1tnHeb “and the word of the Lord came to Jehu son of Hanani concerning [or “against”] Baasha, saying.”
2tn The Hebrew text has “because” at the beginning of the sentence. In the Hebrew text vv. 2-3 are one sentence comprised of a causal clause giving the reason for divine punishment (v. 2) and the main clause announcing the punishment (v. 3). The translation divides this sentence for stylistic reasons.
3tnHeb “walked in the way of Jeroboam.”
4tnHeb “angering me by their sins.”
5tn The traditional view understands the verb בָּעַר (ba’ar) to mean “burn.” However, an alternate view takes בָּעַר (ba’ar) as a homonym meaning “sweep away” (HALOT 146 s.v. II בער). In this case one might translate, “I am ready to sweep away Baasha and his family.” Either metaphor emphasizes the thorough and destructive nature of the coming judgment.
6tc The Old Greek, Syriac Peshitta, and some mss of the Targum have here “his house.”
7tnHeb “the ones belonging to Baasha.”
8tnHeb “As for the rest of the events of Baasha, and that which he did and his strength, are they not written on the scroll of the events of the days of the kings of Israel?”
9tnHeb “lay down with his fathers.”
10tnHeb “and also through Jehu son of Hanani the word of the Lord came concerning [or “against”] Baasha and his house, and because of all the evil which he did in the eyes of the Lord.”
11tnHeb “angering him by the work of his hands, so that he was like the house of Jeroboam, and because of how he struck it down.”
12tnHeb “while he was drinking and drunken.”
13tnHeb “and he became king in his place.”
14tnHeb “and he did not spare any belonging to him who urinate against a wall, [including] his kinsmen redeemers and his friends.”
15tnHeb “according to the word of the Lord which he spoke concerning [or “spoke against”]).”
16tnHeb “angering the Lord God of Israel with their empty things.”
17tnHeb “As for the rest of the events of Elah, and all which he did, are they not written on the scroll of the events of the days of the kings of Israel?”
18tnHeb “Now the people were encamped.
19tnHeb “and the people who were encamped heard.”
20tnHeb “has conspired against and also has struck down the king.”
21tnHeb “and he burned the house of the king over him with fire and he died.”
22tnHeb “in the eyes of.”
23tnHeb “walking in the way of Jeroboam and in his sin which he did to make Israel sin.”
24tnHeb “As for the rest of the events of Zimri, and his conspiracy which he conspired, are they not written on the scroll of the events of the days of the kings of Israel?”
25map For location see Map2-B1; Map4-D3; Map5-E2; Map6-A4; Map7-C1.
26tn The Hebrew term כִּכָּר (kikkar, “circle”) refers generally to something that is round. When used of metals it can refer to a disk-shaped weight made of the metal or to a standard unit of weight, generally regarded as a talent. Since the accepted weight for a talent of metal is about 75 pounds, this would have amounted to about 150 pounds of silver.
27tnHeb “he built up the hill.”
28tnHeb “in the eyes of.”
29tnHeb “walked in all the way of Jeroboam son of Nebat and in his sin which he made Israel sin.”
30tnHeb “angering the Lord God of Israel with their empty things.”
31tnHeb “As for the rest of the acts of Omri which he did, and his strength which he demonstrated, are they not written on the scroll of the events of the days of the kings of Israel?”
32tnHeb “lay down with his fathers.”
33tc The Old Greek has eight additional verses here. Cf. 1 Kgs 22:41-44.
34map For location see Map2-B1; Map4-D3; Map5-E2; Map6-A4; Map7-C1.
35tnHeb “in the eyes of.”
36tnHeb “and he went and served Baal and bowed down to him.”
sn The Canaanites worshiped Baal as a storm and fertility god.
37tnHeb “Ahab”; the proper name has been replaced by the pronoun (“he”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.
38tnHeb “in his days.”
39map For location see Map5-B2; Map6-E1; Map7-E1; Map8-E3; Map10-A2; Map11-A1.
40tnHeb “with Abiram, his firstborn, he founded it.”
41tnHeb “with Segub, his youngest, he set up its gates.”
42tnHeb “according to the word of the Lord which he spoke.”
43snWarned through Joshua son of Nun. For the background to this statement, see Josh 6:26, where Joshua pronounces a curse on the one who dares to rebuild Jericho. Here that curse is viewed as a prophecy spoken by God through Joshua.