1 Kings 21:26 kjv
And he did very abominably in following idols, according to all things as did the Amorites, whom the LORD cast out before the children of Israel.
1 Kings 21:26 nkjv
And he behaved very abominably in following idols, according to all that the Amorites had done, whom the LORD had cast out before the children of Israel.
1 Kings 21:26 niv
He behaved in the vilest manner by going after idols, like the Amorites the LORD drove out before Israel.)
1 Kings 21:26 esv
He acted very abominably in going after idols, as the Amorites had done, whom the LORD cast out before the people of Israel.)
1 Kings 21:26 nlt
His worst outrage was worshiping idols just as the Amorites had done ? the people whom the LORD had driven out from the land ahead of the Israelites.)
1 Kings 21 26 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| 1 Kgs 16:30-33 | Ahab son of Omri did more evil in the eyes of the LORD than any of those before him… serving Baal and worshiping him. | Ahab's preeminence in evil |
| 1 Kgs 21:25 | (There was never anyone like Ahab, who sold himself to do evil in the eyes of the LORD, urged on by Jezebel his wife. | Ahab's unique wickedness & Jezebel's influence |
| Deut 18:9-12 | do not imitate the detestable ways of the nations there… practices detestable to the LORD. | Warning against pagan practices |
| Lev 18:24-28 | Do not defile yourselves by any of these practices, for the nations I am driving out… defiled themselves this way… | Land defiled by abominable practices |
| Gen 15:16 | In the fourth generation your descendants will come back here, for the sin of the Amorites has not yet reached its full measure. | Amorite wickedness filling up |
| Deut 9:4-5 | Do not say in your heart… "The LORD has brought me here to take possession of this land because of my righteousness."… but on account of the wickedness of these nations. | Amorites expelled for their wickedness |
| Ps 106:35-39 | They mingled with the nations and adopted their customs… shedding innocent blood… defiling the land. | Israel mimicking pagan idolatry |
| Jer 32:34-35 | They set up their detestable idols in the house that bears My Name, and defiled it. They built high places for Baal… causing their sons to pass through the fire. | Idolatry defiling God's house/practices |
| Ezek 20:30-31 | Why do you defile yourselves with the idols of Egypt… and burn your sons in the fire when you offer your gifts? | Idolatry as spiritual defilement |
| 1 Kgs 22:52-53 | He did evil in the eyes of the LORD and walked in the ways of his father and mother… serving Baal and worshiping him. | Ahab's legacy of evil continued |
| Lev 20:23 | Do not live by the customs of the nations I am going to drive out before you. Because they did all these things, I abhorred them. | God's abhorrence of pagan customs |
| Isa 24:5-6 | The earth is defiled by its people; they have disobeyed the laws… Therefore a curse consumes the earth; its people must pay for their guilt. | Consequences of sin & land defilement |
| Hos 4:1-3 | There is no faithfulness, no love, no acknowledgment of God in the land. There is only cursing… Therefore the land mourns. | Moral decay & land suffering |
| Judg 2:1-3 | I will not drive out before you these nations; they will be thorns in your sides, and their gods will be a snare to you. | Consequences of failing to expel Amorites |
| Deut 4:25-26 | If you act corruptly and make idols… I call heaven and earth to testify against you today that you will quickly perish. | Warning against making idols |
| Rom 1:21-25 | For although they knew God, they neither glorified Him as God… they exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images… they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served created things. | Exchange of truth for idolatry |
| 1 Cor 10:14 | Therefore, my dear friends, flee from idolatry. | Exhortation to flee idolatry |
| Eph 5:5 | For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person—such a person is an idolater—has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. | Idolatry prevents inheritance in kingdom |
| Rev 21:8 | But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars—they will be consigned to the fiery lake of burning sulfur. | Idolaters face eternal judgment |
| Col 3:5 | Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. | Greed equates to idolatry |
| Jer 7:30 | They have set up their detestable things in the house that bears My Name and defiled it. | Detestable things defile God's dwelling |
| Deut 29:16-18 | For you yourselves know how we lived in Egypt and how we passed through the nations… You saw their detestable images and idols of wood and stone… so no root producing bitter poison. | Seeing detestable images leads to idolatry |
| Zech 13:2 | On that day, declares the LORD Almighty, I will remove the names of the idols from the land, and they will be remembered no more. I will also remove from the land the prophets and the spirit of impurity. | God's promise to remove idols |
1 Kings 21 verses
1 Kings 21 26 Meaning
1 Kings 21:26 declares King Ahab's sin to be unparalleled in Israel's history. His actions of extreme idolatry and spiritual defilement reached the pinnacle of wickedness, specifically equating them with the detestable practices of the Amorites. These were the very inhabitants whom the Lord had dispossessed from the land of Canaan due to their severe moral and religious corruption, establishing a powerful and ominous parallel for Israel's king.
1 Kings 21 26 Context
1 Kings 21:26 comes immediately after the narrator’s shocking indictment in 1 Kings 21:25, declaring Ahab uniquely wicked, having “sold himself to do evil, urged on by Jezebel his wife.” The specific act of evil precipitating the prophecy of judgment against his house (1 Kgs 21:21-24) was his active role in Naboth's murder to acquire his vineyard (1 Kgs 21:7-16). Verse 26 elaborates why Ahab's actions were so egregious, establishing a theological justification for the severe divine judgment proclaimed by Elijah. His extreme idolatry, state-sponsored worship of Baal and Asherah, and rejection of YHWH directly mirrored the detestable practices that led to the expulsion of the Amorites, thus underscoring the severity of his breach of the covenant.
Historically, Ahab's reign (c. 874-853 BC) was marked by political alliances (like with Tyre via his marriage to Jezebel), military might, but most notably by the unprecedented surge of Baal worship, driven by Jezebel's zealous efforts to eradicate YHWH worship. This created profound conflict with prophets like Elijah, who fiercely championed the exclusive worship of YHWH. The reference to the Amorites connects Ahab's wickedness directly to the reasons for God's prior judgments, implying that Israel, the covenant people, were now replicating the very sins that led to the original inhabitants' dispossession.
1 Kings 21 26 Word analysis
- He: Refers to King Ahab. Emphasizes his personal responsibility for these actions, though influenced by Jezebel. It highlights his direct culpability in this profound apostasy.
- committed idolatry: This phrase captures the essence of Ahab's sin. The Hebrew root עָשָׂה ('asah - "to do, make, commit") indicates an active and deliberate engagement in forbidden practices. The specific "idolatry" here refers to detestable acts associated with false worship.
- most detestable: From the Hebrew מְאֹד (me'od, "very much, exceedingly") intensifying שִׁקּוּץ (shiqqutz, "detestable thing, abomination"). This strong emphasis signifies extreme offense and vileness in God's eyes, surpassing all previous sins committed by Israelite kings. It conveys the deepest level of religious corruption and moral decay.
- by going after idols: The Hebrew לָלֶכֶת אַחֲרֵי הַגִּלֻּלִים (lalekhet 'acharey haggillulim).
- going after: Halakh 'acharey implies a pursuit, devotion, and alignment with. It's not passive exposure but active adherence to and participation in their worship.
- idols: gillulim is a highly pejorative term for idols, likely derived from a root meaning "to roll" or "dung." It expresses contempt for these false gods, equating them to worthless, defiling things, further emphasizing their offensive nature to YHWH.
- just as the Amorites had done: The Hebrew כַּאֲשֶׁר עָשׂוּ הָאֱמֹרִי (ka'asher 'asu ha'Emori).
- Amorites: Ha'Emori (the Amorites). While sometimes representing all pre-Israelite inhabitants of Canaan, they specifically stood for particularly egregious paganism, including child sacrifice and sexual immorality (Lev 18:24-28, Deut 9:4). This comparison is devastating, showing Israel's king mirroring the spiritual degeneracy of the nations God justly removed.
- had done: Reasserts the active, deliberate nature of their offensive practices.
- whom the LORD drove out before Israel: The Hebrew אֲשֶׁר הוֹרִישׁ יְהוָה מִפְּנֵי בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל ('asher horish YHWH mippenei benei Yisrael). This crucial phrase serves as a dire warning. It attributes the dispossession of the Amorites directly to YHWH's sovereign judgment and justice. By replicating their sins, Ahab placed himself and Israel in the same category, risking similar divine consequences. It highlights God's universal moral governance, not favoring one people over another regarding such wickedness.
1 Kings 21 26 Bonus section
The severe indictment in 1 Kings 21:26 underscores the concept of land defilement. The Deuteronomic theology, which underpins the Books of Kings, posits that the land of Israel is intrinsically linked to the spiritual purity of its inhabitants. Abominable acts like idolatry, child sacrifice, and sexual immorality were seen as physically defiling the land, making it "vomit out" its inhabitants, as it did the Canaanites (Lev 18:25-28). Ahab's adoption of the "most detestable" Amorite practices signaled not only his personal apostasy but a national defilement that ultimately threatened Israel's continued tenancy in the promised land, directly echoing the fate of those whom YHWH had dispossessed before them. This principle served as a fundamental lesson throughout Israel's history, justifying exile as the ultimate consequence for chronic national spiritual unfaithfulness.
1 Kings 21 26 Commentary
1 Kings 21:26 delivers a powerful theological punch. It serves as the ultimate indictment against Ahab, declaring his idolatry to be beyond anything seen in Israel. The comparison to the Amorites is not casual; it's a profound theological statement. God had removed the Amorites from the land precisely because their sin had reached its full measure (Gen 15:16) and defiled the land itself (Lev 18:24-28). By paralleling Ahab's actions with theirs, the verse explains why such devastating judgment would fall upon him and his house. His sin wasn't merely worshiping another god; it was a deliberate embrace of practices so abominable they merited divine expulsion from the land God gave His people. This verse underscores God's absolute holiness, His unwavering justice, and His covenant expectations, serving as a timeless warning that proximity to God's presence or being a chosen nation does not exempt one from the consequences of severe spiritual defilement. It highlights that God deals justly with all, whether Amorite or Israelite, who practice such wickedness.