“Thus says Yahweh of hosts,
The God of Israel,
Concerning Ahab,
The son of Kolaiah,
As well as Zedekiah,
The son of Maaseiah.
‘They were prophesying a lie
To you in my name.
I am going to deliver them
Into the hand
Of King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon.
He shall kill them
Before your eyes.
On account of them,
This curse shall be used
By all the exiles from Judah
In Babylon.
‘Yahweh makes you
Like Zedekiah,
Like Ahab,
Whom the king of Babylon
Roasted in the fire.’
Because they have
Perpetuated outrage
In Israel.
They have committed adultery
With their neighbors’ wives.
They have spoken in my name
Lying words
That I did not command them.
I am the one who knows.
I bear witness.
Says Yahweh.’”
Yahweh talked about two prophets whom King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon roasted in a fire. These two prophets were Ahab, the son of Kolaiah, and Zedekiah, the son of Maaseiah. There was a king of northern Israel in the 9th century (874-853 BCE) named King Ahab with his wife Jezebel, who had confrontations with the prophet Elijah, as found in 1 Kings, chapters 16-22. However, this Ahab is only mentioned here. Zedekiah has the same name as the current king of Judah. His father Maaseiah was also the father of the priest Zephaniah, mentioned in chapter 21. This Zedekiah is not mentioned elsewhere either. These two prophets were prophesying lies that Yahweh had not commanded, so that they deserved to be killed by the king of Babylon. We do not know exactly what lies they were telling, but they also were adulterers. They may have tried to rebel against the king. Thus their names would be a curse.
Eugene Finnegan Bible Project 