design, and his helper in it.

twenty-sixth year of Asa (1

king's twenty-seventh year (ibid. ver. 15), so that he probably did not hold the throne for more than a few months.

succeeded in assassinating him. Arza was probably privy to his Elah, who began to reign in the Kings xvi. 8), perished in the same

CHAPTER VIII.

ZIMRI.

Accession of Zimri-His destruction of Baasha's relatives and friendsRevolt of the army under Omri-Zimri besieged in Tirzah-Tirzahı taken-Zimri sets the royal palace on fire, and perishes in the flames→ Zimri's character.

THE bold soldier, who, imitating Baasha, brought the second Israelite dynasty to an end by the assassination of its second monarch, proceeded to follow up his first success by a further imitation of his model, and was no sooner seated upon the throne than he "destroyed all the house of Baasha" (1 Kings xvi. 11), not sparing any, either of his kinsfolk, or of his close friends. This extreme severity may have rendered him unpopular. At any rate, when the army which was at Gibbethon heard of his insurrection and of the bloody deeds by which he had followed it up, they were so exasperated that they broke out into revolt, refused to acknowledge Zimri as their monarch, and invested Omri, who had been left at Gibbethon in sole command, with the sovereignty. Omri was prompt in action. He did not hesitate for a moment to accept the rank conferred upon him; and he at once took steps to dispossess his rival of the throne. By his orders, the army broke up from before Gibbethon, raised the siege, and marching with all speed to Tirzah, besieged the pretender in his capital (1 Kings xvi. 16, 17). Zimri seems to have had no troops with him on whom he could depend. He did not dare to venture a battle, but remained within the walls and simply stood on the defensive. The siege did not last many days. Within a very short time the defences were forced, the town entered, and the place, for all practical purposes, taken (ver. 18). Zimri, however, was of too stubborn a spirit to submit himself. He had worn the crown, albeit but

for seven days (ver. 15), and scorned the idea of descending to a private station. Neither would he trust his future to the tender mercies of the conqueror. Brave, fierce, and obstinate to the last degree, he took a desperate resolve, and throwing himself into the royal palace, which was no doubt a sort of fortress within a fortress, he there stood at bay, and, when further resistance was hopeless, gave orders that the palace should be set on fire, and burnt it over his head. So far, he resembled the traditional Sardanapalus, with whom Ewald has compared him,' but there are no grounds for concluding that the resemblance extended any further. We have not the slightest evidence that Zimri was "effeminate" or sunk in luxury. On the contrary, the conception that we naturally form of him from the Scriptural narrative is that of a bold, brave, and reckless desperado, who, thinking that he saw an opportunity for seizing the crown, made his venture, and finding that he had failed, preferred death by his own hand to the chances that might possibly be offered him through the clemency of his conqueror. It would appear that Zimri, even in his short reign of seven days, found occasion to give formal approval to the religious system of Jeroboam, since it is declared of him (1 Kings xvi. 18, 19) that "he died for his sins which he sinned in doing evil in the sight of the Lord, in walking in the way of Jeroboam, and in his sin that he did, to make Israel to sin."

I 44 'History of Israel," vol. iv. p. 36, Eng. tr.

CHAPTER IX.

OMRI.

Reign of Omri-His struggle with Tibni, son of Ginath-His removal of the capital to a new site-Site of Samaria described-Meaning of the name-War of Omri with Moab-His war with Syria of Damascus― His religious policy-Length of his reign.

THE rule of Omri over Israel was not established without a further struggle. Scarcely had he got the better of his first antagonist, Zimri, before a new antagonist, with far superior pretensions, showed himself. Tibni, the son of Ginath, or Gonath (LXX.), must have been a man of some rank or position, since he was chosen by a considerable section of the people as a preferable monarch to the late commander-in-chief, and had so large and so sturdy a following that he maintained an equal contest with his rival for four years. The opportunity/ must have been tempting for Asa to intervene in the quarrel, and attempt the subjugation of a state divided against itself; but Asa was now advanced beyond middle age, and probably felt that he had done enough for military glory and might allow himself a season of repose. Accordingly, the two combatants were left to themselves to fight out their contest-a result which was ultimately arrived at in the thirty-first year of Asa (1 Kings xvi. 23), when Omri put down his adversary and became sole monarch. Tibni, and his brother Joram (according to the Septuagint), were, according to the usual custom of the time, put to death (ibid. ver. 22).

The new king was a man of much vigour and energy. No sooner was he settled in his kingdom than he determined on the removal of the capital to a new site. Tirzah was stained with

See I Kings xvi. ; compare ver. 15 with ver. 23.

a series of royal murders, and would long be associated in the popular thought with crime and conspiracy, unstable dynasties, civil feuds, war, bloodshed, and revolution. Omri hoped to establish a stable and permanent dynasty. He wished to remove from the popular mind the associations of the past, to make a clean sweep of them, and himself to start afresh, as from a new beginning. Moreover, there were objections to Tirzah as the capital from its situation, which was neither sufficiently central, nor sufficiently strong. Omri cast about for a place, near the middle of the land, which should be strong in a military point of view, capable of being fortified, productive, sufficiently watered, and accessible from the various parts of the kingdom. This he found in the "hill of Shomerôn," a few miles to the north-west of the old capital, Shechem, which he accordingly purchased, and on which he built his town. The situation is remarkable. "In the heart of the mountains of Israel, a little west of their watershed, and rather nearer their northern than their southern extremity, occurs a deep basinshaped depression, apparently surrounded by hills, but really communicating towards the west by a narrow valley with the great maritime plain. In the midst of this basin rises an oblong hill with steep but not inaccessible sides, and a long flat top. This was the site which Omri chose for his new capital. Politically, it was rather more central than Shechem, and probably than Tirzah. In a military point of view it was admirably calculated for defence. The country round it was peculiarly productive. The hill itself possessed abundant springs of water. Probably it would have been difficult to find in the whole territory a place combining so many advantages, or so suited to become the seat of government." As Dean Stanley observes, "it combined in a union not elsewhere found in Palestine, strength, beauty, and fertility. It commanded a full view of the sea and the plain of Sharon on the one hand, and of the vale of Shechem on the other. The town sloped down from the summit of the hill; a broad wall with a terraced top ran round it. . . In front of the gates was a wide open space or threshing-floor, where the kings of Samaria sat on great occasions. The inferior houses were built of white brick, with rafters of sycamore; the grander of hewn stone and cedar (Isa.

2

"Speaker's Commentary," vol. ii. p. 582.

2 "Lectures on the Jewish Church," vol. ii. p. 242.