King Nadab of Israel (Hebrew: "liberal, generous") (r. 954-953 BC according to Ussher,[1] or 909-908 BC according to Thiele[2]) was the second king of the Northern Kingdom and the son and successor of Jeroboam I. His reign is one of the shorter reigns of the troubled Northern Kingdom.[3]
The author of I Kings says very little of Nadab's early life, beyond identifying his father, Jeroboam I. He might have been named after an earlier Nadab, eldest son of Aaron. If so, then that naming was most ominous indeed, for the earlier Nadab died after kindling the anger of God against him by worshiping God improperly.
In the second and last year of his reign, Nadab laid siege to Gibbethon, a Philistine town. During this time, one of his ranking generals, named Baasha, made a conspiracy against him and killed him. Moreover, Baasha completely destroyed every member of Nadab's and Jeroboam's families, as the prophet Ahijah the Shilonite had predicted.[4][5]
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Categories: [Kings of Israel]