Ahab

About

King of Israel during the 9th century BC, Ahab was the son and successor of King Omri and husband of Jezebel of Sidon. According to the Hebrew Bible, he is depicted as a Baal worshipper and criticized for causing moral decline in Israel, though some modern scholars question this characterization. His historical existence is supported by external sources, particularly the Kurkh Monolith inscription of king Shalmaneser III from the Neo-Assyrian Empire, which documents that in 853 BC, Shalmaseser III defeated an alliance of a dozen kings at the Battle of Qarqar, with Ahab among them. He is also mentioned, though unnamed, on the inscriptions of the Mesha Stele. Ahab became king of Israel in the thirty-eighth year of King Asa of Judah and reigned for twenty-two years according to 1 Kings 16:29. Scholars have proposed different dates for his reign, with William F. Albright dating it to 869–850 BC, Edwin R. Thiele to 874–853 BC, and Michael Coogan more recently to 871–852 BC.