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1 Kings 21:21

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Behold, I will bring evil upon thee, and will take away thy posterity, and will cut off from Ahab him that pisseth against the wall, and him that is shut up and left in Israel,

Behold, I will bring {H935} evil {H7451} upon thee, and will take away {H1197} thy posterity {H310}, and will cut off {H3772} from Ahab {H256} him that pisseth {H8366} against the wall {H7023}, and him that is shut up {H6113} and left {H5800} in Israel {H3478},

'Here,' [says ADONAI,] 'I am bringing disaster on you! I will sweep you away completely; I will cut off from Ach'av every male, whether a slave or free in Isra'el.

This is what the LORD says: ‘I will bring calamity on you and consume your descendants; I will cut off from Ahab every male in Israel, both slave and free.

Behold, I will bring evil upon thee, and will utterly sweep thee away and will cut off from Ahab every man-child, and him that is shut up and him that is left at large in Israel:

Commentary

This verse from 1 Kings 21:21 records a severe divine pronouncement of judgment against King Ahab of Israel, delivered through the prophet Elijah. It details the impending calamity and the utter destruction of his royal house.

Context

The declaration in 1 Kings 21:21 comes directly after King Ahab's egregious sin concerning Naboth's vineyard. Ahab coveted Naboth's ancestral land, and when Naboth refused to sell it, Ahab’s wicked wife, Jezebel, orchestrated Naboth’s murder through false accusations. Once Naboth was dead, Ahab took possession of the vineyard. This act of injustice, covetousness, and murder, layered upon Ahab's long history of promoting Baal worship and idolatry throughout Israel, provoked God's righteous wrath. Elijah, the steadfast prophet, confronts Ahab, delivering this solemn message of impending doom for his actions. This judgment highlights God's unwavering commitment to justice, even against powerful kings. You can read the full account of Naboth's vineyard beginning in 1 Kings 21:1.

Key Themes

  • Divine Judgment and Justice: The verse powerfully illustrates God's active involvement in human affairs, demonstrating that He sees injustice and will bring consequences upon those who defy His laws, especially those in positions of power.
  • Consequences of Sin: Ahab's actions—covetousness, murder, and idolatry—culminate in a devastating judgment, showing that persistent and unrepentant sin leads to severe divine retribution. This serves as a stark reminder of the wages of sin.
  • Destruction of Dynasty: A common form of punishment for wicked kings in the Old Testament was the eradication of their lineage, ensuring that their evil influence would not continue through their descendants.
  • Prophetic Authority: Elijah acts as God's fearless messenger, delivering an unpopular but truthful word to a powerful monarch, underscoring the role of prophets in holding leaders accountable to divine standards.

Linguistic Insights

The phrase "him that pisseth against the wall" (Hebrew: מַשְׁתִּין בְּקִיר, mashtin b'kir) is a crude but potent Hebrew idiom. It refers to every male, from the youngest to the oldest. Its inclusion here emphasizes the utter and complete annihilation of Ahab's male descendants, leaving no one to carry on his name or legacy. This idiom, though vulgar, conveys a sense of total and inescapable judgment, signifying that no male in Ahab's line would survive. The term "evil" (רָעָה, ra'ah) in this context refers not to moral evil but to calamity, disaster, or misfortune, indicating the severe nature of the punishment God would bring upon Ahab and his house.

Strategic Cross-References

  • While the full judgment against Ahab's house was severe, God showed a measure of compassion when Ahab humbled himself, delaying some of the judgment until after his death (1 Kings 21:29).
  • Ahab himself died in battle as prophesied (1 Kings 22:37-38).
  • The complete destruction of Ahab's house, including his sons and all who were associated with him, was carried out by Jehu, fulfilling Elijah's prophecy (2 Kings 10:11).
  • Jezebel, Ahab's wife, also met a gruesome end, fulfilling a specific part of Elijah's prophecy (2 Kings 9:36-37).

Practical Application

This passage serves as a powerful reminder that God is a God of justice who holds all individuals, especially those in authority, accountable for their actions. It underscores the profound and far-reaching consequences of sin, particularly covetousness, abuse of power, and disregard for human life and divine law. For believers today, it emphasizes the importance of integrity, humility, and submission to God's will, warning against the spiritual dangers of greed and unrighteousness. We are called to live justly and righteously, knowing that our actions have eternal implications and that God will ultimately bring all things into judgment.

Note: If the commentary doesn’t appear instantly, please allow 2–5 seconds for it to load. It is generated by Gemini 2.5 Flash (May 20, 2025) using a prompt focused on Biblical fidelity over bias. While the insights have been consistently reliable, we encourage prayerful discernment through the Holy Spirit.

Please note that only the commentary section is AI-generated — the main Scripture and cross-references are stored on the site and are from trusted and verified sources.

Cross-References

  • 1 Kings 14:10 (7 votes)

    Therefore, behold, I will bring evil upon the house of Jeroboam, and will cut off from Jeroboam him that pisseth against the wall, [and] him that is shut up and left in Israel, and will take away the remnant of the house of Jeroboam, as a man taketh away dung, till it be all gone.

  • Exodus 20:5 (2 votes)

    Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God [am] a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth [generation] of them that hate me;

  • Exodus 20:6 (2 votes)

    And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.

  • 2 Kings 9:7 (2 votes)

    And thou shalt smite the house of Ahab thy master, that I may avenge the blood of my servants the prophets, and the blood of all the servants of the LORD, at the hand of Jezebel.

  • 2 Kings 9:9 (2 votes)

    And I will make the house of Ahab like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and like the house of Baasha the son of Ahijah:

  • 2 Kings 10:17 (2 votes)

    And when he came to Samaria, he slew all that remained unto Ahab in Samaria, till he had destroyed him, according to the saying of the LORD, which he spake to Elijah.

  • 1 Samuel 25:34 (2 votes)

    For in very deed, [as] the LORD God of Israel liveth, which hath kept me back from hurting thee, except thou hadst hasted and come to meet me, surely there had not been left unto Nabal by the morning light any that pisseth against the wall.