Ahab

Ahab (Hebrew: אַחְאָב, Modern: Aẖ'av, Tiberian: ʼAḥʼāḇ; Akkadian: 𒀀𒄩𒀊𒁍, romanized: Aḫabbu; Ancient Greek: Ἀχαάβ; Latin: Achab) was the seventh king of Israel since Jeroboam I, the son and successor of Omri, and the husband of Jezebel of Sidon, according to the Hebrew Scriptures. The Hebrew Bible presents Ahab as a wicked king, particularly for condoning Jezebel's influence on religious policies and his principal role behind Naboth's arbitrary execution. The existence of Ahab is historically supported outside the Bible. Shalmaneser III documented in 853 BC that he defeated an alliance of a dozen kings in the Battle of Qarqar; one of these was Ahab. Ahab became king of Israel in the thirty-eighth year of Asa, king of Judah, and reigned for twenty-two years, according to 1 Kings. William F. Albright dated his reign to 869–850 BC, while E. R. Thiele offered the dates 874–853 BC. Most recently, Michael D. Coogan has dated Ahab's reign to 871–852 BC.