King Ahab, according to the Bible, was the son of King Omri. He was one of Israel's most powerful rulers. He reigned over the Northern Ten Tribes of Israel from 874 to 853 B.C. Many consider him the worst ruler that ancient Israel ever had.

The evil of Ahab and Jezebel ultimately brings God's wrath upon them. The king, as was prophesied, is killed in battle in 853 B.C. (1Kings 21:19). The queen is allowed to live beyond her husband's death until 841 when, defiant and self-righteous to the end, she loses her life when she is tossed out of her window by some servants and dies.

As if this were not enough, Ahab's son Joram is also called Jehoram in 2Kings 3:1! Joash (2Kings 11:2), the son of Ahaziah and Judah's eighth ruler from 835 to 796 B.C., is sometimes called Jehoash (verse 21).

With the exception of Queen Athaliah (daughter of Israel's King Ahab and Jezebel), who seized power and ruled for six years, the Kingdom of Judah always had a descendant of David sitting on the throne. In 586 B.C. King Nebuchadnezzar lays siege to Jerusalem a third time. He destroys the city and burns its temple.

Jehu then kills Judah's King Ahaziah who was married to Ahab and Jezebel's daughter named Athaliah. Jehu then has Jezebel killed followed by murdering Ahab's seventy sons, all the other relatives of Ahab (thus destroying the Omri - Ahab dynasty), all of the relatives of Judah's Ahaziah, and lastly the pagan priests of Baal (2Kings 9 - 10).

Ramoth-gilead, during the reign of King Solomon, was made a district capital (1Kings 4:13). After Israel split, the city came under the control of the Syrians. King Ahab tried to retake the city, in 853 B.C., but was mortally wounded during the battle (1Kings 22:29 - 40).

Shalmaneser III was the first Neo-Assyrian king to come in contact, and conflict, with God's people. Israel's King Ahab (874 - 853), along with a confederation of princes, fought against him at the battle of Qarqar in 853 (The Mysterious Numbers of the Hebrew Kings by Edwin R. Thiele). King Jehu of Israel (841 - 814) began to pay tribute money ...

Ahab, after he captures Benhadad, refuses to execute him (as God commanded) but rather sets him free! The Lord then inspires a prophet to inform the sinful Israelite leader he will forfeit his own life in exchange for the one he released (1Kings 20:34 - 43).

And Elijah said unto Ahab, Get thee up, eat and drink; for there is a sound of abundance of rain . . . And it came to pass in the mean while, that the heaven was black with clouds and wind, and there was a great rain . . . And the hand of the Lord was on Elijah: and he girded up his loins, and ran before Ahab to the entrance of Jezreel.

The Hebrew word ahabah (Strong's Concordance #H160) is the feminine form of ahab (Strong's #H157). Strong's, as well as Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Definitions, defines ahab as having affection for someone (either sexually or "otherwise") …