King Elah

Elah (Hebrew: אֵלָה‎ ’Êlāh; Greek: Ἠλά; Latin: Ela) was the fourth king of Israel, the son and successor of Baasha. William F. Albright has dated his reign to 877 BC - 876 BC, while E. R. Thiele offers the dates 886 BCE - 885 BCE.[1]

Elah
King of Northern Israel
Reign886 BCE - 885 BCE
PredecessorBaasha, his father
SuccessorZimri

Chapter 16 of 1 Kings relates how Elah and all his family members were murdered by his chariot commander Zimri, who became his successor.

Biblical account

1 Kings 16 NIV:

Elah King of Israel

8 In the twenty-sixth year of Asa king of Judah, Elah son of Baasha became king of Israel, and he reigned in Tirzah two years.

9 Zimri, one of his officials, who had command of half his chariots, plotted against him. Elah was in Tirzah at the time, getting drunk in the home of Arza, the palace administrator at Tirzah. 10Zimri came in, struck him down and killed him in the twenty-seventh year of Asa king of Judah. Then he succeeded him as king.

11 As soon as he began to reign and was seated on the throne, he killed off Baasha's whole family. He did not spare a single male, whether relative or friend. 12So Zimri destroyed the whole family of Baasha, in accordance with the word of the Lord spoken against Baasha through the prophet Jehu— 13because of all the sins Baasha and his son Elah had committed and had caused Israel to commit, so that they aroused the anger of the Lord, the God of Israel, by their worthless idols.

14 As for the other events of Elah's reign, and all he did, are they not written in the book of the annals of the kings of Israel?

References
  1. Edwin Thiele, The Mysterious Numbers of the Hebrew Kings, (1st ed.; New York: Macmillan, 1951; 2d ed.; Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1965; 3rd ed.; Grand Rapids: Zondervan/Kregel, 1983). ISBN 0-8254-3825-X, 9780825438257
King Elah
Regnal titles
Preceded by
Baasha		 King of Israel
886 BC – 885 BC		 Succeeded by
Zimri
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