He served Baal and worshiped him: For served and worshiped, see the comments on 9.6. The verb served is virtually synonymous with worshiped here. For this reason Contemporary English Version uses only the verb “worshiped” to translate the two ideas. However, the first of these two verbs does have the connotation of being subservient to and owing allegiance. Bible en français courant shows the relationship between the two verbs by avoiding the conjunction and, reversing the order, and translating “He prostrated himself before the god Baal in order to pay homage to him.”

For Baal see the comments on 1 Kgs 16.31.

Regarding the Hebrew verb rendered provoked … to anger, see 1 Kgs 14.9.

Quoted with permission from Omanson, Roger L. and Ellington, John E. A Handbook on 1-2 Kings, Volume 1. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2008. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .