Pekah
PeopleWhat is the meaning of Pekah in the Bible?
Pekah, a captain under King Pekahiah, assassinated his predecessor and seized the throne of Israel around 740 BCE. He formed a political and military alliance with Rezin, king of Aram-Damascus, to resist the expanding Neo-Assyrian Empire, but this coalition was defeated by Tiglath-Pileser III. Pekah was subsequently assassinated by Hoshea, who then became the final king of Israel before the kingdom's fall to Assyria in 722 BCE.
SIGNIFICANCE
Understanding Pekah's reign clarifies the geopolitical instability in the Levant that led to the Assyrian conquest of the Northern Kingdom, providing historical context for the prophetic literature in Isaiah and Hosea which addresses the political alliances and moral failures of this period.
Bible Study Quick-Reference Guide
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Source Attribution
Built upon the 1915 International Standard Bible Encyclopedia and Easton's Bible Dictionary (1897). Entries have been modernized, checked for academic truthfulness, and shortened for clarity.