Ahab (or Ach'av or Hebrew: אַחְאָב, Standard Aḥʼav Tiberian ʼAḥăʼāḇ, ʼAḫʼāḇ ; "Brother of the father") was king of Israel and the son and successor of Omri (1 Kings 16:29-34). William F. Albright dated his reign to 869 BC-850 BC, while E. R. Thiele offered the dates 874 BC-853 BC. Ahab may refer to: Ahab (869 BC-850 BC), King of the Kingdom of Israel and the province of Samaria Captain Ahab, the monomanical captain of the whaling ship Pequod in the novel Moby-Dick Ahab (comics), a character from the X-Men comics Captain Ahab (band), an electropop duo... Hebrew redirects here. ... Hebrew redirects here. ... Tiberian Hebrew is an oral tradition of pronunciation for ancient forms of Hebrew, especially the Hebrew of the Tanakh, that was given written form by masoretic scholars in the Jewish community at Tiberias in the early Middle Ages, beginning in the 8th century. ... 10th century BCE: The Land of Israel, including the United Kingdom of Israel Commonwealth of Israel redirects here. ... Omri (Hebrew: , Standard  Tiberian ; short for Hebrew: , Standard  Tiberian  ; The is my life) was king of Israel and father of Ahab. ... The Books of Kings (‎) is a part of Judaisms Tanakh, the Hebrew Bible. ... William Foxwell Albright (May 24, 1891 - September 19/20, 1971) was an evangelical Methodist archaelogist, biblical authority, linguist and expert on ceramics. ... Centuries: 10th century BC - 9th century BC - 8th century BC Decades: 910s BC 900s BC 890s BC 880s BC 870s BC - 860s BC - 850s BC 840s BC 830s BC 820s BC 810s BC Events and trends 865 BC - Kar Kalmaneser was conquered by the Assyrian king Shalmaneser III 864 BC... Centuries: 10th century BC - 9th century BC - 8th century BC Decades: 900s BC 890s BC 880s BC 870s BC 860s BC - 850s BC - 840s BC 830s BC 820s BC 810s BC 800s BC Years: 859 BC 858 BC 857 BC 856 BC 855 BC 854 BC 853 BC 852 BC... Edwin R. Thiele (1895-1986) was a missionary, writer, archaeologist, and professor of the Old Testament. ... Centuries: 10th century BC - 9th century BC - 8th century BC Decades: 920s BC 910s BC 900s BC 890s BC 880s BC - 870s BC - 860s BC 850s BC 840s BC 830s BC 820s BC Events and Trends 879 BC - Death of Zhou yi wang, King of the Zhou Dynasty of China. ... Centuries: 10th century BC - 9th century BC - 8th century BC Decades: 900s BC 890s BC 880s BC 870s BC 860s BC - 850s BC - 840s BC 830s BC 820s BC 810s BC 800s BC Years: 859 BC 858 BC 857 BC 856 BC 855 BC 854 BC 853 BC 852 BC...

Biography

He married Jezebel, the daughter of King Ithobaal I of Tyre, and the alliance was doubtless the means of procuring him great riches, which brought pomp and luxury in their train. We read of his building an ivory palace (1 Kings 22:39; Amos 3:15), and founding new cities, the effect perhaps of a share in the flourishing commerce of Phoenicia, which supplied the ivory for his palace. Jezebel (אִיזֶבֶל / אִיזָבֶל (not exalted) Standard Hebrew Izével/Izável, Tiberian Hebrew, ʾÎzéḇel / ʾÎzāḇel) is the name of two women in the Hebrew Bible. ... Ithobaal I was king of Tyre (887 - 856 BC). ... The Triumphal Arch Tyre (Arabic , Phoenician , Hebrew Tzor, Tiberian Hebrew , Akkadian , Greek Týros) is a city in the South Governorate of Lebanon. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... The Book of Amos is one of the books of the Neviim and of the Old Testament. ... Phoenicia (or Phenicia ,[1] from Biblical Phenice [1]) was an ancient civilization centered in the north of ancient Canaan, with its heartland along the coast of modern day Lebanon and Syria. ...

The material prosperity of his reign, which is comparable with that of Solomon a century before, was overshadowed by the religious changes which his interreligious marriage introduced. Although he worshiped YHWH, as the names of his children prove (1 Kings 22:5ff), his wife was firmly attached to the worship of the Melkart (the Tyrian Ba'al), and led by her he gave a great impulse to this cult by building a temple in honour of Baal in Samaria. This roused the indignation of the Jewish prophets and Priests whose aim it was to purify the worship of God. (See Elijah) This article is about the Biblical figure. ... Interreligious marriage, traditionally (especially in the Catholic Church) called mixed marriage, is marriage (either religious or civil) between partners professing different religions. ... It has been suggested that Yahweh be merged into this article or section. ... Melqart (less accurately Melkart, Melkarth or Melgart (greek disposed of the letter Q (Qoppa) replacing it with additional use of K (Kappa) and G (Gamma)), Akkadian Milqartu, was the tutelary god of the Phoenician city of Tyre, as Eshmun protected Sidon. ... Baal (בַּעַל / בָּעַל, Standard Hebrew Báʿal, Tiberian Hebrew Báʿal / Báʿal) is a northwest Semitic word signifying The Lord, master, owner (male), husband cognate with Akkadian Bēl of the same meanings. ... “Shomron” redirects here. ... This article discusses the term God in the context of monotheism and henotheism. ... This article or section is not written in the formal tone expected of an encyclopedia article. ...

During Ahab's reign, Moab, which had been conquered by his father, remained tributary; Judah, with whose king, Jehoshaphat, he was allied by marriage, was probably his vassal; only with Aram Damascus is he said to have had strained relations. Moab (Hebrew: מוֹאָב, Standard Tiberian  ; Greek Μωάβ ; Arabic مؤاب, Assyrian Muaba, Maba, Maab ; Egyptian Muab) is the historical name for a mountainous strip of land in modern-day Jordan running along the eastern shore of the Dead Sea. ... Kingdom of Judah (Hebrew מַלְכוּת יְהוּדָה, Standard Hebrew Malḫut YÉ™huda, Tiberian Hebrew Malḵûṯ YÉ™hûḏāh) in the times of the Hebrew Bible, was the nation formed from the territories of the tribes of Judah, Simeon, and Benjamin after the Kingdom of Israel was divided, and was named after Judah... In the Bible, Jehoshaphat or Josaphat or Yehoshafat (יְהוֹשָׁפָט The LORD is judge, Standard Hebrew Yəhošafat, Tiberian Hebrew Yəhôšāp̄āṭ) was the son and successor of Asa, king of... Aram Damascus was an Aramean state centered around Damascus in Syria, from the late 12th century BCE to 734 BCE. Sources for this state come from texts that can be divided into three categories: Assyrian annals, Aramean texts, and the Hebrew Bible. ...

The one event mentioned by external sources is the Battle of Qarqar (perhaps at Apamea), where Shalmaneser III of Assyria fought a great confederation of princes from Cilicia, Northern Syria, Israel, Ammon and the tribes of the Syrian desert (853 BC). Here Ahab (A-ha-ab-bu ^matSir-'i-la-a-a or "Ahab the Israelite") joined Baasha, son of Ruhub (Rehob) of Ammon and nine others in alliance with Hadadezer (Bir-'idri), Ahab's contribution being reckoned at 45,000 chariots and 10,000 men. The numbers are comparatively large and possibly include forces from Tyre, Judah, Edom and Moab. The Assyrian king claimed a victory, but his immediate return and subsequent expeditions in 849 BC and 846 BC against a similar but unspecified coalition seem to show that he met with no lasting success. According to the Tanakh, however, Ahab with 7,000 troops had previously overthrown Ben-hadad and his thirty-two kings, who had come to lay siege to Samaria, and in the following year obtained a decisive victory over him at Aphek, probably in the plain of Sharon at Antipatris (1 Kings 20). A treaty was made whereby Ben-hadad restored the cities which his father had taken from Ahab's father (that is, Omri, but see 15:20, 2 Kings 13:25), and trading facilities between Damascus and Samaria were granted. Combatants Assyria An alliance of 12 Kings Commanders Shalmaneser III Hadadezer Strength Assyrian records claim 100,000 troops; modern scholars believe Assyrian forces were smaller 60,000 infantry, 2,450 chariots, 1,900 horsemen, 10,000 camel riders Kurkh stela of Shalmaneser that reports battle of Karkar The Battle of... View of Apameas ruins, Syria. ... Shalmaneser III (Å ulmānu-aÅ¡arÄ“du, the god Shulmanu is pre-eminent) was king of Assyria (859 BC-824 BC), and son of the previous ruler, Ashurnasirpal II. His long reign was a constant series of campaigns against the eastern tribes, the Babylonians, the nations of Mesopotamia and Syria... For other uses, see Assyria (disambiguation). ... The Kingdom of Cilician Armenia, 1199-1375. ... Ammon or Ammonites (עַמּוֹן People, Standard Hebrew Ê»Ammon, Tiberian Hebrew Ê»Ammôn), also referred to in the Bible as the children of Ammon, were a people living east of the Jordan river who along with the Moabites traced their origin to Lot, the nephew of the patriarch Abraham, and who were... Centuries: 10th century BC - 9th century BC - 8th century BC Decades: 900s BC 890s BC 880s BC 870s BC 860s BC - 850s BC - 840s BC 830s BC 820s BC 810s BC 800s BC Years: 859 BC 858 BC 857 BC 856 BC 855 BC 854 BC 853 BC 852 BC... Baasha ben Ruhubi was the king of Ammon in 853 BCE. Kurkh stela of Shalmaneser that reports battle of Karkar Along with Bar-Hadad II of Damascus, Ahab of the Kingdom of Israel, the Arab king Gindibu, and a coalition of other Levantine monarchs, Baasha fought against the Assyrian king... Hadadezer (or Hadad-Ezer or Adad-Idri) was the king of Damascus at the time of The Battle of Qarqar. ... For other uses, see Chariot (disambiguation). ... The Triumphal Arch Tyre (Arabic , Phoenician , Hebrew Tzor, Tiberian Hebrew , Akkadian , Greek Týros) is a city in the South Governorate of Lebanon. ... Edomite redirects here. ... Moab (Hebrew: מוֹאָב, Standard Tiberian  ; Greek Μωάβ ; Arabic مؤاب, Assyrian Muaba, Maba, Maab ; Egyptian Muab) is the historical name for a mountainous strip of land in modern-day Jordan running along the eastern shore of the Dead Sea. ... Centuries: 10th century BC - 9th century BC - 8th century BC Decades: 890s BC 880s BC 870s BC 860s BC 850s BC - 840s BC - 830s BC 820s BC 810s BC 800s BC 790s BC Events and Trends 845 BC - Pherecles, King of Athens dies after a reign of 19 years and... Centuries: 10th century BC - 9th century BC - 8th century BC Decades: 890s BC 880s BC 870s BC 860s BC 850s BC - 840s BC - 830s BC 820s BC 810s BC 800s BC 790s BC Events and Trends 845 BC - Pherecles, King of Athens dies after a reign of 19 years and... For the musical collective, see Tanakh (band). ... Ben Hadad means Son of Hadad in Hebrew, and may refer to: Any king of Aram Damascus. ... The name Aphek refers to either: Locations mentioned by the bible as the scenes of a number of battles, which have been thought since the turn of the 20th century to refer to the same location. ... The Plain of Sharon is a region in the central plains of Israel. ... This entry incorporates text from Eastons Bible Dictionary, 1897, with some modernisation. ... The Books of Kings (‎) is a part of Judaisms Tanakh, the Hebrew Bible. ...

A late popular story (20:35-42, akin in tone to 12:33-13:34) condemned Ahab for his leniency and foretold the destruction of the king and his land. Three years later, war broke out on the east of the Jordan River, and Ahab with Jehoshaphat of Judah went to recover Ramoth-Gilead and was mortally wounded (ch. 22). He was succeeded by his sons (Ahaziah and Jehoram). The Jordan River runs along the border between the West Bank and the Kingdom of Jordan Northern part of the Great Rift Valley as seen from space (NASA) The Jordan River Road sign In spring The Jordan River (Hebrew: נהר הירדן nehar hayarden, Arabic: نهر الأردن nahr al-urdun) is a river in Southwest... Ramoth-gilead - heights of Gilead, a city of refuge on the east of the Jordan river; called Ramoth in Gilead (Deuteronomy 4:43; Joshua 20:8; 21:38). ... Ahaziah (held by Jehovah) was the name of two kings: Ahaziah of Israel, king of Israel Ahaziah of Judah, king of Judah. ... Jehoram (or Joram) was the king of Israel (2 Kings 8:16, 25, 28f), and he was the son of Ahab. ...

It is very difficult to obtain any clear idea of the order of these events (the Septuagint places 1 Kings 21 immediately after 19). How the hostile kings of Israel and Syria came to fight a common enemy, and how to correlate the Assyrian and Biblical records, are questions which have perplexed all recent writers. The reality of the difficulties will be apparent from the fact that it has been suggested that the Assyrian scribe wrote "Ahab" for his son "Jehoram", and that the very identification of the name with Ahab of Israel has been questioned. The Septuagint: A column of uncial text from 1 Esdras in the Codex Vaticanus, the basis of Sir Lancelot Charles Lee Brentons Greek edition and English translation. ...

Legacy

Whilst the above passages from 1 Kings view Ahab not unfavourably, there are others which are less friendly. The murder of Naboth (see Jezebel), an act of royal encroachment, stirred up popular resentment just as the new cult aroused the opposition of certain of the prophets. Indeed, he is referred to, for this and other things as being "more evil than all the kings before him".The latter found their champion in Elijah, whose history reflects the prophetic teaching of more than one age. His denunciation of the royal dynasty, and his emphatic insistence on the worship of Yahweh and Him alone, form the keynote to a period which culminated in the accession of Jehu, an event in which Elijah's chosen disciple Elisha was the leading figure. This article needs cleanup. ... Jezebel (אִיזֶבֶל / אִיזָבֶל (not exalted) Standard Hebrew Izével/Izável, Tiberian Hebrew, ʾÎzéḇel / ʾÎzāḇel) is the name of two women in the Hebrew Bible. ... Jehu son of Omri kneeling at the feet of Shalmaneser III on the Black Obelisk. ... Not to be confused with Elishah. ...

The allusions to the statutes and works of Omri and Ahab in Micah 6:16 may point to legislative measures of these kings, and the reference to the incidents at the building of Jericho (1 Kings 16:34) may be taken to show that foundation sacrifices, familiar in nearly all parts of the world, were not unknown in Israel at this period, which have in fact been confirmed by excavation in Palestine. The Book of Micah (Hebrew: ספר מיכה) is one of the books of the Hebrew Bible and the Christian Old Testament, traditionally attributed to Micah the Prophet. ... The Taking of Jericho, by Jean Fouquet Near central Jericho, November 1996 Jericho (Arabic  , Hebrew  , ʼArīḥā; Standard YÉ™riḥo Tiberian YÉ™rîḫô / YÉ™rîḥô; meaning fragrant.[1] Greek Ἱεριχώ) is a town in Palestine, located within the Jericho Governorate, near the Jordan River. ... A 2003 satellite image of the region. ...

One controversial theory, put forward first in 1952 by Immanuel Velikovsky (Ages in Chaos), was that Ahab was a contemporary of Akhenaten, and appears in the famous Amarna Letters as Rib Addi, the king of Gubla. This identification has now generally been rejected, though a similar theory, proposed recently by Emmet Sweeney, is that Ahab was a contemporary of Akhenaten's successor Tutankhamun. Sweeney sees Baasha, the predecessor of Ahab, as the Israelite contemporary of Akhenaten. According to Sweeney, Baasha appears in the Amarna Letters under the name of Labayu. (See Sweeney, Empire of Thebes, New York, 2006) Immanuel Velikovsky photographed by Fima Noveck, ca. ... For other uses, see Akhenaten (disambiguation). ... EA 161, letter by Aziru, leader of Amurru, (stating his case to pharaoh), one of the Amarna letters in cuneiform writing on a clay tablet. ... King Tut redirects here. ... Baasha (Hebrew Basha; Baal hears) was the third king of the northern kingdom of Israel. ... Labaya (also transliterated as Labayu or Libayu) was a Canaanite warlord who lived contemporaneously with Pharaoh Akhenaten (14th century BCE). ...

Omri (Hebrew: , Standard  Tiberian ; short for Hebrew: , Standard  Tiberian  ; The is my life) was king of Israel and father of Ahab. ... Omri (Hebrew: , Standard  Tiberian ; short for Hebrew: , Standard  Tiberian  ; The is my life) was king of Israel and father of Ahab. ... 10th century BCE: The Land of Israel, including the United Kingdom of Israel Commonwealth of Israel redirects here. ... William Foxwell Albright (May 24, 1891 - September 19/20, 1971) was an evangelical Methodist archaelogist, biblical authority, linguist and expert on ceramics. ... Edwin R. Thiele (1895–1986) was an American missionary in China, an editor, archaeologist, writer, and Old Testament professor. ... Gershon Galil, Ph. ... This entry is not about King Ahaziah of Judah. ...

External links

• Achav in the Biblical Encyclopedia Tanakh Profiles (Hebrew/English) See also translations of names.