Omri
| Omri | |
|---|---|
 Portrait fromPromptuarium Iconum Insigniorum(1553) byGuillaume Rouillé | |
| King of Israel (Northern Kingdom) | |
| Reign | 885 BCE – 874 BCE |
| Predecessor | Tibni |
| Successor | Ahab |
| Issue | Ahab Athaliah[1] Nimshi? |
| House | House of Omri |
Omri(/ˈɒmraɪ/OM-ry;Hebrew:עָמְרִי,‘Omrī;Akkadian:𒄷𒌝𒊑𒄿Ḫûmrî[ḫu-um-ri-i];fl.9th century BCE) was, according to theHebrew Bible,the sixthking of Israel.He was a successful military campaigner who extended the northern kingdom of Israel. Other monarchs from the House of Omri areAhab,Ahaziah,Joram,andAthaliah.[2]Like his predecessor, kingZimri,who ruled for only seven days, Omri is the second king mentioned in the Bible without a statement of histribal origin.One possibility, though unproven, is that he was of thetribe of Issachar.[3]
Nothing is said in Scripture about the lineage of Omri. His name may beAmorite,Arabic,orHebrewin origin.[4]Omri is credited with the construction ofSamariaand establishing it as his capital. Although the Bible is silent about other actions taken during his reign, he is described as doing more evil than all the kings who preceded him.[5]An alternative modern hypothesis maintains that, as founder of theHouse of Omri,an Israeliteroyal house,his kingdom formed the first state in the Land of Israel, and that theKingdom of Judahonly achieved statehood later.[6]
Extrabiblical sources such as theMesha Steleand theBlack Obelisk of Shalmaneser IIIalso mention his name; however, in the case of the Black Obelisk the reference is to thedynasty named for Omrirather than to Omri himself. A minor thesis, argued byThomas ThompsonandNiels Peter Lemche,suggests that Omri may be a dynastic name indicating theapicalfounder of the Kingdom of Israel rather than one denoting an actual historical king.[6]
Name
[edit]The name "Omri" itself is puzzling to scholars. Its etymology is uncertain, and theories have proposed an origin in severalSemitic languages.[4]In the Hebrew Bible, the name "Omri" appears three times outside of references to the king, first to denote a son ofBecher,the second ofBenjamin's ten sons,[7]second to denote a descendant ofPerez,son of Judah,[8]and finally to denote a prince of thetribe of Issachar,[9]seemingly suggesting an Israelite origin for the name. Likewise, thatJezreelwas the site of Omri's estate has been taken by some scholars as indicating that Omri had called the area home, which may imply he was a scion of thetribe of Issachar,[3]but this remains unproven. If Omri, and by extension his name, were indeed of Israelite provenance, a number ofHebrewetymologies have been proposed for‘Omrī:including ahypocorismof the unattested personal name‘Omrīyyā(עָמְרִיָּה "servant ofYah"), and derivation from the verb‘āmar(עָמַר) meaning "to bind, gather".[10]
Reign
[edit]Struggle for the succession
[edit]According to the biblical narrative, Omri was "commander of the army" ofKing ElahwhenZimri,"commander of half the king's chariots", murderedElahand made himself king. Instead, the troops atGibbethonchose Omri as king, and he led them toTirzahwhere they besieged it. WhenZimrisaw that the city was taken, he committed suicide by shutting himself in the royal palace and setting it ablaze. He died after a reign of only seven days. Although Zimri was eliminated, "half of the people" supportedTibniin opposition to Omri. It took Omri four years to subdue Tibni and at last proclaim himself undisputed king of Israel.[5]
Samaria and successor
[edit]Initially, the capital was inTirzah,which had been besieged and the royal palace had been burned down. TheJewish Encyclopediasuggests that "the associations of Tirzah were so repellent and sanguinary, and the location so poor for a capital, that Omri purchased a new site" for his residence.[11]This was inSamaria,on a hill purchased from Shemer for twotalentsof silver, where Omri built a new capital for the kingdom. In Samaria, Omri reigned until his death and was buried there. His sonAhabbecame the next king.[5]
Date
[edit]Omri became king of Israel in the 31st year ofAsa,king of Judahand reigned for 12 years, 6 years of which were in Tirzah. The biblical reference to the period of rivalry withTibniis from the 27th year of Asa to the 31st year.[5]There are several possible dates:William F. Albrighthas dated his reign to 876–869 BCE,E. R. Thieleoffers the dates of 888 BCE to 880 BCE for his rivalry with Tibni and 880–874 BCE for his sole reign,[12]whilePaul L. Maieraffirms that it happened between 881–873 BCE.[13]
Archaeological sources
[edit]
The fortress atJezreelwas situated on one of the main east–west routes through the kingdom. Hugh Williamson believes it served not only a military function, but also a political one; a very visible example of grandiose public works used as a means of social control and to assert claims of legitimacy.[14]
The MoabiteMesha stele(on display in theLouvre) indicates that Omri expanded his holdings to include northernMoabeast of theJordan River.It makes reference to the oppression ofMoabby "Omri King of Israel". Israel would later become identified in sources as the "House of Omri"(Bit-Humria),[15]with the term "Israel" being used less and less as history progressed (the other defining term for "Israel" is "Samaria", beginning in the reign ofJoash).[citation needed]Thomas L. Thompson(The Bible in History),[full citation needed]however, interprets the Mesha stele as suggesting that Omri is aneponym,or legendary founder of the kingdom rather than an historical person.
The AssyrianBlack Obeliskin theBritish Museumhas been interpreted as referring toJehu"son of Omri", though that interpretation has been questioned, in favor of the reading "Omride".[16][17]
The Omride Dynasty
[edit]
Theshort-lived dynasty founded by Omriconstituted a new chapter in the history of the Northern Kingdom of Israel. It ended almost fifty years of constant civil war over the throne. There was peace with theKingdom of Judahto the south, and even cooperation between the two rival states, while relations with neighboringSidonto the north were bolstered by marriages negotiated between the two royal courts. This state of peace with two powerful neighbors enabled the Kingdom of Israel to expand its influence and even political control inTransjordan,and these factors combined brought economic prosperity to the kingdom.
On the other hand, peace with Sidon also resulted in the penetration ofPhoenicianreligious ideas into the kingdom and led to akulturkampfbetween traditionalists (as personified by theprophetElijahand his followers) and the aristocracy (as personified by Omri's son and heirAhaband his consortJezebel). In foreign affairs, this period paralleled the rise of the Kingdom ofArambased inDamascus,and Israel soon found itself at war in the northeast. Most threatening, however, was the ascendancy ofAssyria,which was beginning to expand westward fromMesopotamia:theBattle of Qarqar(853 BCE), which pittedShalmaneser IIIofAssyriaagainst a coalition of local kings, including Ahab, was the first clash between Assyria and Israel. It was the first in a series of wars that would eventually lead to the destruction of the Kingdom of Israel in 722 BCE and the reduction of the Kingdom of Judah to an Assyrian tributary state.
In 841 BCE, the Assyrian king Shalmaneser III campaigned along theMediterranean coastand forcedJehuto pay tribute. Assyrian kings frequently referred to Omri's successors as belonging to the "House of Omri" (Bit Hu-um-ri-a).[15]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]
- ^For a discussion about whether Athaliah was actually the daughter of Omri or of Omri's sonAhab,seeKlein, Reuven Chaim (2014)."Queen Athaliah: The Daughter of Ahab or Omri?"(PDF).Jewish Bible Quarterly.42(1): 11–20.
- ^For a discussion about whether Athaliah was actually the daughter of Omri or of Omri's sonAhab,seeKlein, Reuven Chaim (2014)."Queen Athaliah: The Daughter of Ahab or Omri?"(PDF).Jewish Bible Quarterly.42(1): 11–20.
- ^abA History of Ancient Israel and Judah.James Maxwell Miller, John Haralson Hayes. 2006. p. 266.ISBN9780664212629.Retrieved25 January2015.
- ^abThiel, W., "Omri",The Anchor Bible Dictionary,p. 17, vol. 5, D.N. Freedman (ed.). New York: Doubleday (1992)
- ^abcdBerlin, Adele; Brettler, Marc Zvi (2004).The Jewish Study Bible: Jewish Publication Society Tanakh Translation.Oxford University Press. p. 710.ISBN9780195297515.
- ^abGrabbe, Lester L.(28 April 2007)."The Kingdom of Israel to the Fall of Samaria: If We Had Only the Bible".Ahab Agonistes: The Rise and Fall of the Omri Dynasty.A&C Black. pp. 54–99, 70, 82–4.ISBN9780567045409.(Lemche-Thompson hypothesis)
- ^1 Chronicles7:8
- ^1 Chron. 9:4
- ^1 Chron. 27:18
- ^Omri
- ^Singer, Isidore; Adler, Cyrus (1905).The Jewish Encyclopedia.Funk & Wagnalls.p. 401.
- ^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).ISBN0-8254-3825-X,9780825438257
- ^Paul L. MaierJosephus: The Essential Writings,1988; Kregel Publications, Grand Rapids, Michigan
- ^Williamson, Hugh G.M., "Tel Jezreel and the Dynasty of Omri",Palestine Exploration Quarterly128: p. 49, (1996)
- ^abJames B. Pritchard,ed.,Ancient Near Eastern Texts Relating to the Old Testament(3rd ed.; Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1969) 283.ISBN0-691-03503-2
- ^McCarter, P. Kyle "'Yaw, Son of Omri': A Philological Note on Israelite Chronology."Bulletin of the American Schools of Oriental Research,No. 216 (Dec. 1974), pp. 5–7.
- ^"Edwin R. Thiele, Bulletin of the American Schools of Oriental Research, No. 222 (Apr., 1976), pp. 19–23".JSTOR1356296.
- ^Rogers, Robert William (1912).Cuneiform Parallels to the Old Testament.Eaton & Mains. p.304.
- ^Bezold, Carl; King, L. W. (1889).Catalogue of the Cuneiform Tablets in the Kouyunjik Collection of the British Museum.British Museum Department of Ancient Egypt and Sudan.ISBN1145519350.
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