Omri

Biblical Account

The life of Omri is recorded in 1 Kings 16:15-28. He was the captain of the host (military commander) under Elah, king of northern Israel. When Elah's servant Zimri killed the king at Tirzah and seized the throne, the army then besieging Gibbethon, a Philistine city, made Omri king. When Omri besieged Tirzah, Zimri set the royal palace on fire and died inside it. Zimri's reign lasted seven days (1 Kings 16:18).

Afterward the people were divided into two factions: half followed Tibni the son of Ginath, and half followed Omri. Omri's supporters prevailed, and when Tibni died, Omri became sole king (1 Kings 16:21-22). Scripture records that he became king in the thirty-first year of Asa king of Judah and reigned twelve years, six of them in Tirzah. Omri bought a hill from Shemer for two talents of silver, built a city on it, and named it Samaria after the owner of the land (1 Kings 16:24). Samaria remained the capital of northern Israel until the kingdom fell. Omri died and was buried in Samaria, and his son Ahab succeeded him.

Significance in Scripture

The books of Kings assess Omri as one who "wrought evil in the eyes of the LORD, and did worse than all that were before him." The grounds given are that he walked in the way of Jeroboam and made Israel sin with their vanities, that is, worthless idols (1 Kings 16:25-26). His house continued through his son Ahab (Ahab and Jezebel) until the revolt of Jehu.

Athaliah, the mother of Ahaziah king of Judah, is identified as "the daughter of Omri," that is, his granddaughter (2 Kings 8:26; 2 Chronicles 22:2). The prophet Micah rebuked the people because "the statutes of Omri are kept, and all the works of the house of Ahab" (Micah 6:16). In this verse Omri's name stands for idolatry and injustice. Omri is not mentioned in the New Testament. Other individuals bearing the same name appear in 1 Chronicles 7:8, 9:4, and 27:18.

Interpretation and Issues

• Brief record versus historical prominence: Scripture records almost nothing of Omri's political achievements, stating only that the rest of his acts are written "in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel" (1 Kings 16:27). His name, however, survives in sources outside the Bible. The inscription of Mesha king of Moab, discovered in the nineteenth century, states that "Omri king of Israel" oppressed Moab for a long time. Assyrian records are known to refer to Israel by a name meaning "the house of Omri" and to call Jehu "the son of Omri." On this basis many scholars regard Omri as a king of international renown in his day. The common explanation is that, because Kings evaluates the kings from the standpoint of faith, it centers its account on idolatry rather than political accomplishment.
• Regnal chronology: When the dates in 1 Kings 16:15, 16:23, and 16:29 are compared, the figures do not align exactly. One interpretation holds that the several years of rivalry with Tibni are included in the twelve-year reign. Various other methods of reckoning have also been proposed.
• Traditions not found in the text: It is often added that Omri arranged the marriage of Ahab and Jezebel in order to form an alliance with Sidon. Scripture records only that Ahab took Jezebel as his wife (1 Kings 16:31). This explanation is therefore an inference from circumstances.

In the Korean Church

Omri is rarely the sole subject of a sermon. He is usually mentioned when explaining the background to the narratives of Elijah and Ahab or when describing how Samaria was founded. In Bible reading programs and in expositions of Kings, he is treated in sections that outline the succession of the kings of northern Israel.