So Omri slept with his fathers, and was buried in Samaria: and Ahab his son reigned in his stead.
The verse records that Omri died and was buried in Samaria, and that his son Ahab reigned in his place over Israel, closing Omri's rule and beginning Ahab's. Samaria was the royal capital Omri had built, where he ruled as Israel's sixth king for twelve years and made the city grow in grandeur. Omri was a strong but wicked ruler who kept Jeroboam's golden-calf worship and did worse than all before him, and Ahab did still worse by counting those sins a light thing, provoking God with Baal worship under the control of his heathen wife Jezebel. This succession marks Israel's gradual moral and spiritual decline reaching its climax and decisive turning point in Ahab, forming the dark background of great apostasy for Elijah's appearance and the contest between the Lord and Baal in which God still had a faithful remnant. The account is confirmed by the Moabite Stone, which agrees that Omri conquered Moab and was followed by his son, and it shows sin naturally going to greater lengths like weeds growing without cultivation, to be remedied only by being uprooted and washed away by the blood of Christ through justification by faith.
Succession and Historical Setting
Omri died and was buried in Samaria, and his son Ahab reigned in his place over Israel, closing Omri's rule and opening Ahab's. The succession passed from father to son, with Ahab as Omri's son and successor to the throne of Israel. Samaria was the city Omri had built as Israel's royal capital, where he was buried. He ruled there twelve years, and under him the city grew in grandeur.
Omri was Israel's sixth king, reigning twelve years. His rule over the whole kingdom is dated from the thirty-first year of Asa, four years after his first election. His claim was contested by Tibni, who had been chosen by half the people, but Omri controlled the capital and the army and became sole king after Tibni died. He founded a dynasty of three generations and four kings. He was the founder of Ahab's dynasty, not the father of Jehu, so the later Assyrian description of Jehu as son of Omri confuses Jehu with the dynasty Omri founded.
The verse stands after the ten tribes separated from Judah under Rehoboam and revolted to Jeroboam, in an account covering about eighty years and several kings of both kingdoms. It follows the two-year reign of Nadab ending the house of Jeroboam, the twenty-four-year reign of Baasha, the two-year drunken reign of his son Elah ending the house of Baasha, and the seven-day reign of Zimri. Omri was the leader who overthrew Zimri after Zimri's seven-day reign. In that northern succession Nadab, Baasha, Elah, Zimri, and Omri precede, with the wicked Ahab reigning after Omri.
Deepening Apostasy and Elijah
Omri was a strong but wicked ruler who built Samaria as the capital yet continued the golden-calf worship established by Jeroboam and walked in Jeroboam's idolatrous way. He followed the house of Baasha, which lasted only two generations, and he did worse than all the kings of Israel before him. Ahab did still worse than Omri, counting the sins of Jeroboam a light thing. His son Ahab succeeded him and surpassed the earlier kings in provoking God and promoting Baal worship.
Ahab was a weak king who at times wanted to do right and serve God, yet also wanted human approval and royal display. He married a heathen woman, the daughter of Ethbaal, the idolatrous and abominable Baal-worshiping Jezebel. She had complete control of him and dominated him, and together the weak king and his Baal-worshiping wife led Israel into idolatry and disobedience to God's commandments. The succession from Omri to Ahab thus shows Israel's gradual moral and spiritual decline in a downward course, with each king doing worse than those before him.
That decline reached a climax and decisive turning point in Ahab's reign, with grave consequences for Israel's faith and welfare. Ahab's reign belongs together with the work of the prophet Elijah and the contest between the Lord and Baal. The marriage to Jezebel and the spread of Baal worship set the dark background for Elijah's appearance. It was a time of great apostasy in which God still had a faithful remnant who responded to His prophet's call, making a story interesting and instructive especially for the present time.
Outside Witness and Moral Lesson
The brief biblical account of Omri, Ahab, and the kings of Moab is confirmed and enlarged by historical records recovered from the Moabite Stone. That stone's account of Omri and his son corresponds with this succession, in which Omri died and was buried in Samaria and Ahab his son reigned in his place over Israel. It independently reports that Omri conquered Moab and imposed tribute, matching the biblical account of Israel's relations with its Moabite neighbors.
The succession from Omri to his son Ahab shows a downward course of sin, for Omri did worse than all the kings of Israel before him by walking in the way Jeroboam laid out for the people, and Ahab did still worse by counting the sins of Jeroboam a light thing and by marrying a heathen woman, the daughter of Ethbaal, who had complete control of him. This shows the natural course of sin to go to even greater lengths, like noisome weeds growing luxuriantly without special cultivation even in barren soil. The only remedy is to have sin thoroughly uprooted and washed away by the blood of Christ through being justified by faith, having come into covenant relation with God with His law written in the heart so that sin does not have dominion. The fleshly unconverted mind cannot keep the law of God, and even afterward keeping from sinning and from falling is only through faith in Christ by the power of God through faith that comes by hearing the Word of God.
The verse records that Omri died and was buried in Samaria, and that his son Ahab reigned in his place over Israel, closing Omri's rule and beginning Ahab's. Samaria was the royal capital Omri had built, where he ruled as Israel's sixth king for twelve years and made the city grow in grandeur. Omri was a strong but wicked ruler who kept Jeroboam's golden-calf worship and did worse than all before him, and Ahab did still worse by counting those sins a light thing, provoking God with Baal worship under the control of his heathen wife Jezebel. This succession marks Israel's gradual moral and spiritual decline reaching its climax and decisive turning point in Ahab, forming the dark background of great apostasy for Elijah's appearance and the contest between the Lord and Baal in which God still had a faithful remnant. The account is confirmed by the Moabite Stone, which agrees that Omri conquered Moab and was followed by his son, and it shows sin naturally going to greater lengths like weeds growing without cultivation, to be remedied only by being uprooted and washed away by the blood of Christ through justification by faith.
Succession and Historical Setting
Omri died and was buried in Samaria, and his son Ahab reigned in his place over Israel, closing Omri's rule and opening Ahab's. The succession passed from father to son, with Ahab as Omri's son and successor to the throne of Israel. Samaria was the city Omri had built as Israel's royal capital, where he was buried. He ruled there twelve years, and under him the city grew in grandeur.
Omri was Israel's sixth king, reigning twelve years. His rule over the whole kingdom is dated from the thirty-first year of Asa, four years after his first election. His claim was contested by Tibni, who had been chosen by half the people, but Omri controlled the capital and the army and became sole king after Tibni died. He founded a dynasty of three generations and four kings. He was the founder of Ahab's dynasty, not the father of Jehu, so the later Assyrian description of Jehu as son of Omri confuses Jehu with the dynasty Omri founded.
The verse stands after the ten tribes separated from Judah under Rehoboam and revolted to Jeroboam, in an account covering about eighty years and several kings of both kingdoms. It follows the two-year reign of Nadab ending the house of Jeroboam, the twenty-four-year reign of Baasha, the two-year drunken reign of his son Elah ending the house of Baasha, and the seven-day reign of Zimri. Omri was the leader who overthrew Zimri after Zimri's seven-day reign. In that northern succession Nadab, Baasha, Elah, Zimri, and Omri precede, with the wicked Ahab reigning after Omri.
Deepening Apostasy and Elijah
Omri was a strong but wicked ruler who built Samaria as the capital yet continued the golden-calf worship established by Jeroboam and walked in Jeroboam's idolatrous way. He followed the house of Baasha, which lasted only two generations, and he did worse than all the kings of Israel before him. Ahab did still worse than Omri, counting the sins of Jeroboam a light thing. His son Ahab succeeded him and surpassed the earlier kings in provoking God and promoting Baal worship.
Ahab was a weak king who at times wanted to do right and serve God, yet also wanted human approval and royal display. He married a heathen woman, the daughter of Ethbaal, the idolatrous and abominable Baal-worshiping Jezebel. She had complete control of him and dominated him, and together the weak king and his Baal-worshiping wife led Israel into idolatry and disobedience to God's commandments. The succession from Omri to Ahab thus shows Israel's gradual moral and spiritual decline in a downward course, with each king doing worse than those before him.
That decline reached a climax and decisive turning point in Ahab's reign, with grave consequences for Israel's faith and welfare. Ahab's reign belongs together with the work of the prophet Elijah and the contest between the Lord and Baal. The marriage to Jezebel and the spread of Baal worship set the dark background for Elijah's appearance. It was a time of great apostasy in which God still had a faithful remnant who responded to His prophet's call, making a story interesting and instructive especially for the present time.
Outside Witness and Moral Lesson
The brief biblical account of Omri, Ahab, and the kings of Moab is confirmed and enlarged by historical records recovered from the Moabite Stone. That stone's account of Omri and his son corresponds with this succession, in which Omri died and was buried in Samaria and Ahab his son reigned in his place over Israel. It independently reports that Omri conquered Moab and imposed tribute, matching the biblical account of Israel's relations with its Moabite neighbors.
The succession from Omri to his son Ahab shows a downward course of sin, for Omri did worse than all the kings of Israel before him by walking in the way Jeroboam laid out for the people, and Ahab did still worse by counting the sins of Jeroboam a light thing and by marrying a heathen woman, the daughter of Ethbaal, who had complete control of him. This shows the natural course of sin to go to even greater lengths, like noisome weeds growing luxuriantly without special cultivation even in barren soil. The only remedy is to have sin thoroughly uprooted and washed away by the blood of Christ through being justified by faith, having come into covenant relation with God with His law written in the heart so that sin does not have dominion. The fleshly unconverted mind cannot keep the law of God, and even afterward keeping from sinning and from falling is only through faith in Christ by the power of God through faith that comes by hearing the Word of God.