Tibni

Biblical Account

Tibni appears only in 1 Kings 16:21–22. Scripture identifies him simply as "the son of Ginath" and does not state his tribe or social standing.

Elah, king of the northern kingdom of Israel, was assassinated by his servant Zimri. Zimri became king, but the army that was besieging Gibbethon made Omri, the captain of the host, king instead. When Omri besieged the capital, Tirzah, Zimri set the royal palace on fire and died in it. Zimri's reign lasted only seven days (1 Kings 16:15–18).

Afterward the people of Israel were divided into two factions. Half followed Tibni to make him king, and the other half followed Omri. In the end Omri's faction prevailed. The text says only, "so Tibni died, and Omri reigned" (1 Kings 16:22). It does not say whether he died in battle, was executed, or died of some other cause.

Significance in Scripture

Tibni is not counted among the recognized kings of Israel. His story illustrates the instability of the northern kingdom after the division of the kingdom, when coups and dynastic changes occurred repeatedly. Omri, the victor in this struggle, later built Samaria and made it his capital, founding a dynasty that continued through his son Ahab (see Ahab and Jezebel). The New Testament does not mention Tibni.

Interpretation and Issues

• Length of the civil war: Zimri's death occurred in the twenty-seventh year of Asa, king of Judah (1 Kings 16:15). Omri is recorded as beginning to reign over Israel in the thirty-first year of Asa (1 Kings 16:23). For this reason many scholars conclude that the struggle between Tibni and Omri lasted several years. Because the calculation depends on the year from which Omri's twelve-year reign is counted, the exact length is difficult to determine.
• Base of support: Omri was a king installed by the army. On this basis some suggest that Tibni was backed by people outside the army or by a particular tribe. This, however, is a scholarly inference not found in the text.
• Addition in the Septuagint: The Septuagint, the Greek translation of the Old Testament, is known to contain an additional phrase stating that Tibni's brother Joram also died with him. This phrase is absent from the Hebrew text (the Masoretic Text) and from Korean translations such as the New Korean Revised Version.

In the Korean Church

Tibni is rarely treated as a standalone sermon text or as the subject of a Sunday school lesson. He is typically mentioned only briefly, alongside the account of Omri's accession, in expository preaching on Kings or in Bible read-through programs when the frequent dynastic changes in the northern kingdom are explained.