TEXT [Commentary]
6. Elah rules in Israel (16:8-14)
8 Elah son of Baasha began to rule over Israel in the twenty-sixth year of King Asa’s reign in Judah. He reigned in the city of Tirzah for two years.
9 Then Zimri, who commanded half of the royal chariots, made plans to kill him. One day in Tirzah, Elah was getting drunk at the home of Arza, the supervisor of the palace. 10 Zimri walked in and struck him down and killed him. This happened in the twenty-seventh year of King Asa’s reign in Judah. Then Zimri became the next king.
11 Zimri immediately killed the entire royal family of Baasha, leaving him not even a single male child. He even destroyed distant relatives and friends. 12 So Zimri destroyed the dynasty of Baasha as the LORD had promised through the prophet Jehu. 13 This happened because of all the sins Baasha and his son Elah had committed, and because of the sins they led Israel to commit. They provoked the anger of the LORD, the God of Israel, with their worthless idols.
14 The rest of the events in Elah’s reign and everything he did are recorded in The Book of the History of the Kings of Israel.
NOTES
16:8 Elah. This was the doomed descendant of Baasha who, like Nadab before him (see 15:25-31), only reigned two years. The name Elah probably means “terebinth [tree].”
16:9 Zimri. See note on 16:15.
half of the royal chariots. Wiseman (1993:159), following Yadin, suggests that half the chariotry was probably based at Megiddo (cf. the second note on 10:26), the other half near Tirzah, ready for action against Judah to the south.
was getting drunk at the home of Arza. As Cogan (2001:412) memorably phrased it, “at a private party” (cf. 20:12, 16 for another such disaster). The Bible certainly does not endorse political or military leaders drinking to excess (see Prov 20:1; 31:4-7; also cf. Prov 23:29-35). Still, what a sad way for a usurper to gain an advantage.
the supervisor of the palace. He was the principal officer of the state, probably akin to the prime minister (Wiseman 1993:159); cf. the first note on 4:6.
16:11 killed the entire royal family. Sadly, this was the typical procedure to prevent possible reprisals (see commentary on 15:25-31).
a single male child. See the first note on 14:10.
16:14 The Book of the History of the Kings of Israel. See “Literary Style” in the Introduction.
COMMENTARY [Text]
If usurpers are universally reviled by those who crave order (see commentary on 15:32–16:7), privileged children are probably in a similar category. Accidents of birth should not lead to presumptions of privilege, as may have been the case here. The Deuteronomistic editor’s insistence on strict chronological arrangement of these brief discussions of the northern and southern kings leads to anticipatory notices of “regime change” that can bewilder the casual reader (cf. the Asa material in 15:16-22, where, although not formally introduced, Baasha king of Israel is prominently featured). Such is the case with Zimri, the commander of half of the royal chariots, an exalted position for one of such humble background. The only thing we learn about Elah is that (at least once, but probably rather often) he got drunk at a private party (see third note on 16:9). Surely he did more in his two-year reign than attend private parties, but historical treatments are naturally quite selective in their emphases. This last point certainly gives pause to leaders of any age!