Ahab (King)

Ahab was the eighth king of the northern kingdom of Israel. He reigned about 874–853 BC. His father, Omri, established a royal family (dynasty) that lasted for 40 years, through the reigns of Ahab and his two sons, Ahaziah and Jehoram. This dynasty had an impact that went beyond what is written in the Bible. They were mentioned on the well-known Moabite Stone and in several writings (inscriptions) from Assyria.

According to 1 Kings, Omri was a general under King Elah, the son of Baasha. After Elah was assassinated, Omri's troops declared him king (1 Kings 16:8–16). He won the resulting civil war and took over Tirzah, the capital city (1 Kings 16:17–23). Later, he moved his capital to Samaria and built defenses around it (1 Kings 16:24). Omri also made an alliance with the Phoenicians. David and Solomon had done the same but were criticized for it afterward. When Ahab became king after his father (1 Kings 16:28), he continued this alliance by marrying the Phoenician king's daughter, Jezebel (1 Kings 16:29–31).

Jezebel strongly supported false gods and did not behave in ways that were right or good. Ahab's marriage to her had a major impact on Israel (1 Kings 21:21–26). It even affected the southern kingdom of Judah. Their daughter, Athaliah, married Jehoram of Judah, and this union led to terrible consequences (2 Kings 8:17–18, 26–27; 11:1–20). Under Jezebel's influence, Ahab abandoned the worship of God in favor of Baal worship. This new religion was a fertility cult that included sexual rites between priests and temple "virgins," which went directly against God's laws. By marrying Jezebel, Ahab also broke the biblical command against pagans (Deuteronomy 7:1–5).

The Bible tells us that Ahab built many cities and fought several wars (1 Kings 22:39). But most of the story focuses on the prophet Elijah (1 Kings 17:1; 18:1; 19:1). Early in Ahab's reign, God sent Elijah to announce a drought and famine as punishment for the king's sins (1 Kings 17:1; 18:16–18). This drought lasted three and a half years and was so significant that it was remembered in the New Testament (Luke 4:25; James 5:17). It caused severe suffering for both people and animals (1 Kings 18:5).

At the end of the drought, Elijah challenged Ahab to gather all the pagan prophets for a showdown between God and Baal. Elijah mocked the 450 prophets of Baal for their failure to get their god's attention. Then he prayed to God, and fire came down from heaven to consume God's altar. The people then declared their faith in God and helped Elijah kill the false prophets (1 Kings 18:16–40). The drought ended immediately (1 Kings 18:41–46).

When Jezebel learned what had happened to her prophets, she vowed to take revenge. Elijah fled, and on Mount Horeb, God instructed him to anoint Jehu as the new king of Israel to replace Ahab (1 Kings 19:1–16). This was later done by Elijah's successor, Elisha (1 Kings 19:19–21; 2 Kings 9:1–10).

Elijah also confronted Ahab about acquiring a vineyard from a man named Naboth (1 Kings 21:1–16). When Naboth refused to sell his land, Jezebel arranged for false witnesses to accuse him of cursing God and the king. Naboth was then stoned to death for blasphemy. Elijah condemned Ahab, prophesying that God would bring a bloody end to his family (1 Kings 21:17–24). Although Ahab repented, causing God to delay the judgment until after Ahab's death (1 Kings 21:27–29; 2 Kings 10:1–14).

During his reign, Ahab faced several military conflicts with King Ben-hadad II of Syria (Aram), largely because the Syrians provoked these encounters. In their first clash, Ben-hadad besieged Samaria, the capital of Israel, and demanded heavy tribute. Ahab refused to meet these demands and consulted with the elders of Israel. As the Syrians prepared to attack, a prophet advised Ahab to strike first (1 Kings 20:1–14). The Syrians were defeated, and Ben-hadad barely escaped with his life (1 Kings 20:15–22).

The next year, Ben-hadad launched another attack against Ahab's forces, was again defeated, and eventually surrendered to Ahab (1 Kings 20:23–33). As part of the terms, Ben-hadad gave up some cities his father had previously taken from Israel and allowed Israel to have trading posts in Damascus (1 Kings 20:34). However, God later rebuked Ahab through a prophet for forming such an alliance with a pagan power (1 Kings 20:35–43).

In Ahab's final war with Syria, he had the support of an alliance with the king of Judah, Jehoshaphat (1 Kings 22:2–4; 2 Chronicles 18:1–3). This alliance was strengthened by the marriage of Ahab's daughter, Athaliah, to Jehoram, Jehoshaphat's son. Ahab proposed a campaign to recapture Ramoth-gilead, located in the northeast of Israel. When Jehoshaphat doubted the optimistic forecasts of Ahab's 400 prophets, the prophet Micaiah was called in and predicted Ahab's death (1 Kgs 22:5–28; 2 Chronicles 18:4–27).

For the battle with Syria, Jehoshaphat wore his royal robes, while Ahab disguised himself as an ordinary soldier. Despite this, a Syrian archer managed to hit Ahab between the joints of his armor. Ahab died that evening, and his troops abandoned the battle. His chariot and armor were washed beside the pool of Samaria, where, as Elijah had prophesied, dogs licked Ahab's blood. Ahab was succeeded by his son Ahaziah (1 Kings 22:29–40; 2 Chronicles 18:28–34).

The Bible does not judge Ahab mainly by his success as a warrior or political leader. Instead, it judges him by his failure to lead Israel in faithful worship of God. Ahab was more evil than all the kings of Israel who ruled before him (1 Kings 16:28–30). He married Jezebel and brought the worship of Baal into Israel. In this way, he “did more to provoke the LORD, the God of Israel, to anger than all the kings of Israel who were before him” (1 Kings 16:31–33, RSV).

See also Elijah #1; Jezebel; History of Israel; King; Books of First and Second Kings; Chronology of the Bible (Old Testament).