“temple.” The Hebrew is “house,” and the “house of Baal” is the temple of Baal. In the biblical culture, temples were commonly referred to as the “house” of the god (or God), and the Temple of God is often called the “house of God.” This was common knowledge in biblical times, but not well known today. Good evidence of that fact is reflected in Christian tradition, which teaches that the experience of the tongues of fire on the Day of Pentecost happened in the upper room of a “house,” because Acts 2:2 says the sound filled the “house.” Thankfully, modern scholars are beginning to realize the “house” in Acts 2 is the Temple (see commentary on Acts 2:2). Ordinarily the REV would leave the word “house” in the text and not translate it “temple,” but in this case, the sin of Ahab is so egregious that it is important that the English reader understands that Ahab actually built a temple for Baal in his capital city.