Why does Zambri’s reign in Thersa end after seven days?

Atlas of Saints · Chapter summary

After hearing that Zambri has rebelled and killed the king, Israel makes the army general Amri king. Amri and Israel besiege Thersa. Seeing that the city is about to be taken, Zambri enters the palace and burns himself with the king’s house, dying there.

Chapter breakdown

The Lord’s word comes to Jehu, son of Hanani, against Baasa. The Lord says he raised Baasa from the dust and made him prince over Israel, but Baasa followed Jeroboam’s way and made Israel sin, provoking the Lord with their sins. He will cut down Baasa’s descendants and those of his house and make his house like Jeroboam’s, son of Nabat. Dogs will eat those of Baasa who die in the city; birds will devour those who die in the country.

The account refers Baasa’s remaining acts, deeds and battles to the book of the words of the days of Israel’s kings. Baasa dies, is buried in Thersa and is succeeded by his son Ela. Verse 7 again names the Lord’s word through Jehu, son of Hanani, against Baasa, his house and the evil works by which he provoked the Lord and became like Jeroboam’s house. In this admitted wording, Baasa kills Jehu, son of Hanani, the prophet, for this cause.

Ela, Baasa’s son, begins to reign over Israel in Thersa in Asa of Juda’s twenty-sixth year and reigns two years. His servant Zambri, captain of half the horsemen, rebels. Ela is drinking and drunk in the house of Arsa, governor of Thersa. Zambri rushes in, strikes and kills him in Asa’s twenty-seventh year and reigns in his place. Once king and seated on his throne, Zambri kills all Baasa’s house, leaving not one, in the source’s phrase, “to piss against a wall,” and kills all his kinsfolk and friends.

Zambri destroys all Baasa’s house according to the Lord’s word spoken to Baasa through Jehu the prophet, for all the sins of Baasa and Ela. They sinned and made Israel sin, provoking the Lord God of Israel with their vanities. Ela’s remaining acts and all he did are referred to the book of the words of the days of Israel’s kings.

Zambri reigns seven days in Thersa in Asa’s twenty-seventh year while the army besieges Gebbethon, a Philistine city. When they hear he has rebelled and killed the king, all Israel makes Amri king that day in the camp; he is Israel’s general. Amri and all Israel go from Gebbethon and besiege Thersa. Seeing that the city is about to be taken, Zambri enters the palace and burns himself with the king’s house, dying in his sins: he did evil before the Lord, followed Jeroboam’s way and made Israel sin. The account refers his remaining acts, conspiracy and tyranny to the book of the words of the days of Israel’s kings.

Israel’s people divide in two: half follow Thebni, son of Gineth, to make him king, and half follow Amri. Amri’s people prevail over Thebni’s; Thebni dies and Amri reigns. The verse dates Amri’s reign to Asa’s thirty-first year, gives twelve years over Israel and six in Thersa.

Challoner’s separate note says Amri began to reign in Asa’s twenty-seventh year but lacked quiet possession of the kingdom until his rival Thebni died in Asa’s thirty-first year.

Amri buys Samaria’s hill from Semer for two talents of silver, builds on it and names the city Samaria after Semer, the hill’s owner. He does evil before the Lord, acting more wickedly than all before him. He follows all Jeroboam son of Nabat’s way and the sins through which he made Israel sin, provoking the Lord God of Israel with their vanities.

Challoner’s separate note explains their vanities as their idols and golden calves: vain, false and deceitful things.

Amri’s remaining acts and battles are referred to the book of the words of the days of Israel’s kings. He dies and is buried in Samaria; his son Achab succeeds him.

Achab, son of Amri, begins to reign over Israel in Asa of Juda’s thirty-eighth year and reigns twenty-two years in Samaria. He does evil before the Lord above all who preceded him. Following Jeroboam son of Nabat’s sins is not enough: he also marries Jezabel, daughter of Ethbaal, king of the Sidonians, serves Baal and adores him. He erects a Baal altar in the Baal temple he built in Samaria and plants a grove. He does more to provoke the Lord God of Israel than all Israel’s previous kings.

In Achab’s days Hiel of Bethel builds Jericho. The verse says he lays its foundations in Abiram, his firstborn, and sets up its gates in Segub, his youngest son, according to the Lord’s word spoken through Josue, son of Nun.

The story inside

The word against Baasa connects his elevation and later sins to the threatened end of his house. After the account of his death and the admitted verse’s killing of Jehu, Ela’s reign ends when Zambri kills him while he is drunk. Zambri destroys Baasa’s house, kinsfolk and friends, but Israel’s response to his rebellion brings Amri and a siege of Thersa. Zambri burns himself with the palace when the city is about to fall. The people then divide between Amri and Thebni; Amri prevails, builds Samaria and continues Jeroboam’s sins. The notes explain his reign dates and vanities separately. Achab’s marriage, worship of Baal, temple, altar and grove follow, and Hiel’s building of Jericho is tied to the Lord’s word through Josue.

Lessons worth keeping

1
The source connects Baasa’s house’s destruction to named conduct. The Lord had raised him from the dust, but he followed Jeroboam and made Israel sin; Ela’s sins are also named when Zambri destroys the house. The account does not supply a righteous motive for Zambri or a rule about every future usurper.
2
News of the killing changes who reigns. Israel makes Amri king after hearing of Zambri’s rebellion, and Amri besieges Thersa. Zambri sees the city is about to be taken and burns himself with the house. Keeping that timing avoids inventing an earlier breach of the walls.
3
The reign dates and the notes serve different purposes. The verse gives Amri’s twelve years, six in Thersa and Asa’s thirty-first year. Challoner explains that he began in the twenty-seventh year and gained quiet possession only after Thebni died. That explanation should stay attributed rather than becoming an invented four-year battle account.

Test your recall

How does news of Zambri’s killing of Ela lead to Amri’s kingship, the siege of Thersa and the end of Zambri’s seven-day reign?

Source edition and notes

Douay–Rheims, revised by Richard Challoner (1749–1752). Project Gutenberg no. 1581. Locators refer to lines in the admitted pg1581.txt edition. Source notes may include Challoner commentary.

Lines 36897–36915
3 Kings Chapter 16 Jehu prophesieth against Baasa: his son Ela is slain and all his family destroyed by Zambri. Of the reign of Amri father of Achab. 16:1. Then the word of the Lord came to Jehu, the son of Hanani, against Baasa, saying: 16:2. For as much as I have exalted thee out of the dust and made thee prince over my people Israel, and thou hast walked in the way of Jeroboam, and hast made my people Israel to sin, to provoke me to anger with their sins: 16:3. Behold I will cut down the posterity of Baasa, and the posterity of his house, and I will make thy house as the house of Jeroboam, the son of Nabat. 16:4. Him that dieth of Baasa, in the city, the dogs shall eat: and him that dieth of his in the country, the fowls of the air shall devour.
Lines 36917–36929
16:5. But the rest of the acts of Baasa, and all that he did, and his battles, are they not written in the book of the words of the days of the kings of Israel? 16:6. So Baasa slept with his fathers, and was buried in Thersa: and Ela, his son, reigned in his stead. 16:7. And when the word of the Lord came in the hand of Jehu, the son of Hanani, the prophet, against Baasa, and against his house, and against all the evil that he had done before the Lord, to provoke him to anger by the works of his hands, to become as the house of Jeroboam: for this cause he slew him; that is to say, Jehu, the son of Hanani, the prophet.
Lines 36931–36943
16:8. In the six and twentieth year of Asa, king of Juda, Ela, the son of Baasa, reigned over Israel, in Thersa, two years. 16:9. And his servant Zambri, who was captain of half the horsemen, rebelled against him: now Ela was drinking in Thersa, and drunk in the house of Arsa, the governor of Thersa. 16:10. And Zambri rushing in, struck him, and slew him, in the seven and twentieth year of Asa, king of Juda and he reigned in his stead. 16:11. And when he was king, and sat upon his throne, he slew all the house of Baasa, and he left not one thereof to piss against a wall and all his kinsfolks and friends.
Lines 36945–36955
16:12. And Zambri destroyed all the house of Baasa, according to the word of the Lord, that he had spoken to Baasa, in the hand of Jehu, the prophet, 16:13. For all the sins of Baasa, and the sins of Ela, his son, who sinned, and made Israel to sin, provoking the Lord, the God of Israel, with their vanities. 16:14. But the rest of the acts of Ela, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the words of the days of the kings of Israel?
Lines 36957–36977
16:15. In the seven and twentieth year of Asa, king of Juda, Zambri reigned seven days in Thersa: now the army was besieging Gebbethon, a city of the Philistines. 16:16. And when they heard that Zambri had rebelled, and slain the king, all Israel made Amri their king, who was general over Israel in the camp that day. 16:17. And Amri went up, and all Israel with him, from Gebbethon, and they besieged Thersa. 16:18. And Zambri, seeing that the city was about to be taken, went into the palace, and burnt himself with the king’s house: and he died 16:19. In his sins, which he had sinned, doing evil before the Lord, and walking in the way of Jeroboam, and in his sin, wherewith he made Israel to sin. 16:20. But the rest of the acts of Zambri, and of his conspiracy and tyranny, are they not written in the book of the words of the days of the kings of Israel?
Lines 36979–36988
16:21. Then were the people of Israel divided into two parts: one half of the people followed Thebni, the son of Gineth, to make him king: and one half followed Amri. 16:22. But the people that were with Amri, prevailed over the people that followed Thebni, the son of Gineth: and Thebni died, and Amri reigned. 16:23. In the one and thirtieth year of Asa, king of Juda, Amri reigned over Israel twelve years: in Thersa he reigned six years.
Lines 36990–36993
In the one and thirtieth year, etc.... Amri began to reign in the seven and twentieth year of Asa; but had not quiet possession of the kingdom till the death of his competitor Thebni, which was in the one and thirtieth year of Asa’s reign.
Lines 36995–37004
16:24. And he bought the hill of Samaria of Semer, for two talents of silver: and he built upon it, and he called the city which he built Samaria, after the name of Semer, the owner of the hill. 16:25. And Amri did evil in the sight of the Lord, and acted wickedly above all that were before him. 16:26. And he walked in all the way of Jeroboam, the son of Nabat, and in his sins, wherewith he made Israel to sin: to provoke the Lord, the God of Israel, to anger with their vanities.
Lines 37006–37007
With their vanities.... That is, their idols their golden calves, vain, false, deceitful things.
Lines 37009–37014
16:27. Now the rest of the acts of Amri, and the battles he fought, are they not written in the book of the words of the days of the kings of Israel? 16:28. And Amri slept with his fathers, and was buried in Samaria, and Achab, his son, reigned in his stead.
Lines 37016–37031
16:29. Now Achab, the son of Amri, reigned over Israel in the eight and thirtieth year of Asa, king of Juda. And Achab, the son of Amri, reigned over Israel in Samaria two and twenty years. 16:30. And Achab, the son of Amri, did evil in the sight of the Lord above all that were before him. 16:31. Nor was it enough for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam, the son of Nabat: but he also took to wife Jezabel, daughter of Ethbaal, king of the Sidonians. And he went, and served Baal, and adored him. 16:32. And he set up an altar for Baal, in the temple of Baal, which he had built in Samaria; 16:33. And he planted a grove: and Achab did more to provoke the Lord, the God of Israel, than all the kings of Israel that were before him.
Lines 37033–37038
16:34. In his days Hiel, of Bethel, built Jericho: in Abiram, his firstborn, he laid its foundations: and in his youngest son, Segub, he set up the gates thereof: according to the word of the Lord, which he spoke in the hand of Josue, the son of Nun.