Single lesson
Ahab and Jezebel Begin Their Rule
1 Kings 16:29–34
Ahab began to reign in Israel and quickly turned further towards Baal worship.
Before you teach
In the thirty-eighth year of Asa king of Judah, Ahab son of Omri began to reign over Israel. He reigned in Samaria for twenty-two years. The passage introduces his reign with a grave verdict: Ahab did evil in the Lord’s sight more than the kings before him. Ahab did not only walk in the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat. He also married Jezebel, daughter of Ethbaal king of the Sidonians. Then Ahab went and served Baal and worshipped him, turning away from the Lord, the God of Israel.
Explain the central teaching of Ahab and Jezebel Begin Their Rule, using two details from the reading. Ahab began to reign in Israel and quickly turned further towards Baal worship.
Welcome: Ahab and Jezebel Begin Their Rule
5 minIntroduce “Ahab and Jezebel Begin Their Rule” and locate 1 Kings 16:29–34. Ahab began to reign in Israel and quickly turned further towards Baal worship. Invite each learner to name a detail or question they will listen for.
1 Kings 16:29, 1 Kings 16:32, 1 Kings 16:34
Read and explain the passage
12 minIn the thirty-eighth year of Asa king of Judah, Ahab son of Omri began to reign over Israel. He reigned in Samaria for twenty-two years. The passage introduces his reign with a grave verdict: Ahab did evil in the Lord’s sight more than the kings before him.
Ahab built a house for Baal in Samaria and raised an altar for Baal there. He also made the Asherah. The writer says Ahab provoked the Lord, the God of Israel, more than all the earlier kings of Israel had done.
These verses open Ahab’s reign with warning signs. Israel’s king turned to Baal worship, and an old word from the Lord proved true in Jericho. Before Elijah even appears, the story shows how serious Ahab’s days would be.
Read the selected verses together, pausing at “Ahab and Jezebel Begin Their Rule”. Use the source reading below and check the explanation against the words of the passage.
1 Kings 16:29, 1 Kings 16:33, 1 Kings 16:30, 1 Kings 16:32, 1 Kings 16:34, 1 Kings 16:31
Discuss the details and their meaning
8 minUse the three questions below. Begin with ““Ahab did not only walk in the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat.” Which details explain how the account reaches this point?” and allow time to find the supporting verses. Ahab began to reign in Israel and quickly turned further towards Baal worship. Ask learners to explain which details support their answer and to identify a question they would like to explore further.
1 Kings 16:31, 1 Kings 16:33, 1 Kings 16:29, 1 Kings 16:32, 1 Kings 16:34
Make and respond: Choices and outcomes evidence map
12 minWork on “Ahab and Jezebel Begin Their Rule: Choices and outcomes evidence map”. Follow the materials and steps below, using “Ahab and Jezebel Begin Their Rule” as reading headings. Each learner should include at least two accurate details and their verse references. Share one observation from the finished sheet and explain how it connects with the central teaching.
1 Kings 16:29, 1 Kings 16:32, 1 Kings 16:34
Closing: return to Ahab and Jezebel Begin Their Rule
3 minRevisit 1 Kings 16:29–34. Invite a learner to summarise what the group has learned about Ahab and Jezebel Begin Their Rule and another to support the summary with a verse. Give learners a moment to complete their response sheet. They can share a question or, if appropriate for the group, join the optional prayer.
1 Kings 16:29, 1 Kings 16:32, 1 Kings 16:34
Questions to explore
“Ahab did not only walk in the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat.” Which details explain how the account reaches this point?
Ahab did not only walk in the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat. He also married Jezebel, daughter of Ethbaal king of the Sidonians. Then Ahab went and served Baal and worshipped him, turning away from the Lord, the God of Israel.
1 Kings 16:31, 1 Kings 16:33, 1 Kings 16:29
How does this moment affect the rest of the account: “Ahab built a house for Baal in Samaria and raised an altar for Baal there.”?
Ahab built a house for Baal in Samaria and raised an altar for Baal there. He also made the Asherah. The writer says Ahab provoked the Lord, the God of Israel, more than all the earlier kings of Israel had done.
1 Kings 16:33, 1 Kings 16:32, 1 Kings 16:29
“These verses open Ahab’s reign with warning signs.” How does this ending connect with the beginning?
These verses open Ahab’s reign with warning signs. Israel’s king turned to Baal worship, and an old word from the Lord proved true in Jericho. Before Elijah even appears, the story shows how serious Ahab’s days would be.
1 Kings 16:34, 1 Kings 16:29, 1 Kings 16:31
Make, think or respond
Ahab and Jezebel Begin Their Rule: Choices and outcomes evidence map
What you’ll need
- plain paper or card
- pencils or pens
- a Bible or the source reading on this page
Try it together
- Fold a sheet into three panels or draw three columns. Label them “Words or actions”, “What happens next”, “Verse reference”.
- Read 1 Kings 16:29–34. Use “Ahab and Jezebel Begin Their Rule” as your reading headings and add a short quotation or detail with its verse reference to each panel.
- Compare your notes with a partner. Check that every quotation is accurate and every conclusion has support in the passage.
- Compare two actions or statements in the account and explain their different outcomes.
The finished sheet keeps the details of Ahab and Jezebel Begin Their Rule connected to their Bible references and gives the group a way to explain what they noticed.
Adapt for your group
- For learners who need more support, prepare the reading headings “Ahab and Jezebel Begin Their Rule” and let them match short quotations to the correct heading.
- For confident readers, compare two sections of 1 Kings 16:29–34. Ask for a written explanation with two supporting references and one question that the text leaves open.
An optional closing prayer
“God, help us listen carefully as we read 1 Kings 16:29–34. Help us understand what we have read, ask thoughtful questions and respond with care for others. Amen.”
Read the Bible passage World English Bible Classic
1 Kings 16
29 In the thirty-eighth year of Asa king of Judah, Ahab the son of Omri began to reign over Israel. Ahab the son of Omri reigned over Israel in Samaria twenty-two years.
30 Ahab the son of Omri did that which was evil in Yahweh’s sight above all that were before him.
31 As if it had been a light thing for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, he took as wife Jezebel the daughter of Ethbaal king of the Sidonians, and went and served Baal and worshiped him.
32 He raised up an altar for Baal in the house of Baal, which he had built in Samaria.
33 Ahab made the Asherah; and Ahab did more yet to provoke Yahweh, the God of Israel, to anger than all the kings of Israel who were before him.
34 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 Yahweh’s word, which he spoke by Joshua the son of Nun.
World English Bible Classic. Public domain.