah, and all that he did, aren’t they written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?

15verseIn the twenty-seventh year of Asa king of Judah, Zimri reigned seven days in Tirzah. Now the people were encamped against Gibbethon, which belonged to the Philistines.

16verseThe people who were encamped heard that Zimri had conspired, and had also killed the king. Therefore all Israel made Omri, the captain of the army, king over Israel that day in the camp.

17verseOmri went up from Gibbethon, and all Israel with him, and they besieged Tirzah.

18verseWhen Zimri saw that the city was taken, he went into the fortified part of the king’s house and burned the king’s house over him with fire, and died,

19versefor his sins which he sinned in doing that which was evil in the LORD’s sight, in walking in the way of Jeroboam, and in his sin which he did to make Israel to sin.

20verseNow the rest of the acts of Zimri, and his treason that he committed, aren’t they written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?

21verseThen the people of Israel were divided into two parts: half of the people followed Tibni the son of Ginath, to make him king, and half followed Omri.

22verseBut the people who followed Omri prevailed against the people who followed Tibni the son of Ginath; so Tibni died, and Omri reigned.

23verseIn the thirty-first year of Asa king of Judah, Omri began to reign over Israel for twelve years. He reigned six years in Tirzah.

24verseHe bought the hill Samaria of Shemer for two talents of silver; and he built on the hill, and called the name of the city which he built, Samaria, after the name of Shemer, the owner of the hill.

25verseOmri did that which was evil in the LORD’s sight, and dealt wickedly above all who were before him.

26verseFor he walked in all the way of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and in his sins with which he made Israel to sin, to provoke the LORD, the God of Israel, to anger with their vanities.

27verseNow the rest of the acts of Omri which he did, and his might that he showed, aren’t they written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?

28verseSo Omri slept with his fathers, and was buried in Samaria; and Ahab his son reigned in his place.

29verseIn the thirty-eighth year of Asa king of Judah, Ahab the son of Omri began to reign over Israel. Ahab the son of Omri reigned over Israel in Samaria twenty-two years.

30verseAhab the son of Omri did that which was evil in the LORD’s sight above all that were before him.

31verseAs if it had been a light thing for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, he took as wife Jezebel the daughter of Ethbaal king of the Sidonians, and went and served Baal and worshiped him.

32verseHe raised up an altar for Baal in the house of Baal, which he had built in Samaria.

33verseAhab made the Asherah; and Ahab did more yet to provoke the LORD, the God of Israel, to anger than all the kings of Israel who were before him.

34verseIn his days Hiel the Bethelite built Jericho. He laid its foundation with the loss of Abiram his firstborn, and set up its gates with the loss of his youngest son Segub, according to the LORD’s word, which he spoke by Joshua the son of Nun.

Structure and Flow

  • Verses 1-7: Baasha’s wicked deeds, the coming judgment, and his death
  • Verses 8-14: Elah’s short reign and his being killed by Zimri
  • Verses 15-20: Zimri’s seven-day reign and the coup by Omri
  • Verses 21-28: Civil war between Omri and Tibni, Omri’s victory, and the building of Samaria
  • Verses 29-34: Ahab’s accession and his even more serious wicked deeds, along with the spread of Baal worship

Explanation of Key Points

Chapter 16 shows how the instability of Israel’s history, repeated wickedness, the brief reigns of the kings, and God’s judgment continue to unfold. All the kings did evil in the sight of God, and that leads directly to judgment and destruction. In particular, Ahab, who appears at the end, symbolizes the height of Israel’s spiritual decline, having done evil even worse than the kings before him. It also mentions the establishment of Samaria, which becomes a turning point in changing the main stage of Israel’s history afterward.

Meaning of the Whole Chapter

1 Kings 16 delivers a message of God’s justice and warning through the history of confusion that arises from the incompleteness of human rule, disobedience, and its consequences. It also shows God’s providence that emphasizes the need for faithful belief for the people of Israel and warns them against the wrong path.

Meditation Points

  • Think about what you can learn in the cycle of repeating wicked deeds and judgment.
  • Look at how the attitude and faith of one leader (a king) affect the entire community.

Apply It to Me

  • Take a moment to check what choices you are making from your own “throne” in life.
  • In the place you are responsible for, think about what you can put into practice today to follow God’s will.