Tree of Life Version
1 Kings 16:31
31Now, as if it was a trifling thing to walk in the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, he also took as wife Jezebel the daughter of King Ethbaal of the Sidonians, and went and served Baal and 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
29In the thirty-eighth year of King Asa of Judah, Ahab son of Omri began to reign over Israel; and Ahab son of Omri reigned over Israel in Samaria 22 years. 30But Ahab son of Omri did what was evil in Adonai’s eyes, more than all who were before him. Now, as if it was a trifling thing to walk in the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, he also took as wife Jezebel the daughter of King Ethbaal of the Sidonians, and went and served Baal and worshipped him. 32He also erected an altar for Baal in the temple of Baal that he had built in Samaria. 33Also Ahab made the Asherah pole. So Ahab did yet more to provoke the Adonai God of Israel than all the kings of Israel who were 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 she said to her, “Wasn’t it enough that you took my husband away? You’d also take away my son’s mandrakes?” So Rachel said, “That being so, let him lie with you tonight, in exchange for your son’s mandrakes.”
- Numbers 16:9Isn’t it enough that the God of Israel has set you apart from the community of Israel to bring you near to Him to do the work of the Tabernacle of Adonai and to stand before the community to minister to them?
- Isaiah 7:13Then he said, “Hear now, house of David! Is it a small thing for you to weary men? Will you also weary my God?
- Ezekiel 8:17He said to me, “Have you seen this, son of man? Is it too light a thing to the house of Judah that they commit the abominations they practice here, that they must also fill the land with violence and provoke Me still more? Look, they are putting the twig to My nose!
- Ezekiel 16:20“You took your sons and your daughters whom you bore for Me, and sacrificed them to be eaten by them. Were your obscene practices not enough?
- Ezekiel 34:18Was it too little for you that you were feeding in the good pasture? Must you trample down the rest of your pastures with your feet? You were drinking clear water. Must you muddy the rest with your feet?
- Genesis 6:2then the sons of God saw that the daughters of men were good and they took for themselves wives, any they chose.
- Deuteronomy 7:3You are not to intermarry with them—you are not to give your daughter to his son, or take his daughter for your son.
- Joshua 23:12For if you ever go back and cling to the remnant of these nations that are still remaining among you, and intermarry with them, and 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 was cutting off the prophets of Adonai, Obadiah took 100 prophets, hid them 50 to a cave, and provided them with bread and water.
- 1 Kings 19:1Then Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done and how he had slain all the prophets with the sword.
- 1 Kings 21:5Then his wife Jezebel came to him and asked him, “Why is your spirit so sullen that you are eating no food?”
- 2 Kings 9:30Now when Jehu arrived at Jezreel, Jezebel heard about it. So she painted her eyes and dressed her hair, and looked out the window.
- Revelation 2:20“But this I have against you, that you tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess—yet she is teaching and deceiving My servants to commit sexual immorality and to eat food sacrificed to idols.
- 1 Kings 11:1Now King Solomon loved so many foreign women, besides the daughter of Pharaoh—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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