1 Kings 16:8 kjv
In the twenty and sixth year of Asa king of Judah began Elah the son of Baasha to reign over Israel in Tirzah, two years.
1 Kings 16:8 nkjv
In the twenty-sixth year of Asa king of Judah, Elah the son of Baasha became king over Israel, and reigned two years in Tirzah.
1 Kings 16:8 niv
In the twenty-sixth year of Asa king of Judah, Elah son of Baasha became king of Israel, and he reigned in Tirzah two years.
1 Kings 16:8 esv
In the twenty-sixth year of Asa king of Judah, Elah the son of Baasha began to reign over Israel in Tirzah, and he reigned two years.
1 Kings 16:8 nlt
Elah son of Baasha began to rule over Israel in the twenty-sixth year of King Asa's reign in Judah. He reigned in the city of Tirzah for two years.
1 Kings 16 8 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| 1 Kgs 15:33 | In the third year of Asa king of Judah, Baasha the son of Ahijah began to reign over all Israel in Tirzah, and he reigned twenty-four years. | Preceding reign of Elah's father, Baasha. |
| 1 Kgs 16:2 | "I raised you up from the dust... but you have walked in the way of Jeroboam... to provoke Me to anger..." | God's indictment of Baasha. |
| 1 Kgs 16:7 | "Moreover, the word of the LORD came through the prophet Jehu son of Hanani to Baasha and his house... because he struck down the house of Jeroboam..." | Prophecy against Baasha's house. |
| 1 Kgs 16:13 | For all the sins of Baasha and the sins of Elah his son, by which they sinned... | Links Elah's sin to his father's. |
| 1 Kgs 16:15 | In the twenty-seventh year of Asa king of Judah, Zimri reigned seven days in Tirzah. | Immediacy of Elah's overthrow and successor. |
| 1 Kgs 16:16 | Now the people who were encamped heard it said, "Zimri has conspired, and he has killed the king..." | Elah's assassination confirmed. |
| 1 Kgs 16:23 | In the thirty-first year of Asa king of Judah, Omri became king over Israel, and he reigned twelve years... | Following reign, more stable dynasty begins. |
| Song 6:4 | You are as beautiful as Tirzah, my darling, as lovely as Jerusalem... | Poetic description of Tirzah. |
| Psa 75:6-7 | For exaltation comes neither from the east nor from the west nor from the south. But God is the Judge: He puts down one and exalts another. | God's sovereignty over earthly kingship. |
| Dan 2:21 | He changes times and seasons; He removes kings and raises up kings... | Divine control over royal successions. |
| Prov 21:1 | The king's heart is in the hand of the LORD, like the rivers of water; He turns it wherever He wishes. | God's ultimate influence on rulers. |
| Rom 13:1 | Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God... | All authority, including kingship, is from God. |
| 1 Kgs 15:25 | Nadab the son of Jeroboam became king over Israel in the second year of Asa king of Judah, and he reigned over Israel for two years. | Another king with a short two-year reign. |
| Hos 8:4 | They set up kings, but not by Me; They made princes, but I did not acknowledge them. | Divine perspective on unauthorized kings. |
| 2 Chr 16:1 | In the thirty-sixth year of the reign of Asa, Baasha king of Israel came up against Judah... | Broader context of Judah-Israel conflict. |
| 1 Sam 2:7 | The LORD makes poor and makes rich; He brings low and lifts up. | God's power over human status and rule. |
| Isa 45:1 | Thus says the LORD to His anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have held... | God using earthly kings for His purposes. |
| 1 Kgs 11:29-39 | Ahijah's prophecy tearing the kingdom for Jeroboam due to Solomon's sin. | Genesis of Israel's northern kingdom, instability. |
| 1 Kgs 12:28-30 | Jeroboam's institution of idolatry (golden calves). | Root cause of God's judgment on Israelite kings. |
| 1 Kgs 15:27 | Baasha son of Ahijah of the house of Issachar conspired against him, and Baasha killed him... while Nadab and all Israel were besieging Gibbethon... | Example of conspiracy and regicide. |
| Psa 115:3 | But our God is in the heavens; He does whatever He pleases. | God's absolute sovereignty. |
| Prov 16:9 | A man's heart plans his way, But the LORD directs his steps. | Divine direction of human actions, including reigns. |
1 Kings 16 verses
1 Kings 16 8 Meaning
1 Kings 16:8 marks the beginning of Elah's reign over the Northern Kingdom of Israel. It states that Elah, son of Baasha, became king in the twenty-sixth year of King Asa's reign over Judah, and he ruled from Tirzah for a period of two years. This verse establishes a crucial chronological link between the two kingdoms and introduces the short-lived successor to Baasha, signaling a period of significant instability in Israelite leadership.
1 Kings 16 8 Context
1 Kings 16:8 is part of a larger narrative within 1 Kings that chronicles the divided monarchies of Israel and Judah. It immediately follows the account of Baasha's death (1 Kgs 16:6) and the prophecy delivered by Jehu son of Hanani concerning the end of Baasha's dynasty due to their persistent sin, particularly following in the idolatrous ways of Jeroboam (1 Kgs 16:7). The verse provides a synchronized chronology, anchoring events in Israel to the reign of Asa, a more stable, though imperfect, king in Judah. This short two-year reign of Elah sets the stage for rapid, violent successions and political chaos in Israel, culminating in the rise of Omri, and underscores the swift fulfillment of divine judgment upon the northern kingdom's unfaithful leadership, highlighting the precarious nature of kingship divorced from YHWH's will.
1 Kings 16 8 Word analysis
- In the twenty-sixth year: Bi-shnat esrim ve-shesh (בִּשְׁנַת עֶשְׂרִים וָשֵׁשׁ). This precise chronological marker emphasizes the historical accuracy and synchronized record-keeping of the kingdoms. It highlights the continued parallel history between Judah and Israel, using Asa's reign as the benchmark. The period also corresponds to Baasha's reign which started in Asa's 3rd year and lasted 24 years, thus Baasha died in Asa's 27th year, so Elah started in 26th. It is common for King's authors to round the years to the nearest start or end of the reign or overlap by a year to include partial years. This exact dating underscores the providential oversight even of chaotic events.
- Asa king of Judah: Asa Melech Yehudah (אָסָא מֶלֶךְ יְהוּדָה). Asa was generally depicted as a righteous king who reformed Judah from idolatry for much of his reign (1 Kgs 15:9-15), contrasting sharply with the consistently idolatrous kings of Israel like Elah and his predecessors. His long reign (41 years, 1 Kgs 15:10) provides a point of stability against the rapid changes in the northern kingdom, implicitly critiquing Israel's volatile political state stemming from their abandonment of the Davidic covenant.
- Elah son of Baasha: Elah ben Baasha (אֵלָה בֶן-בַּעְשָׁא). "Elah" (אֵלָה) means "terebinth" or "oak." His identity as "son of Baasha" immediately links him to a dynasty already under divine condemnation (1 Kgs 16:7). The narrative will swiftly confirm his personal wickedness and failure to turn from the sins of Jeroboam, solidifying the inherited divine judgment against his house.
- became king over Israel: Va-yimelech al Yisrael (וַיִּמְלֹךְ עַל-יִשְׂרָאֵל). This phrase signifies the continuation of the northern kingdom's kingship. Unlike the divinely promised and unbroken Davidic line in Judah, the succession in Israel often relied on human machination, violence, or accident, demonstrating a lack of divine validation for their royal line, a subtle polemic against Israel's chosen political path.
- in Tirzah: Be-Tirzah (בְּתִרְצָה). Tirzah was the capital of the northern kingdom during this period (cf. 1 Kgs 14:17; 1 Kgs 15:21, 33). Its name, meaning "pleasant" or "delight" (Song 6:4), might suggest beauty, but it also became a center of Israel's persistent idolatry and political instability. The location would soon be abandoned by Omri, who moved the capital to Samaria (1 Kgs 16:24). This foreshadows a significant shift.
- and he reigned two years: Va-yimelech shnatayim (וַיִּמְלֹךְ שְׁנָתַיִם). This brief duration is critically significant. Short reigns in Israel were often indicators of instability, weak leadership, divine judgment, and internal conflict. This short span explicitly highlights the rapid fulfillment of the prophecy against Baasha's house (1 Kgs 16:2-7), setting the stage for Elah's immediate demise by conspiracy (1 Kgs 16:9-10), signifying the chaos plaguing Israel due to their systemic spiritual rebellion. This is a common pattern for unrighteous kings (cf. Nadab's two-year reign, 1 Kgs 15:25).
1 Kings 16 8 Bonus section
- The chronological overlap between Asa's 26th and 27th year, Elah's two-year reign, and Zimri's seven-day reign (1 Kgs 16:15) demonstrates a common biblical method of accounting for partial years as full years, showing an accession year system or similar. This highlights meticulous, if sometimes seemingly overlapping, record-keeping.
- The succession from father (Baasha) to son (Elah) suggests a conventional dynastic transfer, yet the very short duration and violent end break any illusion of stability, reinforcing that the promise of a perpetual dynasty applied only to the house of David.
- The continuous cycle of regicide and short reigns in Israel, as introduced through figures like Nadab and Elah, is a consistent motif in 1 & 2 Kings, portraying the nation's spiritual apostasy through its political disarray, contrasting with the enduring Davidic covenant in Judah.
1 Kings 16 8 Commentary
1 Kings 16:8 is a succinct summary of a brief and inconsequential reign in the tumultuous history of the Northern Kingdom of Israel. The synchronistic dating to Asa's twenty-sixth year in Judah serves to emphasize the continuous divine oversight of both kingdoms, even as one experiences stability (relative) and the other escalating chaos. Elah, as the son of Baasha, inherits not just the throne but also the judgment pronounced by Jehu on his father's house. His remarkably short two-year reign, following a common pattern for unrighteous kings like Nadab, signifies the swift onset of that divine retribution. Ruling from Tirzah, the current hub of Israelite power, his overthrow would pave the way for a rapid series of assassinations and the violent power struggles characteristic of Israel's descent, ultimately preparing the stage for the more formidable, yet equally wicked, dynasty of Omri. This verse sets the stage for an immediate fulfillment of prophecy, underlining that God is active in judgment, even when human rulers disregard His commands.