King Pekah

How He Became King: After he assassinated Pekahiah
When He Began Reigning: Uncertain
Reign Length: 20 years
Ruled Over: Israel
Type of King: Evil
Prophet: Oded
Death: Assassinated by Hoshea
Burial: Unknown

Pekah seized power over Israel by assassinating Pekahiah. He ruled for 20 years, and did evil:

2 Kings 15:27: “In the two and fiftieth year of Azariah king of Judah Pekah the son of Remaliah began to reign over Israel in Samaria, and reigned twenty years.
28 And he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord: he departed not from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin.”

Pekah attacked Jerusalem but he was unable to conquer it:

2 Kings 16:5: “Then Rezin king of Syria and Pekah son of Remaliah king of Israel came up to Jerusalem to war: and they besieged Ahaz, but could not overcome him.”

However, Pekah did achieve military victory against Ahaz (the king of Judah). The Lord granted Pekah victory because of the disobedience of Ahaz (who served Baal and offered his own children as human sacrifices):

2 Chronicles 28:5: “Wherefore the Lord his God delivered him into the hand of the king of Syria; and they smote him, and carried away a great multitude of them captives, and brought them to Damascus. And he was also delivered into the hand of the king of Israel, who smote him with a great slaughter.
6 For Pekah the son of Remaliah slew in Judah an hundred and twenty thousand in one day, which were all valiant men; because they had forsaken the Lord God of their fathers.”

The Israelites then carried away 200,000 people captive. However, the prophet Oded rebuked them:

2 Chronicles 28:8: “And the children of Israel carried away captive of their brethren two hundred thousand, women, sons, and daughters, and took also away much spoil from them, and brought the spoil to Samaria.
9 But a prophet of the Lord was there, whose name was Oded: and he went out before the host that came to Samaria, and said unto them, Behold, because the Lord God of your fathers was wroth with Judah, he hath delivered them into your hand, and ye have slain them in a rage that reacheth up unto heaven.
10 And now ye purpose to keep under the children of Judah and Jerusalem for bondmen and bondwomen unto you: but are there not with you, even with you, sins against the Lord your God?
11 Now hear me therefore, and deliver the captives again, which ye have taken captive of your brethren: for the fierce wrath of the Lord is upon you.”

The nation obeyed the Lord. They clothed the captives and returned them:

2 Chronicles 28:15: “And the men which were expressed by name rose up, and took the captives, and with the spoil clothed all that were naked among them, and arrayed them, and shod them, and gave them to eat and to drink, and anointed them, and carried all the feeble of them upon asses, and brought them to Jericho, the city of palm trees, to their brethren: then they returned to Samaria.”

During Pekah’s reign, large portions of the country were carried away captive by the Assyrians:

2 Kings 15:29: “In the days of Pekah king of Israel came Tiglathpileser king of Assyria, and took Ijon, and Abelbethmaachah, and Janoah, and Kedesh, and Hazor, and Gilead, and Galilee, all the land of Naphtali, and carried them captive to Assyria.”

After this, Pekah was assassinated by Hoshea:

2 Kings 15:30: “And Hoshea the son of Elah made a conspiracy against Pekah the son of Remaliah, and smote him, and slew him, and reigned in his stead, in the twentieth year of Jotham the son of Uzziah.”

Once the king was dead, Hoshea ruled over Israel.