King Ahab
King of the northern kingdom of Israel
- Reign
- c. 874–853 BCE (dates vary)
- Capital
- Samaria
- Father
- Omri
- Wife
- Jezebel of Sidon
- Outside the Bible
- Kurkh Monolith of Shalmaneser III (Battle of Qarqar, 853 BCE)
- Main texts
- 1 Kings 16–22
The Israelite king who clashed with Elijah, was lured to his death according to Micaiah's vision, and is named in Assyrian records.
What is King Ahab known for?
Ahab son of Omri ruled the northern kingdom of Israel from Samaria in the mid-9th century BCE. The Bible portrays him harshly for promoting the worship of Baal with his wife Jezebel, and much of 1 Kings 17–22 sets him against the prophet Elijah.
His death is foretold in an unusual vision. The prophet Micaiah reports seeing the host of heaven gathered around God's throne, where a spirit volunteers to deceive Ahab through his own prophets. Ahab goes to war at Ramoth-gilead anyway, disguised, and is killed by a random arrow (1 Kings 22).
Ahab is one of the earliest Israelite kings attested outside the Bible. The Kurkh Monolith of the Assyrian king Shalmaneser III, now in the British Museum, lists "Ahab the Israelite" with 2,000 chariots among the coalition that fought Assyria at Qarqar in 853 BCE.
Ahab is the target of the lying spirit in Micaiah's divine council vision.
Mentioned on these pages
- Rabbit holeThe divine council (sons of God)
Sources
- 1 Kings 22 (KJV), Bible GatewayPrimary text
- Wikipedia, 'Ahab'Reference
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