1 Kings 16:3 kjv
Behold, I will take away the posterity of Baasha, and the posterity of his house; and will make thy house like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat.
1 Kings 16:3 nkjv
surely I will take away the posterity of Baasha and the posterity of his house, and I will make your house like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat.
1 Kings 16:3 niv
So I am about to wipe out Baasha and his house, and I will make your house like that of Jeroboam son of Nebat.
1 Kings 16:3 esv
behold, I will utterly sweep away Baasha and his house, and I will make your house like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat.
1 Kings 16:3 nlt
So now I will destroy you and your family, just as I destroyed the descendants of Jeroboam son of Nebat.
1 Kings 16 3 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| 1 Kgs 14:10 | "Therefore, behold, I will bring harm upon the house of Jeroboam...cut off from Jeroboam every male..." | God's judgment on Jeroboam's house, direct parallel. |
| 1 Kgs 15:29 | "When Baasha began to reign, he struck down all the house of Jeroboam...not one that breathed was left." | Baasha fulfilling prophecy against Jeroboam. |
| 1 Kgs 15:34 | "And he walked in the way of Jeroboam and in his sin..." | Baasha's specific sin; reason for judgment. |
| 1 Kgs 16:1-2 | "Now the word of the LORD came to Jehu...‘Whereas I exalted you...you have walked in the way of Jeroboam...'" | Context of the prophecy against Baasha. |
| 1 Kgs 16:11-13 | "As soon as he began to reign, he struck down all the house of Baasha; he did not leave him a single male..." | Fulfillment of the prophecy against Baasha's house. |
| Deut 29:20 | "...the anger of the LORD...will smoke against that man...and blot out his name from under heaven." | General covenant curse against disobedient individuals/lines. |
| Isa 14:22 | "'I will cut off from Babylon name and remnant, offspring and posterity,' declares the LORD of hosts." | Prophetic judgment using similar language against Babylon. |
| Job 18:19 | "He has no offspring or descendant among his people, nor any survivor where he used to live." | Description of the wicked's cut-off state. |
| Ps 75:7 | "It is God who executes judgment, putting down one and setting up another." | God's sovereignty over raising/lowering kings. |
| Prov 24:20 | "for there will be no future for the evil man; the lamp of the wicked will be put out." | General principle of no future for the wicked. |
| Jer 35:19 | "...Jonadab the son of Rechab shall never lack a man to stand before me." | Contrast: Reward for faithfulness, ensuring a lasting lineage. |
| Hos 1:4 | "...I will punish the house of Jehu for the blood of Jezreel..." | Another example of a dynastic judgment by God. |
| 2 Kgs 10:30 | "Because you have done well...in carrying out what is right in my eyes and have done to the house of Ahab..." | God uses and rewards Jehu for destroying Ahab's house, a similar dynastic judgment. |
| Exod 34:7 | "...visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children’s children, to the third and fourth generation." | Principle of generational consequences for corporate sin. |
| Judg 2:19 | "...but whenever the judge died, they turned back and behaved worse than their fathers..." | Pattern of Israel's idolatry and rebellion. |
| Neh 9:26 | "...they cast your law behind their back and killed your prophets..." | Israel's long history of rejecting God's word. |
| Rom 2:6 | "He will render to each one according to his works." | Principle of divine retribution. |
| Rev 22:12 | "Behold, I am coming soon, bringing my recompense with me, to repay each one for what he has done." | Eschatological fulfillment of divine justice. |
| 2 Sam 7:16 | "And your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me..." | Contrast: Unconditional promise to David vs. conditional judgment for other kings. |
| Dan 2:21 | "He changes times and seasons; he removes kings and sets up kings..." | God's ultimate control over all earthly rulers. |
| Zeph 1:3 | "I will sweep away man and beast...and the stumbling blocks with the wicked..." | Judgment using similar "sweep away" language. |
| Prov 13:21 | "Disaster pursues sinners, but the righteous are rewarded with good." | General principle of consequence for evil actions. |
1 Kings 16 verses
1 Kings 16 3 Meaning
This verse proclaims the Lord's absolute and devastating judgment upon King Baasha of Israel and his entire dynastic line. Pronounced through the prophet Jehu, God declares that He will completely cut off Baasha's offspring and abolish his royal house. This severe fate is directly likened to the prior annihilation of the house of Jeroboam, underscoring God's consistent justice against those who persist in idolatry and rebellion.
1 Kings 16 3 Context
First Kings chapter 16 details the volatile and ungodly succession of kings in the Northern Kingdom of Israel following Jeroboam's reign. Baasha rose to power by assassinating Nadab, Jeroboam's son, and violently annihilated Jeroboam's entire household, thus fulfilling the divine prophecy delivered in 1 Kings 14:10-11. However, despite being exalted by God from a humble background (1 Kgs 16:2) and serving as an instrument of divine judgment, Baasha himself replicated and perpetuated Jeroboam's foundational sin of instituting idolatrous worship through the golden calves at Dan and Bethel. He also engaged in persecution against those who remained faithful to Yahweh. This prophecy, delivered by Jehu son of Hanani (whose father confronted King Asa of Judah), is God's decree of judgment against Baasha and his lineage, paralleling the exact fate that had befallen Jeroboam's house. This period starkly illustrates the accelerating spiritual decline of Israel, marked by political violence, short reigns, and persistent idolatry, all under the unwavering justice of Yahweh who judges kings according to their fidelity to His covenant.
1 Kings 16 3 Word analysis
- Behold (Heb. hinneh): An emphatic interjection that introduces a solemn, weighty, and certain divine pronouncement. It calls for immediate attention to the gravity and significance of the words to follow.
- I will utterly sweep away (Heb. haqrēt yaqrîṯ, from the root qarat): This powerful verb phrase means "to cut off," "to destroy," or "to annihilate" in a complete and decisive manner. The repeated verbal stem ("utterly sweep away" captures this intensity) emphasizes the totality and certainty of the destruction, ensuring no remnant survives, thus signifying a comprehensive divine judgment that terminates a lineage.
- the posterity (Heb. 'aḥărît): Refers to the "end," "future," or "aftermath." In this context, it specifically denotes one's descendants, offspring, or future generations. The destruction of posterity means the complete eradication of a family's name, legacy, and continuous line.
- of Baasha: Baasha, meaning "iniquity" (perhaps prophetically attributed to his deeds, not his given name), was King of Israel from the tribe of Issachar (ruled c. 909-886 BC). He came to power by assassinating Jeroboam's son Nadab and fulfilling the prophecy against Jeroboam's house, but subsequently led Israel in the same idolatrous path as Jeroboam (1 Kgs 15:34).
- and the posterity of his house (Heb. bayit): "House" here denotes the entire dynastic line, the extended family, and all male members who could perpetuate the royal name and succession. The conjunction of "posterity" and "house" emphasizes the absolute scope of the judgment – the entire familial and ruling lineage will be extinguished.
- and I will make: Reaffirms God's active, sovereign agency in bringing this judgment to pass. It signifies a divine decree that will be fully executed, not merely a prediction.
- thy house: Refers directly and explicitly to Baasha's lineage, underscoring that the judgment is personal and directed against his royal line.
- like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat: This crucial phrase establishes a direct and inescapable parallel. It is a judicial sentence based on a clear historical precedent. The fate of Israel's first king, Jeroboam I, whose dynasty was utterly wiped out for leading Israel into idolatry (1 Kgs 14:10-11), was well-known. By linking Baasha's judgment to Jeroboam's, God demonstrates that Baasha will suffer the same fate because he repeated and continued Jeroboam's fundamental sin. "Jeroboam the son of Nebat" became the quintessential identifier for Israelite apostasy.
Words-group analysis
- "Behold, I will utterly sweep away": This powerful opening sentence encapsulates God's determination and decisiveness. The language signifies a total, merciless cleansing, a divine operation to remove a source of corruption. It draws heavily on the imagery and consequences associated with covenant curses and divine indignation found in Deuteronomy.
- "the posterity of Baasha, and the posterity of his house": This phrase emphasizes the completeness and breadth of the judgment. It includes not just the current king but every male descendant, every living relative, and the very foundation of his dynasty. This ensured that Baasha's royal name and lineage would not continue as a ruling force in Israel.
- "and I will make thy house like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat": This comparative declaration is the core of the pronouncement. It acts as a clear judicial sentence. Jeroboam's destruction served as a warning, yet Baasha chose to follow his idolatrous path. Therefore, his punishment would be precisely proportional and parallel. This highlights God's consistency in judgment and the cyclical nature of sin and divine retribution evident throughout the history of the Northern Kingdom.
1 Kings 16 3 Bonus section
- Divine Irony and Retribution: A profound irony lies in the fact that Baasha himself was the instrument through which God's earlier prophecy against Jeroboam's house was fulfilled (1 Kgs 15:27-29). Baasha eliminated Jeroboam's descendants, only to immediately replicate the very sins that led to Jeroboam's downfall. This judgment on Baasha’s house is a direct reflection of the consequences he enacted upon another, illustrating the principle that one often reaps what they sow, especially when ignoring divine warnings embedded in history.
- The "Sin of Jeroboam" as a Template: The phrase "the sin of Jeroboam" (cf. 1 Kgs 15:34) becomes a defining characteristic and standard by which subsequent Northern kings are condemned throughout the Books of Kings. It refers specifically to the institution of golden calf worship at Dan and Bethel (1 Kgs 12:28-30), which constituted the foundational idolatry and persistent rebellion against the Jerusalem temple and the true worship of Yahweh. Baasha's adoption and continuation of this fundamental apostasy ensured his house would suffer the template judgment set by Jeroboam.
- Prophetic Continuity and Courage: The fact that Jehu, the prophet who delivered this message, was the son of Hanani—a prophet who had previously confronted King Asa of Judah (2 Chr 16:7-10)—illustrates a pattern of prophetic conviction. This prophetic family demonstrated an unwavering commitment to speaking God's word to powerful monarchs, regardless of the personal risk involved in pronouncing such dire judgments.
1 Kings 16 3 Commentary
1 Kings 16:3 represents a precise divine judgment pronounced by the prophet Jehu, detailing the complete eradication of King Baasha's dynasty. Despite God's favor in raising Baasha to end the corrupt line of Jeroboam, Baasha consciously chose to perpetuate Jeroboam's egregious sin of state-sanctioned idolatry. This verse highlights a critical principle: divine blessing and royal tenure in Israel were always conditional on faithfulness to Yahweh's covenant. God's act of making Baasha's house "like the house of Jeroboam" is not merely a threat, but a decreed act of consistent justice. It underscores that God is sovereign over all earthly kingdoms, raising and pulling down kings as He wills, always in response to human conduct. This judgment served as a stark warning, though largely unheeded, that persistent, unrepentant apostasy would invariably lead to the violent end of Israelite dynasties, ultimately contributing to the nation's spiritual decay and eventual downfall.