1 Kings 16:31

1 Kings 16:31 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)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.
• New International Version (NIV)He not only considered it trivial to commit the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, but he also married Jezebel daughter of Ethbaal king of the Sidonians, and began to serve Baal and worship him.
• English Standard Version (ESV)And as if it had been a light thing for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, he took for his wife Jezebel the daughter of Ethbaal king of the Sidonians, and went and served Baal and worshiped him.
• New King James Version (NKJV)And it came to pass, as though it had been a trivial thing for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, that he took as wife Jezebel the daughter of Ethbaal, king of the Sidonians; and he went and served Baal and worshiped him.

Context of 1 Kings 16:31

29Ahab the son of Omri became king over Israel in the thirty-eighth year of Asa king of Judah, and Ahab the son of Omri reigned over Israel in Samaria for twenty-two years. 30Ahab the son of Omri did evil in the sight of the Lord more than all [the kings] who were before him. It came about, as if it had been a trivial thing for Ahab to walk in the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, that he married Jezebel the daughter of Ethbaal king of the Sidonians, and went and served Baal and worshiped him. 32So he erected an altar for Baal in the house of Baal which he built in Samaria. 33Ahab also made the Asherah. Ahab did more to provoke the Lord God of Israel than all the kings of Israel who were before him.

1 Kings 16:31 word by word

וַיְהִי֙ הֲנָקֵ֣ל לֶכְתּ֔וֹ בְּחַטֹּ֖אות יָרָבְעָ֣ם בֶּן־נְבָ֑ט וַיִּקַּ֨ח אִשָּׁ֜ה אֶת־אִיזֶ֗בֶל בַּת־אֶתְבַּ֙עַל֙ מֶ֣לֶךְ צִידֹנִ֔ים וַיֵּ֙לֶךְ֙ וַֽיַּעֲבֹ֣ד אֶת־הַבַּ֔עַל וַיִּשְׁתַּ֖חוּ לֽוֹ׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• And it came to pass, as if it had been a light thingקָלַלqâlal · to lightenH7043
• for him to walkיָלַךְyâlak · to walkH3212
• in the sinsחַטָּאתchaţţâ'âh chaţţâ'th · sinH2403
• of Jeroboamיָֽרָבְעָםyârob‛âm · JeroboamH3379
• the sonבֵּןbên · son: childH1121
• of Nebatנְבָטnebâţ · NebatH5028
• that he tookלָקַחlâqach · to take: takeH3947
• to wifeאִשָּׁה'ishshâh nâshîym · woman: wifeH802
• Jezebelאִיזֶבֶל'îyzebel · JezebelH348
• the daughterבַּתbath · daughterH1323
• of Ethbaalאֶתְבַּ֫עַל'ethba‛al · EthbaalH856
• kingמֶ֫לֶךְmelek · kingH4428
• of the Zidoniansצִידֹנִיtsîydônîy tsidônîy · SidonianH6722
• and servedעָבַד‛âbad · to serve: ministerH5647
• Baalבַּעַלba‛al · BaalH1168
• and worshippedשָׁחָהshâchâh · to bowH7812

Cross-references for 1 Kings 16:31

• Genesis 30:15But Leah answered, “Is it a small thing that you have taken my husband? Would you take away my son’s mandrakes also?” So Rachel said, “Jacob shall sleep with you tonight in exchange for your son’s mandrakes.”
• Numbers 16:9does it seem but a small thing to you that the God of Israel has separated you from the congregation of Israel, to bring you near to Himself, to do the service of the tabernacle of the Lord, and to stand before the congregation to minister to them;
• Isaiah 7:13Then Isaiah said, “Hear then, O house of David! Is it too small a thing for you to try the patience of men, but will you try the patience of my God as well?
• Ezekiel 8:17He said to me, “Do you see this, son of man? Is it too slight a thing for the house of Judah to commit the repulsive acts which they have committed here, that they have filled the land with violence and repeatedly provoked Me to anger? And behold, they are putting the branch to their nose.
• Ezekiel 16:20“Moreover, you took your sons and your daughters whom you had borne to Me, and you destroyed them as sacrifices [to your man-made gods]. Were your gross immoralities so small a matter?
• Ezekiel 34:18Is it too little a thing for you that you [unrighteous ones who are well-fed] feed in the best pasture, yet you must trample down with your feet [of wickedness] the rest of your pastures? Or that you drink clear [still] water, yet you must muddy with your feet [of wickedness] the rest [of the water]?
• Genesis 6:2that the sons of God saw that the daughters of men were beautiful and desirable; and they took wives for themselves, whomever they chose and desired.
• Deuteronomy 7:3You shall not intermarry with them; you shall not give your daughter to his son, nor shall you take his daughter for your son;
• Joshua 23:12For if you ever turn back and cling to the rest of these nations, these that are left among you, and intermarry with them, so that you associate with them and they with you,
• Nehemiah 13:23In those days I also saw Jews who had married women from Ashdod, Ammon, and Moab.
• 1 Kings 18:4for when Jezebel destroyed the prophets of the Lord, Obadiah took a hundred prophets and hid them by fifties in a cave, and provided them with bread and water.)
• 1 Kings 19:1Now Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, and how he had killed all the prophets [of Baal] with the sword.
• 1 Kings 21:5Then Jezebel his wife came to him and asked him, “Why is your spirit so troubled that you have not eaten?”
• 2 Kings 9:30So when Jehu came to Jezreel, Jezebel heard about it, and she painted her eyes and adorned her head and looked down from the [upper] window.
• Revelation 2:20But I have this [charge] against you, that you tolerate the woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess [claiming to be inspired], and she teaches and misleads My bond-servants so that they commit [acts of sexual] immorality and eat food sacrificed to idols.
• 1 Kings 11:1Now king Solomon [defiantly] loved many foreign women along with the daughter of Pharaoh: Moabite, Ammonite, Edomite, Sidonian, and Hittite women,

Commentaries on 1 Kings 16:31

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 31He took to wife Jezebel - This was the head and chief of his offending; he took to wife, not only a heathen, but one whose hostility to the true religion was well known, and carried to the utmost extent. She was the idolatrous daughter of an idolatrous king; She practiced it openly; She not only countenanced it in others, but protected it, and gave its partisans honors and rewards; She used every means to persecute the true religion; She was hideously…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 31As if it had been a light thing for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam - Idolatries are not exclusive. Ahab, while he detested the pure worship of Yahweh, and allowed Jezebel to put to death every “prophet of the Lord” whom she could find 1 Kings 18:4, readily tolerated the continued worship of the “calves,” which had no doubt tended more and more to lose its symbolic character, and to become a thoroughly idolatrous image-worship. Eth-baal - Identified…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 29-34Verses 29-34 Ahab did evil above all that reigned before him, and did it with a particular enmity both against Jehovah and Israel. He was not satisfied with breaking the second commandment by image-worship, he broke the first by worshipping other gods: making light of lesser sins makes way for greater. Marriages with daring offenders also imbolden in wickedness, and hurry men on to the greatest excesses. One of Ahab's subjects, following the example of…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 31-33Ahab is considered the worst king of Israel in terms of spirituality. People later blamed his bad actions on his wife Jezebel's influence (1 Kings 21:25). Ahab and Jezebel promoted Canaanite religious practices, which led Israel away from God. Combined with Jeroboam's false worship, these actions eventually brought disaster to Israel.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 29-3329-33. Ahab the son of Omri did evil in the sight of the Lord above all that were before him--The worship of God by symbols had hitherto been the offensive form of apostasy in Israel, but now gross idolatry is openly patronized by the court. This was done through the influence of Jezebel, Ahab's queen. She was "the daughter of Eth-baal, king of the Zidonians." He was priest of Ashtaroth or Astarte, who, having murdered Philetes, king of Tyre, ascended the…Read the comment

Topics related to 1 Kings 16:31

• Ahab
• Baal
• Ethbaal
• Jeroboam
• Jezebel
• Rulers
• Sidon
• Sin

In the dictionaries

• Baal
• Jeroboam
• Jezebel
• Ahab
• Baasha
• Ethbaal
• Apostasy; Apostate
• Elijah
• Israel, History of
• Israel, Kingdom of

Commentaries on 1 Kings 16

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Rashi on Tanakh
• Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
• Darby Translation Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings