How does Pekah's reign compare to other kings in Israel's history?

\Scripture Snapshot: 2 Kings 15:27\

“In the fifty-second year of Azariah king of Judah, Pekah son of Remaliah became king over Israel in Samaria, and he reigned twenty years.”

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Quick Facts About Pekah\

• Son of Remaliah, seized the throne by assassinating Pekahiah (2 Kings 15:25)

• Ruled from Samaria for twenty years (c. 752–732 BC)

• Verdict: “He did evil in the sight of the LORD and did not turn away from the sins that Jeroboam son of Nebat had caused Israel to commit.” (2 Kings 15:28)

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Pekah’s Slot in Israel’s Royal Line\

1. Jeroboam I – launched calf worship

2. Nadab → Baasha → Elah → Zimri – same sin cycle

3. Omri – founded Samaria, “acted more wickedly”

4. Ahab – brought in full-blown Baal worship

5. Jehu – ended Baal cult, kept calf cult

6. Jeroboam II – territorial high-water mark, no reform

7. Pekah – twenty years, continued idolatry, heavy losses

8. Hoshea – last king before 722 BC exile

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Spiritual Comparison\

• Jeroboam I originated the calf shrines; Pekah preserved them.

• Ahab chased foreign gods; Pekah stuck to the familiar idolatry—still rebellion.

• Unlike southern reformers (e.g., Hezekiah, 2 Kings 18:3-6), Pekah initiated no repentance movement.

• Result: the same prophetic indictment echoed—“evil in the sight of the LORD.”

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Political and Military Contrast\

• Jeroboam II expanded borders (2 Kings 14:25-28); Pekah lost Galilee and Gilead to Tiglath-Pileser III (2 Kings 15:29).

• Earlier kings like Omri and Ahab forged successful alliances; Pekah’s pact with Aram (Isaiah 7:1) provoked Assyria and hastened Israel’s decline.

• Pekah came to power by conspiracy and died the same way (2 Kings 15:30), spotlighting chronic instability.

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Prophets on the Scene\

• Hosea cried out against calf worship and social injustice during Pekah’s years (Hosea 1:1; 8:4-7).

• Isaiah confronted the Syro-Ephraimite coalition, assuring Judah that Pekah would fail and foretelling Immanuel (Isaiah 7:1-17).

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Bottom Line\

• Spiritually: Pekah stood shoulder-to-shoulder with the worst of Israel’s kings—no reform, no repentance.

• Politically: his reign reversed prior gains and signaled the kingdom’s terminal decline.

• Historically: the literal fulfillment of prophetic warnings in Pekah’s lifetime underlines God’s unwavering justice—persistent sin inevitably meets promised judgment.