1 Reis 16
Bob Utley · You Can Understand the Bible
1 Reis 16:1-4
16:1 "Jehu" This man was a prophet of YHWH (cf. v. 7; 2 Chr. 19:2; 20:34). His father was also a prophet (cf. 2 Chr. 16:7-10). Apparently both lived in Judah. SPECIAL TOPIC: PROPHET (OT) 16:2 "you" This refers to Baasha. He is first mentioned in 1 Kgs. 15:16-17,27-30,33-34. ▣ NASB, NRSV, TEV, NJB, LXX "leader" NKJV, JPSOA, Peshitta "ruler" "prince" The MT has the MASCULINE NOUN (BDB 617) that denotes a wide range of leadership positions. But when used of royals, it denotes the "crown prince" (i.e., Solomon as YHWH's choice and David's choice, cf. 1 Kgs. 1:35; 2 Chr. 11:22). It came to be used of YHWH's choice of kingship. Saul ‒ 1 Sam. 9:16; 10:1 David ‒ 1 Sam. 13:14; 2 Sam. 7:8 Jeroboam ‒ 1 Kgs. 14:7 Baasha ‒ 1 Kgs. 16:2 Hezekiah ‒ 2 Kgs. 20:5 Davidic Messiah ‒ Isa. 55:4 ▣ "I exalted you from the dust" This NOUN (BDB 779; NIDOTTE, vol. 3, pp. 472-473) is a Hebrew idiom of man made from the dust ‒ Gen. 2:7; 3:19 abundance ‒ Gen. 13:16; 28:14 poor and lowliness ‒ 1 Sam. 2:8; here; Ps. 113:7 YHWH chose and equipped Baasha to be king over His people, but Baasha supported the two golden calves of Jeroboam. ▣ "provoking Me to anger" This VERB root (BDB 494, KB 491, Hiphil INFINITIVE CONSTRUCT) is used often of covenant violations causing YHWH to judge. Deuteronomy ‒ 4:25; 9:18; 31:29; 32:16; 21 (twice) Judges ‒ 2:12 1 Kings ‒ 14:9,15; 15:30; 16:2,7,13,26,33; 21:22,53 2 Kings ‒ 17:11,17; 21:6,15; 22:17; 23:19,26 2 Chronicles ‒ 28:25; 33:6; 34:25 Psalm ‒ 106:29 Isaiah ‒ 65:3 Jeremiah ‒ 7:18,19; 8:19; 11:17; 25:6,7; 32:29,30,32; 44:3,8 Ezekiel ‒ 8:17; 16:26 Hosea ‒ 12:15 Israel is evaluated through the obedience to the Mosaic covenant. YHWH's mercy spurned turns to anger. This is the message of Leviticus 26; Deuteronomy 27-30; and all the prophets! We must remember the Bible uses human emotions to describe Deity, which is not adequate but it is the only vocabulary we have. SPECIAL TOPIC: ANTHROPOMORPHIC LANGUAGE TO DESCRIBE DEITY 16:3-4 This records YHWH's judgment of Baasha and his family. The imagery of dogs eating (or drinking blood) birds eating is common in the ANE (cf. Deut. 28:22ff; 1 Kgs. 14:11; 21:19,23,24; 22:38; 2 Kgs. 9:10,30-36; Ps. 79:2; Jer. 7:33; 15:3; 16:4; 19:7; 34:20). Basically this is a curse of not being buried properly. SPECIAL TOPIC: BURIAL PRACTICES 16:3 NASB, NRSV "consume" "take away" "do away with" NJB, REB JPSOA "sweep away" "rousing up" "block out" "burn up" The MT has the VERB (BDB 128 I, KB 145, Hiphil PARTICIPLE) meaning "burn" or "consume" but KB 146 II suggests there is another meaning to this root, "to clear away," "to plunder," "to expel."
1 Reis 16:6-7
16:6 "slept with his fathers" See notes at 1 Kgs. 1:21; 2:10. ▣ "Tirzah" This was the capital of Israel until the days of Omri (cf. v. 24). 16:7 "with the work of his hands" This is an idiom for idols (cf. Deut. 4:25; 9:18; 32:16; 1 Kgs. 16:7; 2 Kgs. 17:7; 21:6; Jer. 25:6,7; 32:30; 44:8). Is it not shocking that humans can be so deceived as to worship something they made?!
1 Reis 16:8-11
16:8 "and reigned two years" This clearly shows the instability of Israel vs. Judah! 16:9 "Zimri" Some have speculated that this man was a descendant of Saul (cf. 1 Chr. 8:36; 9:42; BDB 275 I, #4) but this is uncertain. BDB lists him only as a king of Israel before Omri (BDB 275 I, #3). He assassinated Elah. Scholars have wondered if the name might be Egyptian or Aramean, not Semitic. ▣ "drinking himself drunk" This is surprising in that a king was over drinking at a private residence. SPECIAL TOPIC: BIBLICAL ATTITUDES TOWARD ALCOHOL AND ALCOHOL ABUSE 16:10 This act of assassination became a proverb for treason (cf. 2 Kgs. 9:31). 16:11 This was to protect his reign from anyone in the previous king's family (cf. 1 Kgs. 15:29). ▣ "male" This is literally, "he who urinates against the wall" (cf. 1 Sam. 25:22,34; 1 Kgs. 14:10; 16:11; 21:21; 2 Kgs. 9:8). ▣ NASB, TEV, NJB, NET "relatives" NKJV, REB, JPSOA "kinsmen" "kindred" "kinsfolk" "all his family" This is the term go'el (BDB 145 I, KB 169, Qal ACTIVE PARTICIPLE, NIDOTTE, vol. 1, pp. 789-794) which is known for the concept for the kinsman redeemer (Leviticus 25) the blood avenger (Numbers 35) famously used of Boaz in the book of Ruth (21 times) Zimri brought death, not only to kin, but to all acquaintances! However, this phrase may reflect "royal advisors" or "counsel" (cf. 2 Sam. 15:37; 16:16).
1 Reis 16:12-14
16:12 This refers to 1 Kgs. 16:1-7. 16:13 "idols" This is the NOUN (BDB 210 I; NIDOTTE, vol. 1, pp. 1005-1006) which means "vapor" or "breath." It denotes the non-existence of idols (cf. 1 Kgs. 16:13,26; Ps. 31:6; Jer. 8:19; 10:8; 14:22; Jonah 2:8). This is a clear manifestation of the superstition of fallen humanity that makes its own gods!
1 Reis 16:15-20
16:16 "Zimri reigned seven days" This clearly shows the instability of Israel. In light of Zimri's treason, Omri (BDB 771) is made king. Omri is the most famous king of Israel in non-biblical literature (i.e., Moabite stone and Assyrian documents); as a matter of fact, Israel was known as "the house of Omri." This powerful image of him is not reflected in the Bible. For a good brief account of his reign see R. K Harrison, Old Testament Times," pp. 213-216; NIDOTTE, vol. 4, pp. 1026-1027. SPECIAL TOPIC: KINGS OF THE DIVIDED MONARCHY 16:17 The Israeli army moved from besieging Gibbethon to besieging Tirzah, where Zimri was king. 16:18 Zimri committed suicide by burning the king's palace. SPECIAL TOPIC: SUICIDE 16:19 Again, it was the golden calf worship of Jeroboam that brought judgment from YHWH. 16:20 "conspiracy" This is literally, "His conspiracy which he conspired." The VERB (BDB 905, KB 1153, Qal PERFECT) is combined with the NOUN (BDB 905). This COGNATE ACCUSATIVE occurs six times (cf. 1 Kgs. 16:20; 2 Kgs. 12:20; 14:19; 15:15,30; 2 Chr. 25:27).
1 Reis 16:21-24
16:21-22 The tension over succession continued. Josephus says it lasted four years. 16:24 "He bought the hill Samaria from Shemer" Samaria (see NIDOTTE, vol. 4, pp. 1163-1165) was a very fortified, geographical location with a 400 foot drop on three sides, which meant only one side had to be fortified. The hill contained its own spring inside the walls of the city. This city was such a major fortification that it took Tiglath-Pileser three years to finally capture it in 722 b.c. ▣ "Shemer" The name Shemer (BDB 1037 I) is a play on the Hebrew word "watchtower." The name Samaria retains this play on the word. ▣ "talents" See SPECIAL TOPIC: ANE WEIGHTS AND VOLUMES.
1 Reis 16:25-28
16:25 "acted more wickedly than all who were before him" This phrase was first used in 1 Kgs. 14:9 about Jeroboam. See vv. 30-33, which spells out the sins of Omri's son Ahab. walked in the sins of Jeroboam, v. 26 married Jezebel worshiped Ba'al in a temple built for him in Samaria made Asherah poles
1 Reis 16:29-30
16:29 "Ahab" This king's life is given more attention to illustrate the sin of Israel in Ba'al worship (NIDOTTE, vol. 4, pp. 364-366).
1 Reis 16:31-34
16:31 "Jezebel, the daugher of Ethbaal, king of the Sidonians" The name (BDB 33) may mean "Zebul exists," thereby "Ba'al exists." Her father's name contains "Baal." Jezebel was the means by which wholesale Phoenician Baalism entered into the daily life of the people of Israel. ▣ "Baal" This is possibly a reference to Baal-Melqart (see IVP Bible Background Commentary, p. 375; NIDOTTE, vol. 4, pp. 422-428). The Hebrew terms means "master," "owner," or "husband" (BDB 127). We learn of the worship of this Canaanite deity from the Ugaritic tablets. Originally he was a weather god who defeated Yamm the god of the waters. Later he developed into the fertility god in his relationship to Mot, the god of death and the underworld. Mot killed Ba'al, but Ba'al's sister, Anath, attached Mot and destroyed him. Out of this mythological struggle the annual spring fertility was attributed to Ba'al coming back from the underworld. In the Bible, Ba'al is associated with Asherah, his female consort. SPECIAL TOPIC: FERTILITY WORSHIP OF THE ANE 16:33 "the Asherah" There is some ambiguity in the OT as to exactly the symbol of this fertility goddess. In some texts it seems to imply a live tree planted by the altar of Ba'al (cf. Deut. 16:21; Jdgs. 3:7; 6:25). However, in other passages it seems to imply a carved, wooden stake (cf. 1 Kgs. 14:15,23; 2 Kgs. 17:16). The reason Asherah is symbolized by a tree or a carved stake is that to ancient people, trees were sacred, basically because they showed the presence of underground water; others believed that the Asherah was a symbol of "the Tree of Life" from the Garden of Eden. Ba'al and Asherah are connected with the worship of the Babylonian star deities known as the "hosts of heaven" (cf. 2 Kgs. 17:16; 21:3; 23:4; 2 Chr. 3:3). This female fertility goddess is first mentioned in the Bible in Exod. 34:13; Deut. 7:5; 12:3. Ba'al and Asherah became major problems in the northern kingdom during the reign of Ahab because of Jezebel's influence. 16:34 This verse documents the death of Hiel's sons. These deaths are attributed to Jeshua's curse of Jericho in Josh. 6:26. The NASB has "loss of" (twice) in italics. It is possible that this refers to the sacrifice of these sons to Molech to insure the stability and prosperity of the city (Targums; another example in 2 Kgs. 16:3). SPECIAL TOPIC: MOLECH