1 Kings 15:27 (KJV)

What does 1 Kings 15:27 mean?

1 Kings 15:27 describes the killing of King Nadab of Israel by Baasha, a man from the tribe of Issachar. Nadab was leading Israel’s forces against the Philistine town of Gibbethon when Baasha’s plot against him came to a head.

The verse places a struggle for Israel’s leadership alongside a military campaign. The narrator identifies Baasha by his father and tribe, helping readers distinguish him from Nadab, who belonged to the ruling family introduced earlier in the passage.

The Hebrew behind 1 Kings 15:27

• “conspired” — קָשַׁר (qashar): The word can mean to bind or join together and is used for plotting against someone. Here it presents Baasha’s attack as the result of a plot, not merely a blow struck in the fighting.
• “smote” — נָכָה (nakah): The word means to strike and can refer to killing. Here the following verse confirms the result: Baasha killed Nadab and became king in his place.
• “siege” — צוּר (tsur): The word carries the sense of surrounding or closing in on a place. Nadab and Israel’s forces were pressing against a town, rather than fighting an open battle in the countryside.

Why 1 Kings 15:27 matters

• Baasha’s tribal identity marks a change in the ruling family. He was “of the house of Issachar,” while Nadab was the son of Jeroboam, the previous king.
• The attack at Gibbethon led to more than one death. Verse 29 says that after becoming king, Baasha struck down Jeroboam’s whole household, bringing that ruling family to an end.