Albert Barnes Commentary 1 Kings 16:31

"And it came to pass, as if it had been a light thing for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, that he took to wife Jezebel the daughter of Ethbaal king of the Sidonians, and went and served Baal, and worshipped him." — 1 Kings 16:31 (ASV)

As if it had been a light thing for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam (1 Kings 16:31) — Idolatries are not exclusive. While Ahab detested the pure worship of Yahweh and allowed Jezebel to put to death every “prophet of the Lord” she could find (1 Kings 18:4), he readily tolerated the continued worship of the “calves.” This worship had no doubt tended more and more to lose its symbolic character and to become a thoroughly idolatrous form of image-worship.

Eth-baal is identified with the Ithobalus of Menander, who reigned in Tyre, probably over all Phoenicia, within 50 years of the death of Hiram. This Ithobalus, whose name means “With him is Baal,” was originally a priest of the great temple of Astarte in Tyre. At the age of 36, he conspired against the Tyrian king, Pheles (a usurping fratricide), killed him, and seized the throne. His reign lasted 32 years, and he established a dynasty that continued on the throne for at least 62 more years. Consequently, Jezebel was the great-aunt of Pygmalion and his sister Dido.

Served Baal. The worship of Baal by the Phoenicians is illustrated by names such as Ithobal and Hannibal. Abundant traces of this worship are found on Phoenician monuments.