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 16:29KJV
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1 Kings 16:29 (KJV)

What does 1 Kings 16:29 mean?

1 Kings 16:29 marks the beginning of Ahab’s rule over Israel, stating that he became king in the thirty-eighth year of Asa’s reign over Judah and that Ahab ruled from Samaria for twenty-two years. This verse sets the timeline and introduces Ahab as a significant figure in Israel’s history.

The writer is giving a historical record, noting when Ahab, the son of Omri, started his reign compared to Asa, the king of Judah. By mentioning both kingdoms and the length of Ahab’s reign, the verse helps readers track the overlapping histories of Israel (the northern kingdom) and Judah (the southern kingdom). This sets the stage for the important events and stories that will follow in Ahab’s reign.

The Hebrew behind 1 Kings 16:29

  • שָׁלוֹשִׁים (shloshim, “thirty”) and שְׁמוֹנֶה (shemoneh, “eight”): These numbers are used to precisely date Ahab’s rise to power, showing careful attention to chronology in the text.
  • אָחְאָב (Ahab, “Ahab”) and עָמְרִי (Omri, “Omri”): The use of both names, with Ahab identified as the son of Omri, emphasizes the dynastic succession and connects Ahab’s reign to his father’s legacy.
  • שֹׁמְרוֹן (Shomron, “Samaria”): Naming Samaria as the capital highlights a major shift in Israel’s political center, as Omri had established Samaria as the new capital before Ahab’s reign.

Why 1 Kings 16:29 matters

  • This verse clarifies the timeline of Israel and Judah’s kings, which is important for understanding the sequence of events in the divided kingdom period.
  • By introducing Ahab and noting his long reign, the verse signals to the reader that significant developments—many of which are detailed in the following chapters—are about to unfold.
  • The mention of Samaria as the center of Ahab’s rule points to a new era in Israel’s history, as Samaria becomes the focal point for political and religious events in the northern kingdom.

Where else these words appear

“Omri” Hebrew H6018 · used in 16 verses

  • 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.
  • 1 Kings 16:25 But Omri wrought evil in the eyes of the LORD, and did worse than all that were before him.
  • 1 Chronicles 7:8 And the sons of Becher; Zemira, and Joash, and Eliezer, and Elioenai, and Omri, and Jerimoth, and Abiah, and Anathoth, and Alameth. All these are the sons of Becher.

“Asa” Hebrew H609 · used in 52 verses

  • 1 Kings 15:8 And Abijam slept with his fathers; and they buried him in the city of David: and Asa his son reigned in his stead.
  • 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.
  • 2 Chronicles 15:10 So they gathered themselves together at Jerusalem in the third month, in the fifteenth year of the reign of Asa.

“Ahab” Hebrew H256 · used in 81 verses

  • 1 Kings 16:28 So Omri slept with his fathers, and was buried in Samaria: and Ahab his son reigned in his stead.
  • 1 Kings 21:4 And Ahab came into his house heavy and displeased because of the word which Naboth the Jezreelite had spoken to him: for he had said, I will not give thee the inheritance of my fathers. And he laid him down upon his bed, and turned away his face, and would eat no bread.
  • 2 Kings 9:8 For the whole house of Ahab shall perish: and I will cut off from Ahab him that pisseth against the wall, and him that is shut up and left in Israel:

“Samaria” Hebrew H8111 · used in 101 verses

  • 1 Kings 13:32 For the saying which he cried by the word of the LORD against the altar in Bethel, and against all the houses of the high places which are in the cities of Samaria, shall surely come to pass.
  • 2 Kings 13:1 In the three and twentieth year of Joash the son of Ahaziah king of Judah Jehoahaz the son of Jehu began to reign over Israel in Samaria, and reigned seventeen years.
  • 2 Chronicles 28:9 But a prophet of the LORD was there, whose name was Oded: and he went out before the host that came to Samaria, and said unto them, Behold, because the LORD God of your fathers was wroth with Judah, he hath delivered them into your hand, and ye have slain them in a rage that reacheth up unto heaven.