1 Kings 21:25
New International Version
(There was never anyone like Ahab, who sold himself to do evil in the eyes of the LORD, urged on by Jezebel his wife.

New Living Translation
(No one else so completely sold himself to what was evil in the LORD’s sight as Ahab did under the influence of his wife Jezebel.

English Standard Version
(There was none who sold himself to do what was evil in the sight of the LORD like Ahab, whom Jezebel his wife incited.

Berean Standard Bible
(Surely there was never one like Ahab, who sold himself to do evil in the sight of the LORD, incited by his wife Jezebel.

King James Bible
But there was none like unto Ahab, which did sell himself to work wickedness in the sight of the LORD, whom Jezebel his wife stirred up.

New King James Version
But there was no one like Ahab who sold himself to do wickedness in the sight of the LORD, because Jezebel his wife stirred him up.

New American Standard Bible
There certainly was no one like Ahab who gave himself over to do evil in the sight of the LORD, because Jezebel his wife incited him.

NASB 1995
Surely there was no one like Ahab who sold himself to do evil in the sight of the LORD, because Jezebel his wife incited him.

NASB 1977
Surely there was no one like Ahab who sold himself to do evil in the sight of the LORD, because Jezebel his wife incited him.

Legacy Standard Bible
Surely there was no one who sold himself to do what is evil in the sight of Yahweh like Ahab, whom Jezebel his wife incited.

Amplified Bible
There certainly was no one like Ahab who sold himself to do evil in the sight of the LORD, because Jezebel his wife incited him.

Christian Standard Bible
Still, there was no one like Ahab, who devoted himself to do what was evil in the LORD’s sight, because his wife Jezebel incited him.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Still, there was no one like Ahab, who devoted himself to do what was evil in the LORD’s sight, because his wife Jezebel incited him.

American Standard Version
(But there was none like unto Ahab, who did sell himself to do that which was evil in the sight of Jehovah, whom Jezebel his wife stirred up.

English Revised Version
(But there was none like unto Ahab, which did sell himself to do that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, whom Jezebel his wife stirred up.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
There was no one else like Ahab. At the urging of his wife, he sold himself to do what the LORD considered evil.

Good News Translation
There was no one else who had devoted himself so completely to doing wrong in the LORD's sight as Ahab--all at the urging of his wife Jezebel.

International Standard Version
It can be truly said that no one else sold himself to practice what the LORD considered to be evil quite like the way Ahab did, because his wife Jezebel incited him.

Majority Standard Bible
(Surely there was never one like Ahab, who sold himself to do evil in the sight of the LORD, incited by his wife Jezebel.

NET Bible
(There had never been anyone like Ahab, who was firmly committed to doing evil in the sight of the LORD, urged on by his wife Jezebel.

New Heart English Bible
But there was none like Ahab, who sold himself to do that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, whom Jezebel his wife stirred up.

Webster's Bible Translation
But there was none like Ahab, who sold himself to work wickedness in the sight of the LORD, whom Jezebel his wife instigated.

World English Bible
But there was no one like Ahab, who sold himself to do that which was evil in Yahweh’s sight, whom Jezebel his wife stirred up.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
surely there has been none like Ahab, who sold himself to do evil in the eyes of YHWH, whom his wife Jezebel has moved,

Young's Literal Translation
surely there hath none been like Ahab, who sold himself to do the evil thing in the eyes of Jehovah, whom Jezebel his wife hath moved,

Smith's Literal Translation
Only there was not as Ahab who was sold to do evil in the eves of Jehovah, whom Jezebel stimulated him.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
Now there was not such another as Achab, who was sold to do evil in the sight of the Lord: for his wife Jezabel set him on,

Catholic Public Domain Version
And so, there was no other person similar to Ahab, who was sold so that he did evil in the sight of the Lord. For his wife, Jezebel, urged him on.

New American Bible
Indeed, no one gave himself up to the doing of evil in the sight of the LORD as did Ahab, urged on by his wife Jezebel.

New Revised Standard Version
(Indeed, there was no one like Ahab, who sold himself to do what was evil in the sight of the LORD, urged on by his wife Jezebel.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
But there was none like Ahab, who thought to do evil in the sight of the LORD, whom Jezebel his wife incited.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
And none was like Akhab who devised to do evil before LORD JEHOVAH whom Jezebel his wife enticed.
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
But there was none like unto Ahab, who did give himself over to do that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, whom Jezebel his wife stirred up.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
But Achaab did wickedly, in that he sold himself to do that which was evil in the sight of the Lord, as his wife Jezabel led him astray.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Ahab's Repentance
25(Surely there was never one like Ahab, who sold himself to do evil in the sight of the LORD, incited by his wife Jezebel. 26He committed the most detestable acts by going after idols, just like the Amorites whom the LORD had driven out before the Israelites.)…

Cross References
1 Kings 16:30-33
However, Ahab son of Omri did evil in the sight of the LORD, more than all who were before him. / And as if it were not enough for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, he even married Jezebel the daughter of Ethbaal king of the Sidonians, and he then proceeded to serve and worship Baal. / First, Ahab set up an altar for Baal in the temple of Baal that he had built in Samaria. ...

2 Kings 9:22
When Joram saw Jehu, he asked, “Have you come in peace, Jehu?” “How can there be peace,” he replied, “as long as the idolatry and witchcraft of your mother Jezebel abound?”

2 Kings 10:18-28
Then Jehu brought all the people together and said, “Ahab served Baal a little, but Jehu will serve him a lot. / Now, therefore, summon to me all the prophets of Baal, all his servants, and all his priests. See that no one is missing, for I have a great sacrifice for Baal. Whoever is missing will not live.” But Jehu was acting deceptively in order to destroy the servants of Baal. / And Jehu commanded, “Proclaim a solemn assembly for Baal.” So they announced it. ...

1 Kings 18:4
for when Jezebel had slaughtered the prophets of the LORD, Obadiah had taken a hundred prophets and hidden them, fifty men per cave, providing them with food and water.)

1 Kings 19:1-2
Now Ahab told Jezebel everything that Elijah had done and how he had killed all the prophets with the sword. / So Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, “May the gods deal with me, and ever so severely, if by this time tomorrow I have not made your life like the lives of those you killed!”

1 Kings 16:31
And as if it were not enough for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, he even married Jezebel the daughter of Ethbaal king of the Sidonians, and he then proceeded to serve and worship Baal.

2 Chronicles 21:6
And Jehoram walked in the ways of the kings of Israel, just as the house of Ahab had done. For he married a daughter of Ahab and did evil in the sight of the LORD.

2 Chronicles 22:3-4
Ahaziah also walked in the ways of the house of Ahab, for his mother was his counselor in wickedness. / And he did evil in the sight of the LORD, as the house of Ahab had done, for to his destruction they were his counselors after the death of his father.

Micah 6:16
You have kept the statutes of Omri and all the practices of Ahab’s house; you have followed their counsel. Therefore I will make you a desolation, and your inhabitants an object of contempt; you will bear the scorn of the nations.”

Revelation 2:20
But I have this against you: You tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess. By her teaching she misleads My servants to be sexually immoral and to eat food sacrificed to idols.

Matthew 14:3-4
Now Herod had arrested John and bound him and put him in prison on account of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife, / because John had been telling him, “It is not lawful for you to have her.”

Mark 6:17-18
For Herod himself had ordered that John be arrested and bound and imprisoned, on account of his brother Philip’s wife Herodias, whom Herod had married. / For John had been telling Herod, “It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife!”

Luke 3:19-20
But when he rebuked Herod the tetrarch regarding his brother’s wife Herodias and all the evils he had done, / Herod added this to them all: He locked John up in prison.

Romans 1:32
Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things are worthy of death, they not only continue to do these things, but also approve of those who practice them.

Romans 2:8-9
But for those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow wickedness, there will be wrath and anger. / There will be trouble and distress for every human being who does evil, first for the Jew, then for the Greek;


Treasury of Scripture

But there was none like to Ahab, which did sell himself to work wickedness in the sight of the LORD, whom Jezebel his wife stirred up.

But there

1 Kings 21:20
And Ahab said to Elijah, Hast thou found me, O mine enemy? And he answered, I have found thee: because thou hast sold thyself to work evil in the sight of the LORD.

1 Kings 16:30-33
And Ahab the son of Omri did evil in the sight of the LORD above all that were before him…

2 Kings 23:25
And like unto him was there no king before him, that turned to the LORD with all his heart, and with all his soul, and with all his might, according to all the law of Moses; neither after him arose there any like him.

sell himself

1 Kings 21:20
And Ahab said to Elijah, Hast thou found me, O mine enemy? And he answered, I have found thee: because thou hast sold thyself to work evil in the sight of the LORD.

2 Kings 17:17
And they caused their sons and their daughters to pass through the fire, and used divination and enchantments, and sold themselves to do evil in the sight of the LORD, to provoke him to anger.

Isaiah 50:1
Thus saith the LORD, Where is the bill of your mother's divorcement, whom I have put away? or which of my creditors is it to whom I have sold you? Behold, for your iniquities have ye sold yourselves, and for your transgressions is your mother put away.

whom Jezebel

1 Kings 21:7
And Jezebel his wife said unto him, Dost thou now govern the kingdom of Israel? arise, and eat bread, and let thine heart be merry: I will give thee the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite.

1 Kings 11:1-4
But king Solomon loved many strange women, together with the daughter of Pharaoh, women of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Zidonians, and Hittites; …

1 Kings 16:31
And it came to pass, as if it had been a light thing for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, that he took to wife Jezebel the daughter of Ethbaal king of the Zidonians, and went and served Baal, and worshipped him.

stirred up.

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Ahab Evil Eyes Instigated Jezebel Jez'ebel Moved Sell Sight Sold Stirred Surely Urged Urging Wickedness Wife Work
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Ahab Evil Eyes Instigated Jezebel Jez'ebel Moved Sell Sight Sold Stirred Surely Urged Urging Wickedness Wife Work
1 Kings 21
1. Ahab being denied Naboth's vineyard, is grieved
5. Jezebel writing letters against Naboth, he is condemned of blasphemy
15. Ahab take possession of the vineyard
17. Elijah denounces judgments against Ahab and Jezebel
25. Wicked Ahab repenting, God defers the judgment














There was never anyone like Ahab
This phrase sets the stage for understanding the unparalleled nature of Ahab's wickedness. In the Hebrew context, the phrase emphasizes the extremity of Ahab's actions. Ahab, the seventh king of Israel, is depicted as a monarch whose actions were unprecedented in their evil. Historically, Ahab's reign (circa 874-853 BC) was marked by significant idolatry and apostasy, largely influenced by his marriage to Jezebel. The phrase underscores the unique and profound deviation from the covenantal faithfulness expected of Israel's leaders.

who sold himself
The Hebrew root for "sold" (מָכַר, makhar) conveys the idea of willingly giving oneself over to something, often for a price. In this context, it suggests that Ahab consciously and deliberately chose to abandon his allegiance to God for personal gain or under external influence. This selling of oneself is a metaphor for spiritual and moral compromise, highlighting the gravity of Ahab's choices and the depth of his rebellion against God.

to do evil
The phrase "to do evil" is a recurring theme in the Deuteronomistic history, which includes the books of Kings. It refers to actions that are in direct opposition to God's commandments. The Hebrew word for "evil" (רַע, ra) encompasses not only moral wickedness but also actions that bring harm and chaos. Ahab's evil deeds included the promotion of Baal worship and the persecution of God's prophets, actions that led Israel further away from their covenant with Yahweh.

in the sight of the LORD
This phrase emphasizes the omniscience and moral authority of God. The Hebrew word for "sight" (עֵינַיִם, enayim) implies that nothing is hidden from God's view. Ahab's actions were not just politically or socially wrong; they were offenses against the divine order. This phrase serves as a reminder that all human actions are ultimately accountable to God, who sees and judges according to His righteous standards.

incited by his wife Jezebel
Jezebel, a Phoenician princess and Ahab's queen, is often seen as the archetype of a corrupting influence. The Hebrew root for "incited" (הֵסִית, hesit) suggests provocation or enticement to do wrong. Jezebel's role in Ahab's reign was significant; she actively promoted the worship of Baal and Asherah, leading Ahab and Israel into deeper idolatry. Her influence is a cautionary tale about the power of ungodly alliances and the impact of a spouse's influence on one's spiritual and moral direction.

(25) The dogs shall eat Jezebel.--In all his address to Ahab, Elijah has, as yet, disdained to name the instigator, on whom the coward king, no doubt, threw his guilt. Ahab stands revealed as the true culprit before God, without a shred of subterfuge to veil his ultimate responsibility. Now, briefly and sternly, the prophet notices the bolder criminal, pronouncing against her a doom of shame and horror, seldom falling upon a woman, but rightly visiting one who had forsworn the pity and modesty of her sex. In the "ditch" (see margin) outside the walls, where the refuse of the city gathers the half-wild dogs--the scavengers of Eastern cities--her dead body is to be thrown as offal, and to be torn and devoured.

This verse and the next are evidently the reflection of the compiler, catching its inspiration from the words of Elijah in 1Kings 21:20. There is in them a tone not only of condemnation, but of contempt, for a king most unkingly--thus selling himself to a half-unwilling course of crime, against the warnings of conscience, not disbelieved but neglected, for the sake of a paltry desire--thus moreover, grovelling under the open dominion of a woman, which, to an Eastern mind, familiar enough with female intrigues, but not with female imperiousness, would seem especially monstrous.

Verse 25. - But [Heb. Only] there was none like unto Ahab, which did sell himself to work wickedness in the sight of the Lord [as in ver. 20], whom Jezebel his wife stirred up [or as Marg., incited, instigated and urged to sin. Cf. Deuteronomy 13:7 Hebrews 1 Job 36:18].

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
(Surely
רַ֚ק (raq)
Adverb
Strong's 7535: But, even, except, howbeit howsoever, at the least, nevertheless

there was
הָיָ֣ה (hā·yāh)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 1961: To fall out, come to pass, become, be

never
לֹֽא־ (lō-)
Adverb - Negative particle
Strong's 3808: Not, no

one like Ahab,
כְאַחְאָ֔ב (ḵə·’aḥ·’āḇ)
Preposition-k | Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 256: Ahab -- 'father's brother', a king of Israel, also a false prophet

who
אֲשֶׁ֣ר (’ă·šer)
Pronoun - relative
Strong's 834: Who, which, what, that, when, where, how, because, in order that

sold himself
הִתְמַכֵּ֔ר (hiṯ·mak·kêr)
Verb - Hitpael - Perfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 4376: To sell

to do
לַעֲשׂ֥וֹת (la·‘ă·śō·wṯ)
Preposition-l | Verb - Qal - Infinitive construct
Strong's 6213: To do, make

evil
הָרַ֖ע (hā·ra‘)
Article | Adjective - masculine singular
Strong's 7451: Bad, evil

in the sight
בְּעֵינֵ֣י (bə·‘ê·nê)
Preposition-b | Noun - cdc
Strong's 5869: An eye, a fountain

of the LORD,
יְהוָ֑ה (Yah·weh)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3068: LORD -- the proper name of the God of Israel

incited
הֵסַ֥תָּה (hê·sat·tāh)
Verb - Hifil - Perfect - third person feminine singular
Strong's 5496: To prick, stimulate, to seduce

by his wife
אִשְׁתּֽוֹ׃ (’iš·tōw)
Noun - feminine singular construct | third person masculine singular
Strong's 802: Woman, wife, female

Jezebel.
אִיזֶ֥בֶל (’î·ze·ḇel)
Noun - proper - feminine singular
Strong's 348: Jezebel -- queen of Israel with King Ahab


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OT History: 1 Kings 21:25 But there was none like Ahab who (1Ki iKi i Ki 1 Kg 1kg)
1 Kings 21:24
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