1-Kings. Chapter 16. Kings of Israel: Baasha, Elah, Zimri, Omri, Ahab

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The First Book of Kings
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1-Kings. Chapter 16. Kings of Israel: Baasha, Elah, Zimri, Omri, Ahab

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1-Kings chapter 16

[1-Kings 16:1] THEN THE WORD OF THE LORD CAME TO JEHU THE SON OF HANANI AGAINST BAASHA, SAYING,

[1-Kings 16:2] FORASMUCH 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;
JEHU (Yehu) THE SON OF HANANI was a Prophet and so was his father (2-Chronicles 15:7).
Baasha had been made king in place of Nadab, the inheritor of Jeroboam, because Jeroboam and his successor had sinned. The Commentators point out that Jeroboam had had great merits of his own. He had been considered one of the greatest Torah scholars in all Israel but he had sinned by changing the mode of worship and setting up two gold bull calves in Beth-el and Dan and appointing non-Levites to priestly positions. These innovations had led to open idol worship though such may not necessarily have been the original intention.

Baasha lacked the redeeming qualities of Jeroboam and had not turned out better than him. On the contrary he had continued in his reprobate path. For this he was to be punished.

[1-Kings 16:3] 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.

[1-Kings 16:4] HIM 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.

[1-Kings 16:5] 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?

[1-Kings 16:6] SO BAASHA SLEPT WITH HIS FATHERS, AND WAS BURIED IN TIRZAH: AND ELAH HIS SON REIGNED IN HIS STEAD.

[1-Kings 16:7] AND ALSO BY THE HAND OF THE PROPHET JEHU THE SON OF HANANI CAME THE WORD OF THE LORD AGAINST BAASHA, AND AGAINST HIS HOUSE, EVEN FOR ALL THE EVIL THAT HE DID IN THE SIGHT OF THE LORD, IN PROVOKING HIM TO ANGER WITH THE WORK OF HIS HANDS, IN BEING LIKE THE HOUSE OF JEROBOAM; AND BECAUSE HE KILLED HIM.

ALSO. The Commentary Mishbatsot Zahav (Shabtai Weiss) points out that the Prophecy of Jehu (Yehu) the Prophet was in addition to the previous prophecy he had given beforehand. Even though the decree in heaven had been made against Baasha there was still a chance that through repentance it could be annulled. Elah the son of Baasha however did not take the warning to heart but kept going in the perverse manner of his father. The previous Prophecy against the House of his father (i.e. in effect against him) was therefore repeated and strengthened.
BECAUSE HE KILLED HIM. He had the right to kill Nadab the son of Jeroboam only so long as he did better than him. When instead of correcting the evil that had been done he did the opposite then he too was to be found culpable.

[1-Kings 16:8] IN THE TWENTY AND SIXTH YEAR OF ASA KING OF JUDAH BEGAN ELAH THE SON OF BAASHA TO REIGN OVER ISRAEL IN TIRZAH, TWO YEARS.

[1-Kings 16:9] AND HIS SERVANT ZIMRI, CAPTAIN OF HALF HIS CHARIOTS, CONSPIRED AGAINST HIM, AS HE WAS IN TIRZAH, DRINKING HIMSELF DRUNK IN THE HOUSE OF ARZA STEWARD OF HIS HOUSE IN TIRZAH.
Zimri according to a Midrash (Pesikta de Rav Kahana, MZ) was from the Tribe of Simeon.

[1-Kings 16:10] AND ZIMRI WENT IN AND SMOTE HIM, AND KILLED HIM, IN THE TWENTY AND SEVENTH YEAR OF ASA KING OF JUDAH, AND REIGNED IN HIS STEAD.

[1-Kings 16:11] 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.
He wiped out all the males in the extended family of Baasha.

[1-Kings 16:12] THUS DID ZIMRI DESTROY ALL THE HOUSE OF BAASHA, ACCORDING TO THE WORD OF THE LORD, WHICH HE SPAKE AGAINST BAASHA BY JEHU THE PROPHET.

[1-Kings 16:13] FOR ALL THE SINS OF BAASHA, AND THE SINS OF ELAH HIS SON, BY WHICH THEY SINNED, AND BY WHICH THEY MADE ISRAEL TO SIN, IN PROVOKING THE LORD GOD OF ISRAEL TO ANGER WITH THEIR VANITIES.

[1-Kings 16:14] NOW THE REST OF THE ACTS OF ELAH, AND ALL THAT HE DID, ARE THEY NOT WRITTEN IN THE BOOK OF THE CHRONICLES OF THE KINGS OF ISRAEL?
These Chronicles are not the same as the Biblical Books of Chronicles but separate records that have been lost. Our own Books of Chronicles in the Bible were traditionally written up by Ezra the Scribe but Ezra could well have extracted them in part from the official records mentioned here.

[1-Kings 16:15] IN THE TWENTY AND SEVENTH YEAR OF ASA KING OF JUDAH DID ZIMRI REIGN SEVEN DAYS IN TIRZAH. AND THE PEOPLE WERE ENCAMPED AGAINST GIBBETHON, WHICH BELONGED TO THE PHILISTINES.
Baasha had slain Nadab son of Jeroboam when the Israelites were besieging Gibbethon. Now the sons of Baasha in his turn were murdered by Zimri, again when they were besieging Gibbethon (1-Kings 15:27).

[1-Kings 16:16] AND THE PEOPLE THAT WERE ENCAMPED HEARD SAY, ZIMRI HATH CONSPIRED, AND HATH ALSO SLAIN THE KING: WHEREFORE ALL ISRAEL MADE OMRI, THE CAPTAIN OF THE HOST, KING OVER ISRAEL THAT DAY IN THE CAMP.

Omri was to become king of Israel. His son was King Ahab. Both Omri and Ahab were important monarchs. They made an impression on foreigners. In their honor the Kingdom of Israel was referred to by the Assyrians as Bit Khumria or House of Omri. InnHebrew the name Omri begins with the letter "ayin" which can take a guttural sound and be pronounced as a K or a G. It has been suggested in the past that an Assyrian pronunciation of Khumri (Gumria) gave rise to Gimmirri which was the name given to the Cimmerians amongst whom part of the Lost Ten Tribes were to be found.
Brit-Am acknowledges this possibility but leaves the case open.

Below are two extracts on this matter: One from a British-Israel source, the other from our book, "Lost Israelite Identity. The Hebrew Ancestry of Celtic Races", Jerusalem, Israel, 1996.

(1) Extract One

THE REAL DIASPORA

(THE MYSTERY OF THE MISSING BIBLE TRIBES!)

http://www.ensignmessage.com/archives/diaspora.html

In the second row of carvings, Kinsmen of Jehu, son of a man named KHUMRI, are shown bringing tribute consisting of metal and vessels of silver and gold.. KHUMRI was the Assyrian designation of the Jews...   This monument of the Assyrian king has pictures of conquered princes paying tribute, including "Jehu, the son of Khumri," a term designating him as an Israelite. This Assyrian name for Israel, Khumri, translates as "House of Omri," after an Israelite king who gained fame for a new law-code he developed (Micah 6:16). Famed early 20th century historian archaeologist, Archibald Henry Sayce, in his book, Higher Critics and the Monuments, p. 396, adds: 'lt was, however, in the lime of Ahab the son of Omri that the Assyrians first became acquainted with the northern kingdom of lsrael, and consequently Samaria continued ever afterwards to be known to them as Beth-Omri, the 'house of Omri'. "

KHUMRI

Scholars confirm that the people known to the Persians as SAKA, to the Babylonians as GIMIRRI, and to the Assyrians as KHUMRI, were but different names for the Lost Ten Tribes in captivity. "Saka" or "Sacae" meant "House of Isaac," while the terms "Khumri" and "Gimirri" translate as "House of Omri." (The Assyrians later also adopted the Babylonian variant of Khumri, Gimirr.) From this word Khumri or Gimirri developed the tribal name, "Cimmerian," as well. The famed ancient writer, Herodotus, visited these tribes about 450 B.C. Sir Henry Rawlinson, decipherer of the Behistun Rock, informs us that, "We have reasonable grounds for regarding the GIMIRRI, or CIMMERIANS, who first appeared on the confines of Assyria and Media in the seventh century B.C., and the SACAE of the Behistun Rock, nearly two centuries later, as identical with the BETH-KHUMREE of Samaria, or the Ten Tribes of the House of lsrael... "' George Rawlinson, translator of the History Of Herodotus, stated, "The SACAE or Scythians, who were termed GIMIRRI by their Semitic neighbours, first appear in the cuneiform inscriptions as a substantive people under Esar-Haddon in about B.C. 684." By this date the Ten Tribes, Israel-Gimirri, were entirely resident in Assyria, for a great deportation of the whole seed of Ephraim (Jer. 7:15) had removed them from Palestine. We read . ..... "there was none left but the tribe of Judah only ... so was Israel carried away out of their own land to Assyria unto this day." (2 Ki. 17:18,23).

(2) Adaptation of Extract 2.
From
"Lost Israelite Identity. The Hebrew Ancestry of Celtic Races".

The exile of all Israel from the northern Galilee is recorded in an inscription of Tiglathpileser who boasts of exiling all of "Bit Khumria" except for a small remnant which he left around the city of Samaria6 which city was then the capital and had been built by King Omri. "Bit Khumria" was the name which the Assyrians gave to northern Israel presumably in remembrance of King Omri ("Khumri" in Assyrian) whose son Achab had once fought and defeated the Assyrian forces7.
               The Gimirae were also to become known as Gamira, Kimmeroi, and Cimmerians; the appellations Cymry and Cimbri are also derived from the same root. In the east Caucasus area the Humri River is also called the River Gumri and may have been named after the Cimmerians.
               The Cimmerians proper were to be driven out of the Middle East and to make their way to western Europe. Forms of their name or root words derived from it are: Cymree, Cimbri, Camber, Humber, Hammer, Himmer, and so on. It has been suggested (quite frequently) that the name Gimirae together with its derivatives are a form of the Hebrew "OMRI" which was pronounced by the Assyrians something like KHUMRI. The Assyrians used "Omri" (i.e. "Khumri") as a name encompassing all of the kingdom of ten tribed northern Israel. Omri had been only one of the kings of northern Israel but his name was used by the Assyrians for all of his kingdom for several generations after his demise. The suggested permutation of "Khumri" (Omri) into Gimirae is actually linguistically quite feasible. Parallel cases of permutations of other words beginning (like "OMRI") with the Hebrew letter AYIN and eventually being pronounced in the Assyrian sphere as "G" are known. Even so, that "Khumri" (Omri) eventually really did become "Gimirae " has yet to be proven and does not really need to be since stronger more confirmable proofs are readily at hand.
               Micah (6:15) condemns the northern Israelites for keeping the "Statutes of Omri". "OMRI" begins with an AYIN which as enunciated has no exact equivalent in European tongues and is variously transliterated as "H" ("Hebrew"), "O" ("Omri"), "A" ("Anamim"), "G" ("Gaza"), etc. The Arabs today have a form of AYIN which transliterated into English would be rendered as "G" and does have a "g"-like sound. The northern Israelites like the Phoenicians (whose dialect of Hebrew was similar to theirs probably did not pronounce "Ayin" clearly. The Assyrians used a special symbol called "KHETH" for all gutturals including Ayin so that Omri became pronounced as Khumri. The Akkadian languages which the Assyrians used had a tendency to exchange a simple "K" for the "KHETH" ("KH") and also "G" for "K" so therefore Omri (Khumri) could have become Gimirae.
               Some authorities, such as Pinches, seem certain that the actual pronunciation (by both the Northern Hebrews and by the Assyrians) of "Omri" (the name applied to Israel) was at least quite close to Gimiri, e.g. T.G. Pinches "Omri was likewise pronounced in accordance with the older system, before the ghain became ayin. Humri shows that they said at that time `Ghomri'" : "Ghomri" in Assyrian speech would easily have been renderable as "Gimirae" the name given to the Cimmerians.
Kristensen, in her work (Anne Katrine Gade KRISTENSEN, "Who were the Cimmerians, and where did they come from?", translated from the Danish by Jorgen Laessoe. Copenhagen, 1988)
(also milled over this subject, as for example in the following quotation:

~The Cimmerians are referred to as "Gimiraja", "Gamiraaja", "Gamir", and "Gamirra".
~ When 'Omri could be rendered as "~Humri", then according to Pinches it shows that at the time the name was pronounced `Ghomri, in accordance with the older system before ghain became ayin'.
~In as much as the Assyrians...had to represent it by a character which may be transliterated Kh, Gh, or H, according to choice.
               ~It may be taken for granted that there is a linguistic relationship between 'Omri and the term used for the Cimmerians...
"Cf. also the Armenian name for northern Gamir in the vicinity of Leninakan: Kumayri (Later Gumri) (Kristensen p.121 n.419; [suggests the transition from "Khumri" to "Gumri"..]:
~The arguments adduced by the students of the Ten Tribes amounts to the possibility that there may have been two different ways in which the Assyrians attempted to render the Hebrew 'Omri. Incidentally, the Hebrew word for Cimmerians, Gomer, appears to be rather close to the older form, Omri.
In the past a whole string of writers identified the Lost Ten Tribes with the Cimmerians and the Cimmerians with West European groups especially with the Celts or at least with part of them. Kristensen openly accepts the British Israelite equation of Omri with Gimiri and she is probably one of the few recognised academic scholars to do so.

"The philological connection between 'Omri and "Gimiri" has been so conclusive to the students of the Ten Tribes...everywhere in the works of these scholars, in spite of an apparent lack of petty criticism of sources, we find results and conclusions which will turn out to be of invaluable importance for professional historians..particularly if we would go to the trouble of checking the premises on which the conclusions rest. The perspectives which are laid open, and the insight and intuition displayed by these scholars, are truly remarkable".

We would add to the above:
               We have indicated additional reasons for accepting the possibility of a transmutation of Omri (Khumri) to Gimiri. It now seems undoubted that such a possibility exists and in one way or another is mentioned and exemplified in quite a few sources. NEVERTHELESS, even if the two names were identically the same (without the need to explain how one turned into the other), it would not be sufficient in itself. Despite everything the whole equation still contains an element of uncertainty. The alternate explanation that the exiled Israelites combined with elements from another entity called GOMER is more compatible with all of the facts rather than the idea of a one to one complete identity of Gomer (Gimira) with Israel. The suggested combination may have been accompanied by a similarity of name and historical parallels for such a "coincidence" are known.

In our opinion the Brit-Am explanation and summarization of the subject is still the best available.

[1-Kings 16:17] AND OMRI WENT UP FROM GIBBETHON, AND ALL ISRAEL WITH HIM, AND THEY BESIEGED TIRZAH.

[1-Kings 16:18] AND IT CAME TO PASS, WHEN ZIMRI SAW THAT THE CITY WAS TAKEN, THAT HE WENT INTO THE PALACE OF THE KING'S HOUSE, AND BURNT THE KING'S HOUSE OVER HIM WITH FIRE, AND DIED.

[1-Kings 16:19] FOR HIS SINS WHICH HE SINNED IN DOING EVIL IN THE SIGHT OF THE LORD, IN WALKING IN THE WAY OF JEROBOAM, AND IN HIS SIN WHICH HE DID, TO MAKE ISRAEL TO SIN.
Zimri only reigned for seven days (1-Kings 16:15).
What kind of sins could he caused Israel to commit in such a short time. The Radak says that he committed the offences while still the Chief of the Army under Baasha and Elah son of Baasha whom Zimri killed.
The Commentary "Mishbatsot Zehav" brings commentaries to the effect that Zimri when being made king had all his sins forgiven in the same way as (according to tradition) a Groom on the day of his marriage is forgiven his sins. A King and others who are appointed to high positions like a bridegroom are given a new chance on the day of their appointment.
Zimri however intended to cause the people to continue to worship idolatry and the power of his personality was enough even in the few days that he was in power to have an effect.

[1-Kings 16:20] NOW THE REST OF THE ACTS OF ZIMRI, AND HIS TREASON THAT HE WROUGHT, ARE THEY NOT WRITTEN IN THE BOOK OF THE CHRONICLES OF THE KINGS OF ISRAEL?

[1-Kings 16:21] THEN WERE THE PEOPLE OF ISRAEL DIVIDED INTO TWO PARTS: HALF OF THE PEOPLE FOLLOWED TIBNI THE SON OF GINATH, TO MAKE HIM KING; AND HALF FOLLOWED OMRI.

[1-Kings 16:22] BUT THE PEOPLE THAT FOLLOWED OMRI PREVAILED AGAINST THE PEOPLE THAT FOLLOWED TIBNI THE SON OF GINATH: SO TIBNI DIED, AND OMRI REIGNED.
The Commentaries (Rashi, Radak) say that Asa king of Judah married his daughter to Omri. This strengthened popular support for him against Tibni who committed suicide.

[1-Kings 16:23] IN THE THIRTY AND FIRST YEAR OF ASA KING OF JUDAH BEGAN OMRI TO REIGN OVER ISRAEL, TWELVE YEARS: SIX YEARS REIGNED HE IN TIRZAH.

[1-Kings 16:24] AND HE BOUGHT THE HILL SAMARIA OF SHEMER FOR TWO TALENTS OF SILVER, AND BUILT ON THE HILL, AND CALLED THE NAME OF THE CITY WHICH HE BUILT, AFTER THE NAME OF SHEMER, OWNER OF THE HILL, SAMARIA.
Samaria in Hebrew is written as "Shomron".
Judah and Samaria in Modern Hebrew are referred to as
"Yehudah ve-Shomron".
Samaria is a Green pronunciation that appears to have been derived from the Phoenicians. There are indications that the Northern Israelites themselves may actually have referred to the Shomron as Samaria or something like it. The Assyrians called it Samarina.   The Khazars who comprised part of the Lost Tribes left a trail of place-names after them named in honor of Samaria.
See:
"The Khazars. Tribe 13"
http://www.britam.org/Khazarbook.html
Samaria was also the name given to a Province around the city of that name.
The city of Samaria became the capital of the Northern Kingdom.
In the Bible the term Sarmaria is often used as synonymous with the Northern Kingdom of Israel in the same way as the term Washington is sometimes used to stand for the USA Administration.

The sages said that Omri merited that he and his son and grandson would rule over Israel by virtue of his building the city of Samaria. He added an additional settlement of importance to Israel and enabled those who were in need to settle there.

[1-Kings 16:25] BUT OMRI WROUGHT EVIL IN THE EYES OF THE LORD, AND DID WORSE THAN ALL THAT WERE BEFORE HIM.

[1-Kings 16:26] FOR HE WALKED IN ALL THE WAY OF JEROBOAM THE SON OF NEBAT, AND IN HIS SIN WHEREWITH HE MADE ISRAEL TO SIN, TO PROVOKE THE LORD GOD OF ISRAEL TO ANGER WITH THEIR VANITIES.

[1-Kings 16:27] NOW THE REST OF THE ACTS OF OMRI WHICH HE DID, AND HIS MIGHT THAT HE SHEWED, ARE THEY NOT WRITTEN IN THE BOOK OF THE CHRONICLES OF THE KINGS OF ISRAEL?

[1-Kings 16:28] SO OMRI SLEPT WITH HIS FATHERS, AND WAS BURIED IN SAMARIA: AND AHAB HIS SON REIGNED IN HIS STEAD.
Ahab was apparently the son of Omri and the daughter of Asa king of Judah.

[1-Kings 16:29] AND IN THE THIRTY AND EIGHTH YEAR OF ASA KING OF JUDAH BEGAN AHAB THE SON OF OMRI TO REIGN OVER ISRAEL: AND AHAB THE SON OF OMRI REIGNED OVER ISRAEL IN SAMARIA TWENTY AND TWO YEARS.

[1-Kings 16:30] AND AHAB THE SON OF OMRI DID EVIL IN THE SIGHT OF THE LORD ABOVE ALL THAT WERE BEFORE HIM.

[1-Kings 16:31] AND IT CAME TO PASS, AS IF IT HAD BEEN A LIGHT THING FOR HIM TO WALK IN THE SINS OF JEROBOAM THE SON OF NEBAT, THAT HE TOOK TO WIFE JEZEBEL THE DAUGHTER OF ETHBAAL KING OF THE ZIDONIANS, AND WENT AND SERVED BAAL, AND WORSHIPPED HIM.
Ahab took Jezebel (Yezebel) to wife even though she was a worshipper of idols. She could not have converted since a convert has to renounce idolatry and accept the commandments (Mishbatsot Zehav).
It may that, even at that stage, the Northern Israelites already had the status of non-Israelites from the point of view of religion or where in some kind of in-between-zone. An Israelite who worships idolatry has a problematic status.
Alternately, it may that on a superficial level there was not that much of a difference between the worship of the Northern Israelites and the Canaanites. The two parties may have used the same terminology and symbolism only given it a different emphasis.
ETHBAAL KING OF THE ZIDONIANS reigned over Phoenicia.

[1-Kings 16:32] AND HE REARED UP AN ALTAR FOR BAAL IN THE HOUSE OF BAAL, WHICH HE HAD BUILT IN SAMARIA.
This could be interpreted as saying that he set up an altar for Baal in the House of Baal that he had already built.
The Northern Israelites (and Israelites in general) may have used the term "Baal" an an alternative name for the Almighty. Baal mean "master, lord".
Under the influence of his wife and her entourage however he redirected his intentions i.e. whereas before in some way by "Baal" the Almighty may have been intended the same term was now used for explicitly for idolatrous worship such as the Canaanite Phoenicians employed.

Cf.
[2-Kings 17:9 Also the children of Israel secretly did [Hebrew: VaYechapu] against the LORD their God things that were not right, and they built for themselves high places in all their cities, from watchtower to fortified city. 10 They set up for themselves sacred pillars and wooden images[a] on every high hill and under every green tree.

The words translated as "secretly did" in Hebrew (VaYechapu) connote cover over and hide. The Targum Yehonatan renders this as:
The Children of Israel said things that were not correct about the Almighty their God.
This translation in our opinion suits the Hebrew meaning here. They invented a new theology making their worship of the Almighty consistent with concepts of the surrounding nations.

We see from Hosea that the Northern Israelites referred to the God of Israel as Baal.
[Hosea 2:16] AND IT SHALL BE AT THAT DAY, SAITH THE LORD, THAT THOU SHALT CALL ME ISHI [My husband]; AND SHALT CALL   ME NO MORE BAALI.

[Hosea 2:17] FOR I WILL TAKE AWAY THE NAMES OF BAALIM OUT OF HER MOUTH, AND THEY SHALL NO MORE BE REMEMBERED BY THEIR NAME.

[1-Kings 16:33] AND AHAB MADE A GROVE; AND AHAB DID MORE TO PROVOKE THE LORD GOD OF ISRAEL TO ANGER THAN ALL THE KINGS OF ISRAEL THAT WERE BEFORE HIM.
A GROVE. Hebrew Asheyra.

[1-Kings 16:34] IN HIS DAYS DID HIEL THE BETHELITE BUILD JERICHO: HE LAID THE FOUNDATION THEREOF IN ABIRAM HIS FIRSTBORN, AND SET UP THE GATES THEREOF IN HIS YOUNGEST SON SEGUB, ACCORDING TO THE WORD OF THE LORD, WHICH HE SPAKE BY JOSHUA THE SON OF NUN.
Hiel from Beth-el rebuilt Jericho.
Jericho was in the territory of Benjamin (Joshua 18:21).
Beth-el comprised twin townships, one in Benjamin and the other in Ephraim.
Joshua had cursed whosoever would rebuild Jericho (Joshua 6:26).
Hiel had several sons. When he began the rebuilding his firstborn died and by the time he finished all of his sons had been taken away.

After the Death of Solomon:
The Divided Kingdom

Source of Map:
www.ebibleteacher.com/imagehtml/otmaps.html

1-Kings ch.15 1-Kings Contents
1-Kings ch.17