The Meaning of 2 Kings 8:18 Explained

2 Kings 8:18

KJV: And he walked in the way of the kings of Israel, as did the house of Ahab: for the daughter of Ahab was his wife: and he did evil in the sight of the LORD.

YLT: And he walketh in the way of the kings of Israel, as did the house of Ahab, for a daughter of Ahab was to him for a wife, and he doth the evil thing in the eyes of Jehovah,

Darby: And he walked in the way of the kings of Israel, as did the house of Ahab, for the daughter of Ahab was his wife; and he did evil in the sight of Jehovah.

ASV: And he walked in the way of the kings of Israel, as did the house of Ahab: for he had the daughter of Ahab to wife; and he did that which was evil in the sight of Jehovah.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And he walked  in the way  of the kings  of Israel,  as did  the house  of Ahab:  for the daughter  of Ahab  was his wife:  and he did  evil  in the sight  of the LORD. 

What does 2 Kings 8:18 Mean?

Context Summary

2 Kings 8:16-29 - Athaliah's Wicked Husband And Sons
Jehoram's history furnishes a terrible example of how an ill-marriage may mar a man's life. He had a good father, but a bad wife, and the latter more strongly influenced him than the former, 2 Chronicles 21:6. The fuller story of Jehoram's reign, and the apparent extinction of the royal family, is told in 2 Chronicles 22:1-12. But notice especially 2 Kings 8:19. The lamp was kept burning for David's sake, Psalms 132:17. Surely the grace of God can keep that same lamp burning in the hearts of our children. A lamp, as we learned from the Chicago fire, may make a very great conflagration.
Ahaziah followed in the steps of his parents. What could be expected from the training of such a mother! Misled by her, he followed the dreary steps of Ahab. The close intimacy between the two houses led to alliance in war and a common fate. Little did Jehoshaphat realize all the evil that would result from his dealings with Ahab, 1 Kings 22:4. The story told in these pages is sad reading, but through it all God's purpose moves on. See Matthew 1:8. As a water-lily grows from a muddy bottom, so the pure life of Christ came, on the human side, out of this family. God's purpose shall finally emerge from this present strife in a further revelation of the Son of man. [source]

Chapter Summary: 2 Kings 8

1  The Shunammite, having left her country seven years, to avoid the famine,
5  for Elisha's miracle's sake has her land restored by the king
7  Hazael Murders Ben-Hadad and succeeds him
16  Jehoram's wicked reign in Judah
20  Edom and Libnah revolt
23  Ahaziah succeeds Jehoram
25  Ahaziah's wicked reign
28  He visits Joram, being wounded, at Jezreel

What do the individual words in 2 Kings 8:18 mean?

And he walked in the way of the kings of Israel just as had done the house of Ahab for the daughter of Ahab was his wife and he did evil in the sight of Yahweh
וַיֵּ֜לֶךְ בְּדֶ֣רֶךְ ׀ מַלְכֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֗ל כַּאֲשֶׁ֤ר עָשׂוּ֙ בֵּ֣ית אַחְאָ֔ב כִּ֚י בַּת־ אַחְאָ֔ב הָֽיְתָה־ לּ֖וֹ לְאִשָּׁ֑ה וַיַּ֥עַשׂ הָרַ֖ע בְּעֵינֵ֥י יְהוָֽה

וַיֵּ֜לֶךְ  And  he  walked 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: הָלַךְ  
Sense: to go, walk, come.
בְּדֶ֣רֶךְ ׀  in  the  way 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, common singular construct
Root: דֶּרֶךְ  
Sense: way, road, distance, journey, manner.
מַלְכֵ֣י  of  the  kings 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct
Root: מֶלֶךְ 
Sense: king.
יִשְׂרָאֵ֗ל  of  Israel 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יִשְׂרָאֵל  
Sense: the second name for Jacob given to him by God after his wrestling with the angel at Peniel.
כַּאֲשֶׁ֤ר  just  as 
Parse: Preposition-k, Pronoun, relative
Root: אֲשֶׁר 
Sense: (relative part.).
עָשׂוּ֙  had  done 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person common plural
Root: עָשָׂה 
Sense: to do, fashion, accomplish, make.
בֵּ֣ית  the  house 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: בַּיִת 
Sense: house.
אַחְאָ֔ב  of  Ahab 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: אַחְאָב 
Sense: king of Israel, son of Omri, husband of Jezebel.
בַּת־  the  daughter 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct
Root: בַּת  
Sense: daughter.
אַחְאָ֔ב  of  Ahab 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: אַחְאָב 
Sense: king of Israel, son of Omri, husband of Jezebel.
לּ֖וֹ  his 
Parse: Preposition, third person masculine singular
לְאִשָּׁ֑ה  wife 
Parse: Preposition-l, Noun, feminine singular
Root: אִשָּׁה  
Sense: woman, wife, female.
וַיַּ֥עַשׂ  and  he  did 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: עָשָׂה 
Sense: to do, fashion, accomplish, make.
הָרַ֖ע  evil 
Parse: Article, Adjective, masculine singular
Root: רַע 
Sense: bad, evil.
בְּעֵינֵ֥י  in  the  sight 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, cdc
Root: עֹונָה 
Sense: eye.
יְהוָֽה  of  Yahweh 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יהוה 
Sense: the proper name of the one true God.