Boy Old Testament Very common
Ahab
uncle, or father's brother
אַחְאָב ach.av
Ahab (Hebrew: אַחְאָב, ach.av) means “uncle, or father's brother”, by traditional interpretation. Two men in scripture bear the name; the best attested is a king. In United States birth records the name is below the reporting threshold. Appears with Amon in 2 Chronicles 18.
Which Ahab?
Two men in scripture bear this name. Here is each of them.
-
Ahab
son of Omri; father of Ahaziah
-
Ahab
son of Kolaiah
Scripture against society
The two measures, side by side
At a glance
- Verses
- 122 across 5 books
- Bearers
- 2 distinct people in scripture
- Testament
- Old
- Era
- Divided Kingdom
Using it today
In United States birth records this name is below the reporting threshold. The Social Security Administration does not publish counts under five, so a name given to four children looks the same as one given to none.
In scripture
| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| First appears | 1 Kings 16:28 |
| Last appears | Micah 6:16 |
| Cross-references | 2,187 linked passages |
Names connected to this one
- Jehoshaphat co-occurrence Appears with Jehoshaphat in 1 Kings 22.
- Joram co-occurrence Appears with Joram in 2 Kings 8.
- Imlah co-occurrence Appears with Imlah in 2 Chronicles 18.
- Naboth co-occurrence Appears with Naboth in 1 Kings 21.
- Jehoram co-occurrence Appears with Jehoram in 2 Kings 8.
- Joash co-occurrence Appears with Joash in 2 Chronicles 18.
- Amon co-occurrence Appears with Amon in 2 Chronicles 18.
- Zedekiah co-occurrence Appears with Zedekiah in Jeremiah 29.
Origin & meaning
A king of the Kingdom of Israel, living at the time of Divided Monarchy, first mentioned at 1Ki.16.28;
son of: Omri (H6018); married to Jezebel (H0348);
father of: Joash (H3101H), Ahaziah (H0274), Joram (H3141H), Athaliah (H6271)
§ Ahab = "father's brother"
1) king of Israel, son of Omri, husband of Jezebel
2) false prophet executed by Nebuchadrezzar, time of Jeremiah
Ahab, son of Omri, reigned as king of Israel and did evil in the sight of the Lord.
The biblical story
Ahab was the son of Omri and the seventh king of Israel, reigning for 22 years in Samaria. He did more evil in the eyes of the Lord than any of his predecessors. Ahab married Jezebel, daughter of the king of Sidon, and began to worship Baal. He built a temple and altar for Baal in Samaria and made an Asherah pole, provoking the anger of the Lord. (1Ki.16.28-33)
During Ahab's reign, the prophet Elijah declared a drought in Israel. Later, Elijah challenged the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel, proving the Lord to be the true God. (1Ki.17-18) Ahab fought wars against Ben-Hadad, king of Aram, with the Lord granting him victories. (1Ki.20).
Key verses
Ahab appears in 79 verses. Here are some of the most notable:
-
So Omri slept with his fathers, and was buried in Samaria: and Ahab his son reigned in his stead.
1 Kings 16:28 -
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 16:29 -
And Ahab the son of Omri did evil in the sight of the Lord above all that were before him.
1 Kings 16:30 -
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.
1 Kings 16:33 -
And Elijah the Tishbite, who was of the inhabitants of Gilead, said unto Ahab, As the Lord God of Israel liveth, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, but according to my word.
1 Kings 17:1
Show all 79 references
1 Kings (44)
- 1 Kings 16:28
- 1 Kings 16:29
- 1 Kings 16:30
- 1 Kings 16:33
- 1 Kings 17:1
- 1 Kings 18:1
- 1 Kings 18:2
- 1 Kings 18:3
- 1 Kings 18:5
- 1 Kings 18:6
- 1 Kings 18:9
- 1 Kings 18:12
- 1 Kings 18:16
- 1 Kings 18:17
- 1 Kings 18:20
- 1 Kings 18:41
- 1 Kings 18:42
- 1 Kings 18:44
- 1 Kings 18:45
- 1 Kings 18:46
- 1 Kings 19:1
- 1 Kings 20:2
- 1 Kings 20:13
- 1 Kings 20:14
- 1 Kings 21:1
- 1 Kings 21:2
- 1 Kings 21:3
- 1 Kings 21:4
- 1 Kings 21:8
- 1 Kings 21:15
- 1 Kings 21:16
- 1 Kings 21:18
- 1 Kings 21:20
- 1 Kings 21:21
- 1 Kings 21:24
- 1 Kings 21:25
- 1 Kings 21:27
- 1 Kings 21:29
- 1 Kings 22:20
- 1 Kings 22:39
- 1 Kings 22:40
- 1 Kings 22:41
- 1 Kings 22:49
- 1 Kings 22:51
2 Kings (22)
- 2 Kings 1:1
- 2 Kings 3:1
- 2 Kings 3:5
- 2 Kings 8:16
- 2 Kings 8:18
- 2 Kings 8:25
- 2 Kings 8:27
- 2 Kings 8:28
- 2 Kings 8:29
- 2 Kings 9:7
- 2 Kings 9:8
- 2 Kings 9:9
- 2 Kings 9:25
- 2 Kings 9:29
- 2 Kings 10:1
- 2 Kings 10:10
- 2 Kings 10:11
- 2 Kings 10:17
- 2 Kings 10:18
- 2 Kings 10:30
- 2 Kings 21:3
- 2 Kings 21:13
2 Chronicles (12)
- 2 Chronicles 18:1
- 2 Chronicles 18:2
- 2 Chronicles 18:3
- 2 Chronicles 18:19
- 2 Chronicles 21:6
- 2 Chronicles 21:13
- 2 Chronicles 22:3
- 2 Chronicles 22:4
- 2 Chronicles 22:5
- 2 Chronicles 22:6
- 2 Chronicles 22:7
- 2 Chronicles 22:8
Micah (1)
- Micah 6:16