Biblical Profile: Ahab

Ahab

Ahab, Israel’s eighth king, inherited the northern kingdom from his powerful father, Omri (1 Kgs 16:27-28), and reigned in Israel from 874 to 853 BC. Ahab married Jezebel, daughter of King Ethbaal of Sidon. Under her influence, Ahab began worshiping Baal instead of the Lord (16:29-33).

Ahab had several military successes. He achieved victories over the Arameans (20:1-34), and in 853 BC he led a coalition of kings against the Assyrian king Shalmaneser III and defeated him at the battle of Qarqar. However, the Old Testament reports little positive news about Ahab, who was a traitor to God. God raised up the prophet Elijah to confront Ahab, Jezebel, and their prophets and to reassert the supremacy of the true God (17:1; 18:1-46).

Ahab not only betrayed the Lord; he also exploited his people, as in the matter of Naboth and his vineyard (21:1-29). In Israel, the people had absolute title to the land as a gift from God. When Ahab wanted to annex a vineyard from his neighbor Naboth and Naboth refused, he was frustrated. Jezebel was familiar with another type of kingship back home: When kings wanted something, they just took it. So she helped Ahab frame Naboth, who was executed on false charges. Ahab took possession of the land, but the Lord would not let him get away with it. He sent Elijah to deliver a death sentence for Ahab and his dynasty.

Then war flared up again with Aram, and Ahab enlisted Jehoshaphat, the southern king, as his ally (1 Kgs 22:2-4; 2 Chr 18:1-3). Jehoshaphat still believed in the Lord, so he talked Ahab into consulting God’s prophet Micaiah, who prophesied that this battle would end Ahab’s life (1 Kgs 22:5-28; 2 Chr 18:4-27). Ahab tried to escape this fate by wearing ordinary armor and having Jehoshaphat wear royal battle dress as a decoy, but there is no fooling God. An archer’s shot penetrated the joint of Ahab’s armor, and he died, “just as the Lord had promised” (1 Kgs 22:38).

Passages for Further Study

1 Kgs 16:29–22:53; 2 Chr 18:1-34; Mic 6:16