13 Things About King Omri and His Fortressed City of Samaria

Yesterday I posted a picture of an obscure hillside. It’s amazing what was once there….

1. King Omri reigned over the Northern Kingdom also referred to as Israel. The Southern Kingdom was known as Judah.

2. Omri’s reign is designated between the years 884-841 B.C.

3. King Omri is only mentioned in 13 verses of the Bible…..1 Kings 16: 16-28.

4. The word “change” can be used to describe King Omri’s time on the throne.

5. The throne did not come to King Omri through a line of secession. He TOOK it.

6. Omri was originally an army general for King Elah and was considered to be a brilliant political and military leader. Zimri, a commander of the King’s charioteers, assassinated Elah (1 Kings 16: 9-11).

7. Omri thought this was wrong and decide to fight Zimri. Only one week into his reign Zimri found himself faced with a palace coup and Omri burned the palace down around him. Omri also spent four years fighting another rival for the throne…Tibni.

8. Following the split the Northern Kingdom and the Southern Kingdom they were often at war with each other. This made both nations very weak militarily and economically.

9. During Omri’s reign the bickering and strife stopped long enough for the Northern Kingdom to take part in events on the world’s stage.

10. King Omri moved the Northern Kingdom capital from Tizrah to Samaria (Sabaste) and built it up to rival Jerusalem where it remain Israel’s capital (Northern Kingdom) until the Assyrian captivity.

11. Omri bought the Hill of Shemer for two talents of silver and made this his capital

12. For the next 160 years, the city was the capital of the northern kingdom, apparently reaching a size of 150 acres (as large as Jerusalem in Hezekiah's time). Samaria is well situated with steep slopes on all sides. Eventually the name Samaria came to refer to the entire Northern Kingdom.

13. King Omri entered into a political alliance with Phoenicia by marrying his son Ahab to Jezebel, a princess of Tyre. Once he became king Ahab built a temple to Baal at Samaria. Many, many years later King Herod would build a palace at Samaria as well. Many of the ruins seen at the ancient capital today are from Herod’s time, but a wall there dates back to the 9th Century B.C. during the time of King Omri and King Ahab.

You can find a great article regarding Samaria here.

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