2 Kings 15 27

2 Kings 15:27 kjv

In 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.

2 Kings 15:27 nkjv

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

2 Kings 15:27 niv

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

2 Kings 15:27 esv

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

2 Kings 15:27 nlt

Pekah son of Remaliah began to rule over Israel in the fifty-second year of King Uzziah's reign in Judah. He reigned in Samaria twenty years.

2 Kings 15 verses

2 Kings 15 27 Meaning

2 Kings 15:27 describes a significant point in the chaotic history of the Northern Kingdom of Israel. It states that Pekah, the son of Remaliah, began his twenty-year reign over Israel in its capital, Samaria, during the fiftieth year of Azariah's reign in Judah. This verse precisely timestamps the start of Pekah's rule, a period marked by political intrigue, violence, and military conflicts that further weakened Israel leading up to its eventual fall.

2 Kings 15 27 Context

2 Kings chapter 15 records a tumultuous period in Israelite history, characterized by rapid successions of kings, often through regicide, and a persistent turn away from God. Judah, though not perfect, experienced relatively more stability, epitomized by Azariah (also known as Uzziah), who reigned for an exceptionally long period (52 years). Verse 27 marks a critical point within this chronological framework, pinpointing the start of Pekah's reign during the established era of Azariah. Pekah was a military commander who assassinated Pekahiah, the son of the previous king Menahem. His rise to power was indicative of the pervasive violence and disregard for divinely ordained authority in the Northern Kingdom. This period immediately precedes the height of Assyrian intervention, culminating in the Syro-Ephraimite War (involving Pekah against Judah) and the eventual deportation of the northern tribes.

2 Kings 15 27 Word analysis

• In the fiftieth year: בִּשְׁנַת (biš·naṯ) "in the year of" and הַחֲמִשִּׁים (ha·ḥamiš·šîm) "the fiftieth". This chronological marker provides synchronicity between the reigns of the Northern and Southern Kingdoms, which is a consistent feature in the Books of Kings, highlighting a divine historical record keeping and the interplay of both kingdoms' destinies.

• Azariah: עֲזַרְיָה (ʿAza·ryāh), meaning "Yah has helped." This is the Judean king also widely known as Uzziah (עֻזִּיָּה, 'Uzzîyah, "My strength is Yah"), a king generally regarded as righteous in his early reign but who ended as a leper due to pride. His long and largely stable reign provides a stark contrast to the instability of the Northern Kingdom.

• king of Judah: This specifies the southern kingdom, distinguishing the continuous line of Davidic kings, even amidst their own struggles, from the volatile non-Davidic dynasties in the north.

• Pekah: פֶּקַח (peqaḥ), likely meaning "open-eyed" or "he has opened." This name belongs to a military commander who seized the throne through violence. His character and actions are seen as a stark departure from the righteous standards expected of a true king, even as defined by Mosaic law.

• the son of Remaliah: רְמַלְיָהוּ (Rĕmal·yāhû), "Yah has adorned." This patronymic serves as his identification. This phrase is notably used by Isaiah in a derogatory manner ("the son of Remaliah" rather than "King Pekah") highlighting his lower standing or contempt for his illegitimate claim to the throne.

• began to reign: מָלַךְ (mālak), "to reign, to be king." The verb here denotes the commencement of his rule. Pekah's assumption of power through assassination highlights the internal breakdown and disregard for moral and covenantal order in Israel.

• over Israel: עַל־יִשְׂרָאֵל (ʿal Yiśrā'ēl). Refers specifically to the Northern Kingdom, established after the division under Jeroboam, known for its consistent idolatry and departure from the Davidic covenant.

• in Samaria: בְּשֹׁמְרוֹן (bĕšomĕrôn). The capital city of the Northern Kingdom, a symbol of its wealth, idolatry, and eventual demise. Its naming in the verse situates Pekah's authority centrally within the apostate kingdom.

• reigned twenty years: וַיִּמְלֹךְ עֶשְׂרִים שָׁנָה (way·yimlōḵ ʿeśrîm šānâ). This specific duration of reign is crucial for biblical chronology, though it has posed interpretational challenges for scholars reconciling it with other timelines in Kings. It often points to a complex political landscape involving co-regencies, or periods of fragmented rule known as an 'interregnum'. Pekah's long reported reign saw significant political maneuvering and the lead-up to the Assyrian deportation.

• Pekah the son of Remaliah: This specific phrasing sets apart Pekah's identity. His regicide of Pekahiah, as detailed earlier in the chapter, firmly places him within the cycle of violence that plagued the Northern Kingdom's leadership. The persistent cycle of usurpation underscored the failure of Israel's political and spiritual foundation.

• king of Israel in Samaria: This phrase group concisely states Pekah's dominion and the seat of his illegitimate power. The concentration of power in Samaria was a point of contention with Judah and a symbol of Israel's autonomy, often misdirected against God's covenant.

• In the fiftieth year... Pekah...began to reign: This synchronicity of the two kingdoms' chronologies is critical for historical validation and theological commentary. It shows God's control over all nations' timelines and histories, despite their varied levels of faithfulness.

2 Kings 15 27 Bonus section

The specific "twenty years" for Pekah's reign in 2 Kings 15:27 presents a chronological puzzle for biblical scholars, as a strict sequential interpretation alongside other reigns in Israel and Judah (e.g., Pekahiah's two years, then Pekah's twenty years before Hoshea) is difficult to reconcile with the total timeline before the fall of Samaria. Some solutions proposed involve the concept of co-regencies, where a king began ruling alongside his predecessor, or the possibility of an "interregnum" – a period of anarchy or fragmented rule after an assassination, where Pekah's full "twenty years" were only retroactively applied from the actual establishment of his firm rule rather than the initial act of regicide. This reflects the dynamic nature of historical record-keeping and highlights the human authors' focus on theological truths over rigid calendrical precision that is typical of modern historical texts. Furthermore, Isaiah's repeated and disdainful reference to Pekah as "the son of Remaliah" (Isa 7:4, 5, 9) rather than "King Pekah" underscores his lack of legitimate authority in God's eyes and hints at the prophet's perspective on this usurper. Pekah's reign brought the Northern Kingdom to its knees and served as a direct precursor to its eventual destruction at the hands of Assyria.

2 Kings 15 27 Commentary

2 Kings 15:27 precisely places Pekah's twenty-year reign within the broader narrative of the Northern Kingdom's decline and Judah's enduring (though not without flaw) line of kings. The exact synchronization with Azariah of Judah highlights the precise record-keeping in Kings and indirectly contrasts the stability in Judah (albeit with Azariah's leprosy) against the ongoing upheaval in Israel. Pekah's ascension through regicide, after only Pekahiah's two-year rule (2 Ki 15:25), exemplifies the political instability, violence, and rejection of covenantal faithfulness that characterized Israel's kingship following the Jehu dynasty. This instability was a direct consequence of Israel's continued idolatry and moral corruption. Pekah's subsequent actions, particularly his alliance with Aram against Judah, ultimately brought further Assyrian encroachment and devastation upon Israel (2 Ki 16:5-9, 15:29). His lengthy reign, even with its chronological complexities, marked a prolonged period leading directly to the final collapse and exile of the Northern Kingdom, as God's patience for their disobedience wore thin. The detailed records of the rise and fall of these kings serves as a continuous object lesson in the consequences of rejecting the true King, the Lord God of Israel.