1 Kings 16:32 kjv
And he reared up an altar for Baal in the house of Baal, which he had built in Samaria.
1 Kings 16:32 nkjv
Then he set up an altar for Baal in the temple of Baal, which he had built in Samaria.
1 Kings 16:32 niv
He set up an altar for Baal in the temple of Baal that he built in Samaria.
1 Kings 16:32 esv
He erected an altar for Baal in the house of Baal, which he built in Samaria.
1 Kings 16:32 nlt
First Ahab built a temple and an altar for Baal in Samaria.
1 Kings 16 32 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Ex 20:3-5 | You shall have no other gods before me... make for yourself an idol... | First commandment against idolatry. |
| Deut 4:19 | ...lest you lift your eyes to the heavens and see the sun and the moon... | Warning against worship of celestial bodies. |
| Deut 6:14 | You shall not follow other gods, any of the gods of the peoples who are... | Prohibition against following foreign gods. |
| Deut 12:2-4 | You shall utterly destroy all the places... where the nations whom you... | Command to destroy pagan altars/sites. |
| 1 Ki 16:30 | Ahab the son of Omri did evil in the sight of the LORD, more than all... | Ahab's unprecedented wickedness. |
| 1 Ki 16:31 | As if it had been a trivial thing for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam.. | Context: Jezebel's influence on his Baal worship. |
| 1 Ki 18:19 | Now therefore send and gather to me all Israel... and the prophets of Baal.. | Ahab's propagation of Baal prophets. |
| 1 Ki 21:25 | Surely there was no one like Ahab who sold himself to do evil... | Description of Ahab's complete surrender to sin. |
| 2 Ki 10:25-28 | As soon as he had finished presenting the burnt offering, Jehu said... | Jehu's destruction of Baal worship system. |
| 2 Ki 17:7-18 | All this came about because the people of Israel had sinned against the LORD | Israel's fall due to pervasive idolatry. |
| 2 Ki 21:3 | He rebuilt the high places which Hezekiah his father had destroyed... | Later king Manasseh rebuilding Baal altars. |
| Jer 2:27-28 | Say to a tree, ‘You are my father,’ and to a stone, ‘You gave me birth.’ | Idolatry as foolish reliance on inanimate objects. |
| Hos 2:17 | For I will remove the names of the Baals from her mouth, so that they... | Divine promise to abolish Baal worship. |
| Amos 5:25-27 | Did you bring to Me sacrifices and grain offerings in the wilderness... | Implicit condemnation of historical Israelite idolatry. |
| Zeph 1:4 | I will stretch out My hand against Judah...cut off the name of Baal... | Divine judgment against Baal worshippers. |
| Ps 106:36-39 | They served their idols, Which became a snare to them. They even sacrificed. | Israelite participation in Baal worship and child sacrifice. |
| Rom 1:21-23 | For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him... became futile... | Exchanging God's truth for idolatry in the NT. |
| 1 Cor 10:14 | Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry. | New Testament call to reject all forms of idolatry. |
| Col 3:5 | Therefore consider the members of your earthly body as dead to immorality.. | Greed equated to idolatry. |
| Rev 2:14 | But I have a few things against you, because you have there some who hold... | Warning against eating food sacrificed to idols (Pergamum). |
| 1 Ki 17:1 | Now Elijah the Tishbite, who was of the settlers of Gilead, said to Ahab.. | Elijah's prophecy against Ahab directly follows his sin. |
| Judg 2:13 | So they forsook the LORD and served Baal and the Ashtaroth. | Early instances of Baal worship in Israel. |
1 Kings 16 verses
1 Kings 16 32 Meaning
This verse reveals King Ahab's deliberate and extreme apostasy by establishing the official worship of Baal in the Northern Kingdom of Israel. He actively constructed a permanent temple and dedicated an altar for Baal worship within Samaria, the nation's capital, symbolizing a national rejection of Yahweh and endorsement of pagan idolatry.
1 Kings 16 32 Context
The verse is situated during the reign of King Ahab (c. 874-853 BC), son of Omri, who established Samaria as the capital of the northern kingdom of Israel. Ahab's rule is described in 1 Kings 16:30 as exceptionally evil, exceeding all previous kings. His marriage to Jezebel, daughter of Ethbaal, king of the Sidonians, significantly escalated apostasy in Israel, making it state-sanctioned. This verse records Ahab's direct initiative to formalize and institutionalize Baal worship, moving beyond toleration to state sponsorship. This act directly violated the foundational commandments of YHWH's covenant, setting the stage for major divine confrontation, notably through the prophet Elijah, whose ministry directly challenges the pervasive Baal cult established by Ahab.
1 Kings 16 32 Word analysis
- He erected (וַיָּקֶם - vayyaqem): From the Hebrew root קוּם (qum), meaning "to arise," "to establish," or "to set up." This strong verb emphasizes deliberate, active, and permanent action by King Ahab. It signifies that he took the personal initiative to firmly establish the Baal cult.
- an altar (מִזְבֵּחַ - mizbeach): The standard term for a structure built for offering sacrifices. Its construction implies a formal system of ritual worship and sacrificial practices. This contrasts sharply with the single, legitimate altar prescribed for YHWH's worship, underscoring the creation of a rival system.
- for Baal (לַבַּעַל - labba'al): "Baal" was a common Semitic title meaning "lord" or "master." In Canaanite religion, it referred primarily to Hadad, the storm and fertility god. Baal worship often involved immoral cult prostitution and, at times, child sacrifice, all practices vehemently forbidden by YHWH. Ahab's explicit dedication of an altar to Baal demonstrated his allegiance and devotion to this foreign deity.
- in the temple of Baal (בֵּית־הַבַּעַל - beit-habba'al): Literally, "house of Baal." This indicates a formal, dedicated edifice for public worship, not merely an impromptu shrine. Building a "temple" signified a grand, public, and institutionalized presence of Baal worship, directly challenging and rivalling the sacred status of the Tabernacle and later the Temple for YHWH.
- which he built (אֲשֶׁר בָּנָה - asher banah): This phrase reiterates Ahab's direct involvement and personal responsibility for initiating the construction of the Baal temple. It emphasizes his active agency and commitment to establishing this pagan system within Israel.
- in Samaria (בְּשֹׁמְרוֹן - b'shomron): Samaria was the recently established capital city of the Northern Kingdom by Ahab's father, Omri (1 Ki 16:24). Locating the central Baal temple in the political and administrative heart of the nation underscored the state's official endorsement and embrace of this idolatry.
- Words-group analysis:
- "He erected an altar for Baal in the temple of Baal which he built": This complete phrase depicts Ahab's comprehensive and public effort to embed Baal worship into the nation's spiritual and civic life. It highlights the creation of a structured system (temple) with its central ritual practice (altar), all under Ahab's direct command and sponsorship.
- "for Baal in Samaria": The specific naming of Baal and the capital city underscores the strategic and official nature of Ahab's apostasy. This meant the foreign god Baal was now publicly enshrined at the highest level within the political heartland of YHWH's covenant people, a profound affront to the exclusive worship of YHWH mandated by the Torah.
1 Kings 16 32 Bonus section
- Ahab's establishment of both a temple and an altar for Baal strongly suggests the concurrent establishment of a formal Baal priesthood and the initiation of organized sacrificial rites, further entrenching the pagan cult system within Israel.
- The allure of Baal worship for Ahab might have been linked to its promise of agricultural prosperity, as Baal was revered as the god of storms and fertility. However, it was also a politically shrewd move to cement ties with Phoenicia through his Sidonian wife, Jezebel.
- Placing the temple in Samaria was a symbolic and strategic declaration, positioning the new religious center of the northern kingdom in direct competition with the Temple of YHWH in Jerusalem, effectively signaling a profound split in spiritual allegiance.
- Ahab's unparalleled sin set a devastating precedent for subsequent kings in the Northern Kingdom, contributing significantly to its moral decay and eventual downfall and exile at the hands of Assyria, demonstrating the severe national consequences of state-sanctioned apostasy.
1 Kings 16 32 Commentary
1 Kings 16:32 vividly illustrates the apex of apostasy in the Northern Kingdom under King Ahab. Unlike his predecessors who permitted "high places" or engaged in subtle syncretism, Ahab proactively constructed and consecrated a full-fledged temple and altar to Baal, installing this pagan worship system at the very heart of Samaria, the nation's capital. This act represented a comprehensive and institutionalized betrayal of YHWH's covenant. It was a calculated move, likely influenced by his marriage to Jezebel of Sidon, transforming Baal worship from a private sin to a state religion. Such a profound and deliberate rejection of the LORD inevitably provoked direct divine intervention and confrontation, most notably through the unwavering ministry of the prophet Elijah, setting the stage for one of the most significant spiritual battles in Israel's history.