Discovery Box1 Kings 16:8-29 
Context16:8 In the twenty-sixth year of King Asa’s reign over Judah, Baasha’s son Elah became king over Israel; he ruled in Tirzah for two years. 16:9 His servant Zimri, a commander of half of his chariot force, conspired against him. While Elah was drinking heavily 1 at the house of Arza, who supervised the palace in Tirzah, 16:10 Zimri came in and struck him dead. (This happened in the twenty-seventh year of Asa’s reign over Judah.) Zimri replaced Elah as king. 2 16:11 When he became king and occupied the throne, he killed Baasha’s entire family. He did not spare any male belonging to him; he killed his relatives and his friends. 3 16:12 Zimri destroyed Baasha’s entire family, just as the Lord had predicted to Baasha 4 through Jehu the prophet. 16:13 This happened because of all the sins which Baasha and his son Elah committed and which they made Israel commit. They angered the Lord God of Israel with their worthless idols. 5
16:14 The rest of the events of Elah’s reign, including all his accomplishments, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Israel. 6
16:15 In the twenty-seventh year of Asa’s reign over Judah, Zimri became king over Israel; he ruled for seven days in Tirzah. Zimri’s revolt took place while the army was deployed 7 in Gibbethon, which was in Philistine territory. 16:16 While deployed there, the army received this report: 8 “Zimri has conspired against the king and assassinated him.” 9 So all Israel made Omri, the commander of the army, king over Israel that very day in the camp. 16:17 Omri and all Israel went up from Gibbethon and besieged Tirzah. 16:18 When Zimri saw that the city was captured, he went into the fortified area of the royal palace. He set the palace on fire and died in the flames. 10 16:19 This happened because of the sins he committed. He did evil in the sight of 11 the Lord and followed in Jeroboam’s footsteps and encouraged Israel to continue sinning. 12
16:20 The rest of the events of Zimri’s reign, including the details of his revolt, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Israel. 13
16:21 At that time the people of Israel were divided in their loyalties. Half the people supported Tibni son of Ginath and wanted to make him king; the other half supported Omri. 16:22 Omri’s supporters were stronger than those who supported Tibni son of Ginath. Tibni died; Omri became king.
16:23 In the thirty-first year of Asa’s reign over Judah, Omri became king over Israel. He ruled for twelve years, six of them in Tirzah. 16:24 He purchased the hill of Samaria 14 from Shemer for two talents 15 of silver. He launched a construction project there 16 and named the city he built after Shemer, the former owner of the hill of Samaria. 16:25 Omri did more evil in the sight of 17 the Lord than all who were before him. 16:26 He followed in the footsteps of Jeroboam son of Nebat and encouraged Israel to sin; 18 they angered the Lord God of Israel with their worthless idols. 19
16:27 The rest of the events of Omri’s reign, including his accomplishments and successes, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Israel. 20 16:28 Omri passed away 21 and was buried in Samaria. His son Ahab replaced him as king. 22
16:29 In the thirty-eighth year of Asa’s reign over Judah, Omri’s son Ahab became king over Israel. Ahab son of Omri ruled over Israel for twenty-two years in Samaria. 23
1 tn Heb “while he was drinking and drunken.”
2 tn Heb “and he became king in his place.”
3 tn Heb “and he did not spare any belonging to him who urinate against a wall, [including] his kinsmen redeemers and his friends.”
4 tn Heb “according to the word of the
5 tn Heb “angering the
6 tn Heb “As for the rest of the events of Elah, and all which he did, are they not written on the scroll of the events of the days of the kings of Israel?”
7 tn Heb “Now the people were encamped.
8 tn Heb “and the people who were encamped heard.”
9 tn Heb “has conspired against and also has struck down the king.”
10 tn Heb “and he burned the house of the king over him with fire and he died.”
11 tn Heb “in the eyes of.”
12 tn Heb “walking in the way of Jeroboam and in his sin which he did to make Israel sin.”
13 tn Heb “As for the rest of the events of Zimri, and his conspiracy which he conspired, are they not written on the scroll of the events of the days of the kings of Israel?”
14 map For location see Map2 B1; Map4 D3; Map5 E2; Map6 A4; Map7 C1.
15 tn The Hebrew term כִּכָּר (kikkar, “circle”) refers generally to something that is round. When used of metals it can refer to a disk-shaped weight made of the metal or to a standard unit of weight, generally regarded as a talent. Since the accepted weight for a talent of metal is about 75 pounds, this would have amounted to about 150 pounds of silver.
16 tn Heb “he built up the hill.”
17 tn Heb “in the eyes of.”
18 tn Heb “walked in all the way of Jeroboam son of Nebat and in his sin which he made Israel sin.”
19 tn Heb “angering the
20 tn Heb “As for the rest of the acts of Omri which he did, and his strength which he demonstrated, are they not written on the scroll of the events of the days of the kings of Israel?”
21 tn Heb “lay down with his fathers.”
22 tc The Old Greek has eight additional verses here. Cf. 1 Kgs 22:41-44.
23 map For location see Map2 B1; Map4 D3; Map5 E2; Map6 A4; Map7 C1.
