Omri did evil in the eyes of the Lord, and did worse than all who were before him.
Parallel translations
- WEB Omri did that which was evil in Yahweh’s sight, and dealt wickedly above all who were before him.
- KJV But Omri wrought evil in the eyes of the LORD, and did worse than all that were before him.
- BSB But Omri did evil in the sight of the LORD and acted more wickedly than all who were before him.
- NASB Now Omri did evil in the sight of the Lord, and acted more wickedly than all who were before him.
- NLT But Omri did what was evil in the Lord’s sight, even more than any of the kings before him.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Omri did evil in God's sight, behaving more wickedly than all the kings before him.
Overview
The verdict on Omri is severe: he surpassed his predecessors in wickedness, deepening Israel's apostasy. This escalating language signals that the northern kingdom's spiritual decline is accelerating, setting the stage for the even worse reign of his son Ahab. Earthly accomplishment counts for nothing against this divine assessment.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 4
- Mic 6:16For the statutes of Omri are kept, and all the works of Ahab’s house. You walk in their counsels, that I may make you a ruin, and her inhabitants a hissing; And you will bear the reproach of my people.”
- 1 Kgs 16:33Ahab 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.
- 1 Kgs 14:9but have done evil above all who were before you, and have gone and made for yourself other gods, molten images, to provoke me to anger, and have cast me behind your back;
- 1 Kgs 16:30–31Ahab the son of Omri did that which was evil in Yahweh’s sight above all that were before him.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
Solomon's glory, wisdom, and temple where God's presence dwells are a shadow of the greater Son of David — 'one greater than Solomon is here' — and of the true Temple, Christ himself.
How 1 Kings 16:25 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.