|
Scriptural Text [& Editorial]
|
Commentary & Explanation
|
Footnotes ~ References ~ JST
|
CHAPTER 16
Jehu prophesies evil upon Baasha and his house—Elah, Zimri, Omri,
and Ahab each reign in wickedness—Zimri destroys house of Baasha—Ahab
marries Jezebel, worships Baal, and provokes the Lord to anger.
|
|
|
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
asina, to
provoke me to anger with their sins;
3 Behold, I will take away the posterity of
aBaasha, and the posterity of his house; and will make thy
house like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat.
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.
|
2a hast made my people Israel to
sin Now perhaps a better concept that 'forcing' would be to have
'caused' or to have 'led' the people of Israel into sin. For indeed one does
retain one's agency, but the burden of leadership does carry a heavy weight
of responsibility that cannot be cast aside. Recall that Alma the younger in
the Book of Mormon did assume much responsibility for leading the Nephites
into the 'death of sin' because of his actions. But he forced no one. A king
has much power and authority over his people and may lead his people into
various circumstance which tends to effect the people as a whole, but
certainly such as Abraham did not fall to the ways of sin, but resisted them.
To what degree the Lord will consider whether one has had a fair 'chance' in
life dependant upon such various circumstance is in the hands of the Lord.
But there is much to be so considered, and just because a leader is sinful
does not automatically give a free ticket to sin. Or just because something
is legal, it does not mean that the Lord will hold one sinless because of
the laws of man.
|
|
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
aprovoking him to anger with the work of his hands, in
being like the house of Jeroboam; and because he killed him.
|
|
|
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 aZimri went in and smote
him, and killed him, in the twenty and seventh year of Asa king of Judah, and
reigned in his stead.
|
|
|
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 amade
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?
|
|
|
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?
|
|
|
21 ¶ Then were the people of Israel
adivided 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 aSamaria
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.
|
|
|
25 ¶ But aOmri wrought
bevil in the eyes of the LORD, and did worse than all that
were before him.
26 For he walked in all the way of
aJeroboam the son of Nebat, and in his sin wherewith he
made Israel to bsin, 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.
|
|
|
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 aAhab the son of Omri did
bevil 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 awife bJezebel the daughter of Ethbaal
king of the Zidonians, and went and served cBaal, and
worshipped him.
32 And he reared up an altar for
aBaal in the bhouse of Baal, which he had
built in Samaria.
|
|
|
33 And aAhab made a
bgrove; and Ahab did more to cprovoke the
LORD God of Israel to anger than all the kings of Israel that were before
him.
34 ¶ In his days did Hiel the Beth-elite build
aJericho: 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
bNun.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|