The Meaning of 1 Kings 22:40 Explained

1 Kings 22:40

KJV: So Ahab slept with his fathers; and Ahaziah his son reigned in his stead.

YLT: And Ahab lieth with his fathers, and Ahaziah his son reigneth in his stead.

Darby: And Ahab slept with his fathers; and Ahaziah his son reigned in his stead.

ASV: So Ahab slept with his fathers; and Ahaziah his son reigned in his stead.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

So Ahab  slept  with his fathers;  and Ahaziah  his son  reigned  in his stead. 

What does 1 Kings 22:40 Mean?

Context Summary

1 Kings 22:29-40 - The Bow At A Venture Executes God's Sentence
The cup of Ahab's sins was full, and the arrow at a venture executed divine retribution. Had Micaiah not spoken, men would have attributed this apparently chance arrow to misfortune; now, however, it became invested with quite another significance. There is no such thing as chance in this world. The bird does not fall to the ground, the arrow does not find its way to the heart, without a superintending Providence. Whether you live or die, your life is under the immediate supervision of the Almighty. In the battlefield, not a single bullet can hit your beloved, apart from the permitting providence of God. All is under law.
Put on the whole armor of God that you may be able to stand in the evil day. Take the shield of faith, as covering your whole being, lest the joints of the armor open to the fiery darts of your foe. Watch and pray that you enter not into temptation. Note the contrast in the end of these men. The one went to his own place; no disguise could avert his doom. The other seems to have returned to God, 1 Kings 22:32 and 2 Chronicles 18:31, and God gave him years of rest, victory, and prosperity, of which further details are given in 2 Chronicles 19:1-11; 2 Chronicles 20:1-37.
1 Kings 22:1-53 - A Prosperous Nation
What a picture is here given of national contentment and prosperity! We can almost hear the gladsome voice of the myriad-peopled land, teeming with young life and laden with golden harvests. It was the summer of their national existence. The sacred scribe enumerates first the high officials of the court, then the daily provision of the king, his studies, and his fame. Abundant proof was yielded by all these circumstances to the manner in which God kept the pledges which had been made to David, his father.
Here is Solomon "in all his glory," but as we turn from him to the lowly Carpenter of Nazareth, who had nowhere to lay His head; who found His friends among the poor; and who ultimately laid down His life a ransom for many, we realize that, even apart from His divine nature, His was the nobler ideal and the richer existence. "A greater than Solomon is here." Who can measure His empire or resources? What tongue can recount His wisdom? Happy and safe are they that sit at His table, hear His words, and are joint-heirs with Him in His Kingdom! Romans 8:17. [source]

Chapter Summary: 1 Kings 22

1  Ahab, seduced by false prophets, by Michaiah's word, is slain at Ramoth Gilead
37  The dogs lick up his blood, and Ahaziah succeeds him
41  Jehoshaphat's good reign
45  His acts
46  Jehoram succeeds him
51  Ahaziah's evil reign

What do the individual words in 1 Kings 22:40 mean?

so rested Ahab with his fathers and reigned Ahaziah his son in his place -
וַיִּשְׁכַּ֥ב אַחְאָ֖ב עִם־ אֲבֹתָ֑יו וַיִּמְלֹ֛ךְ אֲחַזְיָ֥הוּ בְנ֖וֹ תַּחְתָּֽיו פ

וַיִּשְׁכַּ֥ב  so  rested 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: שָׁכַב  
Sense: to lie down.
אַחְאָ֖ב  Ahab 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: אַחְאָב 
Sense: king of Israel, son of Omri, husband of Jezebel.
אֲבֹתָ֑יו  his  fathers 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct, third person masculine singular
Root: אָב  
Sense: father of an individual.
וַיִּמְלֹ֛ךְ  and  reigned 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: מָלַךְ 
Sense: to be or become king or queen, reign.
אֲחַזְיָ֥הוּ  Ahaziah 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: אֲחַזְיָה 
Sense: ruler of Israel, son of Ahab.
בְנ֖וֹ  his  son 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, third person masculine singular
Root: בֵּן 
Sense: son, grandson, child, member of a group.
תַּחְתָּֽיו  in  his  place 
Parse: Preposition, third person masculine singular
Root: מִתְחָה 
Sense: the under part, beneath, instead of, as, for, for the sake of, flat, unto, where, whereas.
פ  - 
Parse: Punctuation