EasyEnglish Bible 2018
1 Kings 16:31
31He did the same bad things that Nebat's son Jeroboam had done. He even did something that was even worse. He married Jezebel, the daughter of Ethbaal, the king of Sidon. Ahab served Baal as his god and he worshipped him.
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
29Omri's son Ahab became king of Israel when Asa had been king of Judah for 38 years. Ahab ruled Israel as king in Samaria for 22 years. 30Omri's son Ahab did many things that the Lord said were evil. He did more evil things than all the kings of Israel who lived before him. He did the same bad things that Nebat's son Jeroboam had done. He even did something that was even worse. He married Jezebel, the daughter of Ethbaal, the king of Sidon. Ahab served Baal as his god and he worshipped him. 32Ahab built a temple for Baal in Samaria. He made an altar for Baal in this temple. 33Ahab also made an Asherah pole to worship. He did many bad things that made the Lord, Israel's God, angry. He did more bad things than all the kings of Israel who lived before him.
Read all of 1 Kings 161 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 said to Rachel, ‘You took my husband from me. That was bad enough! Now you want to take my son's mandrakes too!’ Rachel said, ‘OK. If you give me some of your son's mandrakes, Jacob can sleep with you tonight.’
- Numbers 16:9The God of Israel has caused you Levites to be separate from all the other Israelites. He has brought you near to himself, to work in the Lord's Tent. He has chosen you to stand in front of all the people to serve them. But it seems that this is not enough for you.
- Isaiah 7:13So Isaiah replied, ‘Now listen, you royal family of David! You cause trouble for people like me. That is bad enough. But now you are trying to cause trouble for God himself.
- Ezekiel 8:17The Lord said to me, ‘Son of man, look at that! The people of Judah are doing these disgusting things here in my temple! That is a terrible thing! And they are also doing violent things everywhere in their land. They continue to make me angry all the time. Look at them! They insult me as much as they can!
- Ezekiel 16:20You also offered your sons and your daughters as sacrifices to those idols. They were my children too! But you offered them as food to your idols. Like a prostitute, you were not faithful to me.
- Ezekiel 34:18You bad sheep make sure that you have plenty of good grass to eat. But then you spoil the other grass so that no other sheep can eat it. You have clean water to drink. But then you spoil the water which remains. It is too dirty for other sheep to drink.
- Genesis 6:2The sons of God saw that the daughters of men were beautiful. They chose for themselves any of them that they wanted to become their wives.
- Deuteronomy 7:3You must not marry any of these people. Do not let your daughters marry their sons. Do not take their daughters to marry your sons.
- Joshua 23:12You must not turn away from him to join with the other nations that still live near you. Do not marry any of them. Do not live in the way that they live.
- Nehemiah 13:23Also at that time, I discovered that men from Judah had married foreign women. They were women who came from Ashdod, Ammon and Moab.
- 1 Kings 18:4At one time, Ahab's wife Jezebel was killing many of the Lord's prophets. While she was doing this, Obadiah had kept 100 prophets safe. He had hidden them in two caves, with 50 prophets in each cave. He had also given them food and water.
- 1 Kings 19:1King Ahab told Jezebel about everything that Elijah had done. He told her how Elijah had killed all Baal's prophets with a sword.
- 1 Kings 21:5Ahab's wife, Jezebel, came in to his room. She asked him, ‘Why are you so upset? Why do you refuse to eat anything?’
- 2 Kings 9:30After that, Jehu went to Jezreel. Jezebel heard what had happened. So she made her eyes and her hair look beautiful. Then she looked out of a window in the palace.
- Revelation 2:20But I have something to say against you. You let that woman Jezebel teach you. She says that she is a prophet from God. But she leads my servants into bad ways. She teaches them to have sex with many people. And she teaches them to eat food that people have given to idols.
- 1 Kings 11:1Solomon loved Pharaoh's daughter and many other foreign women. Those women were Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Sidonians and Hittites.
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
In the dictionaries
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
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