Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of 1 Kings 15:25
And Nadab the son of Jeroboam began to reign over Israel in the second year of Asa king of Judah, and reigned over Israel two years.
25 30. Nadab king of Israel. Baasha slays him, and all that belong to Jeroboam (Not in Chronicles)
25. reigned over Israel two years ] These must have been but portions of two years. Nadab’s reign began in the second year of Asa, and below (1Ki 15:31) we find that his successor began to reign in the third year of Asa.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
The sacred historian now gives an account of the contemporary kings of Israel, beginning with Nadab, who ascended the throne in Asas second year, and concluding with Ahab, in whose fourth year Asa died. This narrative occupies him almost to the close of the first Book of Kings.
| Chronology of Kingdoms | ||||
| Year of the Divided Kingdom | Kings of Judah | Years of Reign | Kings of Israel | Years of Reign |
| 1 | Rehoboam | 17 | Jeroboam | 22 |
| 5 | (Invasion of Shishak) | | | |
| 18 | Abijam | 3 | | |
| 20 | Asa | 41 | | |
| 22 | | | Nadab | 2 |
| 23 | | | Baasha | 21 |
| 31 | (Invasion of Zerah) | | | |
| 34 | (Great Feast at Jerusalem) | | | |
| 46 | | | Elah | 2 |
| 47 | | | Zimri Omri | 12 |
| 58 | | | Ahab | 22 |
| 61 | (Last year of Asa) | | (4th year of Ahab) | |
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 25. Nadab – began to reign over Israel] He began his reign in the second year of the reign of Asa, and reigned two years.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
Not complete, as appears from 1Ki 15:28,33.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
25. Nadab the son of Jeroboam beganto reignNo record is given of him, except his close adherenceto the bad policy of his father.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
And Nadab the son of Jeroboam began to reign over Israel in the second year of Asa king of Judah,…. Before Baasha did:
and reigned over Israel two years, not two whole years; for he began in the second of Asa, and in the third of that king’s reign Baasha slew him, and reigned in his stead, 1Ki 15:28.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
The Reign of Nadab lasted not quite two years, as he ascended the throne in the second year of Asa, and was slain in his third year.
1Ki 15:26-31 He walked in the ways of his father (Jeroboam) and in his sin, i.e., in the calf-worship introduced by Jeroboam (1Ki 12:28). When Nadab in the second year of his reign besieged Gibbethon, which the Philistines and occupied, Baasha the son of Ahijah, of the house, I the family or tribe, of Issachar, conspired against him and slew him, and after he became king exterminated the whole house of Jeroboam, without leaving a single soul, whereby the prediction of the prophet Ahijah (1Ki 14:10.) was fulfilled. Gibbethon, which was allotted to the Danites (Jos 19:44), has not yet been discovered. It probably stood close to the Philistian border, and was taken by the Philistines, from whom the Israelites attempted to wrest it by siege under both Nadab and Baasha (1Ki 16:16), though apparently without success. as in Jos 11:14 (see the Comm. on Deu 20:16).
1Ki 15:32 1Ki 15:32 is simply a repetition of 1Ki 15:16; and the remark concerning Baasha’s attitude towards Asa of Judah immediately after his entrance upon the government precedes the account of his reign, for the purpose of indicating at the very outset, that the overthrow of the dynasty of Jeroboam and the rise of a new dynasty did not alter the hostile relation between the kingdom of Israel and the kingdom of Judah.
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
| The Reign of Nadab and Baasha. | B. C. 954. |
25 And Nadab the son of Jeroboam began to reign over Israel in the second year of Asa king of Judah, and reigned over Israel two years. 26 And he did evil in the sight of the LORD, and walked in the way of his father, and in his sin wherewith he made Israel to sin. 27 And Baasha the son of Ahijah, of the house of Issachar, conspired against him; and Baasha smote him at Gibbethon, which belonged to the Philistines; for Nadab and all Israel laid siege to Gibbethon. 28 Even in the third year of Asa king of Judah did Baasha slay him, and reigned in his stead. 29 And it came to pass, when he reigned, that he smote all the house of Jeroboam; he left not to Jeroboam any that breathed, until he had destroyed him, according unto the saying of the LORD, which he spake by his servant Ahijah the Shilonite: 30 Because of the sins of Jeroboam which he sinned, and which he made Israel sin, by his provocation wherewith he provoked the LORD God of Israel to anger. 31 Now the rest of the acts of Nadab, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel? 32 And there was war between Asa and Baasha king of Israel all their days. 33 In the third year of Asa king of Judah began Baasha the son of Ahijah to reign over all Israel in Tirzah, twenty and four years. 34 And he did evil in the sight of the LORD, and walked in the way of Jeroboam, and in his sin wherewith he made Israel to sin.
We are now to take a view of the miserable state of Israel, while the kingdom of Judah was happy under Asa’s good government. It was threatened that they should be as a reed shaken in the water (ch. xiv. 15), and so they were, when, during the single reign of Asa, the government of their kingdom was in six or seven different hands, as we find in this and the following chapter. Jeroboam was upon the throne in the beginning of his reign and Ahab at the end of it, and between them were Nadab, Baasha, Elah, Zimri, Tibni, and Omri, undermining and destroying one another. This they got by deserting the house both of God and of David. Here we have, 1. The ruin and extirpation of the family of Jeroboam, according to the word of the Lord by Ahijah. His son Nadab succeeded him. If the death of his brother Abijah had had a due influence upon him to make him religious, and the honour done him at his death had engaged him to follow his good example, his reign might have been long and glorious; but he walked in the way of his father (v. 26), kept up the worship of his calves, and forbade his subjects to go up to Jerusalem to worship, sinned and made Israel to sin, and therefore God brought ruin upon him quickly, in the second year of his reign. He was besieging Gibbethon, a city which the Philistines had taken from the Danites, and was endeavouring to re-take it; and there, in the midst of his army, did Baasha, with others, conspire against him and kill him, (v. 27), and so little interest had he in the affections of his people that his army did not only not avenge his death, but chose his murderer for his successor. Whether Baasha did it upon a personal pique against Nadab, or to be avenged on the house of Jeroboam for some affront received from them, or whether under pretence of freeing his country from the tyranny of a bad prince, or whether merely from a principle of ambition, to make way for himself to the throne, does not appear; but he slew him and reigned in his stead, v. 28. And the first thing he did when he came to the crown was to cut off all the house of Jeroboam, that he might the better secure himself and his own usurped government. He thought it not enough to imprison or banish them, but he destroyed them, left not only no males (as was foretold, ch. xiv. 10), but none that breathed. Herein he was barbarous, but God was righteous. Jeroboam’s sin was punished (v. 30); for those that provoke God do it to their own confusion; see Jer. vii. 19. Ahijah’s prophecy was accomplished (v. 29); for no word of God shall fall to the ground. Divine threatenings are not bugbears. 2. The elevation of Baasha. He shall be tried awhile, as Jeroboam was. Twenty-four years he reigned (v. 33), but showed that it was not from any dislike to Jeroboam’s sin that he destroyed his family, but from malice and ambition; for, when he had rooted out the sinner, he himself clave to the sin, and walked in the way of Jeroboam (v. 34), though he had seen the end of that way; so strangely was his heart hardened with the deceitfulness of sin.
Fuente: Matthew Henry’s Whole Bible Commentary
Bassha Seizes Kingdom,
The incident now under study goes back in time when Asa was beginning his reign, to the death of old King Jeroboam, which was studied several pages back. It is to be recalled that Jeroboam was stricken of the Lord in some mysterious manner and died. Ahijah the prophet from Shiloh had foretold the violent death of Jeroboam and all his house, their bodies to be carrion for the vultures and wild dogs. This began to be fulfilled during the second year of Asa’s reign. the account has been delayed by the inspired author until now so the reign of Asa could be recounted to its end.
Jeroboam was succeeded briefly on Israel’s throne by his son, Nadab. It appears to have been a time of great turmoil. The northern kingdom was weakened by the costly defeat at the hands of Abijah and the kingdom of Judah at Mount Zemaraim. Nadab found himself with a revolt of the Philistine cities on his hands, and at the time of his downfall was commanding a siege of the Philistine town of Gibbethon. It was learned from 2Ch 15:3-6 that the years following the death of Jeroboam and uprising of Baasha were years of anarchy in which the people suffered greatly.
There must have been a great deal of dissatisfaction with the rule of Jeroboam and his son. Consequently Baasha, seizing opportunity through the unrest of the people conspired to overthrow Nadab. He came against him while he was besieging Gibbethon, a city in the tribe of Dan, which had been assigned as a Levite city after the conquest of Joshua, but from Israel had been dispossessed by the insurgent Philistines very early in their history. These Philistine towns had been subject to David and Solomon, but regained an independent status for much of the time after the division of the kingdoms.
Baasha’s father was Ahijah, but certainly not the old prophet. He was from the tribe of Issachar, which was located north of the tribe of Manasseh on the west of Jordan ft was a rich agricultural and commercial area of the northern kingdom, which may have made it a hotbed of resistance to the ventures of Jeroboam which were so economically costly.
By the third year of Asa Baasha had secured himself in the kingdom. In keeping with the prophecy of Ahijah the Shilonite he proceeded to totally decimate the dynasty, relatives, and adherents of the house of Jeroboam. Surely Baasha knew of the prophetic pronouncement of Ahijah, and of its cause, in the wicked practices and idolatry of Jeroboam. Nevertheless he continued the program of false worship just as Jeroboam had done, and the land was none the better by having a new king. It would seem the height of folly that one who knew why the previous dynasty was cursed should continue the same accursed policies, but this is just what Baasha did (cf. 2Co 4:4).
Baasha’s reign continued for twenty-four years, all of which he was dominated by the southern kingdom of Judah, under Asa, so that the Scriptures say a state of war existed between the brother kingdoms throughout the time. Israel still had no central political center such as Judah had at Jerusalem. Baasha continued his headquarters at Tirzah, north of Shechem, in the tribe of Manasseh. A central city would await the dynasty of Omri, a generation later.
The lesson contains some good applications for the present day, as 1) reaching decisions without the Lord will bring sorrow to those guilty; 2) the Lord is always ready to help those who will seek Him, and is long-suffering to those who are disobedient; 3) adamant rebellion against the known will of God will surely bring chastisement; 4) the exchange of one evil ruler for another is not likely to make for better conditions in a nation.
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
CRITICAL AND EXPLANATORY NOTES.
1Ki. 15:27. Gibbethon, which belonged to the PhilistinesA town given to the Levites (Jos. 19:44), situate within the tribe of Dan.
1Ki. 15:29. Smote all the house of JeroboamVide Notes on chap. 14 1Ki. 15:10; 1Ki. 15:14. Customary in Oriental scenes for usurpers to exterminate all rivals to the throne. But hereby was fulfilled Ahijahs prophecy. Left not any that breathedA more inclusive description than in 1Ki. 14:10, for this embraces both male and female.
1Ki. 15:31. Now the rest of the acts, &c.The historian cares not to write them; he aimed not to preserve a detailed record of the reigns and deeds of kings; all he set himself to do was to show the conduct of kings in reference to Jehovah and His worship, and the condign punishment which overtook defiance of the theocratic law; thereby tracing the fact that sin (1Ki. 15:26), in the odious form of national apostasy, wrought the overthrow of the Israelitish dynasties, until the kingdom of Israel itself perished.W. H. J.
HOMILETICS OF 1Ki. 15:25-34
THE PUNISHMENT OF THE WICKED BY THE WICKED
The sacred writer having traced the history of the kings of Judah to the death of Asa, in the sixty-first year of the divided kingdom, proceeds at this point with an account of the contemporary kings, the narrative occupying seven chapters, beginning with Nadab, who ascended the throne in Asas second year, and concluding with Ahab, in whose fourth year Asa died. During the single reign of Asa, the government of the rival kingdom of Israel was in six different hands, and the record of that period is stained with conspiracy, crime, and bloodshed. In this paragraph we have an example of how the wicked are sometimes punished by the wicked, which suggests a few obvious reflections.
I. That a life of wickedness is full of danger (1Ki. 15:25-28). It was so to Nadab. It made him an incompetent and unreasonable ruler. It multiplied his miseries. It shortened his days. It alienated the attachment of his subjectsnot one of them cared to avenge his murder, or seemed to be horrified at the foulness of the crime, though this was the first regicide that was committed in the history of the kingdom. Sin is a state of unnature; it is a breach of the order of the universe, and it is impossible to escape its penalties, except by finding the refuge in Him who bare our sins, and carried our sorrows. The seeds of our own punishment, says Hesiod, are sown at the same time we commit sin.
We rave, we wrestle, with Great Natures plan,
We thwart the Deity; and tis decreed,
Who thwart His will shall contradict their own.
A life of wickedness is menaced with a thousand perils, and, if persisted in, will terminate in misery and woe.
II. That the wicked are sometimes used to punish the wicked. Baasha, a hitherto obscure military adventurer, a bold, pitiless conspirator, was the instrument who punished the hapless Nadab, and who carried out the long-threatened vengeance against the house of Jeroboam (1Ki. 15:29-30). He would do this to secure himself on the throne he had so wickedly usurped, without thinking of Ahijahs prophecy (chap. 1Ki. 14:10-14)perhaps without knowing it. He might be influenced by some personal quarrel with Nadab, or to be revenged on the house of Jeroboam for some injury received from them, or to rid the country of the cruel tyranny of an unpopular prince, or to clear the way for carrying out his own ambitious and daring schemes. Yet he signally fulfilled the Divine threatenings with a more savage barbarity than was originally intended. He not only slew every male, but he left not to Jeroboam any that breathed; and thus the dynasty of Jeroboam became utterly and hopelessly extinct. It is a terrible thing to be abandoned to the remorseless cruelty of the wicked. The sack of Rome by the Goths (vide Gibbon, c. xxxi.) is a graphic example of the merciless and unbridled ferocity with which one wicked nation may punish another. Well might David pray, Let us now fall into the hands of the Lord; and let me not fall into the hands of man (2Sa. 24:14).
III. That the use of the wicked as instruments of punishment does not necessarily turn them from their wickedness (1Ki. 15:34). Baasha continued in the same evil courses which had brought such frightful sufferings upon his predecessors, and in inflicting which he had been the unconscious instrumentanother illustration how little influence the most notable punishments of sin has in deterring the wicked from their sins The entail of iniquity cannot be cut off but by a thorough conversion of the soul to God; and of this these bad kings seem to have had no adequate notion. The wicked followed the steps of the wicked, and became still more wicked. Sin gathers strength by exercise and age. The sinner cannot reform himself; and he vainly strives to maintain his authority and prestige by the mad, purblind policy of committing still more outrageous acts of iniquity. What would be the condition of the world if wickedness had unchecked and unrestricted sway? What must be the nameless horrors of that Gehenna where all moral restrictions to evil are removed!
LESSONS:
1. The forbearance of God has its limits.
2. A similar punishment to that which the wicked have inflicted on others may overtake themselves.
3. A life of sin leads to misery and death.
GERM NOTES ON THE VERSES
1Ki. 15:25-34. Nadab, the son of Jeroboam, reigned but two years over Israel. Then Baasha, of the tribe of Issachar, conspired against him and slew him. There is nothing in the records of conspiracies like this which separates the Bible history from ordinary history. We have, on a very small scale, in the annals of a few petty tribes, just what we have expanded to its highest power in the history of the Roman or of the Byzantine Empires. Nor is the result different. The new house is like the old. The rebel and murderer becomes a tyrant. It will be said, There is a grandeur about crimes and miseries which affect a world; but what interest can we feel in the story of men so diminutive in influence, so insignificant in character, as Jeroboam or Baasha? I answer, The Scripture wishes us to feel none, except so far as by a small experiment we may discover a truth for all ages and nations.Maurice.
1Ki. 15:25-31. The ruin of the house of Jeroboam proclaims these two great truths: Sin is the destruction of a people (Pro. 14:34); and: He who heareth not My word, of him will I require it (Deu. 18:19). God does not punish the innocent children for the sins of their fathers, but those who, despising the Divine patience and long-suffering shown to their fathers, perpetuate, without any shame, the sins of their fathers (Exo. 20:5-6). A given example of evil is rarely without imitation; as Jeroboam rebelled against the house of David, so did Baasha against the house of Jeroboam. Desire for rule and envy beget first dissatisfaction with the condition in life ordained by God, lead then to breach of faith, and end at last with murder and homicide.Lange.
1Ki. 15:27-28. Conspiracy.
1. Is often provoked by a reckless and tyrannical government.
2. Is often the dangerous policy of the wicked and ambitious.
3. Is often associated with cruelty and murder.
1Ki. 15:27. It is curious to find Issachar furnishing a king. This tribe had never made, and could have no grounds for making, a claim to pre-eminence. It had furnished one undistinguished judge, Tola (Jdg. 10:1), who, on obtaining his office, had at once settled himself in the territory of Ephraim. Otherwise the tribe was as little famous as any that could be named. The ass crouching between two burthens was a true symbol of the patient, plodding cultivators of the Esdraelon plain, who saw that rest was good, and the land that it was pleasant; and bowed their shoulder to bear, and became servants unto tribute (Gen. 49:14-15). It cannot have been in consequence of any claims or merits on the part of his tribe that Baasha became king. He probably owed his rise simply to his own audacity and his known valour and skill as a soldier. He appears not to have been even a person of good position in his tribe (chap. 1Ki. 16:2).Speakers Comm.
1Ki. 15:29-30. Divine vengeance. I. Though delayed, is certain. II. May be unconsciously carried out by wicked and cruel men. III. Is not meaningless in its threatenings. IV. Is manifested on account of inveterate wickedness.
1Ki. 15:29. Conspirators and rebels profess to overthrow tyranny and to throw off its yoke; but when they obtain power and sovereignty they are themselves the most violent and cruel tyrants.
1Ki. 15:34. Baasha trod in the footsteps of Jeroboam just as if Jeroboam had been good and upright. And yet Baasha himself was an instrument in the hand of God to punish Jeroboam on account of his sins. What folly! When Jeroboams son, Nadab, did as his father, we can explain it by paternal influence; but that Baasha should have pursued the same course is a proof of monstrous blindness. The world does not allow itself to be interrupted in its purposes; vain conduct after the way of those who live before is always inherited (1Pe. 1:18).Calwer.
Sin morally blinding. I. Hides from the soul the excessive turpitude of sin. II. Renders the soul incapable of learning lessons from the most terrible punishments of sin. III. Prevents the soul from seeing the danger and misery into which it is surely drifting.
Fuente: The Preacher’s Complete Homiletical Commentary Edited by Joseph S. Exell
II. THE KINGS OF ISRAEL 15:25-16:34
(910870 B.C.)
Chronologically 1Ki. 15:25 to 1Ki. 16:34 is parallel to 1Ki. 15:9-24. To state the matter differently, the reigns of Nadab, Baasha, Elah, Zimri, Omri and the early years of Ahab were synchronological with the lengthy reign of Asa of Judah. The reigns of the first five successors of Jeroboam are related only briefly inasmuch as these reigns had little bearing on religious history of Israel. From 1Ki. 15:25 through 2 Kings 10 the historian has focused almost entirely upon the Northern Kingdom, except for the brief notices in 1Ki. 22:46-49 and 2Ki. 8:16-24. This preoccupation with Northern affairs is partly to be explained by the limited significance of Judah during this period, and partly by the heightened prophetic activity in the North.
The last event to be related regarding the Northern Kingdom was the death of Jeroboam recorded in 1Ki. 14:20. Now the account of that kingdom is taken up anew. The author discusses (1) the fall of Jeroboams dynasty (1Ki. 15:25-31); (2) the Baasha dynasty (1Ki. 15:32 to 1Ki. 16:14); (3) the seven day reign of Zimri (1Ki. 16:15-20); and (4) the Omri dynasty (1Ki. 16:21-34).
A. THE FALL OF THE HOUSE OF JEROBOAM 15:2531
TRANSLATION
(25) And Nadab the son of Jeroboam reigned over Israel in the second year of Asa king of Judah, and he reigned two years. (26) And he did that which was evil in the eyes of the LORD, and he walked in the way of his father and in his sin with which he had made Israel to sin. (27) And Baasha, the son of Ahijah of the house of Issachar, conspired against him; and Baasha smote him at Gibbethon which belongs to the Philistines while Nadab and all Israel were besieging Gibbethon. (28) And Baasha slew him in the third year of Asa king of Judah, and reigned in his stead. (29) And it came to pass when he reigned, he smote all the house of Jeroboam. He left not any that breathed to Jeroboam until he had destroyed him according to the word of the LORD which He spoke by the hand of his servant Ahijah the Shilonite; (30) because of the sins of Jeroboam which he had committed and with which he had caused Israel to sin, by his vexing by which he vexed the LORD God of Israel. (31) Now the rest of the acts of Nadab and all which he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?
Second King of Israel
NADAB BEN JEROBOAM
910909 B.C.
(Willing)
1Ki. 15:25-31
Synchronism
Nadab 1 = Asa 2
The house of the wicked shall be overthrown; but the tabernacle of the upright shall flourish. Proverbs 14; Proverbs 11
COMMENTS
Nadab,[386] the son of Jeroboam, was only able to hold the throne of Israel for two years (1Ki. 15:25). He continued the schismatic religious policies of his father (1Ki. 15:26). Against this weak king, Baasha, from the tribe of Issachar, conspired. While Nadab was leading a campaign to recover Gibbethon[387] from Philistine control, the plot was executed and the king was slain (1Ki. 15:27). The assassination is said to have taken place in the third year of Asa of Judah (1Ki. 15:28). Here is a very clear instance of the Hebrew habit of counting parts of years as entire years for it is obvious that if Nadab succeeded to the throne in the second (1Ki. 15:25) and died in the third year of Asa, he cannot have reigned two full years (1Ki. 15:25). Since the assassination of Nadab took place during a military campaign, it is probable that Baasha was one of the military officers.
[386] The name seems to be a shortened form of Nadabiah which means Yahweh has freely given at Yahweh incites to noble deeds. See Gray, OTL, p. 341.
[387] A Levitical city on the frontiers of Dan (Jos. 19:44; Jos. 21:23) which had fallen into the hands of the Philistines, or perhaps had always remained under their control. Gibbethon is possibly to be identified with Tell Malat, three miles west of Gezer and five miles north of Ekron.
Upon assuming the throne, Baasha launched a bloody purge that utterly wiped out the house of Jeroboam, thus eliminating all potential rivals. By so doing, Baasha was unconsciously fulfilling the prophecies of Ahijah the Shilonite concerning the posterity of Jeroboam (1Ki. 14:10). The massacre of the descendants is regarded by the author of Kings as being divine retribution for the sins which Jeroboam had committed (1Ki. 15:30). Whatever other accomplishments Nadab made during his brief reign were to be found in the prophetic annals of the Northern Kingdom (1Ki. 15:31).
Fuente: College Press Bible Study Textbook Series
NADAB’S REIGN, 1Ki 15:25-26.
25. Nadab The first and last of Jeroboam’s house that succeeded him on the throne. Here was the end of the first Israelitish dynasty. Nadab’s acts, which were written in the public annals, (1Ki 15:31,) furnished no lessons worthy of transcription by the sacred writer.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
The Reign Of Nadab Of Israel c.910-908 BC ( 1Ki 15:25-31 ).
Nadab was the son of Jeroboam following the proclamation of Ahijah the prophet that God would cut off the house of Jeroboam. He was thus doomed from the start, and the main item in his reign as far as the prophetic author was concerned was his assassination by Basha, and the assassination of all the males in his house by which YHWH’s pronouncement was fulfilled.
He did, however, contribute towards his own downfall by following in the ways of his father, and especially by committing the sin for which his father and his house were condemned, namely the worship of the golden calves in the false high places. He also seemingly engaged in a foray against the Philistines, but the author’s only interest in that is that it determined the place of his assassination.
Analysis.
a
b And he did what was evil in the sight of YHWH, and walked in the way of his father, and in his sin by which he made Israel to sin (1Ki 15:26).
c And Baasha the son of Ahijah, of the house of Issachar, conspired against him, and Baasha smote him at Gibbethon, which belonged to the Philistines, for Nadab and all Israel were laying siege to Gibbethon (1Ki 15:27).
d Even in the third year of Asa king of Judah did Baasha slay him, and reigned instead of him (1Ki 15:28).
c And it came about that, as soon as he was king, he smote all the house of Jeroboam. He did not leave to Jeroboam anyone who breathed, until he had destroyed him (1Ki 15:29).
b According to the saying of YHWH, which he spoke by his servant Ahijah the Shilonite, for the sins of Jeroboam which he sinned, and by which he made Israel to sin, because of his provocation with which he provoked YHWH, the God of Israel, to anger (1Ki 15:30).
a Now the rest of the acts of Nadab, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel? (1Ki 15:31).
Note that in ‘a’ Nadab reigned over Israel, and in the parallel his acts are recorded in the court records of Israel. In ‘b’ he did what was evil in the sight of YHWH as his father Jeroboam had done, and in the parallel it is the sins of Jeroboam that have brought destruction on his house. In ‘c’ Baasha assassinated Nadab, and in the parallel he assassinated all his house. Centrally in ‘d’ Baasha slew Nadab and reigned instead of him.
1Ki 15:25
‘ And Nadab the son of Jeroboam began to reign over Israel in the second year of Asa king of Judah, and he reigned over Israel two years.’
The kings of Israel counted their accession part year as a first year, thus Nadab only reigned for two part years, before he was assassinated, possibly not even achieving a full year. The accession of a new king was always a dangerous time as rival claimants vie for the throne, an especially in Israel where there was no tradition of accession.
Nadab began to reign over Judah in the second year of Asa king of Judah. Rehoboam had reigned 17 years plus his accession part year, which in Judah was not included in the number of years of his reign, Abiyam had reigned three years plus his accession part year, which is, however cancelled out by combination with the final part year of Rehoboam, Thus together they reigned for twenty years and a part year. The two years of Asa (omitting his accession part year because that makes Nadab’s third year into a full year), make twenty two years and a part year. Jeroboam reigned for twenty two years.
1Ki 15:26
‘ And he did what was evil in the sight of YHWH, and walked in the way of his father, and in his sin by which he made Israel to sin.’
Nadab continued in the ways of Jeroboam. He made no effort to bring Israel back to true Yahwism. Thus he continued to do what was evil in the sight of YHWH, and threw himself into his father’s falsely established religion.
1Ki 15:27
‘ And Baasha the son of Ahijah, of the house of Issachar, conspired against him, and Baasha smote him at Gibbethon, which belonged to the Philistines, for Nadab and all Israel were laying siege to Gibbethon.’
The result was that when he was campaigning against the Philistines at the siege of Gibbethon, one of his commanders. Baasha, the son of Ahijah, conspired against him and assassinated him. Gibbethon was a frontier town of Dan (Jos 19:44; Jos 21:23) which had been occupied by the Philistines, and indeed was occupied by them for many years (1Ki 16:15). Baasha was from the tribe of Issachar in south west Galilee.
1Ki 15:28
‘ Even in the third year of Asa king of Judah did Baasha slay him, and reigned instead of him.’
This took place in the third year of Asa, when Baasha began to reign instead of Nadab.
1Ki 15:29-30
‘ And it came about that, as soon as he was king, he smote all the house of Jeroboam. He did not leave to Jeroboam anyone who breathed, until he had destroyed him, according to the saying of YHWH, which he spoke by his servant Ahijah the Shilonite, for the sins of Jeroboam which he sinned, and by which he made Israel to sin, because of his provocation with which he provoked YHWH, the God of Israel, to anger.’
Once Baasha was in place and had returned to Tirzah he arranged the assassination of all the males in the house of Jeroboam. He left not one of them alive. This was just as Ahijah the prophet at Shiloh had prophesied, and it was because of the awful sin of Jeroboam which had provoked YHWH to ‘anger (antipathy against sin), a sin in which Nadab and all Israel had also participated.
We should note, however, that this slaughtering of the sons of the previously reigning house was common practise in those days when a new dynasty began. It prevented ‘pretenders’ arising from the old house to claim the throne, and ensured that there would be no one from the old house seeking blood vengeance in the future.
1Ki 15:31
‘ Now the rest of the acts of Nadab, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?’
The remainder of the acts of Nadab in his brief reign were to be found in the official state records of Israel.
The lesson we may learn from Nadab’s life, are:
1). The brevity life. It is a reminder that in the midst of life we are in death.
2). The certainty of God’s judgment on sin.
3). A recognition of the holiness of a God Who so hates sin that He allowed the wiping out of a family because of its sinfulness.
4). The folly of following in the footsteps of those who have turned against God and His ways. If only he had repented he might have avoided God’s judgment.
The Reign Of Baasha, The Usurper Of Israel c.908-885 BC ( 1Ki 15:32 to 1Ki 16:7 ).
The prophetic author has nothing good to say about Baasha the Belligerent. He was belligerent, he did evil in the sight of YHWH, he continued the false cult, he was a murderer and he was so wicked that YHWH determined judgment on his house.
a And there was war between Asa and Baasha king of Israel all their days (1Ki 15:32).
b In the third year of Asa king of Judah began Baasha the son of Ahijah to reign over all Israel in Tirzah, and reigned twenty and four years (1Ki 15:33).
c And he did what was evil in the sight of YHWH, and walked in the way of Jeroboam, and in his sin by which he made Israel to sin (1Ki 15:34).
d And the word of YHWH came to Jehu the son of Hanani against Baasha, saying, “Forasmuch as I exalted you out of the dust, and made you prince over my people Israel, and you have walked in the way of Jeroboam, and have made my people Israel to sin, to provoke me to anger with their sins” (1Ki 16:1-2).
e “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” (1Ki 16:3).
d “Him who dies of Baasha in the city will the dogs eat, and him who dies of his in the countryside will the birds of the heavens eat” (1Ki 16:4).
c Now the rest of the acts of Baasha, and what he did, and his might, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel? (1Ki 16:5).
b And Baasha slept with his fathers, and was buried in Tirzah, and Elah his son reigned instead of him (1Ki 16:6).
a And moreover by the prophet Jehu the son of Hanani came the word of YHWH against Baasha, and against his house, both because of all the evil that he did in the sight of YHWH, to provoke him to anger with the work of his hands, in being like the house of Jeroboam, and because he smote him (1Ki 16:7).
Note how an opening comment and a closing comment are tacked on before the opening formula and after the closing formula. In ‘a’ Baasha is revealed as being belligerent, and in the parallel he is revealed as being a murderer (‘because he smote him’). In ‘b’ began to reign and reigned for twenty four years, and in the parallel his son reigned instead of him and he ceased to reign and slept with his fathers. In ‘c’ he did what was evil in the sight of YHWH, and in the parallel the rest of his acts can be found in the court annals of Judah. In ‘d’ YHWH describes through His prophet how great his sin is, and in the parallel he describes how great his punishment will be. Centrally in ‘e’ YHWH’s sentence on Baasha is described.
1Ki 15:32
‘ And there was war between Asa and Baasha king of Israel all their days.’
This is the opening part of an inclusio that encloses Baasha’s life (with 1Ki 16:7). Usually similar statements have been made at the end of a king’s reign (1Ki 14:30; 1Ki 15:6-7) or in the middle (1Ki 15:16). Here it introduces his reign. Thus there is an emphasis in this case on just how belligerent Baasha was. Even though Asa was a good king Baasha would make no peace with him.
1Ki 15:33
‘ In the third year of Asa king of Judah began Baasha the son of Ahijah to reign over all Israel in Tirzah, and reigned twenty and four years.’
Here we have the usual details for a king of Israel, the date when he began to reign and the length of his reign. His mother’s name was irrelevant because he was a usurper, and is anyway never given for the kings of Israel, possibly because they had no link with the Davidic house, or because the queen mother had no special status in Israel, or because in fact they were all usurpers, therefore their source did not matter. Baasha thus died in the twenty seventh year of Asa. 2Ch 16:1 tells us of activity by Baasha in the thirty sixth year of the reign of Asa. This may suggest that Asa had been co-regent for a number of years prior to ascending the throne, years which the Chronicler’s source took into account. Co-regency was a wise method of kingship because it ensured a smooth transition of power on the death of a king to someone who was already partially in control and established in the eyes of the leaders of the land. (Rehoboam was forty one years of age when he became king, thus Asa would probably by then have been a growing lad, or even older. That being so half way through Rehoboam’s reign he would have been old enough to take on co-regency responsibilities, especially if his father was sickly (he died early)).
1Ki 15:34
‘ And he did what was evil in the sight of YHWH, and walked in the way of Jeroboam, and in his sin by which he made Israel to sin.’
Like all Israelite kings Baasha is seen as having done evil in the sight of YHWH because he did not seek to bring the nation back to pure Yahwism. He continued Jeroboam’s evil heresy himself, and led the people in that direction. Israel’s great crime, for which it would eventually be destroyed, was that from the beginning of its independent existence under the kings it distorted true Yahwism. By this he demonstrated that his action against the house of Jeroboam had not been prompted by a love for YHWH.
This did not, of course, mean that there were no true believers in Israel. Many in fact fled to Judah so that they could worship YHWH aright (e.g. 2Ch 15:9), and in Israel itself a remnant of true worshippers remained (in Elijah’s day seven thousand who had not bowed the knee to Baal). Thus it is clear that some provision was made by the prophets for true worship in Israel.
1Ki 16:1-2
‘ And the word of YHWH came to Jehu the son of Hanani against Baasha, saying, “Forasmuch as I exalted you out of the dust, and made you prince over my people Israel, and you have walked in the way of Jeroboam, and have made my people Israel to sin, to provoke me to anger with their sins.”
Once more a prophet interferes in the affairs of Israel. Israel was not left without a witness. There were still some who were seeking to turn the people back to true Yahwism. Here it is Jehu the son of Hanani. He pointed out that it was YHWH who had raised him from the dust (from low beginnings) and made him prince over His people Israel, allowing him to remove the house of Jeroboam. But in spite of that he had walked in the way of Jeroboam, and had continued and encouraged the false cult established by Jeroboam, making the people sin and provoking YHWH to anger (antipathy against sin).
Jehu the son of Hanani himself wrote his own record and was especially prominent in the days of Jehoshaphat (2Ch 20:34). The Chronicler tells us that he rebuked Jehoshaphat for consorting with Ahab of Israel (2Ch 19:2).
“Prince (nagid).” This was a term almost exclusively used of leaders in Israel/Judah. It was a further reminder that the king of Israel was supposed to be YHWH’s war leader and subject to his Overlord. For being ‘exalted out of the dust’ see 1Sa 2:8. For being made ‘prince over His people Israel’ see 1Ki 14:7.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
The Rule of Nadad and Baasha in Israel
v. 25. And Nadab, the son of Jeroboam, began to reign over Israel in the second year of Asa, king of Judah, and reigned over Israel two years, v. 26. And he did evil in the sight of the Lord, and walked in the way of his father, v. 27. And Baasha, the son of Ahijah, of the house of Issachar, conspired against him; and Baasha, v. 28. Even in the third year of Asa, king of Judah, did Baasha slay him, and reigned in his stead, v. 29. And it came to pass, when he reigned, v. 30. because of the sins of Jeroboam which he sinned, and which he made Israel sin, by his provocation wherewith he provoked the Lord God of Israel to anger.
v. 31. Now, the rest of the acts of Nadab, and all that he did, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel? v. 32. And there was war between Asa and Baasha, king of Israel, all their days.
v. 33. In the third year of Asa, king of Judah, began Eaasha, the son of Ahijah, to reign over all Israel in Tirzah, v. 34. And he did evil in the sight of the Lord, and walked in the way of Jeroboam, and in his sin wherewith he made Israel to sin,
Fuente: The Popular Commentary on the Bible by Kretzmann
EXPOSITION
THE REIGNS OF NADAB, BAASHA, ELAH, ZIMRI, AND OMRI, KINGS OF ISRAEL.After bringing up the history of the kings of Judah, which has engaged his pen since 1Ki 14:21, to the date of the death of Asa, our author goes back some forty years to record the contemporary history of the kingdom of Israel, with which the rest of this book, the last thirteen verses alone excepted, is occupied. On the other hand, none of these reigns are even noticed by the chronicler, who only refers to the history of Israel, so far as it is inextricably connected with the object of his work; in other words, so far as is necessary to explain or illustrate the reigns of the kings of Judah.
1Ki 15:25
And Nadab [= liberal] the son of Jeroboam began to reign [Heb. reigned] over Israel in the second year of Asa king of Judah and reigned over Israel two years. [The reigns of these five kings of Israel are related with great brevity. It was not the object of the author to chronicle secular historyfor this he refers us to “the books of the days”he is only concerned with the events of their reigns in so far as they relate to the kingdom of God.]
1Ki 15:26
And he did evil in the sight of the Lord, and walked in the way of his father [Jeroboam begat all his sons, save one, “in his own likeness”], and in his sin wherewith he made Israel to sin. [I.e; not the rebellion, but the schism. All the successors of Jeroboam it is clear, either thought themselves compelled, by the exigencies of their position, to adhere to his ecclesiastical policy, or found themselves more and more entangled in its toils.]
1Ki 15:27
And Baasha the son of Ahijah [not the prophet of that name (1Ki 14:2), who was an Ephraimite, whereas this Ahijah was], of the house of Issachar [This fact is perhaps mentioned to distinguish the father of Baasha from the prophet. Or it may owe its insertion to the insignificance of this tribe (Gen 49:14, Gen 49:15) up to this date. This change of dynasty, unlike the last, was in no way connected with tribal jealousies. Baasha owed his elevation to his own abilities or to his unscrupulous daring], conspired [The word implies associates. There was a plot formed fur Nadab’s assassination] against him: and Baasha smote him at Gibbethon [= eminence. In the tribe of Dan (Jos 19:44) and a Levitical city: one of the four assigned to the Levites in the territory of that tribe (ib; 1Ki 21:23). It has not been identified. Evidently it was on the border of Philistia. Some would connect it with the modern Mejdel, a little to the north of Ascalon. The reader will observe how large a number of the names of towns indicate their elevation. The cities of those days were set on a hill. It was dangerous to build in the plain], which belonged to the Philistines [Blunt suggests that it was because the place had been deserted by the Levites, in the general exodus to Judah, that the Philistines availed themselves of the opportunity to seize and fortify it. But the divided and consequently weakened state of the kingdom would of itself have encouraged them to throw off the yoke of Israel (Ewald)]; for Nadab and all Israel laid siege to Gibbethon.
1Ki 15:28
Even in the third year of Asa [We have here (as in 1Ki 16:8, 1Ki 16:23) a conspicuous instance of the Hebrew habit of counting parts of years as entire years. It is obvious that if Nadab succeeded to the throne in the second (1Ki 15:25) and died in the third year of Asa, he cannot have reigned two full years] king of Judah did Baasha slay him [As the assassination took place during the siege, it is extremely probable that Baasha, like Omri, was the captain of the host], and reigned in his stead. [Probably Nadab had showed himself quite unequal to the task of governing, of which reading the army was in that age a principal function (1Sa 8:20). It is just possible that in the occupation of Gibbethon by Philistines we have a proof of his feebleness and incapacity. Anyhow, when the strong hand of Jeroboam is removed, the fruits of the rebellion at once begin to appear. The contempt and defiance which Jeroboam had showed towards constituted authority are now manifested towards his successor. Baasha only takes a leaf out of Jeroboam’s book (1Ki 11:26).]
1Ki 15:29
And it cams to pass, when he reigned, that he smote all the house of Jeroboam; he left not to Jeroboam any that breathed [Same expression in Jos 11:14; cf. Deu 20:16. Males and females alike were destroyed; see 1Ki 14:11], until he had destroyed him according unto the saying of the Lord, which he spake by his servant AhiJah the Shilonite [1Ki 14:10. It is not implied that it was because of this prophecy that Baasha exterminated the house of Jeroboam. It is probable that, so far from setting himself to fulfil it, he knew nothing about it, and, as he thought, merely took effectual measures for his own security. His seat could never be safe, so long as one of Jeroboam’s house survived. Grotius aptly cites, with reference to these wholesale murders, the saying, ]:
1Ki 15:30
Because of the sins of Jeroboam which he sinned, and which he made Israel to sin, by his provocation wherewith he provoked the Lord God of Israel to anger. [Cf. 1Ki 16:2, 1Ki 16:7, 1Ki 13:26. etc.]
1Ki 15:31
Now the rest of the acts of Nadab, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?
1Ki 15:32
And there was war between Asa and Baasha king of Israel all their days. [Verbatim as 1Ki 15:16, where see note. Several commentators suggest that this latter statement was copied from the chronicles of Israel, and that of 1Ki 15:16 from those of Judah. It is held by others, however, that for Baasha we should here read Nadab, and in favour of this view is the fact that the reign of Nadab is still under consideration, the history of Baasha only beginning with the following verse.]
1Ki 15:33
In the third year of Asa king of Judah began Baasha the son of Ahijah to reign [Practically a repetition of 1Ki 15:28. These iterations are thoroughly in accord with Eastern usage (cf. 1Ki 15:26, 1Ki 15:30, 1Ki 15:34; 1Ki 16:1, 1Ki 16:7, etc.)] over all Israel in Tirzah, twenty and four years.
1Ki 15:34
And he did evil in the sight of the Lord, and he walked in the way of Jeroboam, and in his sin wherewith he made Israel to sin.
Fuente: The Complete Pulpit Commentary
FOURTH SECTION
the kingdom of israel under nadab and his successors until ahab
1Ki 15:25 to 1Ki 16:28
A.The reign of Nadab and Baasha
1Ki 15:25 to 1Ki 16:7
25And Nadab the son of Jeroboam began to reign over Israel in the second year of Asa king of Judah, and reigned over Israel two years. 26And he did evil in the sight of the Lord [Jehovah], and walked in the way of his father, and in his sin 27[sins13] wherewith he made Israel to sin. And Baasha the son of Ahijah, of the house of Issachar, conspired14 against him; and Baasha smote him at Gibbethon, which belonged to the Philistines; for Nadab and all Israel laid siege to Gibbethon. 28Even in the third year of Asa king of Judah did Baasha slay him, and reigned in his stead. 29And it came to pass, when he reigned, that he smote all the house of Jeroboam; he left not to Jeroboam any that breathed,15 until he had destroyed him, according unto the saying of the Lord [Jehovah], which he spake by his servant Ahijah the Shilonite: 30because of the sins of Jeroboam which he sinned, and which he made Israel sin, by his provocation wherewith he provoked the Lord [Jehovah] God of Israel to anger. 31Now the rest of the acts of Nadab, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the Chronicles of the kings of Israel? 1632And there was war between Asa and Baasha king of Israel all their days.
33In the third year of Asa king of Judah began Baasha the son of Ahijah to reign over all Israel in Tirzah, twenty and four years. 34And he did evil in the sight of the Lord [Jehovah], and walked in the way of Jeroboam, and in his sin [sins] wherewith he made Israel to sin.
1Ki 16:1 Then the word of the Lord came to Jehu the son of Hanani against Baasha, saying, 2Forasmuch as I exalted thee out of the dust, and made thee prince over my people Israel; and thou hast walked in the way of Jeroboam, and hast made my people Israel to sin, to provoke me to anger with their sins; 3behold, 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. 4Him that dieth of Baasha in the city shall the dogs eat; and him that dieth of his in the fields shall the fowls of the air eat. 5Now the rest of the acts of Baasha, and what he did, and his might, are they not written in the book of the Chronicles of the kings of Israel? 6So Baasha slept with his fathers, and was buried in Tirzah: and Elah his son reigned in his stead.17 7And also by the hand of the prophet Jehu the son of Hanani came the word of the Lord [Jehovah] against Baasha, and against his house, even for all the evil that he did in the sight of the Lord [Jehovah], in provoking him to anger with the work of his hands, in being like the house of Jeroboam; and because he killed him.
Exegetical and Critical
1Ki 15:25-26. In the second year of Asa. We see clearly from this verse, compared with the time given in 1Ki 15:28; 1Ki 15:33, as in all the statement regarding the length of reigns, that years not fully complete are considered as whole ones. For if Nadab ascended the throne in the second year of Asas reign (1Ki 15:28), and Asa ascended the throne in the twentieth year of Jeroboams (1Ki 15:9), Jeroboam could not have reigned quite twenty-two years, but only twenty-one and some months; and if Baasha succeeded to Nadab in the third year of Asas reign (1Ki 15:28; 1Ki 15:33) Nadab could not have reigned two years (1Ki 15:25), in fact not much more than one and a half year or perhaps a little shorter time (Keil).
1Ki 15:27-31. Baasha of the house of Issachar,i. e., of the tribe of Issachar; he cannot therefore have been the son of the prophet Ahijah, as Menzel supposes, for he was an Ephraimite of Shiloh. The city of Gibbethon belongs to the tribe of Dan (Jos 19:44), and was one of the four cities of the levites which belonged (i. e., the cities) to this tribe (Jos 21:23); it must have been on the borders of Philistia. It is very doubtful if it had always been occupied by the Philistines, and was now for the first time besieged by the Israelites (Winer); it rather appears that the Philistines, after the partition of the kingdom, again took possession of it as an important border fortress; whereupon the Israelites under Nadab and Elah (1Ki 16:15) tried to recover it. As Nadab met his death on this occasion, it seems that Baashas conspiracy was of a military description, and that the latter was an army chief like Zimri (1Ki 16:9). Thenius supposes that Gibbethon was the same as the modern Muzeiriah, or Elmejdel (Tower) (cf. Robinson, Pal. III. p. 282). How the conspiracy arose is not stated; perhaps Nadab was still very young, and not a match for Baasha, who was very enterprising. It seems that he was not satisfied with exterminating the male relatives of Jeroboam, but murdered the whole of his race. The 1Ki 15:29, does not, of course, mean: as the Lord had promised him, but: so that the word of prophecy was fulfilled. For 1Ki 15:29-30 see above on 1Ki 14:10 sq.
1Ki 15:32-34. And there was war all their days. 1Ki 15:32 is a literal repetition of 1Ki 15:16, and does not seem suitable to the context here, for even if we were to read Nadab instead of Baasha (Ewald), this does not agree with all their days, for Nadab did not reign much longer than a year, and had war with the Philistines during that time. Nadab, too, should be named first; between Nadab and Asa; and finally Asa, whose year of accession coincided with the short period of Nadabs reign, had, according to 2 Chron. 13:23, no war at that time. Thenius thinks that the repetition of 1Ki 15:16 arose through a mistake of the copyist, but there is certainly no necessity for this easy but at the same time violent solution of the difficulty. Keils view is better. He finds (1845) the reason of the repetition in the excerptive character of these books, and in the manner of theocratic historical writing, namely, in the want of strict order in the arrangement of the historical matter. 1Ki 15:16 is taken from the book of the acts of the kings of Judah; 1Ki 15:32 from that of the kings of Israel. In the first instance the remark is given beforehand, because there was something special to be said about the war between Asa and Baasha; here, though it would certainly be more suitable after 1Ki 15:33-34, it is not put in on account of Asa, but on account of Baasha, and is the regular mode of expression for the conditions of the State under the different reigns. For Tirzah see 1Ki 14:17.
1Ki 16:1-6. The word of the Lord came. The chapter is not here divided according to the accession of the king, but according to the prophetic sentence which proclaimed ruin to the whole reigning dynasty, and therefore was the beginning of all the subsequent period. The prophet Jehu is mentioned in 2Ch 19:2 sq. as well as in 1Ki 15:1; 1Ki 15:7; 1Ki 15:12; in the above passage ho blames the conduct of the Judah-king Jehoshaphat, the successor of Asa; and in 2Ch 20:34 he is named as the author of the acts of Jehoshaphat in the book of the kings of Israel. There is no doubt that his father Hanani was the same as he who was thrown into prison because of his censure of king Asa (2Ch 16:7; 2Ch 16:10). According to this, he must have belonged to the kingdom of Judah, and either pronounced his sentence there (1Ki 15:2; 1Ki 15:7), or have gone over, for the purpose, into the northern kingdom. It is also uncertain whether he pronounced the threatening to Baasha personally and directly. For out of the dust (1Ki 15:2) 1Ki 14:7 gives from among the people, from which we might conclude that Baasha had raised himself from a very low position to be a commander of the army and finally king (Thenius). What Baasha did, of himself and by crime, the prophet ascribes in so far to Jehovah, that he could not possibly have executed his plans had they been contrary to the purposes of Jehovah. The entire sentence is evidently modelled after that of the prophet Ahijah against Jeroboam (1Ki 14:7-11) (see Hist. and Eth. there, 1). 1Ki 15:6 says that Baasha died a natural death, but Zimrl (1Ki 15:12) exterminated all his posterity (cf., 1Ki 15:3). For , see on 1Ki 15:23.
1Ki 16:7. Came the word, &c. The is not equal to and also, or yes (De Wette), neither does it mean that Jehu himself bore the message, but rather any former thought or excuse that might be brought forward was strongly rejected (Ewald, Lehrbuch 354). The whole of 1Ki 16:7 is not, as the Rabbins say, a new and further prophecy, but a supplementary remark to the prediction 1Ki 16:2, which might be misinterpreted as meaning that Baasha had a divine commission to murder Nadab and his race. No! the word, 1Ki 16:2, spoken by Jehu was called forth by the fact that Baasha had of his own accord destroyed the whole house of Jeroboam, and yet himself had adhered to Jeroboams sin. This very word clearly shows that the extermination of the house of Jeroboam was not done by divine commission, but from selfish motives. For , see above on 1Ki 14:15. The work of his hands denotes, according to Deu 4:28, Dii factitii, whether images of Jehovah (calves) or idols.
Historical and Ethical
1. We have much less concerning the two Israelitish kings Nadab and Baasha and the acts of their reigns than of the two Judah-kings Abijah and Asa. The narrative merely says of Nadab that he walked in the ways of his father Jeroboam; i. e., that he retained unlawful institutions, and after a reign of scarcely two years was murdered in a conspiracy, by Baasha. But of the reign of Baasha, which lasted twenty-four years, our only narrative says that he destroyed all the whole house of Jeroboam after he (Baasha) became king, as was threatened to Jeroboam by the prophet Ahijah (1Ki 14:7 sq.); that he also persisted in the sin of Jeroboam, and had the same fate as the latter announced to him by the prophet Jehu. We can see plainly from this what the principle which guided our author in his historical writing was. He does not care to give a complete account of all the facts and events of the reign of each king,for these he refers to the authorities that lay before him,but the thing rather which concerned him most of all, was the position each king took with regard to the Israelitish fundamental law, i. e., the covenant, which was the soul of the entire Old-Testament theocracy; and how the promises and threatenings of this law itself, or of the prophets charged with its announcements, and who spoke as the servants and ambassadors of Jehovah, became fulfilled (see Introd. 5). The heavy judgment which overtook the house of him who first openly broke the fundamental law of the entire people, and made the image-worship (so strictly forbidden in that law) the religion of the State and people; that heavy judgment, we say, was a practical historical prediction for every royal house which persisted in the sin of Jeroboam. No less than nine dynasties of the kingdom of Israel, with whom this was the case, perished in like manner with the house of Jeroboam, until at last the kingdom itself was destroyed, whilst the dynasty of David continued uninterruptedly in Judah.
2. The little that is told of Baasha is sufficient to show that he was an ambitious, rough, and violent, indeed even a blood-thirsty man. He did not conspire against his lord and king, and usurp the throne, in order to bring the fundamental law of Israel into force again, and to make an end to the sin of Jeroboam, for he himself adhered firmly to it all his life, in spite of all the warnings and threatenings of the prophets. He only cared for dominion thereof, and for this he esteemed the sin of Jeroboam as necessary as the latter himself had done; in short, he seems to have been a rough soldier who cared little or nothing about religion. We see from his enterprise at Ramah (1Ki 15:17), which he wished to fortify to reduce Judah utterly, through complete obstruction of trade (Ewald), that he hated Judah and wished to destroy it, and therefore to reign over it also. He was the first king-murderer in Israel, and led the way, as It were, to this crime, which was afterwards so often imitated. He was the first, too, who exterminated an entire royal house with violence, and not only killed the males, but every one that had breath, an unheard, of cruelty, even in throne-usurpations in the ancient East. Menzel (s. 171), who wrongly takes him to have been the son of the prophet Ahijah (see above on 1Ki 15:27), intimates that he was therefore under prophetical influence, and then says that he disappointed the hopes which the prophets of Jehovah had placed in him. This, however, is pure fancy. The conspiracy of Baasha was completely a military insurrection, as 1Ki 15:27 indubitably proves, while there is not a word to show that he was influenced by the prophets. He was, no doubt, one of the leaders in Nadabs army, but there is no evidence in the history that he was a man distinguished for his valor and a skilful warrior, as Ewald calls him (III. s. 446 sq.); the general term, too, used in 1Ki 16:5 is no proof. There is still less ground for the further supposition, that besides the growing discontent of the prophets, the fact that the house of Jeroboam had not been able to conquer the kingdom of Judah, and other enemies, was evidently the chief root of the insurrection against it; that Baasha thought he could perform more, and in this hope he seized the throne. The text does not say the least word of all this. For the sentence announced to Baasha by the prophet Jehu, see above, Hist. and Eth. on 1Ki 14:1-20 (4).
Homiletical and Practical
1Ki 15:25-31. The ruin of the house of Jeroboam proclaims these two great truths: sin is the destruction of a people (Pro 14:34), and: He who heareth not my word, of him will I require it (Deu 18:19). God does not punish the innocent children for the sins of their fathers, but those who, despising the divine patience and long-suffering shown to their fathers, perpetuate, without any shame, the sins of the fathers (Exo 20:5-6). A given example of evil is rarely without imitation; as Jeroboam rebelled against the house of David, so did Baasha against the house of Jeroboam. Desire for rule and envy beget first dissatisfaction with the condition in life ordained by God, lead then to breach of faith, and end at last with murder and homicide.
1Ki 15:29. Conspirators and rebels profess to overthrow tyranny and to throw off its yoke; but when they attain power and sovereignty they are themselves the most violent and cruel tyrants.
1Ki 15:34. Calw. B.: Baasha trod in the footsteps of Jeroboam just as if Jeroboam had been good and upright. And yet Baasha himself was an instrument in the hands of God to punish Jeroboam on account of his sins. What folly! When Jeroboams son, Nadab, did as his father, we can explain it by paternal influence;but that Baasha should have pursued the same course is a proof of monstrous blindness. The world does not allow itself to be interrupted in its purposes; vain conduct after the way of those who lived before, is always inherited (1Pe 1:18).Chap 1Ki 16:1. The word of the Lord in the mouth of a true servant of God is, for the pious, sweeter than honey and the honey-comb (Psa 19:11), for the wicked and impious it is a consuming fire, and like the hammer which breaketh the rock in pieces (Jer 23:29).
1Ki 16:2-4. Osiander: The sins of the common people which they have learned from their princes, as well also as those which these do not restrain when they can, are charged to them. Those who are lifted up out of the dust are often the proudest and most arrogant because they think they must thank only themselves for their exalted position, and they forget what is written in 1Sa 2:7 sq. For Baasha, also, the hour struck when it was said, Behold, oh! most proud, &c. (Jer 50:31). The throne which has been obtained by lying, deceit, and falsehood and bloodshed has no stability. The judgment of God, though delayed for a time, will not always tarry (Psa 5:6-7). Robbers and murderers are not always in caves and the hidden recesses of forests, sometimes they are seated upon thrones; but the Lord will sweep them away, and their end will be with horror: before His tribunal no people, no crown is a protection.
Footnotes:
[13]1Ki 15:26.[It is better here and in 1Ki 15:34, &c., to retain the plural form of the Heb. Sin was doubtless intended to be understood collectively in the A. V.
[14]1Ki 15:27.[The Heb. from the root , to bind or tie together, is correctly translated conspired, and implies that others were concerned with Baasha in the plot.
[15]1Ki 15:29.[ , he left not any that had breath, i.e., he destroyed all, both male and female, of the house of Jeroboam, in contrast with the expression in 1Ki 14:10, &c. Cf. Jos 11:11; Jos 11:14.
[16]1Ki 15:32.[The Vat. Sept. omits 1Ki 15:32, which has occasioned so much perplexity from its being an exact repetition of 1Ki 15:16. For the reasons of its insertion see Exeg. Com.
[17]1Ki 16:6.[The Alex. Sept. adds in the twentieth year of king Asaan impossible date. Cf. 1Ki 15:33.F. G.]
Fuente: A Commentary on the Holy Scriptures, Critical, Doctrinal, and Homiletical by Lange
(25) And Nadab the son of Jeroboam began to reign over Israel in the second year of Asa king of Judah, and reigned over Israel two years. (26) And he did evil in the sight of the LORD, and walked in the way of his father, and in his sin wherewith he made Israel to sin. (27) And Baasha the son of Ahijah, of the house of Issachar, conspired against him; and Baasha smote him at Gibbethon, which belonged to the Philistines; for Nadab and all Israel laid siege to Gibbethon. (28) Even in the third year of Asa king of Judah did Baasha slay him, and reigned in his stead. (29) And it came to pass, when he reigned, that he smote all the house of Jeroboam; he left not to Jeroboam any that breathed, until he had destroyed him, according unto the saying of the LORD, which he spake by his servant Ahijah the Shilonite: (30) Because of the sins of Jeroboam which he sinned, and which he made Israel sin, by his provocation wherewith he provoked the LORD God of Israel to anger. (31) Now the rest of the acts of Nadab, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel? (32) And there was war between Asa and Baasha king of Israel all their days. (33) In the third year of Asa king of Judah began Baasha the son of Ahijah to reign over all Israel in Tirzah, twenty and four years. (34) And he did evil in the sight of the LORD, and walked in the way of Jeroboam, and in his sin wherewith he made Israel to sin.
What a short reign was this of Jeroboam’s son! what a doleful end to all Jeroboam’s greatness! and how sure are the declarations of the Lord to overtake the guilty! the whole race of this impious prince is destroyed. And that prediction the prophet Abijah gave literally fulfilled. See 1Ki 14:10 .
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
1Ki 15:25 And Nadab the son of Jeroboam began to reign over Israel in the second year of Asa king of Judah, and reigned over Israel two years.
Ver. 25. And reigned over Israel two years. ] Two years peaceably, and eight years in affliction, saith Vatablus; but the truth is, he reigned not two full years in all. 1Ki 15:28
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Nadab
(Willing)
1Ki 15:25-31
The house of the wicked shall be overthrown: but the tabernacle of the upright shall flourish.-Pro 14:11
And Nadab the son of Jeroboam began to reign over Israel in the second year of Asa king of Judah, and reigned over Israel two years. And he did evil in the sight of the Lord, and walked in the way of his father, and in his sin wherewith he made Israel to sin.
The sons of Jeroboam, together with their father, had ejected Gods ordained priesthood, and had cast them off from executing the priests office unto the Lord (2Ch 11:14). So Nadab followed in his fathers ways; but God did not permit him to continue long in his wickedness. And Baasha the son of Ahijah, of the house of Issachar, conspired against him; and Baasha smote him at Gibbethon, which belonged to the Philistines; for Nadab and all Israel laid siege to Gibbethon. Gibbethon was a town in Dan, allotted to the Levites of the family of Korah (Jos 19:44; 21:23). It bordered on the land of the Philistines, and was probably seized by them on the emigration of the Levites to Judah. It means, lofty place; and it was while seeking to recover it to the crown, that Nadab was treacherously slain. But it was in fulfilment of the prophecy of Ahijah, The Lord shall raise Him up a king over Israel, who shall cut off the house of Jeroboam that day: but what? even now.
In the third year of Asa king of Judah did Baasha slay him, and reigned in his stead. Once on the throne, he began to execute the judgment of Jehovah against the remaining members of the house of Jeroboam, according to the aged Ahijahs word. And it came to pass, when he reigned, that he smote all the house of Jeroboam; he left not to Jeroboam any that breathed, until he had destroyed him, according unto the saying of the Lord, which He spake by His servant Ahijah the Shilonite: because of the sins of Jeroboam which he sinned, and which he made Israel sin, by his provocation wherewith he provoked the Lord God of Israel to anger.
So ended the first of the nine dynasties that for two hundred and fifty years ruled (or misruled) the kingdom of Israel. Nadabs name means willing; and he appears to have been too willing to continue in, and perpetuate, the sin of his iniquitous father. He is not once mentioned in the book of Chronicles, nor is there any record in that book of his fathers lifting up his hand against king Solomon, as in the Kings. See Authors Introduction. The inspired record of his uninteresting reign ends with the usual formula used in Kings: Now the rest of the acts of Nadab, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?
Fuente: Commentaries on the New Testament and Prophets
am 3050-3051, bc 954-953
Nadab: 1Ki 14:12, 1Ki 14:20
began to reign: Heb. reigned
Reciprocal: 1Ki 14:10 – I will bring 1Ki 16:6 – Baasha 1Ki 16:21 – divided 1Ki 22:51 – two years 2Ki 15:23 – and reigned two years 2Ki 21:19 – two years Est 2:21 – and sought Pro 28:2 – the transgression
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
TWO BAD KINGS
And Nadab reigned over Israel two years. Baasha reigned in his stead.
1Ki 15:25-28
I. No doubt the reforms which Asa instituted in the south served to make Jeroboam more determined than ever to establish the calf-worship which he had introduced; and after his death his son Nadab perpetuated the same form of idolatry. But Nadab reigned only a short time. Less than two years after he became king, as he was besieging the town of Gibbethon, and endeavouring to drive out the Philistines, one of his subjects from the tribe of Issachar, Baasha by name, conspired against and slew the king, and reigned in his stead. From the prophet Jehus message to Baasha, it is to be inferred that the rising up of Baasha in the room of Nadab, and also the extermination of the whole family of Jeroboam and the founding of a new dynasty, was according to Gods ordering, although the actual killing of Nadab was not approved by God.
II. The religious affairs of Israel were in no wise bettered by the change in dynasty.Baashas conduct was no improvement upon that of the two kings of the previous house. He reigned twenty-four years, and he did evil in the sight of the Lord, and walked in the way of Jeroboam, and in his sin wherewith he made Israel to sin. Immediately he ascended the throne, Baasha, endeavouring to make his power secure by removing all possible rivals, killed every one belonging to the house of Jeroboam, and thus fulfilled Gods prophecy, as given in 1Ki 14:14. Then followed a long war with Asa, King of Judah. Like Jeroboam, Baasha seems to have been unthankful to God for having raised him from a lowly position and made him king, and also indisposed in any way to observe Gods commandments. Therefore, the same punishment which befell Jeroboam is announced as Baashas fate. From Jerusalem God sent the prophet Jehu with this message: Forasmuch as I exalted thee out of the dust, and made thee prince over My people Israel (notice that in spite of their sin God still calls them His people); and thou hast walked in the way of Jeroboam, and hast made My people Israel to sin, to provoke Me to anger with their sins; 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.
This prophecy was fulfilled speedily. Baasha died, and was buried in Tirzah, his son Elah taking the throne only for two short years.
Illustrations
(1) Under the circumstances described in this chapter, the wonder is that the worship of Jehovah, which was so opposed to the general tendency of the national life and of surrounding nations, did not fall into disuse. That it did not, was due to the influence of the prophetic body, which was destined to become more and more influential; and this was the result of Gods special interference. His Holy Spirit strove against the infection of abominable idolatry, which was continually breaking out. It is thus, also, that in infinite patience God deals with us. His Spirit strives against the flesh, that we may not do what we otherwise would; but if He is thwarted, there is overthrow and rejection, as of the Ten Tribes.
(2) Baasha is one of the few kings of Israel who died a natural death, and whose remains were laid in a royal tomb.
(3) Nadab was apparently altogether unfit to cope with the difficulties of his position. He was only a weaker Jeroboam. He walked in the ways of his father, and never, so far as appears, made even an attempt to abolish his fathers schismatical system. He was thus left by God to his own devices and resources, and he speedily met the fate which awaits the weak successor of a powerful usurper.
Fuente: Church Pulpit Commentary
1Ki 15:25-26. And reigned over Israel two years Not complete, as appears from 1Ki 15:28-33. And walked in his sin In the worship of the calves which his father had made. If the death of his brother Abijah had had a due influence upon him, to make him religious, and the honour done to that well-disposed young man at his death had engaged him to follow his good example, his reign might have been long and glorious; but he walked in the way of his father, kept up the worship of the calves, and forbade his subjects to go up to Jerusalem to worship; sinned and made Israel to sin; and therefore God brought ruin upon him quickly, in the second year of his reign.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
6. Nadab’s evil reign in Israel 15:25-32
Nadab ruled Israel from 910-909 B.C. Evidently Baasha assassinated him during a battle with the Philistines. Gibbethon stood three miles west of Solomon’s stronghold city of Gezer near the border where Israel, Philistia, and Judah met. Baasha not only killed Nadab but also all of Jeroboam’s male descendants (1Ki 15:29). This was a fulfillment of Ahijah’s prophecy that God would cut off Jeroboam’s dynasty (1Ki 14:14).
"Nothing is more characteristic of the northern state than its extreme internal instability." [Note: Bright, p. 218.]
The writer of Kings noted carefully the prophecies of the blessings and curses on the kings because of their obedience or disobedience to Yahweh’s authority. This is one of the major motifs in Kings. [Note: See Ziony Zevit, "Deuteronomistic Historiography in 1 Kings 12 -2 Kings 17 and the Reinvestiture of the Israelian Cult," Journal for the Study of the Old Testament 32 (1985):57-73.]
Fuente: Expository Notes of Dr. Constable (Old and New Testaments)
NADAB; BAASHA; ELAH
1Ki 15:25-34; 1Ki 16:1-10
“Wheresoever the carcass is, there will the vultures be gathered together.”
– Mat 24:28
JEROBOAM slept with his fathers and went to his own place, leaving behind him his dreadful epitaph upon the sacred page. His son Nadab succeeded him. In his reign of twenty-two years the first king of Israel had outlived Rehoboam and his son Abijah. Asa, the great grandson of Solomon, was already on the throne of Judah. Of Nadab we are told next to nothing. The appreciation of the kings of Israel tends to drift into the meager formula that they did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord, and walked in the way of Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, and in his sin wherewith he caused Israel to sin. In the second year of his reign Nadab was engaged in a wearisome military expedition against Gibbethon in the Shephelah, which belonged to the Philistines. It was a Levitical city in the tribe of Dan, which had been assigned to the Kohathites, and its siege continued for twenty-seven years with no apparent result. {Jos 19:44; Jos 21:23 1Ki 15:27; 1Ki 16:15} That the Philistines, who had been so utterly crushed by David and who were an insignificant power, should have thus been able to assert themselves once more, is a proof of the weakness to which Israel had been reduced. While Nadab was thus occupied, an obscure conspirator, Baasha, son of Ahijah, of the tribe of Issachar, actuated perhaps by tribal jealousy, or stirred up as Jeroboam had been before him and as Jehu was after him by some prophetic message, conspired against him, and slew him. As soon as this military revolt had placed Baasha on the throne he fulfilled the frightful curse which Ahijah had uttered against the House of Jeroboam. He absolutely exterminated the family of Nebat, and left him neither kinsman nor friend to avenge his death. He seems to have been a powerful soldier, and he inflicted severe humiliation on the Southern Kingdom until Asa bribed Benhadad to invade his territory. He reigned at Tirzah for twenty-four years, of which nothing is recorded but the ordinary formula. Towards the close of his reign he received from the prophet Jehu, the son of Hanani, the message of his doom. Jehu must have been at this time a young prophet. According to the Chronicles his father Hanani rebuked Asa for the alliance which (as we shall see) he made with the Syrian against Baasha {2Ch 16:7-10} and he himself rebuked Jehoshaphat for his alliance with Ahab, and lived to be his annalist. {2Ch 20:34} Like Amos, he lived in Judah, but prophesied also against a king of Israel. He told Baasha that God, who had exalted him out of the dust to be king of Israel, should inflict on his family the same terrible extirpation which He had inflicted on the House of Jeroboam, whose sins he had, nevertheless, followed.
Baasha “slept with his fathers,” and his son Elah succeeded him. Elah seems to have been an incapable drunkard, and reigned in Tirzah for less than two years. While he was drinking himself drunk, not even secretly in his own palace, but in the house of his chamberlain Arza-a shamelessness which was regarded as an aggravation of his offense {Hos 7:3-7}-he was murdered by Zimri, the captain of half of his chariots, and the revolting tragedy of massacre was enacted once again. The fact that Baasha was a man of no distinction, but “exalted out of the dust” {1Ki 16:2} probably added to the weakness of his dynasty.
From such meager records of horror there is not much to learn beyond the general truth of the nemesis which dogs the heels of crime; but there is one significant clause which throws great light on the judgment which we are asked to form of these events. The prophet Jehu rebukes Baasha for showing himself false to the destiny to which God had summoned him. He implies, therefore, that Baasha had some Divine sanction for the revolution which he headed; and certainly in his slaughter of the House of Jeroboam he was the instrument of a Divine decree. Yet we are expressly told that “he provoked the Lord to anger with the work of his hands, in being like the House of Jeroboam, and because he killed him,” or, as it is rendered in the Revised Version margin, “because he smote it.” This is not the only place where we find that a man may be in one sense commissioned to do a deed of blood, yet in another sense may be held guilty for fulfillment of the commission. The prophecy of extirpation had been passed, but the cruel agent of its accomplishment was not thereby condoned. Gods decrees are carried out as part of the vast scheme of Providence, and He may use guilty hands to fulfill His purposes. King Jehu is His minister of vengeance, but the tiger-like ferocity with which he carried out his work awoke Gods anger and received Gods punishment. The King of Babylon fulfils the purpose for which he had been appointed, but his ruthlessness receives its just recompense. The wrath of man may accomplish the decrees of God, but it worketh not His righteousness. Herod and Pontius Pilate, Jews and Gentiles, priests and Pharisees, rulers and the mob may rage against Christ, but all they can accomplish is “whatsoever Gods hand and Gods counsel determine before to be done.”