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Monday, August 25th, 2025
the Week of Proper 16 / Ordinary 21
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THE MESSAGE

1 Kings 16:11

Zimri had no sooner become king than he killed everyone connected with Baasha, got rid of them all like so many stray dogs—relatives and friends alike. Zimri totally wiped out the family of Baasha, just as God 's word delivered by the prophet Jehu had said—wages for the sins of Baasha and his son Elah; not only for their sins but for dragging Israel into their sins and making the God of Israel angry with their stupid idols.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Anger;   Elah;   Homicide;   Prophecy;   Regicide;   Zimri;   Scofield Reference Index - Redemption;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Kings;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Omri;   Zimri;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Baasha;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Issachar;   Nadab;   Samaria;   Zimri;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Elah;   Jehu;   Omri;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Elah;   Zimri (1);   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Baasha ;   Elah ;   Tirzah ;   Zimri ;   The Hawker's Poor Man's Concordance And Dictionary - Nimshi;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Jehu;   Zimri;   Smith Bible Dictionary - Throne;   Zim'ri;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - Kingdom of Israel;   Babylonish Captivity, the;   International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Elah (2);   Israel, Kingdom of;   Jehu;   Man-Child;   Zimri (1);   Zimri (2);  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
When he became king, as soon as he was seated on his throne, Zimri struck down the entire house of Baasha. He did not leave a single male, including his kinsmen and his friends.
Hebrew Names Version
It happened, when he began to reign, as soon as he sat on his throne, that he struck all the house of Ba`sha: he didn't leave him a single man-child, neither of his relatives, nor of his friends.
King James Version
And it came to pass, when he began to reign, as soon as he sat on his throne, that he slew all the house of Baasha: he left him not one that pisseth against a wall, neither of his kinsfolks, nor of his friends.
English Standard Version
When he began to reign, as soon as he had seated himself on his throne, he struck down all the house of Baasha. He did not leave him a single male of his relatives or his friends.
New Century Version
As soon as Zimri became king, he killed all of Baasha's family, not allowing any of Baasha's family or friends to live.
New English Translation
When he became king and occupied the throne, he killed Baasha's entire family. He did not spare any male belonging to him; he killed his relatives and his friends.
Amplified Bible
When he became king, as soon as he sat on his throne, he killed the entire household of Baasha; he did not leave a single male [alive], either of his relatives or his friends.
New American Standard Bible
And when he became king, as soon as he sat on his throne, he killed all the household of Baasha; he did not leave a single male alive, either of his relatives or of his friends.
Geneva Bible (1587)
And when he was King, and sate on his throne, he slew al the house of Baasha, not leauing thereof one to pisse against a wall, neither of his kinsfolkes nor of his friendes.
Legacy Standard Bible
Now it happened when he became king, as soon as he sat on his throne, that he struck down all the household of Baasha; he did not leave a single male—not even any of his kinsman redeemers or his friends.
Contemporary English Version
As soon as Zimri became king, he killed everyone in Baasha's family. Not one man or boy in his family was left alive—even his close friends were killed.
Complete Jewish Bible
At the beginning of his reign, as soon as he took over the throne, he killed off the entire house of Ba‘sha; he left not a single male, neither of his relatives nor of his friends.
Darby Translation
And it came to pass when he began to reign, as soon as he sat on his throne, he slew all the house of Baasha: he left him not a male, neither of his kinsmen nor of his friends.
Easy-to-Read Version
After Zimri became the new king, he killed all of Baasha's family and friends. He did not let any male in Baasha's family live.
George Lamsa Translation
And when he began to reign, as soon as he sat on his throne, he slew all the house of Baasha; he left him not one male child, neither of his kinsfolks nor of his friends.
Good News Translation
As soon as Zimri became king he killed off all the members of Baasha's family. Every male relative and friend was put to death.
Lexham English Bible
It happened that as soon as he became king, at the moment he sat on his throne, he killed all of the house of Baasha. He left no males among his kindred or any of his friends.
Literal Translation
And it happened, when he began to reign, as he sat on his throne, that he struck all the house of Baasha; he did not leave him one who urinated against the wall, nor of his kinsmen, nor of his friends.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
And whan he was kynge, and sat vpon his seate, he smote all the house of Baesa, & lefte not so moch as one to make water agaynst ye wall: his bloud auengers also & his frendes.
American Standard Version
And it came to pass, when he began to reign, as soon as he sat on his throne, that he smote all the house of Baasha: he left him not a single man-child, neither of his kinsfolks, nor of his friends.
Bible in Basic English
And straight away when he became king and took his place on the seat of the kingdom, he put to death all the family of Baasha: not one male child of his relations or his friends kept his life.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
And it fortuned that when he was king and sat on his seate, he slue al the house of Baasa, not leauing thereof one to pysse against a wall: Yea, he slue his kinsefolkes and freendes also.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
And it came to pass, when he began to reign, as soon as he sat on his throne, that he smote all the house of Baasa; he left him not a single man-child, neither of his kinsfolks, nor of his friends.
King James Version (1611)
And it came to passe when hee began to reigne, assoone as hee sate on his throne, that he slew all the house of Baasha: hee left him not one that pisseth against a wall, neither of his kinsfolkes, nor of his friends.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And it came to pass when he reigned, when he sat upon his throne,
English Revised Version
And it came to pass, when he began to reign, as soon as he sat on his throne, that he smote all the house of Baasha: he left him not a single man child, neither of his kinsfolks, nor of his friends.
Berean Standard Bible
As soon as Zimri began to reign and was seated on the throne, he struck down the entire household of Baasha. He did not leave a single male, whether a kinsman or friend.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And whanne he hadde regned, and hadde setun on his trone, he smoot al the hows of Baasa, and he lefte not therof a pissere to the wal, and hise kynnesmen, and frendis.
Young's Literal Translation
and it cometh to pass in his reigning, at his sitting on his throne, he hath smitten the whole house of Baasha; he hath not left to him any sitting on the wall, and of his redeemers, and of his friends.
Update Bible Version
And it came to pass, when he began to reign, as soon as he sat on his throne, that he smote all the house of Baasha: he left him not one urinating against a wall, neither of his kinsfolks, nor of his friends.
Webster's Bible Translation
And it came to pass, when he began to reign, as soon as he sat on his throne, [that] he slew all the house of Baasha: he left him not one male, neither of his kinsman, nor of his friends.
World English Bible
It happened, when he began to reign, as soon as he sat on his throne, that he struck all the house of Baasha: he didn't leave him a single man-child, neither of his relatives, nor of his friends.
New King James Version
Then it came to pass, when he began to reign, as soon as he was seated on his throne, that he killed all the household of Baasha; he did not leave him one male, neither of his relatives nor of his friends.
New Living Translation
Zimri immediately killed the entire royal family of Baasha, leaving him not even a single male child. He even destroyed distant relatives and friends.
New Life Bible
When he became king, as soon as he sat on his throne, he killed all those of Baasha's house. He did not leave alive one male, of his brothers or of his friends.
New Revised Standard
When he began to reign, as soon as he had seated himself on his throne, he killed all the house of Baasha; he did not leave him a single male of his kindred or his friends.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And it came to pass, when he began to reign, as soon as he sat on his throne, that he smote all the house of Baasha, he left him not even the meanest, - neither of his kinsfolks, nor of his friends.
Douay-Rheims Bible
And when he was king, and sat upon his throne, he slew all the house of Baasa, and he left not one thereof to piss against a wall and all his kinsfolks and friends.
Revised Standard Version
When he began to reign, as soon as he had seated himself on his throne, he killed all the house of Ba'asha; he did not leave him a single male of his kinsmen or his friends.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
It came about when he became king, as soon as he sat on his throne, that he killed all the household of Baasha; he did not leave a single male, neither of his relatives nor of his friends.

Contextual Overview

1The word of God came to Jehu son of Hanani with this message for Baasha: "I took you from nothing—a complete nobody—and set you up as the leader of my people Israel, but you plodded along in the rut of Jeroboam, making my people Israel sin and making me seethe over their sin. And now the consequences—I will burn Baasha and his regime to cinders, the identical fate of Jeroboam son of Nebat. Baasha's people who die in the city will be eaten by scavenger dogs; carrion crows will eat the ones who die in the country." 5The rest of Baasha's life, the record of his regime, is written in The Chronicles of the Kings of Israel. Baasha died and was buried with his ancestors in Tirzah. His son Elah was king after him. 7 That's the way it was with Baasha: Through the prophet Jehu son of Hanani, God 's word came to him and his regime because of his life of open evil before God and his making God so angry—a chip off the block of Jeroboam, even though God had destroyed him. 8In the twenty-sixth year of Asa king of Judah, Elah son of Baasha began his rule. He was king in Tirzah only two years. One day when he was at the house of Arza the palace manager, drinking himself drunk, Zimri, captain of half his chariot-force, conspired against him. Zimri slipped in, knocked Elah to the ground, and killed him. This happened in the twenty-seventh year of Asa king of Judah. Zimri then became the king. 11Zimri had no sooner become king than he killed everyone connected with Baasha, got rid of them all like so many stray dogs—relatives and friends alike. Zimri totally wiped out the family of Baasha, just as God 's word delivered by the prophet Jehu had said—wages for the sins of Baasha and his son Elah; not only for their sins but for dragging Israel into their sins and making the God of Israel angry with their stupid idols. 14 The rest of Elah's life, what he said and did, is written in The Chronicles of the Kings of Israel.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

he slew: 1 Kings 15:29, Judges 1:7

he left him: 1 Kings 14:10, 1 Samuel 25:22, 1 Samuel 25:34

neither of his kinsfolks, nor of his friends: or, both his kinsmen and his friends

Reciprocal: 1 Kings 16:3 - will make thy house 1 Kings 21:22 - make thine 2 Kings 9:9 - and like the house 2 Kings 10:11 - he left

Cross-References

Genesis 17:19
But God said, "That's not what I mean. Your wife, Sarah, will have a baby, a son. Name him Isaac (Laughter). I'll establish my covenant with him and his descendants, a covenant that lasts forever.
Exodus 3:7
God said, "I've taken a good, long look at the affliction of my people in Egypt. I've heard their cries for deliverance from their slave masters; I know all about their pain. And now I have come down to help them, pry them loose from the grip of Egypt, get them out of that country and bring them to a good land with wide-open spaces, a land lush with milk and honey, the land of the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Amorite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite.
Exodus 3:9
"The Israelite cry for help has come to me, and I've seen for myself how cruelly they're being treated by the Egyptians. It's time for you to go back: I'm sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people, the People of Israel, out of Egypt."
1 Samuel 1:20
Before the year was out, Hannah had conceived and given birth to a son. She named him Samuel, explaining, "I asked God for him."
Luke 1:13
But the angel reassured him, "Don't fear, Zachariah. Your prayer has been heard. Elizabeth, your wife, will bear a son by you. You are to name him John. You're going to leap like a gazelle for joy, and not only you—many will delight in his birth. He'll achieve great stature with God. "He'll drink neither wine nor beer. He'll be filled with the Holy Spirit from the moment he leaves his mother's womb. He will turn many sons and daughters of Israel back to their God. He will herald God's arrival in the style and strength of Elijah, soften the hearts of parents to children, and kindle devout understanding among hardened skeptics—he'll get the people ready for God." Zachariah said to the angel, "Do you expect me to believe this? I'm an old man and my wife is an old woman." But the angel said, "I am Gabriel, the sentinel of God, sent especially to bring you this glad news. But because you won't believe me, you'll be unable to say a word until the day of your son's birth. Every word I've spoken to you will come true on time—God's time." Meanwhile, the congregation waiting for Zachariah was getting restless, wondering what was keeping him so long in the sanctuary. When he came out and couldn't speak, they knew he had seen a vision. He continued speechless and had to use sign language with the people. When the course of his priestly assignment was completed, he went back home. It wasn't long before his wife, Elizabeth, conceived. She went off by herself for five months, relishing her pregnancy. "So, this is how God acts to remedy my unfortunate condition!" she said. In the sixth month of Elizabeth's pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to the Galilean village of Nazareth to a virgin engaged to be married to a man descended from David. His name was Joseph, and the virgin's name, Mary. Upon entering, Gabriel greeted her: Good morning! You're beautiful with God's beauty, Beautiful inside and out! God be with you. She was thoroughly shaken, wondering what was behind a greeting like that. But the angel assured her, "Mary, you have nothing to fear. God has a surprise for you: You will become pregnant and give birth to a son and call his name Jesus. He will be great, be called ‘Son of the Highest.' The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David; He will rule Jacob's house forever— no end, ever, to his kingdom." Mary said to the angel, "But how? I've never slept with a man." The angel answered, The Holy Spirit will come upon you, the power of the Highest hover over you; Therefore, the child you bring to birth will be called Holy, Son of God. "And did you know that your cousin Elizabeth conceived a son, old as she is? Everyone called her barren, and here she is six months pregnant! Nothing, you see, is impossible with God." And Mary said, Yes, I see it all now: I'm the Lord's maid, ready to serve. Let it be with me just as you say. Then the angel left her. Mary didn't waste a minute. She got up and traveled to a town in Judah in the hill country, straight to Zachariah's house, and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the baby in her womb leaped. She was filled with the Holy Spirit, and sang out exuberantly, You're so blessed among women, and the babe in your womb, also blessed! And why am I so blessed that the mother of my Lord visits me? The moment the sound of your greeting entered my ears, The babe in my womb skipped like a lamb for sheer joy. Blessed woman, who believed what God said, believed every word would come true! And Mary said, I'm bursting with God-news; I'm dancing the song of my Savior God. God took one good look at me, and look what happened— I'm the most fortunate woman on earth! What God has done for me will never be forgotten, the God whose very name is holy, set apart from all others. His mercy flows in wave after wave on those who are in awe before him. He bared his arm and showed his strength, scattered the bluffing braggarts. He knocked tyrants off their high horses, pulled victims out of the mud. The starving poor sat down to a banquet; the callous rich were left out in the cold. He embraced his chosen child, Israel; he remembered and piled on the mercies, piled them high. It's exactly what he promised, beginning with Abraham and right up to now. Mary stayed with Elizabeth for three months and then went back to her own home. When Elizabeth was full-term in her pregnancy, she bore a son. Her neighbors and relatives, seeing that God had overwhelmed her with mercy, celebrated with her. On the eighth day, they came to circumcise the child and were calling him Zachariah after his father. But his mother intervened: "No. He is to be called John." "But," they said, "no one in your family is named that." They used sign language to ask Zachariah what he wanted him named. Asking for a tablet, Zachariah wrote, "His name is to be John." That took everyone by surprise. Surprise followed surprise—Zachariah's mouth was now open, his tongue loose, and he was talking, praising God! A deep, reverential fear settled over the neighborhood, and in all that Judean hill country people talked about nothing else. Everyone who heard about it took it to heart, wondering, "What will become of this child? Clearly, God has his hand in this." Then Zachariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied, Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel; he came and set his people free. He set the power of salvation in the center of our lives, and in the very house of David his servant, Just as he promised long ago through the preaching of his holy prophets: Deliverance from our enemies and every hateful hand; Mercy to our fathers, as he remembers to do what he said he'd do, What he swore to our father Abraham— a clean rescue from the enemy camp, So we can worship him without a care in the world, made holy before him as long as we live. And you, my child, "Prophet of the Highest," will go ahead of the Master to prepare his ways, Present the offer of salvation to his people, the forgiveness of their sins. Through the heartfelt mercies of our God, God's Sunrise will break in upon us, Shining on those in the darkness, those sitting in the shadow of death, Then showing us the way, one foot at a time, down the path of peace. The child grew up, healthy and spirited. He lived out in the desert until the day he made his prophetic debut in Israel.
Luke 1:63
Asking for a tablet, Zachariah wrote, "His name is to be John." That took everyone by surprise. Surprise followed surprise—Zachariah's mouth was now open, his tongue loose, and he was talking, praising God!

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And it came to pass when he began to reign, as soon as he sat on his throne,.... Perhaps the very first day,

that he slew all the house of Baasha; his whole family, all the children that he had, that there might be none to make pretensions to the throne:

he left him not one that pisseth against a wall, neither of his kinsfolks nor of his friends; not any that might avenge the blood of his family, that might have a right or inclination to do it.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Neither of his kinsfolks, nor of his friends - Zimri’s measures were of much more than ordinary severity. Not only was the royal family extirpated, but the friends of the king, his councillors and favorite officers, were put to death. Omri, as having been in the confidence of the late monarch, would naturally fear for himself, and resolve to take the course which promised him at least a chance of safety.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 1 Kings 16:11. He slew all the house of Baasha — He endeavoured to exterminate his race, and blot out his memory; and the Jews say, when such a matter is determined, they not only destroy the house of the person himself, but the five neighbouring houses, that the memory of such a person may perish from the earth.


 
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