Lectionary Calendar
Tuesday, August 26th, 2025
the Week of Proper 16 / Ordinary 21
Attention!
Tired of seeing ads while studying? Now you can enjoy an "Ads Free" version of the site for as little as 10¢ a day and support a great cause!
Click here to learn more!

Read the Bible

THE MESSAGE

1 Kings 16:8

In the twenty-sixth year of Asa king of Judah, Elah son of Baasha began his rule. He was king in Tirzah only two years. One day when he was at the house of Arza the palace manager, drinking himself drunk, Zimri, captain of half his chariot-force, conspired against him. Zimri slipped in, knocked Elah to the ground, and killed him. This happened in the twenty-seventh year of Asa king of Judah. Zimri then became the king.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Anger;   Elah;   Tirzah;   Thompson Chain Reference - Elah;   Israel;   Israel-The Jews;   Kings of Israel;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Kings;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Omri;   Zimri;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Palestine;   Shechem;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Elah;   Tirza;   Zimri;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Ahaz;   Baasha;   Elah;   Israel;   Samaria;   Zimri;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Arza;   Elah;   Jehu;   Omri;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Elah;   Tirzah;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Baasha ;   Elah ;   Tirzah ;   The Hawker's Poor Man's Concordance And Dictionary - Nimshi;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Asa;   Jehu;   Smith Bible Dictionary - E'lah;   Israel, Kingdom of;   Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary - Asa;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - Kingdom of Israel;   Kingdom of Judah;   Babylonish Captivity, the;   International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Elah (2);   Tirzah;   Zimri (1);   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Asa;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
In the twenty-sixth year of Judah’s King Asa, Elah son of Baasha became king over Israel, and he reigned in Tirzah two years.
Hebrew Names Version
In the twenty-sixth year of Asa king of Yehudah began Elah the son of Ba`sha to reign over Yisra'el in Tirtzah, [and reigned] two years.
King James Version
In the twenty and sixth year of Asa king of Judah began Elah the son of Baasha to reign over Israel in Tirzah, two years.
English Standard Version
In the twenty-sixth year of Asa king of Judah, Elah the son of Baasha began to reign over Israel in Tirzah, and he reigned two years.
New Century Version
Elah son of Baasha became king of Israel during Asa's twenty-sixth year as king of Judah, and Elah ruled in Tirzah for two years.
New English Translation
In the twenty-sixth year of King Asa's reign over Judah, Baasha's son Elah became king over Israel; he ruled in Tirzah for two years.
Amplified Bible
In the twenty-sixth year of Asa king of Judah, Elah the son of Baasha became king over Israel in Tirzah, and reigned two years.
New American Standard Bible
In the twenty-sixth year of Asa king of Judah, Elah the son of Baasha became king over Israel at Tirzah, and reigned for two years.
Geneva Bible (1587)
In the sixe and twentie yeere of Asa king of Iudah began Elah ye sonne of Baasha to reigne ouer Israel in Tirzah, and reigned two yeere.
Legacy Standard Bible
In the twenty-sixth year of Asa king of Judah, Elah the son of Baasha became king over Israel at Tirzah, and reigned two years.
Contemporary English Version
Elah son of Baasha became king of Israel after Asa had been king of Judah for twenty-five years, and he ruled from Tirzah for two years.
Complete Jewish Bible
It was in the twenty-sixth year of Asa king of Y'hudah that Elah the son of Ba‘sha began his reign over all Isra'el in Tirtzah, and he ruled for two years.
Darby Translation
In the twenty-sixth year of Asa king of Judah, Elah the son of Baasha began to reign over Israel in Tirzah for two years.
Easy-to-Read Version
Elah son of Baasha became king during the 26th year that Asa was the king of Judah. He ruled in Tirzah for two years.
George Lamsa Translation
In the twenty-sixth year of Asa king of Judah, Elah the son of Baasha began to reign over Israel in Tirzah, two years.
Good News Translation
In the twenty-sixth year of the reign of King Asa of Judah, Elah son of Baasha became king of Israel, and he ruled in Tirzah for two years.
Lexham English Bible
In the twenty-sixth year of Asa king of Judah, Elah the son of Baasha became king over Israel for two years.
Literal Translation
In the twenty sixth year of Asa the king of Judah, Elah the son of Baasha began to reign over Israel in Tirzah, two years.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
In the sixe & twentieth yeare of Asa kynge of Iuda, was Ella the sonne of Baesa kynge ouer Israel at Thirza two yeare.
American Standard Version
In the twenty and sixth year of Asa king of Judah began Elah the son of Baasha to reign over Israel in Tirzah, and reigned two years.
Bible in Basic English
In the twenty-sixth year that Asa was king of Judah, Elah, the son of Baasha, became king of Israel in Tirzah, and he was king for two years.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
The twentie & sixth yere of Asa king of Iuda, began Ela the sonne of Baasa to raigne ouer Israel in Thirza, two yeres.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
In the twenty and sixth year of Asa king of Judah began Elah the son of Baasa to reign over Israel in Tirzah, and reigned two years.
King James Version (1611)
In the twentieth and sixt yeere of Asa king of Iudah, began Elah the sonne of Baasha to reigne ouer Israel in Tirzah, two yeeres.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And Ela son of Baasa reigned over Israel two years in Thersa.
English Revised Version
In the twenty and sixth year of Asa king of Judah began Elah the son of Baasha to reign over Israel in Tirzah, [and reigned] two years.
Berean Standard Bible
In the twenty-sixth year of Asa's reign over Judah, Elah son of Baasha became king of Israel, and he reigned in Tirzah two years.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
In the sixe and twentithe yeer of Aza, kyng of Juda, Hela, the sone of Baasa, regnyde on Israel, in Thersa, twei yeer.
Young's Literal Translation
In the twenty and sixth year of Asa king of Judah reigned hath Elah son of Baasha over Israel in Tirzah, two years;
Update Bible Version
In the twenty and sixth year of Asa king of Judah, Elah the son of Baasha began to reign over Israel in Tirzah, [and reigned] two years.
Webster's Bible Translation
In the twenty and sixth year of Asa king of Judah began Elah the son of Baasha to reign over Israel in Tirzah, two years.
World English Bible
In the twenty-sixth year of Asa king of Judah began Elah the son of Baasha to reign over Israel in Tirzah, [and reigned] two years.
New King James Version
In the twenty-sixth year of Asa king of Judah, Elah the son of Baasha became king over Israel, and reigned two years in Tirzah.
New Living Translation
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.
New Life Bible
In the twenty-sixth year of Asa king of Judah, Elah the son of Baasha became king of Israel at Tirzah. He ruled for two years.
New Revised Standard
In the twenty-sixth year of King Asa of Judah, Elah son of Baasha began to reign over Israel in Tirzah; he reigned two years.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
In the twenty-sixth year of Asa king of Judah, began Elah son of Baasha to reign over Israel, in Tirzah, and he reigned two years.
Douay-Rheims Bible
In the six and twentieth year of Asa, king of Juda, Ela, the son of Baasa, reigned over Israel, in Thersa, two years.
Revised Standard Version
In the twenty-sixth year of Asa king of Judah, Elah the son of Ba'asha began to reign over Israel in Tirzah, and reigned two years.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
In the twenty-sixth year of Asa king of Judah, Elah the son of Baasha became king over Israel at Tirzah, and reigned two years.

Contextual Overview

1The word of God came to Jehu son of Hanani with this message for Baasha: "I took you from nothing—a complete nobody—and set you up as the leader of my people Israel, but you plodded along in the rut of Jeroboam, making my people Israel sin and making me seethe over their sin. And now the consequences—I will burn Baasha and his regime to cinders, the identical fate of Jeroboam son of Nebat. Baasha's people who die in the city will be eaten by scavenger dogs; carrion crows will eat the ones who die in the country." 5The rest of Baasha's life, the record of his regime, is written in The Chronicles of the Kings of Israel. Baasha died and was buried with his ancestors in Tirzah. His son Elah was king after him. 7 That's the way it was with Baasha: Through the prophet Jehu son of Hanani, God 's word came to him and his regime because of his life of open evil before God and his making God so angry—a chip off the block of Jeroboam, even though God had destroyed him. 8In the twenty-sixth year of Asa king of Judah, Elah son of Baasha began his rule. He was king in Tirzah only two years. One day when he was at the house of Arza the palace manager, drinking himself drunk, Zimri, captain of half his chariot-force, conspired against him. Zimri slipped in, knocked Elah to the ground, and killed him. This happened in the twenty-seventh year of Asa king of Judah. Zimri then became the king. 11Zimri had no sooner become king than he killed everyone connected with Baasha, got rid of them all like so many stray dogs—relatives and friends alike. Zimri totally wiped out the family of Baasha, just as God 's word delivered by the prophet Jehu had said—wages for the sins of Baasha and his son Elah; not only for their sins but for dragging Israel into their sins and making the God of Israel angry with their stupid idols. 14 The rest of Elah's life, what he said and did, is written in The Chronicles of the Kings of Israel.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

am 3075, bc 929

In the twenty: Baasha began to reign in the third year of Asa, and reigned 24 years; yet he died and was succeeded by Elah in the 26th year of Asa; and, in like manner, Elah, who began to reign in the 26th year of Asa, and was killed in the 27th, is said to have reigned two years. Thus it is evident that a part of a year is calculated as a whole year. In the Chinese annals, the whole year in which a king dies is ascribed to his reign, the years of the succeeding king being reckoned only from the beginning of the following year. 1 Kings 16:8

Reciprocal: 1 Kings 14:17 - Tirzah 1 Kings 15:32 - there was war 1 Kings 15:33 - twenty and four years 1 Kings 16:6 - Elah 1 Kings 16:15 - seven 1 Kings 16:21 - divided 1 Kings 16:23 - twelve years 2 Kings 15:14 - Tirzah 2 Kings 15:23 - and reigned two years 2 Kings 21:19 - two years Proverbs 28:2 - the transgression

Cross-References

Genesis 3:9
God called to the Man: "Where are you?"
Genesis 4:10
God said, "What have you done! The voice of your brother's blood is calling to me from the ground. From now on you'll get nothing but curses from this ground; you'll be driven from this ground that has opened its arms to receive the blood of your murdered brother. You'll farm this ground, but it will no longer give you its best. You'll be a homeless wanderer on Earth."
Genesis 16:1
Sarai, Abram's wife, hadn't yet produced a child. She had an Egyptian maid named Hagar. Sarai said to Abram, " God has not seen fit to let me have a child. Sleep with my maid. Maybe I can get a family from her." Abram agreed to do what Sarai said.
Genesis 16:5
Sarai told Abram, "It's all your fault that I'm suffering this abuse. I put my maid in bed with you and the minute she knows she's pregnant, she treats me like I'm nothing. May God decide which of us is right."
Ecclesiastes 10:4
If a ruler loses his temper against you, don't panic; A calm disposition quiets intemperate rage.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

In the twenty sixth year of Asa king of Judah began Elah the son of Baasha to reign over Israel in Tirzah, two years. Not complete, for he died in the twenty seventh of Asa, 1 Kings 16:10 he reigned just the time that Nadab the son of Jeroboam did, 1 Kings 15:25.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Two years - i. e., More than one year, or, at any rate, some portion of two distinct years (compare 1 Kings 16:10).


 
adsfree-icon
Ads FreeProfile