Lexical Summary Peqachyah: Pekahiah Original Word: פְקַחְיָה Strong's Exhaustive Concordance Pekahiah From paqach and Yahh; Jah has observed; Pekachjah, an Israelite king -- Pekahiah. see HEBREW paqach see HEBREW Yahh NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom paqach Definition "Yah has opened (the eyes)," a king of Isr. NASB Translation Pekahiah (3). Brown-Driver-Briggs מְּקַחְיָה proper name, masculine king of Israel (׳י hath opened the eyes); — 2 Kings 15:22,23,26, Φακεσιας, Φακειας. פקע (√ of following, meaning dubious; Late Hebrew מָּקַע split, spring off; compare ᵑ7 Ithpe`el, Syriac Topical Lexicon Name and Identity Pekahiah is introduced solely within 2 Kings 15 as the seventeenth king of the Northern Kingdom of Israel. He is the son and immediate successor of Menahem and rules from the capital, Samaria. Historical Context Pekahiah’s two–year reign (ca. 742–740 BC) falls in the turbulent decades just prior to Israel’s fall to Assyria (722 BC). Assyrian king Tiglath-Pileser III was pressing westward. Menahem had secured his throne by paying a heavy tribute to Assyria (2 Kings 15:19–20). Pekahiah inherits both the throne and the political liabilities created by that tribute: forced taxation at home and suspicion from anti-Assyrian factions within Israel. Reign and Political Climate 2 Kings 15:23–24 summarizes his short government: “In the fiftieth year of Azariah king of Judah, Pekahiah son of Menahem became king over Israel in Samaria, and he reigned two years. And he did evil in the sight of the LORD. He did not turn away from the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, which he had caused Israel to commit.” No reforms are recorded, no campaigns, no building projects—only moral failure and political fragility. The text ties Pekahiah’s reign to Azariah (Uzziah) of Judah, whose lengthy and comparatively stable government highlights Israel’s instability. Spiritual Evaluation Like every Northern king after Jeroboam I, Pekahiah perpetuates the calf-worship centers at Dan and Bethel. His reign is judged entirely by this covenantal metric: “he did evil.” In Scripture’s theology of kingship, duration and blessing are linked to fidelity to the LORD (Deuteronomy 17:18–20). Pekahiah’s two-year tenure vividly illustrates the converse: idolatry breeds brevity and calamity. Downfall and Assassination Verse 25 records the palace coup: “Then his officer Pekah son of Remaliah conspired against him, and struck him down in Samaria, in the citadel of the king’s house … So Pekah killed Pekahiah and reigned in his place.” The assassin commands “fifty men of the Gileadites,” suggesting a military cohort disillusioned with Pekahiah’s perceived subservience to Assyria. Pekah’s ascent ushers in an anti-Assyrian policy, leading ultimately to the Syro-Ephraimite crisis (Isaiah 7) and deeper entanglement with Assyria. Prophetic Connections Hosea ministers during this era (Hosea 1:1), indicting Israel’s moral rot and predicting exile. Pekahiah’s rule exemplifies Hosea’s charges: political bloodshed (Hosea 7:7), reliance on foreign powers (Hosea 8:9), and ongoing idolatry (Hosea 13:2). His assassination fulfills Hosea’s grim observation: “They set up kings, but not by Me” (Hosea 8:4). Theological and Practical Reflections 1. Covenant Accountability: Even a brief kingship is weighed against God’s standards. Leadership is never merely political; it is fundamentally spiritual. Key References 2 Kings 15:22–26; Hosea 1:1; Hosea 7:7; Hosea 8:4–9; Hosea 13:2 Forms and Transliterations פְּקַֽחְיָ֨ה פְּקַחְיָ֥ה פְקַחְיָ֖ה פקחיה fekachYah pə·qaḥ·yāh p̄ə·qaḥ·yāh pekachYah pəqaḥyāh p̄əqaḥyāhLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance 2 Kings 15:22 HEB: אֲבֹתָ֑יו וַיִּמְלֹ֛ךְ פְּקַחְיָ֥ה בְנ֖וֹ תַּחְתָּֽיו׃ NAS: with his fathers, and Pekahiah his son KJV: with his fathers; and Pekahiah his son INT: his fathers became and Pekahiah his son his place 2 Kings 15:23 2 Kings 15:26 3 Occurrences |
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burst, crash; Late Hebrew מְּקַעַת is ball, roll, מְּקִיעַ wick, הִפְקִיעַ denominative; Arabic 
is be yellow, also break wind, II. crack finger-joints, etc.; Ecclus 46:17 פקע crash; ᵑ7 מְּקַע roll noisily; Syriac 
crash, crack).