Ahaziah the son of Ahab began to reign over Israel in Samaria in the seventeenth year of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, and he reigned two years over Israel. He did that which was evil in Yahweh’s sight, and walked in the way of his father, and in the way of his mother, and in the way of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, in which he made Israel to sin. He served Baal and worshiped him, and provoked Yahweh, the God of Israel, to anger in all the ways that his father had done so.
Parallel Translations
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Ahaziah the son of Ahab began to reign over Israel in Samaria in the seventeenth year of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, and he reigned two years over Israel.
He did that which was evil in Yahweh’s sight, and walked in the way of his father, and in the way of his mother, and in the way of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, in which he made Israel to sin.
He served Baal and worshiped him, and provoked Yahweh, the God of Israel, to anger in all the ways that his father had done so.
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Ahaziah the son of Ahab began to reign over Israel in Samaria the seventeenth year of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, and reigned two years over Israel.
And he did evil in the sight of the LORD, and walked in the way of his father, and in the way of his mother, and in the way of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin:
For he served Baal, and worshipped him, and provoked to anger the LORD God of Israel, according to all that his father had done.
Show all 3 translations
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(22-52) Ahaziah the son of Ahab began to reign over Israel in Samaria in the seventeenth year of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, and he reigned two years over Israel.
(22-53) And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, and walked in the way of his father, and in the way of his mother, and in the way of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, wherein he made Israel to sin.
(22-54) And he served Baal, and worshipped him, and provoked the LORD, the God of Israel, according to all that his father had done.
Cross-references (26)
- 1 Kings 15:26 (v52) He did that which was evil in Yahweh’s sight, and walked in the way of his father, and in his sin with which he made Israel to sin.
- 1 Kings 21:25 (v52) But there was no one like Ahab, who sold himself to do that which was evil in Yahweh’s sight, whom Jezebel his wife stirred up.
- 1 Kings 16:30-32 (v53) Ahab the son of Omri did that which was evil in Yahweh’s sight above all that were before him. As if it had been a light thing for him to…
- Judges 2:1-11 (v53) Yahweh’s angel came up from Gilgal to Bochim. He said, “I brought you out of Egypt, and have brought you to the land which I swore to give…
- 1 Kings 12:28-33 (v52) So the king took counsel, and made two calves of gold; and he said to them, “It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem. Look and behold…
Show all 26 cross-references
- 1 Kings 14:9-16 (v52) but have done evil above all who were before you, and have gone and made for yourself other gods, molten images, to provoke me to anger,…
- 1 Kings 15:25 (v51) Nadab the son of Jeroboam began to reign over Israel in the second year of Asa king of Judah; and he reigned over Israel two years.
- 1 Kings 15:34 (v52) He did that which was evil in Yahweh’s sight, and walked in the way of Jeroboam, and in his sin with which he made Israel to sin.
- 1 Kings 16:7 (v53) Moreover Yahweh’s word came by the prophet Jehu the son of Hanani against Baasha and against his house, both because of all the evil that…
- 1 Kings 16:30-33 (v52) Ahab the son of Omri did that which was evil in Yahweh’s sight above all that were before him. As if it had been a light thing for him to…
- 1 Kings 21:29 (v53) “See how Ahab humbles himself before me? Because he humbles himself before me, I will not bring the evil in his days; but I will bring the…
- 1 Kings 22:40 (v51) So Ahab slept with his fathers; and Ahaziah his son reigned in his place.
- 2 Kings 1:2 (v53) Ahaziah fell down through the lattice in his upper room that was in Samaria, and was sick. So he sent messengers, and said to them, “Go,…
- 2 Kings 1:2-7 (v52) Ahaziah fell down through the lattice in his upper room that was in Samaria, and was sick. So he sent messengers, and said to them, “Go,…
- 2 Kings 1:17 (v51) So he died according to Yahweh’s word which Elijah had spoken. Jehoram began to reign in his place in the second year of Jehoram the son of…
- 2 Kings 3:2 (v53) He did that which was evil in Yahweh’s sight, but not like his father, and like his mother, for he put away the pillar of Baal that his…
- 2 Kings 3:3 (v52) Nevertheless he held to the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, with which he made Israel to sin. He didn’t depart from them.
- 2 Kings 8:27 (v52) He walked in the way of Ahab’s house, and did that which was evil in Yahweh’s sight, as did Ahab’s house; for he was the son-in-law of…
- 2 Kings 9:22 (v52) When Joram saw Jehu, he said, “Is it peace, Jehu?” He answered, “What peace, so long as the prostitution of your mother Jezebel and her…
- 2 Chronicles 22:3 (v52) He also walked in the ways of Ahab’s house, because his mother was his counselor in acting wickedly.
- Psalms 106:29 (v53) Thus they provoked him to anger with their deeds. The plague broke in on them.
- Isaiah 65:3 (v53) a people who provoke me to my face continually, sacrificing in gardens, and burning incense on bricks;
- Ezekiel 8:3 (v53) He stretched out the form of a hand, and took me by a lock of my head; and the Spirit lifted me up between earth and the sky, and brought…
- Ezekiel 18:14-18 (v53) “Now, behold, if he fathers a son, who sees all his father’s sins, which he has done, and fears, and does not such like; who hasn’t eaten…
- Mark 6:24 (v52) She went out, and said to her mother, “What shall I ask?” She said, “The head of John the Baptizer.”
- Revelation 3:20 (v52) Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, then I will come in to him, and will dine with him, and…
Cross-references from openbible.info (CC BY 4.0)
Explain this passage (16 sources)
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Geneva Bible translators 1599 · Public Domain On v53 Or, in all points as his father did.
Or, in all points as his father did.
Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain.
John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain On vv51–53 1Ki 22:51 Ahaziah the son of Ahab began to…
1Ki 22:51 Ahaziah the son of Ahab began to reign over Israel in Samaria the seventeenth year of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, and reigned two years over Israel.
Ver. 51. Began to reign.] His father Ahab yet living.
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And reigned two years.] After his father’s death.
John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Matthew Poole 1685 · Public Domain On vv51–52 By comparing this verse with 1Ki 22:41, it appears…
By comparing this verse with 1Ki 22:41, it appears that Ahaziah was made king by his father, and reigned in conjunction with him, a year or two before Ahab’s death, and as long after it; even as Jehoram the son of Jehoshaphat was made king by his father in his lifetime, as we shall see hereafter; which possibly was done in compliance with Ahab’s desire upon marriage of his daughter to Jehoshaphat’s son; and it may be Ahab, to induce and encourage him to do so, gave him an example of it, and made his son his partner in the kingdom.
Reigned two years; either after his father’s death; or one before it, and another after it.
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain On vv51–53 Ahaziah the son of Ahab began to reign over…
Ahaziah the son of Ahab began to reign over Israel in Samaria the seventeenth year of Jehoshaphat king of Judah,.... It is observed, that Jehoshaphat began to reign in the fourth year of Ahab, and Ahab reigned twenty two years, see Kg1 22:41, and therefore Ahab's son must begin to reign in the eighteenth year of Jehoshaphat; but perhaps he was made king in his father's lifetime, before he went on his expedition to Ramothgilead, or Ahab's reign was not twenty two years complete:
and reigned two years over Israel; not complete, as appears from Kg2 3:1.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
John Wesley 1765 · Public Domain On vv51–53 Ahaziah, &c. - Ahaziah was made king by his…
Ahaziah, &c. - Ahaziah was made king by his father, and reigned in conjunction with him a year or two before Ahab's death, and as long after it; even as Jehoram the son of Jehoshaphat was made king by his father in his life-time, which possibly was done in compliance with Ahab's desire upon marriage of his daughter to Jehoshaphat's son; and it may be Ahab, to induce him to do so, give him an example of it, and made his son his partner in the kingdom.
John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.
Joseph Benson 1811 · Public Domain On v51 1Ki 22:51-52. And reigned two years over Israel —…
1Ki 22:51-52. And reigned two years over Israel — Not complete, as appears from 2Ki 3:1; but part of two years; for he died before his second year was ended. He walked in the way of his father — Followed the wicked example he had set, especially in worshipping Baal. And in the way of his mother — Jezebel, who was still living; acting according to her wicked counsel. And in the way of Jeroboam — Kept up his idolatry in worshipping the calves. Though he had heard of the ruin of Jeroboam’s family, and had seen his own father drawn to his own destruction by the prophets of Baal, who had been often proved to be false prophets, yet he received no instruction, took no warning, but pursued their wicked courses, not in the least amended by all that had befallen them. And provoked the Lord, according to all that his father had done — Most unhappy parents, that thus help to damn their own children’s souls! We see by all this, how little the example of parents or ancestors is to be valued, where it is opposed to the word and will of God!
Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Albert Barnes 1834 · Public Domain On vv51–52 Two years - According to our reckoning, not much…
Two years - According to our reckoning, not much more than a twelve-month year.
Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary 1859 · Public Domain On v52 Years, not complete; as the first is comprized in…
Years, not complete; as the first is comprized in the reign of Achab, and the last in that of Joram, 4 Kings iii. 1. (Usher, the year of the world 3108.) --- Yet, his very short reign was memorable for many disasters; the revolt of the dependant king of Moad, the ruin of his navy, &c., that he might thus be reclaimed from his evil ways. (Salien, the year before Christ 915.) --- Houbigant allows this king two full years; and rejects the notion of his being associated by his father, as he does on other similar occasion, where the Scripture is silent. He makes Ochozias commence in the 19th, and end in the 22d of Josaphat, and not in the second of Joram, 4 Kings i. 17. The Hebrew and Greek copies vary. (Haydock)
George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).
Daniel D. Whedon 1874 · Public Domain On v51 BEGINNING OF AHAZIAH’S REIGN, 1Ki_22:51-53.
BEGINNING OF AHAZIAH’S REIGN, 1Ki_22:51-53.
51. Reigned two years — More exactly speaking, one year and part of another. Compare 2Ki_3:1, and see note on 2Ki_1:17.
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With this account of the beginning of Ahaziah’s reign the next chapter ought to have commenced. It will be seen from these few verses that Ahaziah followed in the footsteps of his wicked father.
Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain On vv51–53 51–53. Ahaziah, king of Israel. His wicked reign (Not…
51–53. Ahaziah, king of Israel. His wicked reign (Not in Chronicles)
51. the seventeenth year] The R.V. inserts in before these words, and as the preposition is in the original, there is no ground for excluding it in the English. On the chronology see above on 1Ki_22:42.
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and reigned] R.V. and he reigned. The main division of the verse in the Hebrew precedes these words, and the pronoun repeated makes somewhat of a like division in the translation.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers 1878 · Public Domain On v51 (51) Ahaziah.—In this short reign the influence of Jezebel,…
(51) Ahaziah.—In this short reign the influence of Jezebel, evidently in abeyance in the last days of Ahab, revives; and the idolatry of Baal resumes its place side by side with the older idolatry of Jeroboam, and (see 2Ki_1:2) with the worship of the Canaanitish Baalzebub.
A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Pulpit Commentary 1880 · Public Domain On vv51–53 Reign of Ahaziah.
Reign of Ahaziah.
Ahaziah the son of Ahab began to reign over Israel in Samaria the seventeenth year of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, and reigned two years over Israel. Parts of two years; 2Ki_3:1; and of. 1:17 and 8:16. It is suggested that Jehoram was associated with his father in the government of Judah from the date of the expedition against Ramoth-Gilead, and this is not improbable. But it has been already remarked that these chronological notices appear to have undergone a revision which has sometimes resulted in confusion.
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Biblical Illustrator 1887 · Public Domain On v52 Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel to…
1Ki_22:52
Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin.
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Jeroboam
We have here--
I. A bad man.
1. He was low in origin. Son of one of Solomons servants, whom the king, finding industrious, made a ruler. His evil character soon became manifest.
2. He formed the ambitious design of usurping the throne. When his design was discovered, he fled to Egypt.
3. At Solomons death he returned to Jerusalem, proclaimed himself king, and was followed by the ten tribes.
4. He was, notwithstanding, a mighty man of valour. We have--
II. A bad man raised up by God for a specific purpose. This purpose was the fulfilment of the curse pronounced on David. Some of Gods most powerful agents are the wicked. The grandest of His designs have been accomplished by the vilest of the earth.
III. An instrument of God using his position for evil. The son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin. This is the description always given to him afterwards. There is no more terrible epithet to be applied to man. Fearful is the condition of him who steps up to the height of his ambition on the blood of immortal souls.
IV. A crafty, wise man profiting by the folly of another. Rehoboam and Jeroboam were both bad, but Rehoboam lacked the craft and skill of his enemy. Had Rehoboam taken the advice of the wise man, he might have held his position and his kingdom. He missed his chance, and Jeroboam seized the opportunity. It is the tide taken at the turn that enables the wise to surmount all difficulties. (Homilist.)
The extent of mans responsibility for the sins of his neighbour
I. With respect to parents. In the workings of Gods providence it shall be so arranged that wicked parents shall entail on their children the consequences of their sins. We see that it is the Divine economy that parents are, in a great measure, accountable for the sins of their children. In a physical sense we have this truth daily proved before our eyes; for we see the sad effects of disease haunting, as it were, a family in consequence of the dissipation and wickedness of a father or mother. We likewise see children reduced to poverty, and thrown amid various temptations which, so to speak, do not properly belong to them--would not have been theirs, that is, but for the evil course of parents, who by extravagance, or worse, have made beggars of their children. Apply it now practically to the courses of business and pleasure, and see where your duty lies. In respect of business, it is clear that no parent must follow any unlawful calling, because by this he is at all times setting before his Children the examples of open wickedness. But he must also see that, in choosing an occupation or business for his children, he choose one not only lawful in itself, but which will not be the means of tempting the child to commit wickedness. You are responsible to God for the education of your children. If they grow up ignorant, who can be to blame but yourselves? And you are responsible too for the right education of your children; not merely that they shall be taught the simple rudiments of everyday instruction, but that they be taught the beginning of wisdom, which is the fear of the Lord. You are commanded in Gods Word to bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. Then, again, in respect of pleasure, who but you are answerable that you provide for your children proper amusements? If you lead worldly lives, and lead your children into all kinds of evil gaiety and dissipation, who is answerable? The providing of lawful amusements for young people--lawful, that is, according to the Word of God--is a most important part of education; for every one knows the soul-destroying evils which result from wrong amusements.
II. Masters. The responsibility of the servant is very great that he obey his master; but, of course, the responsibility of the master towards the servant is of a higher degree, because authority is his; and it is in his power to use his influence for good or evil. The servant is bidden to obey the master in all things lawful. But servants are not always judges of what is lawful, and what not. Masters have it in their power, with the greater number of their servants, to make them do What is wrong. Then with respect to pleasure. Surely a master is most responsible that his servants do not with his knowledge indulge in any unlawful amusements. The servant under his roof is a part and parcel of his family; and, while it s his duty to say with Joshua, As for me and my house we will serve the Lord, he must take care that the Sabbath is not broken by his servants taking unlawful pleasure on that day, any more than by doing their business.
III. And now, apply this subject to superiors. If one man by his influence, or his authority, of whatever kind it may be, throws an obstruction in the heavenward way of his neighbour, leads him astray by temptation, or deceives him by his conduct, or compels him to do what is wrong, he then surely is in that most fearful position of the man by whom an offence has come to his neighbour, and against whom the woe of God is denounced. If in matters of business we in any way cause others to do what is wrong; if by our example we indirectly make them commit sin, or by Our precept say that in business honesty and truth are of little or no consequence, or by our authority we make those under us tell lies for our advantage, or do what is dishonest, we then put stumbling-blocks in our neighbours way, and the woe of the Almighty is hanging over our heads. (R. H. Davis.)
The Biblical Illustrator, edited by Joseph S. Exell (c. 1880s–1900s) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Preacher's Complete Homiletical Commentary 1892 · Public Domain On v51 HOMILETICS OF 1Ki_22:51-53
HOMILETICS OF 1Ki_22:51-53
THE POWER OF EVIL TO PERPETUATE ITSELF
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I. That evil perpetuates itself by the force of parental training and example (1Ki_22:52). Ahaziah was cursed with a wicked ancestry. The evil wrought by a wicked father may be counteracted by the influences of a pious mother, or vice versa. But where both father and mother are morally bad, and especially where the mother is the superior genius, no wonder that the worst features of their characters are reproduced and perpetuated in their children. It is a fearful calamity for children to be born of the ignorant, the idolatrous, the vicious. Parents have much to answer for who train up their offspring in sin. It is said that Plato, seeing a child doing mischief in the street, went forth and corrected his father for it.
II. That evil perpetuates itself when it is individually sanctioned and practised. “For he served Baal, and worshipped him” (1Ki_22:53). Ahaziah made the sin of his parents his own, by his own free, voluntary act. He rejected the God of Elijah, of Micaiah, and of Jehoshaphat, of whom he must have heard, and he elected to serve Baal and worship him. He threw all the weight of his kingly authority on the side of the national idol. Evil is strengthened and extended by the independent action of every additional votary.
III. That the perpetuation of evil is offensive to God. “Provoked to anger the Lord God of Israel, according to all that his father had done” (1Ki_22:53). Sin is not unnoticed, nor will it long go unpunished. Every act of iniquity provokes the Divine anger, and though God is slow to wrath and reluctant to punish, the day is approaching when terrible and complete vengeance will overtake the evildoer. The judgment which fell on the house of Ahab is a signal example of the ultimate fate of the impenitent wicked.
LESSONS:—
1. Parents are responsible for the moral condition of their children.
2. Sin is a germ that has the alarming power of propagating itself.
3. Evil, though powerful, is not omnipotent, nor will it for ever triumph.
GERM NOTES ON THE VERSES
1Ki_22:51-53. As regards his relation to Jehovah, which was the main point for every Israelitish king, Ahaziah was one of the very worst of them. This is marked, in the general description, by the fact that it is said of him, not only that “he did evil in the sight of the Lord,” and “walked in the ways of Jeroboam,” but that it is also added, “in the way of his father,” nay, even also, which is observed of no other king, “in the way of his mother,” the fanatical, idolatrous, and bloodthirsty Jezebel, who was still living, and perhaps controlled him even more than she had controlled his father. All the acts of God during the reign of his father, of which he had been eye-witness and ear-witness, the proofs of God’s power, long-suffering, and justice, even the tragical end of Ahab, had made no impression upon him. All had passed by him, and left no effect behind. For this very reason, then, in the first place, he is worse than Ahab.—Lange.
1Ki_22:52. The curse of ancestral iniquity. I. Is ever displeasing to God. II. Pollutes succeeding generations. III. Is aggravated by voluntary adoption and individual practice of iniquity.
—It is bad enough, indeed, when one or the other of one’s parents is godless, but how much more when neither fears God? How can we hope for the good nurture of children in that case? The power of example is not greater in any relation than in that of parents to children. The way in which the father or mother walks has more influence upon the children than all the doctrines and teachings which they give them. It is not praiseworthy, nor a thing for which one can satisfactorily answer before God, if the parents and ancestors have been godless, or the adherents of a false religion, that the children should do the same, and follow in their footsteps. It will not suffice before God to say, “I believe what my parents and ancestors believed. They were of this religion, and I will not believe that they have been damned.”—Wurt. Summ.
The Preacher's Complete Homiletical Commentary (gen. ed. Joseph S. Exell; Funk & Wagnalls, c. 1892) — public domain (pre-1929). A full-Bible homiletical/sermon-outline anthology covering 65 of 66 books (2 John is absent from the source module). Text from a community e-Sword module.
unfoldingWord translationNotes 2017 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On v51 he reigned two years
he reigned two years
"he reigned 2 years" (See: Numbers)
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what was evil in the sight of Yahweh
Yahweh's opinion regarding something is spoken of as if Yahweh were seeing that thing. AT: "what Yahweh considered to be evil" (See: Metaphor)
walked in the way of his father, in the way of his mother, and in the way of Jeroboam son of Nebat
A person's behavior is spoken of as if that person were walking along a path. AT: "did the same things that his father, mother, and Jeroboam son of Nebat had done" (See: Metaphor)
led Israel to sin
Here the word "Israel" refers to the ten northern tribes that made up the kingdom of Israel.
He served Baal and worshiped him
The words "served" and "worshiped" mean basically the same thing. (See: Doublet)
the God of Israel
Here the word "Israel" refers to all of the twelve tribes descended from Jacob.
translationWords
reign
kingdom of Israel
Samaria
king
kingdom of Judah
Israel
evil
walk
Jeroboam
sin
servant
Baal
worship
anger
unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.
Tyndale Open Study Notes 2022 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On v51 22:51-53 The tragic story of the rule of Ahaziah…
22:51-53 The tragic story of the rule of Ahaziah in Israel continues in 2 Kgs 1:1-18. He followed in the evil ways of his parents, Ahab and Jezebel (1 Kgs 21:25-26); he worshiped Baal (2 Kgs 1:2, 16) and supported the state religion instituted by Jeroboam I (1 Kgs 12:28-32). Ahaziah’s accession and statement of character provide closure to the account of Ahab in 1 Kings and a smooth transition to the continuing story of the divided kingdom in 2 Kings.
Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.