Verse Lens · Expanded explanation
1 Kings 16:34 Explained in Context
Use this verse as a doorway into the larger passage—not as an isolated saying.
Verse 34. 34In his days did Hiel the Beth-elite build Jericho: he laid the foundation thereof in Abiram his firstborn, and set up the gates thereof in his youngest son Segub, according to the word of the LORD, which he spake by Joshua the son of Nun.
King James Version — public domain in the United States · Bible text and permissions
Quick Meaning
This verse states the thought unit's compressed movement: “In his days did Hiel the Beth-elite build Jericho: he laid the foundation thereof in Abiram his firstborn….” Its responsible meaning belongs to the complete movement “Hiel rebuilds Jericho at the cost of his sons.”
Hiel rebuilds Jericho, and his sons die in the building
This verse is one part of that explanation in 1 Kings 16:34. The complete section carries the connected meaning and how it should shape life.
Read It With
- 1 Kings 16:33–34
Read 1 Kings 16:34 with 16:33–34. The selected wording supplies one statement in the thought unit's compressed movement; the surrounding verses supply the causes, responses, and outcome summarized here: Links Hiel's rebuilding of Jericho and the deaths of his sons with Joshua's earlier word.
Why This Verse Appears Here
Within “Hiel rebuilds Jericho at the cost of his sons,” 1 Kings 16:34 states the thought unit's compressed movement through the wording “In his days did Hiel the Beth-elite build Jericho: he laid the foundation thereof in Abiram his firstborn….” Its placement is governed by this reviewed relationship: Hiel's rebuilding notice invokes Joshua's curse and closes Ahab's opening decline with the deaths of Hiel's sons.
Read 1 Kings 16:34–34 together
Why these verses belong together: Hiel rebuilds Jericho at the cost of his sons is the complete reviewed scene, prayer, oracle, list, or regnal notice bounded at 16:34–16:34.
Verse 34. 34 In his days did Hiel the Beth-elite build Jericho: he laid the foundation thereof in Abiram his firstborn, and set up the gates thereof in his youngest son Segub, according to the word of the LORD, which he spake by Joshua the son of Nun.
What This Verse Is Not Saying
1 Kings 16:34 does not permit the wording “In his days did Hiel the Beth-elite build Jericho: he laid the foundation thereof in Abiram his firstborn…” to be read apart from the selected verse's context. The unit does not blame a child or parent for illness or death, promise that every child will be healed, or turn grief and restored life into a technique, payment, or measure of faith.
What Remains True
Truthful witness may confront power without making every messenger, method, or claimed revelation morally infallible. This unit tests that truth through links Hiel's rebuilding of Jericho and the deaths of his sons with Joshua's earlier word. In 1 Kings 16:34, the concrete line “In his days did Hiel the Beth-elite build Jericho: he laid the foundation thereof in Abiram his firstborn…” keeps that truth accountable to the narrated evidence.
Teach It Back
In 70–220 words, explain 1 Kings 16:34's role in 16:33–34. Paraphrase “In his days did Hiel the Beth-elite build Jericho: he laid the foundation thereof in Abiram his firstborn…,” identify one agent or affected person, state one material source or historical limit, and name one conclusion the context does not authorize.
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Continue in Context
Read the complete section for the connected explanation and how it should shape life. This verse is a doorway into that passage, not a saying that stands alone.
Read 1 Kings 16:34 — Hiel rebuilds Jericho at the cost of his sonsSources used for this Verse Lens
How certain is this explanation? probable
These are the sources used directly for this lens. Language, grammar, disagreements, and the complete source shelf remain attached to the full thought-unit research record.
Biblical text
King James (Authorized) Version — eng-kjv2006
eBible.org and CrossWire Bible Society
USFM archive eng-kjv2006_usfm.zip; source files dated 2026-08-19; downloaded 2026-08-24; archive SHA-256 aec1b3b26c622fd3d963d2bbac963016b9513246ffbfa20da00bb100372ea007; normalized corpus SHA-256 09aef51d90488aa7b9722b3fd9a93f4b25f6bf2064c5fd798fb39673c300ddf2.
Supports: Exact displayed KJV wording, paragraph metadata, supplied-word markup, and complete verse coverage.
Exact location: 1 Kings 16:34, pinned eng-kjv2006 USFM corpus
Open source ↗hebrew text and morphology
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible: 1 Kings
Open Scriptures
Open Scriptures, release 2.2
Supports: Hebrew wording and morphology used for lexical, grammatical, name, clause, and older-English checks; this is not a critical apparatus or historical proof.
Exact location: Open Scriptures MorphHB v.2.2, commit 6a5db284c715c18b239422e57bb89684e6a19f00, wlc/1Kgs.xml, Masoretic words and morphology for 16:34
Open source ↗translation and translator notes
NET Bible: 1 Kings with translators' notes
Biblical Studies Press
Biblical Studies Press, 2006
Supports: Only printed unit-level translation, lexical, grammatical, textual, historical, and verse-numbering notes; silence is not evidence.
Exact location: NET Bible 1 Kings PDF, printed pp. 616–618, translation and translator notes for 16:34
Open source ↗