Pekah

Pekah ("open-eyed"), was king of Israel, the son of Remaliah, and a captain in the army of Pekahiah, king of Israel. Albright has dated his reign to 737 - 732 BC, while Thiele offers the dates 740 - 732 BC.

With the aid of a band of Gileadites, he slew Pekahiah and assumed the throne (2 Kings 15:25). Seventeen years after this he entered into an alliance with Rezin, king of Syria, and took part with him in besieging Jerusalem (2 Kings 15:37; 16:5). But Tiglath-Pileser III, who was in alliance with Ahaz, king of Judah, came up against Pekah, and carried away as captives many of the inhabitants of his kingdom (2 Kings 15:29). This was the beginning of the "Captivity." Soon after this Pekah was put to death by Hosheah, the son of Elah, who usurped the throne (2 Kings 15:30; 16:1-9; compare Isaiah 7:16; 8:4; 9:12). He is supposed by some to have been the "shepherd" mentioned in Zechariah 11:16.

This is an article from the public domain Easton's Bible Dictionary, originally published in 1897. This article is written from a nineteenth century Christian viewpoint, and may not reflect modern opinions or recent discoveries in Biblical scholarship. Please help the Wikipedia by bringing this article up to date.