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| .1
¶ Then the word of the LORD came to Jehu the son of Hanani against
Baasha, saying,
2 Forasmuch as I exalted thee out of the dust, and made thee prince over my people Israel; and thou hast walked in the way of Jeroboam, and hast made my people Israel to sin, to provoke me to anger with their sins; 3 Behold, I will take away the posterity of Baasha, and the posterity of his house; and will make thy house like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat. |
1 - Walked in the way of Jeroboam Perhaps Baasha's pride and arrogance made him think that the Lord would not deal with him in the way He had used him to punish and end the reign of Jeroboam 1ki1529. |
| .4
Him that dieth of Baasha in the city shall the dogs eat; and him that dieth
of his in the fields shall the fowls of the air eat.
5 Now the rest of the acts of Baasha, and what he did, and his might, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel? 6 So Baasha slept with his fathers, and was buried in Tirzah: and Elah his son reigned in his stead. 7 And also by the hand of the prophet Jehu the son of Hanani came the word of the LORD against Baasha, and against his house, even for all the evil that he did in the sight of the LORD, in provoking him to anger with the work of his hands, in being like the house of Jeroboam; and because he killed him. |
4
- Dieth ... dogs eat Apparently no
one left to bury the dead.
7 - Prophet ... word ... against Baasha This is a little commentary to explain the death of the evil king. Notice that the narrative returns to before the death of Bassha in verse 6. |
| .8
In the twenty and sixth year of Asa king of Judah began Elah the son of
Baasha to reign over Israel in Tirzah, two years.
9 And his servant Zimri, captain of half his chariots, conspired against him, as he was in Tirzah, drinking himself drunk in the house of Arza steward of his house in Tirzah. 10 And Zimri went in and smote him, and killed him, in the twenty and seventh year of Asa king of Judah, and reigned in his stead. |
8 -
Began
Elah "(compare 1Ki
15:33). From this it will appear that Baasha died in the twenty-third
year of his reign (...1Ki 15:2), and Elah,
who was a prince of dissolute habits, reigned not fully two years." (JFB)
9 - In Tirzah "Pleasant, Song 6:4, a city of the Caananites, Jos 12:24, and afterwards of the tribe of Manasseh or Ephraism; and the royal seat of the kings of Israel from the time of Jeroboam to the reign of Omri, who built the city of Samaria, which then became the capital of this kingdom, 1Ki 15:21,33; 16:6,23; 2Ki 15:14,16. Its exact location is unknown." (ATS Dict.) |
| .11
And it came to pass, when he began to reign, as soon as he sat on his throne,
that he slew all the house of Baasha: he left him not one that pisseth
against a wall, neither of his kinsfolks, nor of his friends.
12 Thus did Zimri destroy all the house of Baasha, according to the word of the LORD, which he spake against Baasha by Jehu the prophet, 13 For all the sins of Baasha, and the sins of Elah his son, by which they sinned, and by which they made Israel to sin, in provoking the LORD God of Israel to anger with their vanities. .14 Now the rest of the acts of Elah, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel? |
11
- Slew all What a practice, followed by previous kings!
13 - Vanities Idol worship de3216, je0819. |
| .15
¶ In the twenty and seventh year of Asa king of Judah did Zimri reign
seven days in Tirzah. And the people were encamped against Gibbethon, which
belonged to the Philistines.
16 And the people that were encamped heard say, Zimri hath conspired, and hath also slain the king: wherefore all Israel made Omri, the captain of the host, king over Israel that day in the camp. 17 And Omri went up from Gibbethon, and all Israel with him, and they besieged Tirzah. 18 And it came to pass, when Zimri saw that the city was taken, that he went into the palace of the king's house, and burnt the king's house over him with fire, and died, 19 For his sins which he sinned in doing evil in the sight of the LORD, in walking in the way of Jeroboam, and in his sin which he did, to make Israel to sin. 20 Now the rest of the acts of Zimri, and his treason that he wrought, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel? |
18
- Zimri ... burnt ... died Suicide
was practiced by other defeated monarchs.
19 - Sinned ... way of Jeroboam The author of the account emphasizes a significant point in all the stories of the kings. It's the lesson we must learn. Whether political or church leaders, we must think independently and follow God. |
| .21
Then were the people of Israel divided into two parts: half of the people
followed Tibni the son of Ginath, to make him king; and half followed Omri.
22 But the people that followed Omri prevailed against the people that followed Tibni the son of Ginath: so Tibni died, and Omri reigned. 23 In the thirty and first year of Asa king of Judah began Omri to reign over Israel, twelve years: six years reigned he in Tirzah. .24 And he bought the hill Samaria of Shemer for two talents of silver, and built on the hill, and called the name of the city which he built, after the name of Shemer, owner of the hill, Samaria. |
22
- People of Omri prevailed ... Tibni died We can imagine
what happened. The two were rivals. Reigning seemed to have been more a
battle of arms than a choice of the one best suited. It was not God's way.
24 - Bought the hill "This should be read, "He bought the hill of Shomeron from Shomer, and called it Shomeron, (i.e., Little Shomer,) after the name of Shomer, owner of the hill." At first the kings of Israel dwelt at Shechem, and then at Tirzah; but this place having suffered much in the civil broils, and the place having been burnt down by Zimri, Omri purposed to found a new city, to which he might transfer the seat of government. He fixed on a hill that belonged to a person of the name of Shomer; and bought it from him for two talents of silver,..." (Clarke) |
| .25
But Omri wrought evil in the eyes of the LORD, and did worse than all that
were before him.
26 For he walked in all the way of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and in his sin wherewith he made Israel to sin, to provoke the LORD God of Israel to anger with their vanities. 27 Now the rest of the acts of Omri which he did, and his might that he shewed, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel? .28 So Omri slept with his fathers, and was buried in Samaria: and Ahab his son reigned in his stead. |
25 - Omri ... did worse "Omri 1. An idolater in principle; 2. An idolater in practice; 3. He led the people to idolatry by precept and example; and, which was that in which he did worse than all before him, 4. He made statutes in favour of idolatry, and obliged the people by law to commit it. See Mic 6:16, where this seems to be intended: For the statutes of Omri are kept, and all the works of the house of Ahab." (Clarke) |
| .29
¶ And 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.
.30 And Ahab the son of Omri did evil in the sight of the LORD above all that were before him. .31 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. 32 And he reared up an altar for Baal in the house of Baal, which he had built in Samaria. 33 And Ahab made a grove; and Ahab did more to provoke the LORD God of Israel to anger than all the kings of Israel that were before him. . |
29
- Jezebel This name has ever since been associated with great
wickedness. We understand that her father was a high priest of Baal. Josephus
said he was the priest of Astarte who slew Pheles, king of Tyre and who
began a time there of 32 years.
32 - House of Baal Remains of this temple have not been found. 33 - Ahab made a grove In defiance of the Creator God. |
Jericho rebuilt and again fallen |
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| .34 In his days did Hiel the Bethelite build Jericho: he laid the foundation thereof in Abiram his firstborn, and set up the gates thereof in his youngest son Segub, according to the word of the LORD, which he spake by Joshua the son of Nun | 34 - Hiel ... laid the foundation ... in Abiram Possibly human sacrifices, although it seems to me more likely accidents or violence permitted in fulfillment of the prophecy of Joshua jos0626. God apparently planned the fallen city as a perpetual memorial to the triumph of righteousness over evil. Image from The Desire of Ages, 1898 ed. |
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