1 Kings 16:31
in 1 Kings 16And as if it were not enough for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, he even married Jezebel the daughter of Ethbaal king of the Sidonians, and he then proceeded to serve and worship Baal.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
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.
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.
⋯
This verse in 1 Kings 16
Commentary
8 notes on this verseAnd it came to pass, as if it had been a light thing for him to walk in the sin of Jeroboam the son of Nebat,.... To worship the golden calves he set up: that he took to wife Jezebel the daughter of Ethbaal king of the Zidonians; who is called Ithobalus and Itobalus king of the Tyrians, by Heathen historians (h); and, by Theophilus of Antioch (i), Juthobalus, priest of Astarte; for Tyre and Zidon were under one king.
This site's exposition
above all that were before him
on 1 Kings 16:30-31
Above all that were before him repeats Omri's own epitaph and raises it one degree further for the son, and the Hebrew of verse 31 asks was it a light thing, a question that answers itself by refusing an easy no. Marrying Jezebel, daughter of Ethbaal king of the Zidonians, ties Ahab's throne to Tyre's priesthood of Baal and Astarte by treaty as much as by love, and the verse names that marriage as the hinge everything after it turns on.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening3 voices
A light thing - The Hebrew runs, was it a light thing,&c., that is, was this but a small sin, that therefore he needed to add more abominations? Where the question, as is usual among the Hebrew, implies a strong denial; and intimates, that this was no small sin, but a great crime; and might have satisfied his wicked mind, without any additions.
In honour of this mock deity, whom they called Baal--lord, and for the convenience of his worship, 1. Ahab built a temple in Samaria, the royal city, because the temple of God was in Jerusalem, the royal city of the other kingdom.
Making light of less sins makes way for greater, and those that endeavour to extenuate other people's sins will but aggravate their own. He married a wicked woman, who he knew would bring in the worship of Baal, and seemed to marry her with that design. As if it had been a light thing to walk in the sins of Jeroboam, he took to wife Jezebel (
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — unbalanced-parens
The Nineteenth Century2 voices
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
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 throne of that kingdom, being the eighth king since Hiram.
He 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. 1. She was the idolatrous daughter of an idolatrous king; 2. She practiced it openly; 3. She not only countenanced it in others, but protected it, and gave its partisans honors and rewards; 4. She used every means to persecute the true religion; 5. She was hideously cruel, and put to death the prophets and priests of God; 6. And all this she did with the most zealous perseverance and relentless cruelty. Notwithstanding Ahab had built a temple, and made an altar for Baal, and set up the worship of Asherah, the Sidonian Venus, which we, 1Ki 16:33, have transformed into a grove; yet so well known was the hostility of Jezebel to all good, that his marrying her was esteemed the highest pitch of vice, and an act the most provoking to God, and destructive to the prosperity of the kingdom.
1 more voice on this verse
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
As if it had been a light thing for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam - Idolatries are not exclusive.
The words behind it
21 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וַיְהִי֙ | vayhi | and it was | H1961 → | 3559 times |
| הֲנָקֵ֣ל | hanakel | ¿ was it trifling | H7043 → | 82 times |
| לֶכְתּ֔וֹ | lekhto | to walk he | H1980 → | 1546 times |
| בְּחַטֹּ֖אות | bechatot | in [the] sins of | H2403 → | 295 times |
| יָרָבְעָ֣ם | yaraveam | Jeroboam | H3379 → | 104 times |
| בֶּן־ | ben- | [the] son of | H1121 → | 4930 times |
| נְבָ֑ט | nevat | Nebat | H5028 → | 25 times |
| וַיִּקַּ֨ח | vaiyikach | and he took | H3947 → | 966 times |
| אִשָּׁ֜ה | ʾishah | a wife | H802 → | 781 times |
| אֶת־ | ʾet- | <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| אִיזֶ֗בֶל | ʾizevel | Jezebel | H348 → | 22 times |
| בַּת־ | bat- | [the] daughter of | H1323 → | 588 times |
| אֶתְבַּ֙עַל֙ | ʾetbaal | Ethbaal | H856 → | |
| מֶ֣לֶךְ | melekh | [the] king of | H4428 → | 2525 times |
| צִידֹנִ֔ים | tzidonim | [the] Sidonians | H6722 → | 16 times |
| וַיֵּ֙לֶךְ֙ | vaiyelekh | and he went | H1980 → | 1546 times |
| וַֽיַּעֲבֹ֣ד | vaiyaavod | and he served | H5647 → | 288 times |
| אֶת־ | ʾet- | <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| הַבַּ֔עַל | habaal | <the> Baal | H1168 → | 82 times |
| וַיִּשְׁתַּ֖חוּ | vaiyishtachu | and he bowed down | H7812 → | 172 times |
| לֽוֹ׃ | lo | to it |
וַיְהִי֙and it was
vayhiH1961 →3559 times
הֲנָקֵ֣ל¿ was it trifling
hanakelH7043 →82 times
לֶכְתּ֔וֹto walk he
lekhtoH1980 →1546 times
בְּחַטֹּ֖אותin [the] sins of
bechatotH2403 →295 times
יָרָבְעָ֣םJeroboam
yaraveamH3379 →104 times
בֶּן־[the] son of
ben-H1121 →4930 times
נְבָ֑טNebat
nevatH5028 →25 times
וַיִּקַּ֨חand he took
vaiyikachH3947 →966 times
אִשָּׁ֜הa wife
ʾishahH802 →781 times
אֶת־<obj.>
ʾet-H853 →10935 times
אִיזֶ֗בֶלJezebel
ʾizevelH348 →22 times
בַּת־[the] daughter of
bat-H1323 →588 times
אֶתְבַּ֙עַל֙Ethbaal
ʾetbaalH856 →
מֶ֣לֶךְ[the] king of
melekhH4428 →2525 times
צִידֹנִ֔ים[the] Sidonians
tzidonimH6722 →16 times
וַיֵּ֙לֶךְ֙and he went
vaiyelekhH1980 →1546 times
וַֽיַּעֲבֹ֣דand he served
vaiyaavodH5647 →288 times
אֶת־<obj.>
ʾet-H853 →10935 times
הַבַּ֔עַל<the> Baal
habaalH1168 →82 times
וַיִּשְׁתַּ֖חוּand he bowed down
vaiyishtachuH7812 →172 times
לֽוֹ׃to it
lo
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Judges 2:11And the Israelites did evil in the sight of the LORD and served the Baals.
it leads to
- Judges 3:7
So the Israelites did evil in the sight of the LORD; they forgot the LORD their God and served the Baals and the Asherahs.
- Judges 6:1
Again the Israelites did evil in the sight of the LORD; so He delivered them into the hand of Midian for seven years,
- Judges 4:1
After Ehud died, the Israelites again did evil in the sight of the LORD.
- Judges 10:6
And again the Israelites did evil in the sight of the LORD. They served the Baals, the Ashtoreths, the gods of Aram, Sidon, and Moab, and the gods of the Ammonites and Philistines. Thus…
- Judges 3:7
Through
2 Kings 17:16They abandoned all the commandments of the LORD their God and made for themselves two cast idols of calves and an Asherah pole. They bowed down to all the host of heaven and served…
it leads to
- 1 Kings 14:15
For the LORD will strike Israel as a reed is shaken in the water. He will uproot Israel from this good land that He gave their fathers, and He will scatter them beyond the…
- 1 Kings 14:23
They also built for themselves high places, sacred pillars, and Asherah poles on every high hill and under every green tree.
- 1 Kings 14:15
Through
2 Kings 10:18Then Jehu brought all the people together and said, “Ahab served Baal a little, but Jehu will serve him a lot.
it leads to
- 1 Kings 16:31–32
And as if it were not enough for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, he even married Jezebel the daughter of Ethbaal king of the Sidonians, and he then…
- 1 Kings 16:31–32
Through
Judges 18:7So the five men departed and came to Laish, where they saw that the people were living securely, like the Sidonians, tranquil and unsuspecting. There was nothing lacking in the land and no oppressive…
it leads to
- Joshua 19:47
(Later, when the territory of the Danites was lost to them, they went up and fought against Leshem, captured it, and put it to the sword. So they took possession of Leshem, settled there,…
- Joshua 19:47
Where this verse is studied
On this page
About 1 Kings
Who and where
1 name in this verse with a page on the site.
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament; John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.