Table of Contents
Examples of wicked kings in the Bible
While some kings did good, other kings dealt wickedly with the people over whom they ruled, hence the description ‘wicked kings‘. Arranged chronologically, these are examples of wicked kings and the most wicked kings in history recorded in the Bible:
1. Adoni-bezek , the Canaanite king
Adoni-bezek was a Canaanite king. He was king of Bezek, which was a city in Canaan. He was king at the time when the Israelites came into the land of Canaan. During Adoni-bezek’s regime, when he goes out to defeat and capture another king in battle, he mutilates him by cutting off his thumbs and his big toes and then brings him along to Bezek. According to his own confession, he has done such a wicked act to 70 kings. God brought the same punishment upon him when he himself was captured by the Israelites. Bible reference, Judges 1:1-7.
2. Saul, king of Israel
It is very sad that, though King Saul started well as a humble man, he degenerated later to become a tyrant and a vicious manhunter who destroyed the lives of many. King Saul was a Benjaminite and the son of Kish. His sense of insecurity and his fit of jealousy and hatred for David drove him to commit serious atrocities against innocent people. King Saul was told by Doeg, the Edomite, that David had been to Nob and the priest Ahimelech had helped him, giving him provisions and the sword of Goliath and inquiring of the Lord for him. On hearing that, King Saul sent for Ahimelech and his entire family, the household of his father Ahitub; and they came to Saul at Gibeah. And King Saul, after interrogating them, commanded Doeg, the Edomite, to kill them. And Doeg fell on Ahimelech and the entire members of his family – the household of Ahitub, killing eighty-five priests on that day. That still did not quench Saul’s thirst for revenge; further, Saul attacked Nob, the city of the priests, and put to the sword both men and women, children and infants, oxen, donkeys, and sheep. Only Abiathar the son of Ahimelech escaped the massacre to inform David. Such a wicked deed makes King Saul a wicked king. Bible reference 1 Samuel 22:6-9
3. Ahab, king of Israel
King Ahab of Israel, son of King Omri, was married to Jezebel. In his day, the Kingdom of Israel degenerated further into idolatry, and many atrocities were committed. Queen Jezebel hid behind Ahab’s power to commit evil in Israel:
- In Ahab’s name, she devised a plan to successfully kill Naboth so that Ahab could usurp his vineyard. 1 Kings 21:1-16.
- She also proceeded to lay hands on the prophets of God and killed them. 1 Kings 18:13
All these were done with Ahab’s seal of approval; for Jezebel could not have done anything without the consent and the interest of Ahab. Thus King Ahab is equally as guilty as Jezebel for the murder of prophets of God and the death of Naboth. More so, King Ahab persecuted Micaiah the prophet of God, committing him to prison for prophesying that he, Ahab, would die in a war with the Syrians. Considering his wickedness, King Ahab belongs to the category of wicked kings in the Bible. Bible reference 1 Kings 22:1-28.
4. Jehoram, king of Judah
King Jehoram was the son and successor of King Jehoshaphat. He did not fear nor seek the Lord like his father King Jehoshaphat. When he firmly had his grip on power as king of Judah, he went on to commit atrocities. He killed all his brothers, the sons of King Jehoshaphat, his father. Moreover, he also did purging; that is to say, he killed several leaders in his kingdom, such as heads of communities, key personalities, etc., which was uncalled for. In short, King Jehoram really proved himself to be a wicked king. Bible reference 2 Chronicles 21:4
5. Hazael, king of Syria
Benhadad, king of Syria, was sick in Damascus. When he heard that Elisha, the prophet, had come to Damascus, he sent Hazael to enquire of the Lord by him whether he would recover or not. When Hazael came to enquire of the Lord, Elisha answered and said to him, “Go, say unto him (Benhadad), Thou mayest certainly recover: howbeit the LORD hath shewed me that he shall surely die”. After answering Benhadad, he, Elisha, burst into tears before Hazael. Then Hazael asked humbly why he was weeping; and Elisha answered him, “Because I know the evil that thou wilt do unto the children of Israel: their strong holds wilt thou set on fire, and their young men wilt thou slay with the sword, and wilt dash their children, and rip up their women with child”. You can be sure that Hazael committed all those atrocities to the latter because it was God who revealed it to Elisha. All these callous deeds of Hazael foretold by Elisha came to pass through war and conquest – 2 Kings 10:32; 12:17; 13:3,7. Truly, the smashing of children against the wall or stones to kill them; and the barbaric act of cutting open the bellies of pregnant women, killing the woman and the unborn baby, gives Hazael a place in the category of wicked kings in the Bible. Bible Reference 2 Kings 8:7-15.
6. Menahem, king of Israel
King Menahem, son of Gadi, conspired against King Shallum. He went up from Tirzah to kill King Shallum in Samaria and usurped the throne. Afterward, the Bible says that King Menahem attacked Tiphsah; that is those in the city and its vicinity; because they refused to open the gates of their city to him, neither did they submit to him as a conqueror nor receive him as their king. King Menahem, therefore, attacked the city of Tiphsah; worse yet, he, like Hazael, cut open the bellies of all pregnant women in Tiphzah and its vicinity, killing the mother and the unborn baby. Perhaps, by committing this barbarity he thought to terrify the whole kingdom, that none might dare to rebel against him. Just like Hazael, King Menahem is counted among wicked kings. Bible reference 2 Kings 15:16
7. Manasseh, king of Judah
King Manasseh was the son and successor of King Hezekiah. He reigned for fifty-five years, making him the
8. Nebuchadnezzar II, king of Babylon
Nebuchadnezzar, the ancient Babylonian king, is widely regarded as a wicked ruler. His reign, which lasted from 605 to 562 BC, was marked by cruelty, oppression, and a thirst for power. Nebuchadnezzar’s conquests and military campaigns were driven by his desire to expand his empire and assert his dominance over neighboring lands. He employed brutal tactics, such as the destruction of cities and the enslavement of conquered peoples, to achieve his goals. Nebuchadnezzar was known for his arrogance and egotism, often considering himself a god and demanding worship from his subjects. As a testimony to his wickedness, Nebuchadnezzar had a furnace exceedingly heated so that he could burn Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego for refusing to bow down to this golden idol (Daniel 3:16-28). Also, upon capturing Jerusalem, Nebuchadnezzar arrested King Zedekiah and his family. He had Zedekiah’s sons killed right before Zedekiah’s eyes. After, he gouged out Zedekiah’s eyes (2 Kings 25:7).
9. Herod the Great, king of Judea
When Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem to seek him for they have seen his star and they have come to worship him. When Herod the king heard these things, he was troubled. And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he demanded of them where the Christ would be born. And they told him that Christ would be born in Bethlehem of Judaea. Then King Herod sent the wise men to Bethlehem and told them that if they found Jesus they should come back to inform him of his whereabouts so that he too would go to worship. Then the wise men left for Bethlehem. Eventually, they found Jesus. However, having been warned in a dream, they did not go back to inform King Herod of the whereabouts of the child but departed to their own country another way. Then King Herod, when he saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, became furious, and he sent and killed all the male children in Bethlehem and in all that region who were two years old or under at the time. Even today, King Herod is still remembered as the wicked king who committed the atrocity of ordering the killing of children on a large scale. Hence he is counted among the wicked kings in the Bible. Bible reference Matthew 2:1-18
10. Herod Antipas or Herod the tetrarch of Galilee
John the Baptist preached against Herod’s affair with Herodias, the wife of Philip, Herod Antipas’ brother, saying to him, “It is not lawful for thee to have her”. In consequence of this, Herod laid hold of John the Baptist, bound him, and imprisoned him. He would have had John killed had it not been that he feared the uprising of the people because they counted John as a prophet. However, when Herod Antipas was keeping his birthday, the daughter of Herodias came to dance at the feast, and it pleased Herod so much that he promised with an oath to give her whatever she asked for. Having been influenced by her mother, the girl asked for the head of John the Baptist. Though Herod Antipas was distressed at her request, nevertheless for the sake of the oath and the guests at the feast, he ordered that her request be granted. He sent and had John beheaded in prison. John’s head was brought in on a platter and given to the girl, who carried it to Herodias, her mother. For shedding innocent blood, Antipas is one of the wicked kings in the Bible. Bible reference Matthew 14:1-12.
11. Herod Agrippa I, king of Judea
In the early days of Christianity, not long after its beginning, Herod Agrippa raised a hand of persecution against the Christians, though they had done no evil nor committed any offense. He first caught James, the brother of John, and killed him with the sword. When he saw that the Jews were pleased with his wicked act, he proceeded further to take Peter and committed him to prison under the guard of four squads of four soldiers each, intending to kill him as he had killed James. Herod would have continued to arrest and kill Christians to the last person had it not been for the intervention of God. While Peter was in custody, the church interceded for him, the Lord delivered Peter from the hands of Herod through His angel in a miraculous manner that baffled Herod. Herod, perhaps, gave up on arresting Christians after that event of Peter’s miraculous prison break. Taking the lives of innocent Christians just to please the Jews makes him one of the many wicked kings in the Bible. Bible reference Acts 12:1-19