Table of Contents
Quick Facts
Length of reign: 12 years, 1 Kings 16:23
Reign: 884 BC – 873 BC
Succession: 6th king
Predecessor: King Zimri
Successor: King Ahab, 1 Kings 16:28
Kingdom: Kingdom of Israel
Morality: evil king, 1 Kings 16:25
Biblical history: 1 Kings 16:16-28
Omri reigns in Israel
The name Omri means heaping. Omri’s ascension to the throne started from the tragic story of King Elah of Israel. King Elah went to the house of his palace administrator to party. There, he drank in excess until he was drunk. Little did he know that there was a conspiracy afoot against him. Zimri, one of the captains of the army, and his followers came to kill King Elah in Arza’s house and Zimri made himself king. (1 Kings 16:8-14)
During that time, the army of Israel had camped for war at Gibbathon against the Philistines. When they heard of what Zimri had done, the army denied Zimri their support; rather, they all with one accord made Omri, the army commander, king over Israel (1Ki 16:16). Then Omri led the army to war against Zimri in the city of Tirzah, the seat of government (1Ki 16:17). He had the army lay siege to Tirzah and succeeded in capturing the city, but he could not lay hands on Zimri for Zimri committed suicide by burning the palace over himself (1Ki 16:18).
Defeating King Zimri appeared to be an open door for Omri to seize the throne, but it was not. Omri’s trouble was far from over because there arose another claimant to the throne called Tibni. And there was war between Omri and Tibni, and between their followers too. The war continued until Tibni and his followers were vanquished and Tibni himself was killed. After the victories over Zimri and Tibni, there was none left to contend for the throne; Omri took the throne. (1 Kings 16:21-22)
In the 31st year of the reign of King Asa, Omri began to reign in Tirzah for 12 years. He reigned for 6 years in Tirzah and the other 6 in Samaria. He was the 6th king to rule over the Kingdom of Israel. He bought a piece of land from a man called Shemer for two talents of silver and he named the land after the man; hence the land was called Samaria (1Ki 16:24). Needless to say, King Omri founded the city of Samaria which later became the capital of the Kingdom of Israel.
Just like his predecessors, King Omri was no good king, for he too forsook the Lord God of Israel who brought their ancestors from their bondage in Egypt. King Omri stumbled on the age-old stumbling block that caused the extermination of the entire family of both King Jeroboam I and King Baasha. King Omri too perpetuated the sin of Jeroboam, which is the worship of the two golden calves. (1 Kings 16:25-26)
Despite all the violence it took him to ascend the throne, King Omri did not die by violence, he died of natural causes and was buried in Samaria, the city he founded. Omri was succeeded by Ahab, his son. (1Ki 16:28)
Achievements of Omri
Omri founded Samaria which later became a big city and the capital of the Kingdom of Israel. (1 Kings 16:23-24)
Contemporaries of Omri
- King Asa of Judah had reigned for 31 years when Omri became a king. (1 Kings 16:23)
Category: Omri belongs to:
- The kings who did evil in God’s sight
- The kings of the Kingdom of Israel
- The kings who died of natural causes
- The idolatrous kings in the Bible