1 Kings 16:11 kjv
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 kinsfolk, nor of his friends.
1 Kings 16:11 nkjv
Then it came to pass, when he began to reign, as soon as he was seated on his throne, that he killed all the household of Baasha; he did not leave him one male, neither of his relatives nor of his friends.
1 Kings 16:11 niv
As soon as he began to reign and was seated on the throne, he killed off Baasha's whole family. He did not spare a single male, whether relative or friend.
1 Kings 16:11 esv
When he began to reign, as soon as he had seated himself on his throne, he struck down all the house of Baasha. He did not leave him a single male of his relatives or his friends.
1 Kings 16:11 nlt
Zimri immediately killed the entire royal family of Baasha, leaving him not even a single male child. He even destroyed distant relatives and friends.
1 Kings 16 11 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| 1 Ki 15:29 | As soon as he was king, he struck down all the house of Jeroboam... | Parallel purge by Baasha, foreshadowing. |
| 1 Ki 16:7 | Moreover, the word of the Lord came by the prophet Jehu son of Hanani to Baasha and his house, because of all the evil he had done in the sight of the Lord, provoking him to anger with the work of his hands... | Divine prophecy of judgment against Baasha. |
| 1 Ki 16:12 | Thus Zimri destroyed all the house of Baasha, according to the word of the Lord... | Confirms fulfillment of prophecy. |
| Deu 7:2 | ...you must devote them to complete destruction. You shall make no covenant with them and show no mercy to them. | Principle of complete destruction of wicked. |
| Deu 13:16 | You shall gather all its spoil into the midst of its open square and burn the city and all its spoil with fire to the Lord your God, and it shall be a heap forever... | Extreme measures for eradicating wickedness. |
| Josh 10:40 | So Joshua struck down all the land... He left none remaining, but devoted to destruction all that breathed, just as the Lord God of Israel had commanded. | Complete eradication for divine judgment. |
| 1 Sa 15:3 | Now go and strike Amalek and devote to destruction all that he has... | Saul's command to utterly destroy a wicked group. |
| 2 Ki 10:11 | So Jehu struck down all who remained of the house of Ahab in Jezreel, all his great men and his familiar friends and his priests, until he left him none remaining. | Another massive purge, driven by divine command. |
| 2 Ki 10:17 | And when he came to Samaria, he struck down all who remained to Ahab in Samaria, till he had destroyed him, according to the word of the Lord that he spoke to Elijah. | Fulfillment of prophecy by purging Ahab's house. |
| Pro 10:7 | The memory of the righteous is a blessing, but the name of the wicked will rot. | The fate of wicked dynasties. |
| Pro 24:21-22 | My son, fear the Lord and the king, and do not join with those who do otherwise, for disaster will arise suddenly from them—and who knows the ruin that both can bring? | Warning against aligning with rebellious rulers. |
| Isa 14:22 | “I will rise up against them,” declares the Lord of hosts, “and will cut off from Babylon name and remnant, descendant and posterity,” declares the Lord. | God's comprehensive judgment on wicked nations. |
| Isa 47:9 | These two things shall come to you in a moment, in one day: loss of children and widowhood... | Swift, devastating judgment for evil. |
| Jer 35:19 | ...there shall not cease to be a man of the Jonadab the son of Rechab to stand before me forever. | Contrast with divine promises for faithful lines. |
| Mal 4:1 | “For behold, the day is coming, burning like an oven, when all the arrogant and all evildoers will be stubble... | Complete destruction awaiting the wicked. |
| Rom 1:18 | For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men... | God's wrath against sin, including idolatry. |
| Rom 2:8-9 | But for those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, there will be wrath and fury. There will be tribulation and distress... | Judgment for disobedience and unrighteousness. |
| 2 Th 1:8-9 | ...inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction... | Consequences of refusing God's ways. |
| Heb 10:31 | It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. | Warning about God's just judgment. |
| Rev 18:6 | Pay her back as she herself has paid back, and render to her double for her deeds; mix a double portion for her in the cup she mixed. | Divine justice for corrupt systems. |
1 Kings 16 verses
1 Kings 16 11 Meaning
This verse describes Zimri's immediate and ruthless act upon ascending to the throne of Israel: the complete eradication of Baasha's entire dynasty and all his associates. This violent purge fulfilled the prophecy of Jehu, son of Hanani, concerning the downfall of Baasha's house due to their wickedness, particularly their idolatry and provocation of the Lord. Zimri, driven by the desire to consolidate his power and eliminate rivals, served as an unwitting instrument of divine judgment.
1 Kings 16 11 Context
First Kings chapter 16 depicts a period of intense political instability and moral decline in the Northern Kingdom of Israel. Following the assassination of King Elah by Zimri (v. 10), Zimri seizes the throne. The verse in focus, 1 Kings 16:11, describes Zimri's immediate consolidation of power through the brutal elimination of all connections to the previous dynasty. This act directly fulfills the prophetic judgment declared by Jehu against the house of Baasha (1 Ki 16:1-7), whom Zimri assassinated, paralleling Baasha's own purge of Jeroboam's house (1 Ki 15:29). This ruthless pattern of violent overthrow and dynastic extermination was common in the ancient Near East, but in Israel's history, it frequently served as an instrument of God's judgment against successive unfaithful and idolatrous rulers who led the people astray.
1 Kings 16 11 Word analysis
- As soon as: Hebrew: "bi-hyoto" (בְּהְיוֹתֹו), literally "in his being" or "as he was." Implies immediacy and speed of action upon taking control.
- he began to reign: This marks the inception of his brief period of rule, emphasizing that this was among his very first acts as king.
- as soon as he was seated on his throne: Hebrew: "ke-shivto al-kis'o" (כְּשִׁבְתּוֹ עַל־כִּסְאוֹ), "as he sat on his throne." This phrase strongly signifies the establishment of his authority and formal succession, reinforcing the immediate and deliberate nature of his purge.
- he struck down: Hebrew: "yakke" (יַכֶּה), "he struck, he smote." This verb often indicates a forceful, decisive, and often fatal blow.
- all the house of Baasha: "House" (Hebrew: "beit" - בֵּית) refers to the entire lineage, family, and dynasty. Zimri targeted not just the immediate king but the whole network that would support future claims to the throne or harbor resentment.
- he left him not one male: Hebrew: "lo hish'ir lo mashtin beqir" (לֹא הִשְׁאִיר לוֹ מַשְׁתִּין בְּקִיר). This is a strong Hebrew idiom, literally "one who urinates against a wall," a crude but emphatic expression for "every single male." It signifies total annihilation, even the lowest or most insignificant male, to ensure no potential male heir or descendant could survive to threaten his rule. This expression is found elsewhere in the Bible, signifying complete destruction, especially of a family or lineage.
- whether of his relatives or of his friends: Hebrew: "go'alav ve're'ehu" (גֹאֲלָיו וְרֵעֵהוּ). "Relatives" (go'alav) could refer to kinsmen or close family ties who might claim blood-avenging or support the ousted family. "Friends" (re'ehu) encompasses allies, companions, or associates, indicating the purge extended beyond biological family to those who had been politically aligned with Baasha, eliminating any potential threat or source of counter-coup.
1 Kings 16 11 Bonus section
The idiom "not one male" (lit. "one who urinates against a wall") is a vivid and vulgar expression for utter and complete male eradication, underscoring the ruthlessness required to wipe out a royal line and secure a throne in this era. This form of purge was not unique to Israel's kings; similar historical practices existed across the ancient Near East as a brutal but effective means to consolidate new power. The striking parallel between Zimri's purge of Baasha's house and Baasha's earlier purge of Jeroboam's house (1 Ki 15:29) emphasizes a recurring pattern of divine judgment and political instability that plagued the Northern Kingdom, contrasting sharply with the relative stability and divine promise of the Davidic dynasty in Judah (though it also experienced challenges, the line persisted).
1 Kings 16 11 Commentary
1 Kings 16:11 vividly portrays the brutal realities of power transition in ancient Israel, particularly in the unstable Northern Kingdom. Zimri's immediate and comprehensive purge of Baasha's house was a pragmatic, albeit cruel, measure to secure his newly seized throne by eliminating all possible threats. The theological significance, however, lies in its direct fulfillment of God's prophetic judgment delivered by Jehu against Baasha's dynasty for its persistent idolatry and wickedness. While Zimri's motives were purely self-serving, his actions unwittingly served as a divine instrument, demonstrating that God works through human agents, even those who are themselves sinful, to execute His righteous decrees. This continuous cycle of sin, divine warning, and violent judgment highlights the consequences of Israel's infidelity and their kings' leadership away from the Lord.