Who was King Omri in the Bible?

Commander of the army under Elah, king of Israel. When this king was slain the soldiers made Omri king. He had to overcome first Zimri and then Tibni before he could reign alone: altogether he reigned from B.C. 929 to 918, and was succeeded by his son Ahab. It is recorded of him that "he did worse than all that were before him." 1 Kings 16:16-30. In Micah 6:16 it is said "the statutes of Omri are kept:" they with "all the works of the house of Ahab," were kept in remembrance for punishment. Omri is mentioned on the 'black obelisk' of Shalmaneser 2 in the British Museum, and on the Moabite Stone. See MOAB.

"In the twenty and seventh year of Asa king of Judah did Zimri reign seven days in Tirzah. And the people were encamped against Gibbethon, which belonged to the Philistines. And the people that were encamped heard say, Zimri hath conspired, and hath also slain the king: wherefore all Israel made Omri, the captain of the host, king over Israel that day in the camp."

Civil war, that most deplorable of all forms of armed conflict, followed Omri's assumption of the throne of Israel. "Then were the people of Israel divided into two parts: half of the people followed Tibni the son of Ginath, to make him king; and half followed Omri. But the people that followed Omri prevailed against the people that followed Tibni the son of Ginath: so Tibni died, and Omri reigned." "All Israel made Omri, the captain of the host, king over Israel that day in the camp," it says — that is, the army that was encamped against Gibbethon; but a part of the tribes championed the cause of Tibni. Omri would be thus, during the four years' contest, in the position of military dictator. And with the soldiery at his back, he could hardly fail to prevail in the end against his adversary, whose death probably put an end to the conflict. Then Omri as king begins a new dynasty.

"In the thirty and first year of Asa king of Judah began Omri to reign over Israel, twelve years: six years reigned he in Tirzah. And he bought the hill Samaria of Shemer for two talents of silver, and built on the hill, and called the name of the city which he built, after the name of Shemer, owner of the hill, Samaria" ("Shomeron," Heb.). In the siege of Tirzah, Omri may have seen its undesirableness as a capital, from a military standpoint; or the pride of founding a new capital may have led him to choose the hill of Shemer. It lay about six miles to the northwest of Shechem, the old capital; and the situation, according to Josephus, combined strength, fertility, and beauty. The hill was six hundred feet above the surrounding country, and "the view," one writes, "is charming." But more attractive to the Christian heart, is the site of the old capital, Shechem, where our Lord, "wearied with His journey, sat thus on the well." And there, in the ears of "Jacob's erring daughter," He told of the free-giving God, and of that living water, of which, if a man drink, he shall never more thirst.

"But Omri wrought evil in the eyes of the Lord, and did worse than all that were before him. For he walked in all the way of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and in his sin wherewith he made Israel to sin, to provoke the Lord God of Israel to anger with their vanities" (idolatries). He seems to have formulated laws, making Jeroboam's calf-worship, or other forms of idolatry, obligatory throughout his realm, which remained in force till the end of the kingdom, more than two hundred years later. "For the statutes [a firmly-established system. — Fausset] of Omri are kept, and all the works of the house of Ahab" [Baal-worship] (Micah 6:16). Such yokes men willingly bear, and even cling to, so prone is the human heart to idolatry. Omri was founder of the fourth and most powerful of the Israelitish dynasties — combining ability with the establishment of the basest idolatry. He formed an alliance with Benhadad I. king of Syria, who had streets made for, or assigned to, him in Samaria. See 1 Kings 20:34. Samaria is called on the Assyrian monuments "Beth Omri" (house of Omri), in agreement with 1 Kings 16:24. On the black obelisk, however, Jehu is mistakenly called "son of Omri." His name appears on the Dibon stone, on which Mesha states that Omri subjected and oppressed Moab till he, Mesha, delivered them out of his hand.

"Now the rest of the acts of Omri which he did, and his might that he showed, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?" He used this "might" of his, not to Israel's deliverance, but for the furtherance and establishment of idolatry, to Israel's ruin. His name was common to three tribes, Benjamin, Judah, and Issachar (see 1 Chron. 7:8; 9:4; 27:18); so it is not certain out of which Omri came — though probably from Issachar (like Baasha). The murderous Athaliah, his granddaughter, is usually linked with his name in Scripture. See 2 Kings 8:26; 2 Chron. 22:2, etc.

Omri was Elah's commanding general. Upon Elah's assassination by Zimri he left off fighting against the Philistines at Gibbethon and besieged Tirzah, the capital. Did it get destroyed along with the palace? Zimri was soon defeated, but now the people were divided in their loyalties between Omri and a rival, Tibni. The civil war that ensued seems to have lasted at least four years before Tibni was dead and Omri secure on Israel's throne. Omri, a powerful and ambitious man, purchased a hill and built a new capital city upon it, Samaria. This city figures largely in the subsequent history of the northern tribe kingdom, and in the prophets the northern kingdom is often called Samaria. Omri must have made quite an impression on neighboring nations, for in the records of the enemy Assyrians after this time Israel is called the house of Omri even after his dynasty was gone from power.

Two things distinguished Omri. He built a city as Israel's center in opposition to God's center, Jerusalem, and his evil ways were worse than all the kings before him. He died and was buried in Samaria. He seized control of Israel for 12 years, but what of eternity? His son Ahab then reigned in Israel.

Omri was apparently an able man, as the world speaks, for he brought order out of chaos, and after twelve years reign he left the throne of the ten tribes unchallenged to his son. He seems to have overhauled the laws of the nation. In Micah 6:16, long after Omri's death, Jehovah complained that "the statutes of Omri" were preferred to His holy ordinances. "The statutes of Omri are kept, and all the works of the house of Ahab, and ye walk in their counsels; that I should make thee a desolation, and the inhabitant thereof a hissing: therefore ye shall bear the reproach of My people. "It is no uncommon thing for the professing people of God to prefer human rules and regulations to the plain teaching of His blessed Word. The Lord Jesus told the religious leaders of His own time: "Full well ye reject the commandment of God that ye may keep your own tradition … making the word of God of none effect through your tradition which ye have delivered" (Mark 7:9-13). Since the Lord spake thus, the Scriptures have been completed; the whole revelation of God is in our hands; yet the great majority of souls in Christendom are far more subject to ecclesiastical regulations and human dictation than to the wholesome Word of God!

In the middle of his reign Omri decided to transfer his capital from Tirzah to a preferable site which had attracted his attention. Being a man of military genius, he desired for his seat of government a place of greater strategic value than Tirzah had proved to be when Zimri endeavoured to hold it. It could not sustain even a week's siege! (1 Kings 16:18). "So he bought the hill Samaria of Shemer for two talents of silver, and built on the hill, and called the name of the city which he built, after the name of Shemer, owner of the hill, Samaria" (1 Kings 16:24). Such a memorial of his reign would suit the vanity of Omri, besides making for greater security in time of war. Although firm rule, and a new up-to-date Metropolis may be considered desirable things in men's eyes, it is the moral and spiritual condition that counts with God; and Omri became a more wicked ruler than even his bad predecessors. "Omri wrought evil in the eyes of Jehovah, and did worse than all that were before him." He continued the worship of Jeroboam's golden calves, and added fresh devilries of his own devising. When he died, he was buried in the new city which he had created on the hill of Shemer. But "there shall be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and unjust"(Acts 24:15).

"Ahab his son reigned in his stead — Ahab the son of Omri reigned over Israel in Samaria twenty and two years." The new king exceeded his father and all others in transgression against Jehovah. "Ahab did more to provoke Jehovah the God of Israel to anger than all the kings of Israel that were before him" (1 Kings 16:28-33). Things were thus ripening fast for the heavy stroke which fell upon the nation with such devastating effects by the instrumentality of Elijah.

"So Omri slept with his fathers, and was buried in Samaria. And Ahab his son reigned in his stead." His name means heaping; and by his iniquity he helped to heap up wrath against his dynasty, executed finally, thirty-six years later, on his great-grandson Joram, to the total extinction of the guilty house.

Another feature characterizes the decline of the kingdom. Israel is divided against itself: how shall it stand? Half the people choose Tibni for king, while the other half follows Omri. This latter prevails: Tibni dies, Omri reigns. He reigns twelve years altogether, six years at Tirzah. He builds Samaria and does worse than all those who had been before him. He sleeps with his fathers and is buried in Samaria.

Ahab, the son of Omri, begins to reign during Asa's lifetime yet, for all the catastrophes mentioned in 1 Kings 15 and 1 Kings 16 take place during this latter's reign. Just as the reigns of Ahab's predecessors (Nadab, a year; Elah, two years; Zimri, seven days) except for Omri had been short, just so the reign of Ahab is prolonged (twenty-two years). Ahab has time before him for doing only evil. He follows the idolatrous worship of Jeroboam, but does worse yet: he marries Jezebel, daughter of Ethbaal king of the Zidonians, and bows down before Baal to whom he builds an altar and a temple at Samaria. He sets up an image of the Phoenician Astarte and provokes the Lord God of Israel to anger (vv. 29-33).

The whole history of Israel from Jereboam was marked by confusion, with kings being deposed and evil men contending for the throne. Omri was challenged by Tibni, the son of Ginath, both of them having large followings (v.21). Omri's faction prevailed, however, and Tibni died. Omri reigned then for only 12 years, six of these being in Tirzah. (v.23). Of course this was in opposition to God's decree that Jerusalem was the center of the nation Israel. Judah recognized this, but the ten tribes had given themselves up to accept any substitute.

Omri had another place in mind, so he bought the hill of Samaria from Shemer. There he built a city and called it Samaria (v.24), where he evidently reigned for the remaining six years of his life. This is similar to the energy of many people today in professing Christendom. They conceive of a plausible center of gathering that is not Christ. It may be baptism, pentacostalism, presbyterianism, catholicism or any other name that seems appropriate for their purpose. But if Christ is not our Center, we shall be exposed to dangers of the worst kind, and specially so if we are proud of a sectarian name.

Omri not only followed the wicked ways of Jereboam, but did worse than all the kings who were before him (v.25). Jereboam began the wickedness of idol worship in the ten tribes, but evil does not stand still: it progresses from bad to worse. 2 Timothy 3:13 tells us, "Evil men and impostors will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived." A man who is a deceiver will find himself deceived also.

"The people that followed Omri overcame the people that followed Tibni the son of Ginath; and Tibni died, and Omri reigned.He bought the hill Samaria of Shemer for two talents of silver; and built on the hill, and called the name of the city that he built, after the name of Shemer, owner of the hill, Samaria."