Topical Encyclopedia
Pekah, son of Remaliah, was a king of the northern kingdom of Israel who reigned during a tumultuous period marked by political instability and external threats. His reign is recorded in the biblical narrative, primarily in the books of 2 Kings and 2 Chronicles.
Background and Ascension to the ThronePekah's rise to power was characterized by intrigue and violence. He was originally a captain in the army of King Pekahiah, the son of Menahem. In a conspiracy against Pekahiah, Pekah assassinated him and seized the throne. This coup is detailed in
2 Kings 15:25: "Then Pekah son of Remaliah, one of his chief officers, conspired against him. Taking fifty men of Gilead with him, he assassinated Pekahiah, along with Argob and Arieh, in the citadel of the king’s palace at Samaria. So Pekah killed Pekahiah and reigned in his place."
Reign and Political AlliancesPekah's reign lasted for twenty years, during which he faced significant challenges both internally and externally. He is noted for forming an alliance with Rezin, the king of Aram (Syria), in opposition to the growing power of the Assyrian Empire. This alliance is mentioned in
Isaiah 7:1, where it is recorded that Pekah and Rezin waged war against Ahaz, the king of Judah, in an attempt to force him into their coalition against Assyria.
Conflict with JudahPekah's alliance with Rezin led to the Syro-Ephraimite War, a significant conflict with the southern kingdom of Judah. The prophet Isaiah was active during this time, providing counsel to King Ahaz of Judah.
Isaiah 7:4-7 records the Lord's message to Ahaz, reassuring him that the plans of Pekah and Rezin would not succeed: "Say to him: Calm down and be quiet. Do not be afraid or disheartened over these two smoldering stubs of firewood—over the fierce anger of Rezin and Aram and of the son of Remaliah. Aram, along with Ephraim and the son of Remaliah, has plotted your ruin, saying, 'Let us invade Judah, terrorize it, and divide it among ourselves. Then we can install the son of Tabeal over it as king.' But this is what the Lord GOD says: 'It will not happen; it will not occur.'"
Downfall and AssassinationPekah's reign came to an end through assassination, a common fate for many of Israel's kings during this period. Hoshea, the son of Elah, conspired against Pekah and killed him, taking the throne for himself. This event is recorded in
2 Kings 15:30: "Then Hoshea son of Elah conspired against Pekah son of Remaliah. He attacked and killed him, and reigned in his place, in the twentieth year of Jotham son of Uzziah."
LegacyPekah's reign is often viewed as a time of significant political and military turmoil. His alliance with Rezin and opposition to Assyria ultimately failed to secure the stability and security of Israel. The biblical narrative portrays his reign as part of the broader decline of the northern kingdom, leading to its eventual conquest by Assyria. Despite his efforts to resist foreign domination, Pekah's assassination marked another chapter in the cycle of violence and instability that plagued the northern kingdom until its fall.
Torrey's Topical Textbook
2 Kings 15:27-31In the two and fiftieth year of Azariah king of Judah Pekah the son of Remaliah began to reign over Israel in Samaria, and reigned twenty years.
Torrey's Topical Textbook2 Kings 16:5
Then Rezin king of Syria and Pekah son of Remaliah king of Israel came up to Jerusalem to war: and they besieged Ahaz, but could not overcome him.
Torrey's Topical Textbook
Library
The Antiquities of the Jews
... Wife Became More Wicked Than All The Kings That Had ... How Jotham, The Son Of Uzziah
Reigned Over The Tribe Of ... How Upon The Death Of Jotham, Ahaz Reigned In His ...
//christianbookshelf.org/josephus/the antiquities of the jews/
The Divided Kingdom.
... Reigned IS years and died ... During this time the kings of Judah cherished the hope
that they would regain ... (1) Jehovah rules not only in Israel but over all peoples ...
/.../tidwell/the bible period by period/chapter xiii the divided kingdom.htm
The Assyrian Captivity
... "In the days of Pekah," who reigned twenty years ... land of Naphtali" (1 Chronicles
5:26; 2 Kings 15:29 ... only the tribes of Judah and Benjamin, over which Hezekiah ...
/.../white/the story of prophets and kings/chapter 23 the assyrian captivity.htm
The Old Testament and Archeology
... king of Assyria, claims a great victory over the Western ... according to the Old Testament,
Menahem reigned ten years ... In 2 Kings 156} 18.10 the statement is found ...
/.../the christian view of the old testament/chapter iv the old testament.htm
The Prophet Hosea.
... Menahem reigned ten years at Samaria. ... years (ver.27), and, by his alliance with the
kings of Syria ... gave a survey of what he had prophesied over Judah during ...
/.../hengstenberg/christology of the old testament/the prophet hosea.htm
Nineveh.
... triumphs, and all the scenes in the kings' histories, nay ... best King of Samaria that
had yet reigned, for he ... battle, the blast of death passed over the Assyrians ...
//christianbookshelf.org/yonge/the chosen people/lesson ix nineveh.htm
Appendices
... the last king but one of the Kassite dynasty, and not rather one of the unknown
kings of the ... 2. My father reigned over Moab thirty years, and I reigned. ...
/.../sayce/early israel and the surrounding nations/appendices.htm
Sennacherib (705-681 BC )
... victories of Tiglath-pileser III.; and Hiram II., who then reigned in Tyre ... had been
far from orthodox, in spite of the influence exerted over him by ... 2 Kings 18:4 ...
/.../chapter isennacherib 705-681 b c.htm
Tiglath-Pileser iii. And the Organisation of the Assyrian Empire ...
... the labours of the attacking force were not yet over. ... The petty kings who shared
with Assyria the possession ... Barzur, son of Panammu I., had reigned there since ...
/.../chapter iitiglath-pileser iii and the.htm
Babylonia and Assyria
... and his sculptures he seems to gloat over the tortures ... he was a descendant of the
legendary kings of Assyria ... For twelve years he reigned there, with the help of ...
/.../early israel and the surrounding nations/chapter vi babylonia and assyria.htm
Resources
What can we learn from the laws that God gave for the kings of Israel? | GotQuestions.orgWho was Elisha in the Bible? | GotQuestions.orgWhat does it mean that God is the God of the hills and valleys (1 Kings 20:28)? | GotQuestions.orgBible Concordance •
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