Pekahiah was the son of Menahem and a king of Israel during the divided kingdom, first mentioned in 2 Kings 15:22.
About Pekahiah
Son of Menahem, king of Israel. Pekahiah (whose name means “Yahweh has opened [his eyes]”) was among the 20 kings who ruled Israel from Samaria following its decline consequent to the fracture of the Solomonic monarchy in the tenth century BC. The brief account in the Bible concerning him (2 Kgs 15:22–26) points to the godlessness of his life (v 24). His sin, like that of his father (Menahem), was linked to the false worship of Jeroboam, who built shrines at Dan and Bethel to rival worship in the temple at Jerusalem. Such religious activity threatened the true worship of God by attempting to fuse biblical concepts with the fertility cult of Baal, a movement sharply denounced by the Word of God (1 Kgs 13:1–5). Like many of Israel’s kings, Pekahiah ruled briefly, being assassinated in the second year of his reign. The chief instigator of the plot against him, a captain named Pekah, took 50 men of Gilead and killed the king, along with two aides, in the citadel of the royal palace at Samaria. His successor, Pekah, was regrettably as evil as Pekahiah and received the condemnation of Scripture typical of virtually all the Israelite kings: he “did what was evil in the Lord’s sight” (2 Kgs 15:28, nlt).
See also Pekah.
Family Relationships
- Parents
- Menahem
Key References
And Menahem rested with his fathers, and his son Pekahiah reigned in his place.
In the fiftieth year of Azariah’s reign over Judah, Pekahiah son of Menahem became king of Israel and reigned in Samaria two years.
As for the rest of the acts of Pekahiah, along with all his accomplishments, they are indeed written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel.
All Scripture References (3)
2 Kings (3)
And Menahem rested with his fathers, and his son Pekahiah reigned in his place.
In the fiftieth year of Azariah’s reign over Judah, Pekahiah son of Menahem became king of Israel and reigned in Samaria two years.
As for the rest of the acts of Pekahiah, along with all his accomplishments, they are indeed written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel.