I Kings 16, Brief Kingdoms of Israel

Baasha is king of the Israel, the northern kingdom. He became king by killing the former king, Nadab, son of Jeroboam.

I Kings 16: 1-4, Baasha's house to be consumed

Then the word of the LORD came to Jehu son of Hanani against Baasha: "I lifted you up from the dust and made you leader of my people Israel, but you walked in the ways of Jeroboam and caused my people Israel to sin and to provoke me to anger by their sins.  So I am about to consume Baasha and his house, and I will make your house like that of Jeroboam son of Nebat. Dogs will eat those belonging to Baasha who die in the city, and the birds of the air will feed on those who die in the country."

As Baasha killed Nadab, Baasha's kingdom will also perish.

Jehu recorded the details of the reign of Jehoshaphat (according to 2 Chronicles 20: 34.) More details about the reign of Baasha are recorded by Josephus in his Antiquites of the Jews, Book VIII.

I Kings 16: 5-7, Elah

As for the other events of Baasha's reign, what he did and his achievements, are they not written in the book of the annals of the kings of Israel? Baasha rested with his fathers and was buried in Tirzah. 

And Elah his son succeeded him as king. Moreover, the word of the LORD came through the prophet Jehu son of Hanani to Baasha and his house, because of all the evil he had done in the eyes of the LORD, provoking him to anger by the things he did, and becoming like the house of Jeroboam--and also because he destroyed it.

Elah, son of Baasha become king.  At this time, another prophet, Jehu, speaks out against Baasha. Hubbard argues that this book of Kings, along with recording the various dynasties, emphasizes the important role of prophets.

I Kings 16: 8-14, Zimri

In the twenty-sixth year of Asa king of Judah, Elah son of Baasha became king of Israel, and he reigned in Tirzah two years. Zimri, one of his officials, who had command of half his chariots, plotted against him. Elah was in Tirzah at the time, getting drunk in the home of Arza, the man in charge of the palace at Tirzah. Zimri came in, struck him down and killed him in the twenty-seventh year of Asa king of Judah. Then he succeeded him as king.

As soon as he began to reign and was seated on the throne, he killed off Baasha's whole family. He did not spare a single male, whether relative or friend. So Zimri destroyed the whole family of Baasha, in accordance with the word of the LORD spoken against Baasha through the prophet Jehu-- because of all the sins Baasha and his son Elah had committed and had caused Israel to commit, so that they provoked the LORD, the God of Israel, to anger by their worthless idols. As for the other events of Elah's reign, and all he did, are they not written in the book of the annals of the kings of Israel?

Zimri kills Elah while Elah is drunk and partying.  Zimri then destroys Baasha's family, as foretold earlier by the prophet Jehu.

I Kings 16: 15-20, Omri defeats Zimri

In the twenty-seventh year of Asa king of Judah, Zimri reigned in Tirzah seven days. The army was encamped near Gibbethon, a Philistine town. When the Israelites in the camp heard that Zimri had plotted against the king and murdered him, they proclaimed Omri, the commander of the army, king over Israel that very day there in the camp. Then Omri and all the Israelites with him withdrew from Gibbethon and laid siege to Tirzah. 

When Zimri saw that the city was taken, he went into the citadel of the royal palace and set the palace on fire around him. So he died, because of the sins he had committed, doing evil in the eyes of the LORD and walking in the ways of Jeroboam and in the sin he had committed and had caused Israel to commit.

As for the other events of Zimri's reign, and the rebellion he carried out, are they not written in the book of the annals of the kings of Israel?

The reigns of the kings of the northern kingdom are getting shorter and shorter. Zimri only lasts seven days before Omri besieges Tirzah and Zimri kills himself by setting the palace on fire around him.

We are promised more details about Zimri's reign in "the book of the annals of the kings of Israel", but the reign is so short that this promise seems to be more of a mantra at the end of each short biography of a king.

I Kings 16: 21-28, Omri builds Samaria

Then the people of Israel were split into two factions; half supported Tibni son of Ginath for king, and the other half supported Omri. But Omri's followers proved stronger than those of Tibni son of Ginath. So Tibni died and Omri became king.

 In the thirty-first year of Asa king of Judah, Omri became king of Israel, and he reigned twelve years, six of them in Tirzah. He bought the hill of Samaria from Shemer for two talents of silver and built a city on the hill, calling it Samaria, after Shemer, the name of the former owner of the hill.

But Omri did evil in the eyes of the LORD and sinned more than all those before him.  He walked in all the ways of Jeroboam son of Nebat and in his sin, which he had caused Israel to commit, so that they provoked the LORD, the God of Israel, to anger by their worthless idols.

As for the other events of Omri's reign, what he did and the things he achieved, are they not written in the book of the annals of the kings of Israel? Omri rested with his fathers and was buried in Samaria. And Ahab his son succeeded him as king.

Omri defeats another pretender, Tibni.  The Omri builds a capitol city, Samaria. The northern kingdom will now be centered on Samaria. Omri manages to reign twelve years.

Few archaeological details of ancient Israelite history have survived the almost three millennia since that time. But Omri is named in the Moabite Stone (often called the Mesha Stele) where a Moabite king  brags about defeating a son of Omri in several battles. The Stele describes Omri as having "oppressed Moab for many days", but eventually the Moabites fight back.

I Kings 16: 29-33,  Ahab and Jezebel

In the thirty-eighth year of Asa king of Judah, Ahab son of Omri became king of Israel, and he reigned in Samaria over Israel twenty-two years. Ahab son of Omri did more evil in the eyes of the LORD than any of those before him.

He not only considered it trivial to commit the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, but he also married Jezebel daughter of Ethbaal king of the Sidonians, and began to serve Baal and worship him. He set up an altar for Baal in the temple of Baal that he built in Samaria. Ahab also made an Asherah pole and did more to provoke the LORD, the God of Israel, to anger than did all the kings of Israel before him

Omri's reign is followed by the reign of his son, Ahab. He and his wife, Jezebel, will be the center of our story for a time.

I Kings 16: 34, Jericho rebuilt

In Ahab's time, Hiel of Bethel rebuilt Jericho. He laid its foundations at the cost of his firstborn son Abiram, and he set up its gates at the cost of his youngest son Segub, in accordance with the word of the LORD spoken by Joshua son of Nun.

We have a tangential statement that updates us on the reconstruction of Jericho. The prophecy by Joshua is in Joshua 6: 26.

After Jeroboam created the northern kingdom, there have been, in Israel, Nadab, Baasha, Elah, Zimri, Omri, Ahab. The reigns of Jeroboam and Baasha are over twenty years in length; the reign of Omri was twelve. The others only reigned for a short time.  Ahab will reign twenty-two years.  (A summary of the kings of Judah and Israel is given on this Wikipedia page.)

Stories from the notorious reign of Ahab and his queen will begin in the next chapter.