And Omri went up from Gibbethon, and all Israel with him, and they besieged Tirzah.
The verse belongs to the history of the separate kingdoms after the revolt of the ten tribes, with Israel comprising ten tribes and Judah two and a half tribes in war and strife between the divisions, covering the reigns of several kings down to the death of Jehoshaphat. It records that the Israelite army at Gibbethon declared Omri king and went up with all Israel in force to besiege the capital at Tirzah, and this military siege brought Omri's victory and ended Zimri's rule amid Israel's repeated violent changes of ruler. Zimri, the captain who had slain Elah and ended the house of Baasha, had reigned only seven days. When he saw the besieging army he burned the palace over himself and perished in the flames, which is set forth both as his suicide and as his being slain by Omri, captain of the host, rising against the traitor.
Omri, the chief general and father from whom sprang the wicked Ahab, stands in Israel's succession after Nadab, Baasha, Elah and Zimri and before Ahab, while Abijah and Asa reign in Judah. This coming was just fifty years after the division in a steady decline from Jeroboam through short violent reigns, with Asa's one long good reign spanning all these wicked reigns of Israel. After overcoming Zimri, Omri became the strongest influence among the Ten Tribes, and after a brief opposition that was soon crushed and a struggle with Tibni for the throne, he became king when Tibni died, as commander-in-chief. Omri then left Shechem, the royal seat, because of its associations and to add luster and strength to his own reign, bought the hill of Samaria from Shemer for two talents of silver and built there the city of Samaria as the royal capital of Israel. It was a natural stronghold six miles north of Shechem almost on the eastern border of the great plain of Sharon stretching westward to the Mediterranean Sea, where he reigned wickedly for twelve years as the city grew in grandeur and beauty.
The verse is part of a sad historical record of general moral decline after David, though with periods of revival, teaching lessons about the apostasy of Israel under her kings. That apostasy was in forsaking the worship of the living God and the God-given plan of worship pointing to Christ and revealing salvation from sin for the impure, untrue and degrading worship of Baal and Ashtoreth, the worship of the creature instead of the Creator, coming to a climax when Ahab son of Omri ascended the throne and provoked God to anger more than all before him. The verse introduces the setting of Elijah's ministry, when under the weak king Ahab and his wife Jezebel's promotion of Baal worship Israel fell into idolatrous apostasy and transgression of God's commandments. Elijah confronted the nation's sin to call the people back to the worship of Jehovah and obedience to God's law, and God found a faithful remnant responding to his prophet's call, including seven thousand who had not worshiped Baal. The short biblical narrative of Omri's reign to which the verse belongs is among the historical records illuminated by information from the Moabite Stone, with archaeological evidence adding historical detail.
The verse belongs to the history of the separate kingdoms after the revolt of the ten tribes, with Israel comprising ten tribes and Judah two and a half tribes in war and strife between the divisions, covering the reigns of several kings down to the death of Jehoshaphat. It records that the Israelite army at Gibbethon declared Omri king and went up with all Israel in force to besiege the capital at Tirzah, and this military siege brought Omri's victory and ended Zimri's rule amid Israel's repeated violent changes of ruler. Zimri, the captain who had slain Elah and ended the house of Baasha, had reigned only seven days. When he saw the besieging army he burned the palace over himself and perished in the flames, which is set forth both as his suicide and as his being slain by Omri, captain of the host, rising against the traitor.
Omri, the chief general and father from whom sprang the wicked Ahab, stands in Israel's succession after Nadab, Baasha, Elah and Zimri and before Ahab, while Abijah and Asa reign in Judah. This coming was just fifty years after the division in a steady decline from Jeroboam through short violent reigns, with Asa's one long good reign spanning all these wicked reigns of Israel. After overcoming Zimri, Omri became the strongest influence among the Ten Tribes, and after a brief opposition that was soon crushed and a struggle with Tibni for the throne, he became king when Tibni died, as commander-in-chief. Omri then left Shechem, the royal seat, because of its associations and to add luster and strength to his own reign, bought the hill of Samaria from Shemer for two talents of silver and built there the city of Samaria as the royal capital of Israel. It was a natural stronghold six miles north of Shechem almost on the eastern border of the great plain of Sharon stretching westward to the Mediterranean Sea, where he reigned wickedly for twelve years as the city grew in grandeur and beauty.
The verse is part of a sad historical record of general moral decline after David, though with periods of revival, teaching lessons about the apostasy of Israel under her kings. That apostasy was in forsaking the worship of the living God and the God-given plan of worship pointing to Christ and revealing salvation from sin for the impure, untrue and degrading worship of Baal and Ashtoreth, the worship of the creature instead of the Creator, coming to a climax when Ahab son of Omri ascended the throne and provoked God to anger more than all before him. The verse introduces the setting of Elijah's ministry, when under the weak king Ahab and his wife Jezebel's promotion of Baal worship Israel fell into idolatrous apostasy and transgression of God's commandments. Elijah confronted the nation's sin to call the people back to the worship of Jehovah and obedience to God's law, and God found a faithful remnant responding to his prophet's call, including seven thousand who had not worshiped Baal. The short biblical narrative of Omri's reign to which the verse belongs is among the historical records illuminated by information from the Moabite Stone, with archaeological evidence adding historical detail.