Lives of Scripture

Ahab son of Kolaiah is named in Jeremiah's letter to the Judean exiles in Babylon as one of two men "prophesying to you falsely" in the LORD's name (Jeremiah 29:21). Alongside Zedekiah son of Maaseiah, Ahab claimed to speak for God without having been sent by Him, and the LORD also charged them with committing adultery with their neighbors' wives (29:23) -- sins the text states plainly rather than excusing. The LORD's judgment through Jeremiah was severe and specific: He would deliver both men into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar, who would put them to death before the eyes of the exiles (29:21). Their deaths would become proverbial -- "a curse... used by all the exiles from Judah in Babylon, saying, 'May the LORD make you like Zedekiah and Ahab, whom the king of Babylon roasted in fire'" (29:22). Ahab's brief, grim appearance in Scripture is a warning example of how easily false claims to speak for God can be paired with moral corruption, and how seriously God judges those who put words in His mouth that He never spoke.