1Wtedy słowo PANA doszło do Jehu, syna Chananiego, przeciw Baszy: 2Ponieważ wywyższyłem cię z prochu i ustanowiłem cię wodzem nad swoim ludem Izraelem, a ty poszedłeś drogą Jeroboama i skłoniłeś do grzechu mój lud, Izraela, aby mnie pobudzić do gniewu jego grzechami; 3Oto zgładzę potomstwo Baszy i potomstwo jego domu i postąpię z twoim domem jak z domem Jeroboama, syna Nebata. 4Tego, kto z rodu Baszy umrze w mieście, zjedzą psy, a tego, kto umrze na polu, zjedzą powietrzne ptaki. 5A pozostałe dzieje Baszy i to, co czynił, i jego potęga, czyż nie są zapisane w kronikach królów Izraela? 6Potem Basza zasnął ze swoimi ojcami i został pogrzebany w Tirsie, a jego syn Ela królował w jego miejsce. 7Ponownie przez proroka Jehu, syna Chananiego, doszło słowo PANA przeciw Baszy i przeciw jego domowi za całe zło, które czynił w oczach PANA, pobudzając go do gniewu czynami swoich rąk, stając się podobnym do domu Jeroboama, i za to, że go zabił. 8W dwudziestym szóstym roku Asy, króla Judy, nad Izraelem w Tirsie zaczął królować Ela, syn Baszy, i królował dwa lata. 9A jego sługa Zimri, dowódca połowy rydwanów, uknuł spisek przeciw niemu, gdy w Tirsie Ela oddawał się pijaństwu w domu Arsy, szafarza domu królewskiego w Tirsie. 10Zimri wszedł tam, uderzył go i zabił – w dwudziestym siódmym roku Asy, króla Judy, i królował w jego miejsce. 11A gdy tylko zaczął królować i zasiadł na swoim tronie, wymordował cały dom Baszy. Nie pozostawił z niego nikogo – ani z jego krewnych, ani przyjaciół – aż do najmniejszego szczenięcia. 12W ten sposób Zimri wytracił cały dom Baszy zgodnie ze słowem PANA, które wypowiedział przeciw Baszy przez proroka Jehu; 13Z powodu wszystkich grzechów Baszy i grzechów jego syna Eli, które popełnili i którymi doprowadzili Izraela do grzechu, pobudzając PANA, Boga Izraela, do gniewu swymi marnościami. 14A pozostałe dzieje Eli i wszystko, co czynił, czyż nie są zapisane w kronikach królów Izraela? 15W dwudziestym siódmym roku Asy, króla Judy, Zimri królował siedem dni w Tirsie. Lud oblegał wtedy Gibbeton, który należy do Filistynów. 16A gdy lud oblegający miasto usłyszał wieść: Zimri uknuł spisek i zabił króla, wtedy cały Izrael w tym samym dniu w obozie ustanowił królem Omriego, który był dowódcą wojska Izraela. 17Wtedy Omri wyruszył spod Gibbeton wraz z całym Izraelem i oblegli Tirsę. 18A gdy Zimri zobaczył, że miasto zostało zdobyte, wszedł do pałacu domu królewskiego i podpalił nad sobą dom królewski, i umarł. 19Stało się tak z powodu jego grzechów, których się dopuścił, czyniąc to, co złe w oczach PANA, idąc drogą Jeroboama i w jego grzechu – którego się dopuszczał i do którego skłonił Izraela. 20A pozostałe dzieje Zimriego i spisek, który uknuł, czyż nie są zapisane w kronikach królów Izraela? 21Wtedy lud Izraela podzielił się na dwie części: połowa ludu szła za Tibnim, synem Ginata, aby go obwołać królem, a połowa szła za Omrim. 22Lecz lud, który był za Omrim, przemógł lud, który był za Tibnim, synem Ginata. I umarł Tibni, a królował Omri. 23W trzydziestym pierwszym roku Asy, króla Judy, nad Izraelem zaczął królować Omri i panował dwanaście lat. W Tirsie królował sześć lat. 24I kupił wzgórze Samarii od Szemera za dwa talenty srebra, i pobudował na tym wzgórzu, a miasto, które zbudował, nazwał Samarią, od imienia właściciela wzgórza, Szemera. 25Lecz Omri czynił to, co złe w oczach PANA, i dopuszczał się gorszych rzeczy niż wszyscy, którzy byli przed nim. 26Chodził bowiem wszystkimi drogami Jeroboama, syna Nebata, i w jego grzechu, do którego przywiódł Izraela, pobudzając PANA, Boga Izraela, do gniewu swymi marnościami. 27A pozostałe dzieje Omriego, których dokonał, i jego potęga, którą pokazywał, czyż nie są zapisane w kronikach królów Izraela? 28I Omri zasnął ze swoimi ojcami, i został pogrzebany w Samarii. A jego syn Achab królował w jego miejsce. 29W trzydziestym ósmym roku Asy, króla Judy, nad Izraelem zaczął królować Achab, syn Omriego. Achab, syn Omriego, królował nad Izraelem w Samarii dwadzieścia dwa lata. 30I Achab, syn Omriego, czynił to, co złe w oczach PANA, bardziej niż wszyscy, którzy byli przed nim. 31A jakby nie wystarczyło mu popełnianie grzechów Jeroboama, syna Nebata, to jeszcze pojął za żonę Jezabel, córkę Etbaala, króla Sydończyków, i zaczął służyć Baalowi i oddawać mu pokłon. 32I wzniósł ołtarz dla Baala w domu Baala, który zbudował w Samarii. 33Achab zasadził też gaj. Achab czynił więcej, by pobudzać PANA, Boga Izraela, do gniewu niż wszyscy królowie Izraela, którzy byli przed nim. 34Za jego czasów Chiel z Betel odbudował Jerycho. Założył fundamenty na Abiramie, swoim pierworodnym, a na Segubie, swoim najmłodszym synu, postawił jego bramy – według słowa PANA, które wypowiedział przez Jozuego, syna Nuna.
Jamieson Fausset Brown Bible Commentary 1 JEHU'S PROPHECY AGAINST BAASHA. (
1Kgs 16:1-8)
Then the word of the Lord came to Jehu--This is the only incident recorded in the life of this prophet. His father was also a prophet (
2Chr 16:7).
2 Forasmuch as I exalted thee--The doom he pronounced on Baasha was exactly the same as denounced against Jeroboam and his posterity. Though he had waded through slaughter to his throne, he owed his elevation to the appointment or permission of Him "by whom kings reign."
over my people Israel--With all their errors and lapses into idolatry, they were not wholly abandoned by God. He still showed His interest in them by sending prophets and working miracles in their favor, and possessed a multitude of faithful worshippers in the kingdom of Israel.
7 also by the hand of the prophet Jehu--This is not another prophecy, but merely an addition by the sacred historian, explanatory of the death of Baasha and the extinction of his family. The doom pronounced against Jeroboam (
1Kgs 14:9), did not entitle him to take the execution of the sentence into his own hands; but from his following the same calf-worship, he had evidently plotted the conspiracy and murder of that king in furtherance of his own ambitious designs; and hence, in his own assassination, he met the just reward of his deeds. The similitude to Jeroboam extends to their deaths as well as their lives--the reign of their sons, and the ruin of their families.
8 began Elah the son of Baasha to reign--(compare
1Kgs 15:33). From this it will appear that Baasha died in the twenty-third year of his reign (see on
1Kgs 15:2), and Elah, who was a prince of dissolute habits, reigned not fully two years.
9 ZIMRI'S CONSPIRACY. (
1Kgs 16:9-22)
Zimri . . . conspired against him--"Arza which was over his house." During a carousal in the house of his chamberlain, Zimri slew him, and having seized the sovereignty, endeavored to consolidate his throne by the massacre of all the royal race.
15 did Zimri reign seven days--The news of his conspiracy soon spread, and the army having proclaimed their general, Omri, king, that officer immediately raised the siege at Gibbethon and marched directly against the capital in which the usurper had established himself. Zimri soon saw that he was not in circumstances to hold out against all the forces of the kingdom; so, shutting himself up in the palace, he set it on fire, and, like Sardanapalus, chose to perish himself and reduce all to ruin, rather than that the palace and royal treasures should fall into the hands of his successful rival. The seven days' reign may refer either to the brief duration of his royal authority, or the period in which he enjoyed unmolested tranquillity in the palace.
19 For his sins which he sinned--This violent end was a just retribution for his crimes. "His walking in the ways of Jeroboam" might have been manifested either by the previous course of his life, or by his decrees published on his ascension, when he made a strong effort to gain popularity by announcing his continued support of the calf worship.
21 Then were the people of Israel divided into two parts--The factions that ensued occasioned a four years' duration (compare
1Kgs 16:15 with
1Kgs 16:23), of anarchy or civil war. Whatever might be the public opinion of Omri's merits a large body of the people disapproved of the mode of his election, and declared for Tibni. The army, however, as usual in such circumstances (and they had the will of Providence favoring them), prevailed over all opposition, and Omri became undisputed possessor of the throne.
22 Tibni died--The Hebrew does not enable us to determine whether his death was violent or natural.
23 OMRI BUILDS SAMARIA. (
1Kgs 16:23-28)
In the thirty and first year of Asa . . . began Omri to reign--The twelve years of his reign are computed from the beginning of his reign, which was in the twenty-seventh year of Asa's reign. He held a contested reign for four years with Tibni; and then, at the date stated in this verse, entered on a sole and peaceful reign of eight years.
24 he bought the hill Samaria of Shemer--The palace of Tirzah being in ruins, Omri, in selecting the site of his royal residence, was naturally influenced by considerations both of pleasure and advantage. In the center of a wide amphitheatre of mountains, about six miles from Shechem, rises an oblong hill with steep, yet accessible sides, and a long flat top extending east and west, and rising five hundred or six hundred feet above the valley. What Omri in all probability built as a mere palatial residence, became the capital of the kingdom instead of Shechem. It was as though Versailles had taken the place of Paris, or Windsor of London. The choice of Omri was admirable, in selecting a position which combined in a union not elsewhere found in Palestine: strength, beauty, and fertility [STANLEY].
two talents of silver--Ł684. Shemer had probably made it a condition of the sale, that the name should be retained. But as city and palace were built there by Omri, it was in accordance with Eastern custom to call it after the founder. The Assyrians did so, and on a tablet dug out of the ruins of Nineveh, an inscription was found relating to Samaria, which is called Beth-khumri--the house of Omri [LAYARD]. (See
2Kgs 17:5).
25 But Omri wrought evil--The character of Omri's reign and his death are described in the stereotyped form used towards all the successors of Jeroboam in respect both to policy as well as time.
29 Ahab the son of Omri did evil in the sight of the Lord above all that were before him--The worship of God by symbols had hitherto been the offensive form of apostasy in Israel, but now gross idolatry is openly patronized by the court. This was done through the influence of Jezebel, Ahab's queen. She was "the daughter of Eth-baal, king of the Zidonians." He was priest of Ashtaroth or Astarte, who, having murdered Philetes, king of Tyre, ascended the throne of that kingdom, being the eighth king since Hiram. Jezebel was the wicked daughter of this regicide and idol priest--and, on her marriage with Ahab, never rested till she had got all the forms of her native Tyrian worship introduced into her adopted country.
32 reared up an altar for Baal--that is, the sun, worshipped under various images. Ahab set up one (
2Kgs 3:2), probably as the Tyrian Hercules, in the temple in Samaria. No human sacrifices were offered--the fire was kept constantly burning --the priests officiated barefoot. Dancing and kissing the image (
1Kgs 19:18) were among the principal rites.
34 JOSHUA'S CURSE FULFILLED UPON HIEL THE BUILDER OF JERICHO. (
1Kgs 16:34)
In his days did Hiel the Beth-elite build Jericho--(see on
Josh 6:26). The curse took effect on the family of this reckless man but whether his oldest son died at the time of laying the foundation, and the youngest at the completion of the work, or whether he lost all his sons in rapid succession, till, at the end of the undertaking, he found himself childless, the poetical form of the ban does not enable us to determine. Some modern commentators think there is no reference either to the natural or violent deaths of Hiel's sons; but that he began in presence of his oldest son, but some unexpected difficulties, losses, or obstacles, delayed the completion till his old age, when the gates were set up in the presence of his youngest son. But the curse was fulfilled more than five hundred years after it was uttered; and from Jericho being inhabited after Joshua's time (
Judg 3:13;
2Sam 10:5), it has been supposed that the act against which the curse was directed, was an attempt at the restoration of the walls--the very walls which had been miraculously cast down. It seems to have been within the territory of Israel; and the unresisted act of Hiel affords a painful evidence how far the people of Israel had lost all knowledge of, or respect for, the word of God.