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

29And 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. 30And Ahab the son of Omri did evil in the sight of Yhwh above all that were before him. 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 Sidonians, and went and served Baal, and worshipped him. 32And he reared up an altar for Baal in the house of Baal, which he had built in Samaria. 33And Ahab made a grove; and Ahab did more to provoke Yhwh God of Israel to anger than all the kings of Israel that 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

• 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 Sidoniansצִידֹנִיtsîydônîy tsidônîy · SidonianH6722
• and servedעָבַד‛âbad · to serve: ministerH5647
• Baalבַּעַלba‛al · BaalH1168
• and worshippedשָׁחָהshâchâh · to bowH7812

Cross-references for 1 Kings 16:31

• Genesis 30:15And she said unto her, Is it a small matter that thou hast taken my husband? and wouldest thou take away my son’s mandrakes also? And Rachel said, Therefore he shall lie with thee to night for thy son’s mandrakes.
• Numbers 16:9Seemeth it but a small thing unto you, that the God of Israel hath separated you from the congregation of Israel, to bring you near to himself to do the service of the tabernacle of Yhwh, and to stand before the congregation to minister unto them?
• Isaiah 7:13And he said, Hear ye now, O house of David; Is it a small thing for you to weary men, but will ye weary my God also?
• Ezekiel 8:17Then he said unto me, Hast thou seen this, O son of man? Is it a light thing to the house of Judah that they commit the abominations which they commit here? for they have filled the land with violence, and have returned to provoke me to anger: and, lo, they put the branch to their nose.
• Ezekiel 16:20Moreover thou hast taken thy sons and thy daughters, whom thou hast borne unto me, and these hast thou sacrificed unto them to be devoured. Is this of thy whoredoms a small matter,
• Ezekiel 34:18Seemeth it a small thing unto you to have eaten up the good pasture, but ye must tread down with your feet the residue of your pastures? and to have drunk of the deep waters, but ye must foul the residue with your feet?
• Genesis 6:2That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose.
• Deuteronomy 7:3Neither shalt thou make marriages with them; thy daughter thou shalt not give unto his son, nor his daughter shalt thou take unto thy son.
• Joshua 23:12Else if ye do in any wise go back, and cleave unto the remnant of these nations, even these that remain among you, and shall make marriages with them, and go in unto them, and they to you:
• Nehemiah 13:23In those days also saw I Jews that had married wives of Ashdod, of Ammon, and of Moab:
• 1 Kings 18:4For it was so, when Jezebel cut off the prophets of Yhwh, that Obadiah took an hundred prophets, and hid them by fifty in a cave, and fed them with bread and water.)
• 1 Kings 19:1And Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, and withal how he had slain all the prophets with the sword.
• 1 Kings 21:5But Jezebel his wife came to him, and said unto him, Why is thy spirit so sad, that thou eatest no bread?
• 2 Kings 9:30And when Jehu was come to Jezreel, Jezebel heard of it; and she painted her face, and tired her head, and looked out at a window.
• Revelation 2:20Notwithstanding I have a few things against thee, because thou sufferest that woman Jezebel, which calleth herself a prophetess, to teach and to seduce my servants to commit fornication, and to eat things sacrificed unto idols.
• 1 Kings 11:1But king Solomon loved many strange women, together with the daughter of Pharaoh, women of the 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

• 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