At some point during the twenty-four-year reign of the usurping Baasha (15:33–16:7), the prophet Jehu arrives with a strong denunciation. The fact that Baasha does a good imitation of Jeroboam is the initial reason for the prophetic word, as the hitherto unmentioned Jehu announces that the house of Baasha will experience an identical fate. Jehu’s confrontation certainly anticipates prophetic activity in the next major section of 1 Kings (chapters 17–22), and his phrase “from the dust” (16:2) evokes memories of Hannah’s song in 1 Samuel 2:8. Further, the dismal mention of dogs eating the royal corpse(s) will become a familiar refrain before long. After Baasha is buried in (yet another northern capital city) Tirzah, he is succeeded by Elah his son (16:8–14), whose two-year reign marks the en…