Remaliah

Biblical Record

Remaliah was the father of Pekah, king of the northern kingdom of Israel. Scripture records nothing about Remaliah's own life or deeds. His name appears only in the phrase "Pekah the son of Remaliah," which serves to identify his son.

• In 2 Kings 15:25, Pekah kills King Pekahiah in the royal palace at Samaria and seizes the throne. The KJV reads "Pekah the son of Remaliah, a captain of his," and the Korean Revised Version similarly reads "his officer, Pekah the son of Remaliah." The term "captain" (a military commander who attended the king) refers to Pekah, not to Remaliah.
• 2 Kings 15:27, 15:30, 15:32, 15:37, 16:1, and 16:5 record Pekah's accession and reign, the synchronization of his reign with those of the Judean kings Uzziah, Jotham, and Ahaz, his campaign against Judah together with Rezin king of Aram, and his assassination by Hoshea the son of Elah.
• 2 Chronicles 28:6 states that "Pekah the son of Remaliah" attacked Judah and killed many valiant men.

In the book of Isaiah, the Korean Revised Version and the New Korean Revised Version spell the same man's name differently (as "Remaliya"), although English translations such as the KJV use "Remaliah" throughout. Isaiah 7 and 8 contain passages that refer to Pekah only as "the son of Remaliah," without naming him.

Significance in Scripture

The name Remaliah serves to identify Pekah, in keeping with the ancient Israelite custom of distinguishing a person by his father's name. In the books of Kings, it appears in passages recording the turmoil of the northern kingdom's final years, when one usurpation of the throne followed another. In Isaiah, it appears against the background of the alliance between Aram and the northern kingdom of Israel that threatened Judah. The New Testament does not mention Remaliah.

Interpretation and Debate

In Isaiah 7, the prophet Isaiah refers to Pekah as "the son of Remaliah" rather than by name, and many commentators read this as a disparaging way of referring to the king. Some go further and conjecture that Remaliah came from an ordinary, non-royal family. This, however, is only an interpretation; Scripture does not directly state Remaliah's status or origin. Scholars also differ on the meaning of the name.

In the Korean Church

Remaliah is rarely treated as a subject in his own right in sermons or Sunday school lessons. He is mentioned mainly as background when the Immanuel prophecy of Isaiah 7 is discussed, since "the son of Remaliah" was one of the rulers threatening King Ahaz of Judah.