TRV
Translation
King James Version
In his days did Hiel the Bethelite build Jericho: he laid the foundation thereof in Abiram his firstborn, and set up the gates thereof in his youngest son Segub, according to the word of the LORD, which he spake by Joshua the son of Nun.
KJV (with Strong's)
In his days H3117 did Hiel H2419 the Bethelite H1017 build H1129 Jericho H3405: he laid the foundation H3245 thereof in Abiram H48 his firstborn H1060, and set up H5324 the gates H1817 thereof in his youngest H6810 son Segub H7687, according to the word H1697 of the LORD H3068, which he spake H1696 by H3027 Joshua H3091 the son H1121 of Nun H5126.
Complete Jewish Bible
It was during his time that Hi'el of Beit-El rebuilt Yericho. He laid its foundation at the cost of his firstborn son Aviram and erected its gates at the cost of his youngest son S'guv. This was in keeping with the word of ADONAI spoken through Y'hoshua the son of Nun.
Berean Standard Bible
In Ahab’s days, Hiel the Bethelite rebuilt Jericho. At the cost of Abiram his firstborn he laid its foundation, and at the cost of Segub his youngest he set up its gates, according to the word that the LORD had spoken through Joshua son of Nun.
American Standard Version
In his days did Hiel the Beth-elite build Jericho: he laid the foundation thereof with the loss of Abiram his first-born, and set up the gates thereof with the loss of his youngest son Segub, according to the word of Jehovah, which he spake by Joshua the son of Nun.
World English Bible Messianic
In his days Hiel the Bethelite built Jericho: he laid its foundation with the loss of Abiram his firstborn, and set up its gates with the loss of his youngest son Segub, according to the LORD’s word, which he spoke by Joshua the son of Nun.
Geneva Bible (1599)
In his dayes did Hiel the Bethelite buylde Iericho: he layed the foundation thereof in Abiram his eldest sonne, and set vp the gates thereof in his yongest sonne Segub, according to the worde of the Lord which he spake by Ioshua the sonne of Nun.
Young's Literal Translation
In his days hath Hiel the Beth-Elite built Jericho; in Abiram his first-born he laid its foundation, and in Segub his youngest he set up its doors, according to the word of Jehovah that He spake by the hand of Joshua son of Nun.
See on the biblical-era map
In the KJVVerse 9,318 of 31,102
Study This Verse
Commentary on 1 Kings 16 verses 29–34
29 ¶ 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.
30 And Ahab the son of Omri did evil in the sight of the LORD above all that were before him.
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.
32 And he reared up an altar for Baal in the house of Baal, which he had built in Samaria.
33 And Ahab made a grove; and Ahab did more to provoke the LORD God of Israel to anger than all the kings of Israel that were before him.
34 In his days did Hiel the Bethelite build Jericho: he laid the foundation thereof in Abiram his firstborn, and set up the gates thereof in his youngest son Segub, according to the word of the LORD, which he spake by Joshua the son of Nun.
We have here the beginning of the reign of Ahab, of whom we have more particulars recorded than of any of the kings of Israel. We have here only a general idea given us of him, as the worst of all the kings, that we may expect what the particulars will be. He reigned twenty-two years, long enough to do a great deal of mischief.
I. He exceeded all his predecessors in wickedness, did evil above all that were before him (Kg1 16:30), and, as if it were done with a particular enmity both to God and Israel, to affront him and ruin them, it is said, He did more purposely to provoke the Lord God of Israel to anger, and, consequently, to send judgments on his land, than all the kings of Israel that were before him, Kg1 16:33. It was bad with the people when every successive king was worse than his predecessor. What would they come to at last? He had seen the ruin of other wicked kings and their families; yet, instead of taking warning, his heart was hardened and enraged against God by it. He thought it a light thing to walk in the sins of Jeroboam, Kg1 16:31. It was nothing to break the second commandment by image-worship, he would set aside the first also by introducing other gods; his little finger should fall heavier upon God's ordinances than Jeroboam's loins. Making light of less sins makes way for greater, and those that endeavour to extenuate other people's sins will but aggravate their own.
II. He married a wicked woman, who he knew would bring in the worship of Baal, and seemed to marry her with that design. As if it had been a light thing to walk in the sins of Jeroboam, he took to wife Jezebel (Kg1 16:31), a zealous idolater, extremely imperious and malicious in her natural temper, addicted to witchcrafts and whoredoms (Kg2 9:22), and every way vicious. The false prophetess spoken of Rev 2:20 is there called Jezebel, for a wicked woman could not be called by a worse name than hers; what mischiefs she did, and what mischief at last befel her (Kg2 9:33), we shall find in the following story; this one strange wife debauched Israel more than all the strange wives of Solomon.
III. He set up the worship of Baal, forsook the God of Israel and served the god of the Sidonians, Jupiter instead of Jehovah, the sun (so some think), a deified hero of the Phoenicians (so others): he was weary of the golden calves, and thought they had been worshipped long enough; such vanities were they that those who had been fondest of them at length grew sick of them, and, like adulterers, much have variety. In honour of this mock deity, whom they called Baal - lord, and for the convenience of his worship, 1. Ahab built a temple in Samaria, the royal city, because the temple of God was in Jerusalem, the royal city of the other kingdom. He would have Baal's temple near him, that he might the better frequent it, protect it, and put honour upon it. 2. He reared an altar in that temple, on which to offer sacrifice to Baal, by which they acknowledged their dependence upon him and sought his favour. O the stupidity of idolaters, who are at a great expense to make one their friend whom they might have chosen whether they would make a god of or no! 3. He made a grove about his temple, either a natural one, by planting shady trees there, or, if those would be too long in growing, an artificial one in imitation of it; for it is not said he planted, but he made a grove, something that answered the intention, which was to conceal and so countenance the abominable impurities that were committed in the filthy worship of Baal. Lucus, lucendo, quia non lucet - He that doeth evil hateth the light.
IV. One of his subjects, in imitation of his presumption, ventured to build Jericho, in defiance of the curse Joshua had long since pronounced on him that should attempt it, Kg1 16:34. It comes in as an instance of the height of impiety to which men had arrived, especially at Bethel, where one of the calves was, for of that city this daring sinner was. Observe, 1. How ill he did. Like Achan he meddled with the accursed thing, turned that to his own use which was devoted to God's honour. He began to build, in defiance of the curse well known in Israel, jesting with it perhaps as a bugbear, or fancying its force worn out by length of time, for it was above 500 years since it was pronounced, Jos 6:26. He went on to build, in defiance of the execution of the curse in part; for, though his eldest son died when he began, yet he would proceed in contempt of God and his wrath revealed from heaven against his ungodliness. 2. How ill he sped. He built for his children, but God wrote him childless; his eldest son died when he began, the youngest when he finished, and all the rest (it is supposed) between. Note, Those whom God curses are cursed indeed; none ever hardened his heart against God and prospered. God keep us back from presumptuous sins, those great transgressions!
Matthew Henry (1662–1714) — Commentary on the Whole Bible. This section covers verses 29–34. Public domain.
Copy as
BedeAD 735
Questions on the Book of Kings #16
"In his days, Hiel of Bethel built Jericho." [1 Kings 16:34] What is written about the times of Ahab's reign: 'In his days, Hiel of Bethel built Jericho. He laid its foundations with Abiram his firstborn, and set up its gates with Segub his youngest,' the sense is clear: when the stated builder of the city began to lay its foundations, his firstborn, named Abiram, died; and when, with the city built, he tried to fortify its gates, he lost his youngest son named Segub. This was foretold by Joshua, who, when dedicating the destroyed and cursed city Jericho, predicted it with an imprecation: 'Cursed before the Lord is the man who rises up and rebuilds this city Jericho. He shall lay its foundation at the cost of his firstborn, and at the cost of his youngest he shall set up its gates' (Joshua 6). That Ahiel, living for God, interpreted as Bethel which means house of God, restores the walls of Jericho that were destroyed and cursed by Joshua, is evident when one among those who have assumed the habit of religion in the Church returns to commit the crimes that the Lord Jesus forgave him on the day of his baptism, and those pomps of the devil which he himself anathema-tized, he returns to by living luxuriously; when he prefers the dogmas of heretics or the fables of pagans to the churchly truth in which he was imbued, it is as if, departing from Bethel, he resurrects the ruins of Jericho. And rightly is such a person cursed before the Lord, and loses both the first of his sons in the foundation of the wicked city and the youngest in the setting up of its gates. Because he loses the foundations of faith with which he should have begun good buildings, and the house of good action with which he should have finished. These things I have expounded in an allegorical sense, to remind you how true is the word of the apostle, who says that all these things happened to them as examples, and were written down for our instruction (1 Corinthians 10).
Ishodad of MervAD 850
BOOKS OF SESSIONS 1 KINGS 16:7
Jericho remained in ruins as a sign and memory of the power of God and the victory of the people of Israel. But the insolent Ahab decided to refute the words of Joshua and said, “As the words of his master Moses, who said, ‘The sky over your head shall be bronze and the earth under you iron’3 did not happen, so the words of his disciple will not happen.” However, when [the city] was re-established at the cost of Abiram’s death, his firstborn, the people feared God and showed him that he was not allowed to rebuild the city, so he stopped. But, a bit later, he attributed all these events to chance and resumed his work by setting the gates of the city. Then Segub, his youngest son, died. For this reason Elijah burned with zeal and stopped heaven for three and a half years.
Source: Quotations drawn from early Church Fathers and historical Christian theologians (AD 100–1500). Some quotes address the surrounding passage context rather than this verse alone.
Copy as
Continue studying 1 Kings 16:34 across the web’s major study libraries — every link below opens this exact verse, chapter, or book on the destination site.
Read & Compare
BibleGatewayThis verse in more than 200 translations and 70 languages.
Bible.comThe YouVersion reader — hundreds of translations, reading plans, and highlights.
ESV.orgCrossway's official English Standard Version reader.
NET BibleThe NET translation with 60,000+ translators' notes on every rendering decision.
STEP BibleTyndale House's free study tool — original text, vocabulary, and scholarly resources.
BibliaLogos Bible Software's free web reader.
USCCBThe New American Bible (Revised Edition) with the U.S. bishops' study notes.
Commentaries
BibleHub CommentariesDozens of classic commentaries on this verse, gathered on one page.
StudyLightMore than 100 commentary sets — the largest collection on the web.
BibleRefPlain-English commentary on what this verse means, verse by verse.
Enduring WordDavid Guzik's free commentary on this chapter, widely used by Bible teachers.
Bible Study ToolsVerse commentary alongside Greek and Hebrew study aids.
Original Language & Research
- BibleHub InterlinearThe verse word by word — original language, transliteration, and English.
- BibleHub LexiconEvery word's original-language definition and Strong's entry.
Blue Letter BibleDeep-study tools — Strong's numbers, concordance, and word studies.
SefariaThe Hebrew text with Rashi and centuries of Jewish commentary.
Sermons, Hymns & Audio
TrulyRandomVerse is not affiliated with these sites and doesn’t control their content. They’re linked because they’re genuinely useful.
SUMMARY
1 Kings 16:34 records the chilling and precise fulfillment of an ancient divine curse, serving as a stark and undeniable testament to the unyielding nature of God's spoken word and the severe consequences of human defiance. Amidst the pervasive spiritual apostasy and moral decay characterizing King Ahab's exceptionally wicked reign, Hiel, a man from Bethel, audaciously undertook the rebuilding of Jericho, a city under a centuries-old divine ban. In a tragic and public demonstration of divine judgment, Hiel paid an unspeakable price for his sacrilege: his firstborn son, Abiram, died when the foundation was laid, and his youngest son, Segub, perished when the city gates were erected, exactly as the LORD had foretold through Joshua.
CONTEXT
EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
Key Word Analysis
Verse Breakdown
Literary Devices
1 Kings 16:34 masterfully employs several literary devices to convey its profound message. The most prominent is its function as a Parenthetical Insertion, abruptly interrupting the detailed account of Ahab's wickedness (1 Kings 16:30-33) to highlight a specific, chilling event. This serves to amplify the depth of Israel's apostasy under Ahab by showcasing a blatant act of defiance against God's ancient command, underscoring the pervasive spiritual rebellion of the era. The verse's central dramatic device is the Fulfillment of Prophecy, directly referencing and demonstrating the precise execution of Joshua's centuries-old curse. This creates a powerful sense of divine sovereignty and the inescapable nature of God's word. There is a strong element of Tragic Irony in Hiel's actions: his attempt to rebuild a city, an act of creation, leads directly to the destruction of his own family, specifically his firstborn and youngest sons, mirroring the very curse he defied. Furthermore, the mention of Hiel as a "Bethelite" adds a layer of Symbolism and Irony, as Bethel, meaning "House of God," had become a notorious center for idolatry under Jeroboam, making Hiel's defiance even more poignant given his geographical origin. The symmetrical loss of the firstborn and youngest also functions as a powerful Bookending effect, emphasizing the complete and devastating fulfillment of the curse from its inception to its completion.
THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
The tragic narrative of Hiel the Bethelite serves as a profound theological statement on the absolute certainty and enduring power of God's word. It unequivocally demonstrates that divine pronouncements, whether of blessing or curse, are not idle threats or mere suggestions but immutable decrees that will inevitably come to pass, often with precise and devastating accuracy. This event underscores God's unwavering faithfulness to His own declarations and His sovereign control over history and human destiny. It reveals a God who does not forget or overlook defiance, and whose justice, though sometimes delayed, is ultimately inescapable. For the Israelite reader, it would have been a stark reminder of the covenant curses outlined in Deuteronomy and the serious implications of national apostasy, particularly during a period of such profound spiritual decline as Ahab's reign.
REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
The account of Hiel and Jericho, while ancient, resonates deeply with timeless truths for believers today. It calls us to a profound reverence for God's word, acknowledging its authority and unchanging nature. We are reminded that God's commands and warnings are not arbitrary restrictions but expressions of His holy character and His desire for our good. To disregard them, even those seemingly distant or inconvenient, is to invite serious consequences, not necessarily in the same physical form as Hiel's tragedy, but certainly in spiritual and relational brokenness. This passage challenges us to examine areas in our lives where we might be subtly defying God's known will, perhaps rationalizing disobedience or dismissing His warnings as irrelevant to our modern context. It compels us to cultivate a spirit of humble obedience, trusting that God's ways are always just and ultimately lead to life, while rebellion leads to spiritual death and separation from His blessing. Our response to God's word should be one of submission and trust, recognizing that His faithfulness extends to both His promises and His warnings.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
Why was Jericho cursed in the first place, and why was rebuilding it so severely punished?
Answer: Jericho was the first city in Canaan that the Israelites conquered after crossing the Jordan River, making it the "firstfruits" of their conquest of the Promised Land. As such, it was to be entirely devoted to God (herem), with all its inhabitants and possessions destroyed, except for specific items dedicated to the LORD's treasury. Joshua's curse (Joshua 6:26) was pronounced to prevent its rebuilding, symbolizing that it remained consecrated to God and was not to be re-inhabited or re-established by human will. Rebuilding it was an act of profound sacrilege, a direct challenge to God's unique claim over the city and His authority over the land. It was an attempt to reverse a divine decree and essentially "take back" what God had claimed for Himself, hence the severe and specific punishment that served as a perpetual reminder of God's absolute sovereignty and the sanctity of His commands.
CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
While 1 Kings 16:34 vividly portrays the severe consequences of defying God's word under the Old Covenant, it ultimately points us to the profound fulfillment found in Jesus Christ. The curse on Jericho, and its precise execution, underscores God's unwavering commitment to His word, a commitment perfectly embodied in Christ. Unlike Hiel, who brought death through disobedience, Jesus, the obedient Son, perfectly fulfilled all righteousness and bore the curse of the Law on our behalf (Galatians 3:13). Where Hiel's rebuilding project resulted in the death of his sons, Jesus's ultimate act of "rebuilding"—His resurrection and the establishment of His church—brings eternal life. He is the foundation stone upon which a new spiritual temple is built, a temple not of bricks and mortar, but of living stones, believers united in Him (Ephesians 2:20-22). The curse of death, which fell upon Hiel's sons, was ultimately conquered by Christ, who, through His own death and resurrection, opened the gates of eternal life for all who believe (John 10:9). Thus, the chilling judgment on Hiel serves as a stark backdrop against which the glorious grace and life-giving power of Christ's finished work shine even brighter, offering redemption from the very curses that sin incurs.