Pekah
Summary
The eighteenth king of Israel who allied with Syria in the Syro-Ephraimite War against Judah. Isaiah prophesied their failure. He lost massive territory to Tiglath-Pileser III of Assyria and was finally assassinated by Hoshea.
- Among the passages here, Pekah is first named in 2 Kings 15:25: “Then his officer, Pekah son of Remaliah, conspired against him along with Argob, Arieh…”
- The record places Pekah in Divided Kingdom.
- 11 verses name Pekah, in 3 books.
- 5 moments stand in order on this page, each with its verse.
On this page
Start here
But this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘It will not arise; it will not happen.
Isaiah 7:7→- 5 key events in order
- 11 verses name Pekah, across 3 books
In Scripture
- Verses
- 11
- Books
- 3
Pekah
- Role
- 18th King of Israel
- Era
- Divided Kingdom
- Dates
- 752–732 BC
- Tribe
- Israel
- Father
- Remaliah
The life in order
from the events the row records, with the first and last verse that names the person among the passages this page stands on
1Where the passages this page records open
2What the record holds, in its own order
- Assassinated Pekahiah2 Kings 15:25Then his officer, Pekah son of Remaliah, conspired against him along with Argob, Arieh, and fifty men of Gilead. And at the citadel of the king’s palace in Samaria, Pekah struck down and killed Pekahiah and reigned in his place.
- Syro-Ephraimite War2 Kings 16:5Then Rezin king of Aram and Pekah son of Remaliah king of Israel came up to wage war against Jerusalem. They besieged Ahaz but could not overcome him.
- Isaiah's prophecy against the coalitionIsaiah 7:3-9Then the LORD said to Isaiah, “Go out with your son Shear-jashub to meet Ahaz at the end of the aqueduct that feeds the upper pool, on the road to the Launderer’s Field,
- Tiglath-Pileser conquered northern Israel2 Kings 15:29In the days of Pekah king of Israel, Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria came and captured Ijon, Abel-beth-maacah, Janoah, Kedesh, Hazor, Gilead, and Galilee, including all the land of Naphtali, and he took the people as captives to Assyria.
- Assassinated by Hoshea2 Kings 15:30Then Hoshea son of Elah led a conspiracy against Pekah son of Remaliah. In the twentieth year of Jotham son of Uzziah, Hoshea attacked Pekah, killed him, and reigned in his place.
3Where the passages this page records close
Biography
Pekah son of Remaliah murdered Pekahiah to take Israel's throne. His reign was marked by his aggressive anti-Assyrian policy and his alliance with Rezin king of Syria. Together they marched against Judah's King Ahaz in the Syro-Ephraimite War, trying to replace him with a king willing to join their anti-Assyrian coalition. This crisis triggered Isaiah's famous Immanuel prophecy to Ahaz.
Isaiah prophesied that both Pekah and Rezin would fail — "within sixty-five years Ephraim will be too shattered to be a people." God sent Isaiah to tell Ahaz: "It shall not stand, and it shall not come to pass." Tiglath-Pileser III of Assyria then invaded Israel and conquered a massive territory, taking the populations of Gilead, Galilee, and Naphtali into exile — the first mass deportation of Israelites.
Pekah was then killed by Hoshea son of Elah in a conspiracy, ending his reign.
But this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘It will not arise; it will not happen.
What they got right, and what they got wrong
Strengths
Military boldness, strategic political thinking, anti-Assyrian resolve
Weaknesses
Murder, aggressive war against Judah, failed coalition, lost most of Israel's territory to Assyria, continuation of Jeroboam's idolatry
Lessons
Clever political alliances and military schemes cannot overcome the word of God. Pekah's coalition against Judah and Assyria collapsed exactly as Isaiah predicted. When God says something will not stand, no human strategy can make it stand.
Spiritual significance
Pekah's aggressive political scheming against both Judah and Assyria illustrates the folly of resisting God's prophetic word through military alliances. Isaiah's plain prophecy that his plans would fail came true completely. Political cunning cannot overcome divine decree.
Pekah in Scripture
Open a book to read its mentions here. Text: Berean Standard Bible. Names repeat in Scripture, so some of these verses may speak of another person called Pekah. The two marks are drawn from the chapters this page's own references stand in.
Old TestamentNew Testamentsegment width = share of mentions
Old Testament3 books · 11 mentions
2 Kings9 mentions
- 2 Kings 15:25Then his officer, Pekah son of Remaliah, conspired against him along with Argob, Arieh, and fifty men of Gilead. And at the citadel of the king’s palace in Samaria, Pekah struck down and killed Pekahiah and reigned in his place.
- 2 Kings 15:27In the fifty-second year of Azariah’s reign over Judah, Pekah son of Remaliah became king of Israel, and he reigned in Samaria twenty years.
- 2 Kings 15:29In the days of Pekah king of Israel, Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria came and captured Ijon, Abel-beth-maacah, Janoah, Kedesh, Hazor, Gilead, and Galilee, including all the land of Naphtali, and he took the people as captives to Assyria.
- 2 Kings 15:30Then Hoshea son of Elah led a conspiracy against Pekah son of Remaliah. In the twentieth year of Jotham son of Uzziah, Hoshea attacked Pekah, killed him, and reigned in his place.
- 2 Kings 15:31As for the rest of the acts of Pekah, along with all his accomplishments, they are indeed written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel.
4 further mentions in 2 Kings, read them in the book.
2 Chronicles1 mention
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