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29 Ahab’s Reign.[a]Ahab, the son of Omri, began to reign over Israel during the thirty-eighth year of the reign of Asa, the king of Judah. Ahab, the son of Omri, reigned over Israel in Samaria for twenty-two years.

30 Ahab, the son of Omri, did more evil in the sight of the Lord than any of those who preceded him. 31 As if it were not enough that he committed the sins of Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, he also married Jezebel, the daughter of Ethbaal, the king of the Sidonians, and he went after and served Baal and worshiped him.

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Footnotes

  1. 1 Kings 16:29 Into the story of the reign of Omri’s son and successor (874–853 B.C.) a literary and religious masterpiece is inserted: the story of Elijah. In fact, the usual conclusion of the description of Ahab’s reign is found in 1 Ki 22:39-40. There is general agreement that the majority of the stories about Elijah come from a tradition that originated in prophetic circles. These stories are noteworthy for their elegant style but are also distinguished by the nobility of the subject, for they extol one of the greatest men of God in the Old Testament. Elijah represents the entire prophetic movement, as Moses does the entire law. To say “Moses and Elijah” is to include everything that God revealed to human beings before the coming of Jesus Christ. This is why they accompany Jesus when he is introduced by the Father on Tabor (see Mt 17; Mk 7; Lk 9).