Commentaria in III Regum
Chapter 16
Jehu the son of Hanani, a prophet, threatens destruction to Baasa king of Israel, and is therefore slain by his son Ela; then, verse 9, Ela is deprived of kingdom and life by Zambri. Next, verse 18, Zambri, besieged by Amri, burns himself with his house. Then, verse 24, Amri, made king, builds Samaria. Finally, verse 30, the impious Achab with his Jezabel succeeds the dying Amri. It is added, in the last verse, that Hiel built Jericho, and therefore lost all his sons.
1. And the word of the Lord came to Jehu the son of Hanani against Baasa, saying: 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:
3. Behold I will cut down the posterity of Baasa, and the posterity of his house: and I will make thy house like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nabat. 4. If any of Baasa’s house die in the city, the dogs shall eat him: and if any of his die in the field, the fowls of the air shall eat him. 5. And the rest of the acts of Baasa, and all that he did, and his battles, are they not written in the book of the words of the days of the kings of Israel? 6. And Baasa slept with his fathers, and was buried in Thersa: and Ela his son reigned in his stead. 7. And when the word of the Lord came by the hand of Jehu the son of Hanani the prophet against Baasa, and against his house, and against all the evil that he did before the Lord, to provoke him to anger by the works of his hands, that he should be like the house of Jeroboam: for this cause he slew him, that is, Jehu the son of Hanani the prophet. 8. In the twenty-sixth year of Asa king of Juda, Ela the son of Baasa reigned over Israel in Thersa two years. 9. And his servant Zambri, who was captain of half the horsemen, conspired against him: and Ela was in Thersa drinking and drunk, in the house of Arsa, the governor of Thersa. 10. And Zambri rushing in, struck him and slew him, in the twenty-seventh year of Asa king of Juda, and reigned in his stead. 11. And when he was king, and sat upon his throne, he slew all the house of Baasa, and he left not one of it that pisseth against a wall, nor of his kinsfolks and friends. 12. And Zambri destroyed all the house of Baasa, according to the word of the Lord, which he spoke to Baasa by the hand of Jehu the prophet, 13. for all the sins of Baasa, and the sins of Ela his son, who sinned, and made Israel to sin, provoking the Lord the God of Israel with their vanities. 14. And the rest of the acts of Ela, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the words of the days of the kings of Israel? 15. In the twenty-seventh year of Asa king of Juda, Zambri reigned seven days in Thersa: now the army was besieging Gebbethon, a city of the Philistines. 16. And when they heard that Zambri had conspired and had slain the king, all Israel made Amri, who was captain of the host, king over Israel that day in the camp. 17. So Amri went up, and all Israel with him, from Gebbethon, and besieged Thersa. 18. And Zambri seeing that the city was going to be taken, went into the palace, and burnt himself with the king’s house, and died, 19. in his sins which he had sinned, doing evil before the Lord, and walking in the way of Jeroboam, and in his sin by which he made Israel to sin. 20. And the rest of the acts of Zambri, and of his conspiracy and tyranny, are they not written in the book of the words of the days of the kings of Israel? 21. Then were the people of Israel divided into two parts: one half of the people followed Thebni the son of Gineth, to make him king: and the other half followed Amri. 22. But the people that were with Amri prevailed over the people that followed Thebni the son of Gineth: and Thebni died, and Joram his brother, at that time, and Amri reigned. 23. In the thirty-first year of Asa king of Juda, Amri reigned over Israel twelve years: he reigned in Thersa six years. 24. And he bought the hill of Samaria of Somer for two talents of silver: and he built upon it, and called the name of the city which he had built, from the name of Semer the lord of the hill, Samaria. 25. And Amri did evil in the sight of the Lord, and wrought wickedly above all that were before him. 26. And he walked in all the way of Jeroboam the son of Nabat, and in his sins by which he made Israel to sin: to provoke the Lord the God of Israel with their vanities. 27. And the rest of the acts of Amri, and his battles which he fought, are they not written in the book of the words of the days of the kings of Israel? 28. And Amri slept with his fathers, and was buried in Samaria: and Achab his son reigned in his stead. 29. And Achab the son of Amri reigned over Israel in the thirty-eighth year of Asa king of Juda. And Achab the son of Amri reigned over Israel in Samaria twenty-two years. 30. And Achab the son of Amri did evil in the sight of the Lord above all that were before him. 31. Neither was it enough for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nabat: but he also took to wife Jezabel the daughter of Ethbaal king of the Sidonians. And he went and served Baal, and adored him. 32. And he set up an altar for Baal in the temple of Baal, which he had built in Samaria, 33. and he planted a grove: and Achab did more to provoke the Lord the God of Israel, than all the kings of Israel that were before him. 34. In his days Hiel of Bethel built Jericho: in Abiram his firstborn he laid the foundation thereof, and in his youngest son Segub he set up the gates thereof: according to the word of the Lord, which he spoke by the hand of Josue the son of Nun.
You followed his idolatry, and compelled the people to adore the golden calves set up by Jeroboam as idols.