1 Kings 16:22
Ver. 22. But the people that followed Omri prevailed against the people that followed Tibni the son of Ginath,.... Very probably they had a battle, in which the latter were worsted:
so Tibni died; in the battle:
and Omri reigned; took possession of the throne, his rival being slain. 1 Kings 16:23Ver. 23. In the thirty first year of Asa king of Judah began Omri to reign over Israel twelve years,.... Which are to be reckoned not from the thirty first of Asa; for Ahab the son of Omri began to reign in his thirty eighth year, and so his reign would be but seven or eight years; but they are reckoned from the twenty seventh of Asa, the beginning of it, when Elah was slain by Zimri, and he died, which to the end of the thirty eight of Asa make twelve years; for the division, according to the Jewish chronology {d}, lasted four years; Jarchi says five {e}; and from the beginning of that his reign is reckoned, though he did not reign over all Israel, or completely, until the thirty first of Asa, when Tibni died:six years reigned he in Tirzah; the royal city of the kings of Israel, from Jeroboam to this time, and the other six he reigned in Samaria, built by him, as in the next verse.{d} Seder Olam Rabba, c. 17. p. 45. {e} So Tzemach David, par. 1. fol. 11. 2. 1 Kings 16:24Ver. 24. And he bought the hill of Samaria of Shemer, for two talents of silver,.... A talent of silver, according to Brerewood {f}, was of our money three hundred and seventy five pounds, so that this hill was purchased at seven hundred and fifty pounds: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; its name from him was Shomeron, which is the Hebrew name for Samaria; which, according to Bunting {g} was six miles from Tirzah, and ever after the royal seat of the kings of Israel.{f} De Ponder. & Pret. c. 4. {g} Ut supra, (Travels, &c.) p. 163. 1 Kings 16:25Ver. 25. But Omri wrought evil in the eyes of the Lord,.... Openly and publicly, as if it were in defiance of him:and did worse than all that were before him; taking no warning by the judgments inflicted on them, which aggravated his sins; and besides, he not only worshipped the calves, as the rest, and drew Israel by his example into the same, as they did, but he published edicts and decrees, obliging them to worship them, and forbidding them to go to Jerusalem, called "the statutes of Omri", Mic 6:16. 1 Kings 16:26Ver. 26. For he walked in the way of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, in his sin wherewith he made Israel to sin,.... Worshipping the calves;to provoke the Lord God of Israel to anger with their vanities; these, and whatsoever idols else were worshipped by him, see 1Ki 16:13. 1 Kings 16:27Ver. 27. Now the rest of the acts of Omri, which he did, and his might which he showed, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?] Where those of the preceding kings were written, see 1Ki 14:19. 1 Kings 16:28Ver. 28. So Omri slept with his fathers,.... Died a natural death:and was buried in Samaria; the city he had built, and now the royal seat and metropolis of the kingdom:and Ahab his son reigned in his stead; of whom much is said in the following history. 1 Kings 16:29Ver. 29. And in the thirty fifth year of Asa king of Judah began Ahab the son of Omri to reign over Israel,.... At the latter end of it, the same year his father died, see 1Ki 16:23and Ahab the son of Omri reigned over Israel in Samaria twenty two years; the same number of years Jeroboam did, 1Ki 14:20. 1 Kings 16:30Ver. 30. And Ahab the son of Omri did evil in the sight of the Lord, above all that were before him. Adding other idols to the calves, and those more abominable than they; since the other kings pretended to worship God in them, but he worshipped other gods besides him, as the following verses show. 1 Kings 16:31Ver. 31. And it came to pass, as if it had been a light thing for him to walk in the sin of Jeroboam the son of Nebat,.... To worship the golden calves he set up:that he took to wife Jezebel the daughter of Ethbaal king of the Zidonians; who is called Ithobalus and Itobalus king of the Tyrians, by Heathen historians {h}; and, by Theophilus of Antioch {i}, Juthobalus, priest of Astarte; for Tyre and Zidon were under one king. This woman was not only of another nation, and an idolater, but a very filthy woman, and is made the emblem of the whore of Rome, Re 2:20and went and served Baal, and worshipped him that is, went to Zidon and Tyre, and worshipped his wife's gods, which were either Jupiter Thalassius, the god of the Zidoaians, or Hercules, whom the Tyrians worshipped.{h} Menander apud Joseph. Antiqu. l. 8. c. 13. sect. 1, 2. & contr. Apion. l. 1. c. 21. Diodor. Sicul. apud Junium in loc. {i} Ad Autolye. l. 3. p. 132. 1 Kings 16:32Ver. 32. And he reared up an altar for Baal in the house of Baal, which he had built in Samaria. That he might not go so far as Tyre or Zidon; and for his wife's convenience also he built a temple in Samaria for Baal, and erected an altar there to offer sacrifices upon it unto him; so open and daring was he in his idolatrous practices. 1 Kings 16:33Ver. 33. And Ahab made a grove,.... About the temple of Baal, or elsewhere, in which he placed an idol, and where all manner of filthiness was secretly committed; or rather "Asherah", rendered "grove", is Astarte, the goddess of the Zidonians, an image of which Ahab made:and Ahab did more to provoke the Lord God of Israel to anger than all the kings of Israel that were before him: his idolatries being more open and barefaced, and without any excuse, presence, or colour, as well as more numerous. 1 Kings 16:34Ver. 34. And in his days did Hiel the Bethelite build Jericho,.... Which was forbidden by Joshua under an anathema; but this man, either ignorant of that adjuration of Joshua, or in contempt and defiance of it, and knowing it might please the king and queen, set about the rebuilding of it; and it being done by the leave and under the authority of Ahab, is mentioned together with his wicked actions:he laid the foundation thereof in Abiram his firstborn: that is, his firstborn died as soon as he laid the foundation of the city, but this did not deter him from going on with it:and set up the gates thereof in his youngest son Segub; all the rest of his children died as he was rebuilding the city, until only his youngest son was left, and he was taken off by death just as he had finished it, signified by setting up the gates of it: all which wasaccording to the word of the Lord, which he spake by Joshua the son of Nun: between four hundred and five hundred years ago. It was after this a place of great note, and so continued many hundreds of years;See Gill on "Jos 6:26" but is now, as Mr. Maundrell says {k}, a poor nasty village of the Arabs.{k} Journey from Aleppo, &c. p. 81.
John Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible.