Elah (King of Israel)

Biblical Account

The account of Elah appears in 1 Kings 16:6-14. He became king of northern Israel after the death of his father, Baasha, in the twenty-sixth year of King Asa of Judah. He reigned for two years in the capital, Tirzah (1 Kings 16:8).

In the twenty-seventh year of Asa, Elah was "drinking himself drunk in the house of Arza steward of his house in Tirzah." At that time Zimri, "captain of half his chariots," conspired against him, killed him, and took the throne (1 Kings 16:9-10). Zimri promptly put to death the entire house of Baasha. The text explains that this fulfilled the word spoken against Baasha through the prophet Jehu the son of Hanani (1 Kings 16:1-4; 16:12). The reasons given are the sins of Baasha and Elah and their "provoking the LORD God of Israel to anger with their vanities" (1 Kings 16:13). The term "vanities" here is generally understood to refer to idols.

At about the same time, the army of Israel was besieging Gibbethon, a city belonging to the Philistines (1 Kings 16:15). Rather than accept Zimri, the army made Omri, the captain of the host, king. Zimri died after only seven days.

Significance Within Scripture

In evaluating the kings of northern Israel, the books of Kings repeatedly use the formula of walking "in the way of Jeroboam." The fall of Baasha's dynasty parallels the fall of the preceding dynasty of Jeroboam. Jeroboam's son Nadab was killed by Baasha during the siege of Gibbethon in the second year of his reign (1 Kings 15:25-29). Elah likewise was killed by one of his servants after two years. Through this repetition, Scripture highlights the frequent changes of dynasty in the northern kingdom, in contrast to Judah, where the Davidic dynasty continued.

Elah is not mentioned in the New Testament.

Interpretation and Issues

• Length of reign: Because Elah came to the throne in Asa's twenty-sixth year and died in his twenty-seventh, the "two years" reflects the method used to count regnal years. Many scholars hold that his actual reign lasted little more than a year. Precise dates vary among scholars.
• Significance of the drinking scene: The text describes the king as drunk in an official's house while the army was in the field. A common interpretation reads this scene as revealing the king's carelessness and irresponsibility. The text itself, however, locates the cause of Elah's downfall in idolatry and sin rather than in drunkenness.
• Evaluation of Zimri's rebellion: The text records the destruction of Baasha's house as the fulfillment of prophecy, yet it does not commend the rebel Zimri. Zimri, too, is judged as "walking in the way of Jeroboam" (1 Kings 16:19). The usual explanation is that God's judgment should be distinguished from the actions of the person who served as its instrument.
• Others with the same name and place names: The name Elah appears several times in the Bible. For example, there is Elah the father of King Hoshea (2 Kings 15:30). The "valley of Elah," where David fought Goliath (1 Samuel 17:2), is a place name unrelated to this king.

In the Korean Church

In Korean Protestant churches, Elah is rarely the subject of a sermon in his own right. He is mainly treated in Bible read-through programs or in Bible studies that survey the kings of the divided monarchy in sequence. In Korean sermons he is sometimes cited as an example of a king who perished after letting down his guard through drunkenness. Such references appear especially in sermons within denominations that emphasize abstinence from alcohol, and they connect to the issue of alcohol and tobacco. He is also mentioned as an instance of sin returning as judgment from one generation to the next.