Verse Lens · Concise explanation
1 Kings 16:8 Explained in Context
Use this verse as a doorway into the larger passage—not as an isolated saying.
Verse 8. 8In the twenty and sixth year of Asa king of Judah began Elah the son of Baasha to reign over Israel in Tirzah, two years.
King James Version — public domain in the United States · Bible text and permissions
Quick Meaning
At 1 Kings 16:8, the narrator dates Elah's accession and two-year reign at Tirzah.
Read It With
- 1 Kings 16:8–16:10
Read 1 Kings 16:8 with 1 Kings 16:8–16:10, titled “Zimri assassinates Elah.” Dates Elah's accession and two-year reign at Tirzah.
Why This Verse Appears Here
1 Kings 16:8 dates Elah's accession and two-year reign at Tirzah; this distinct detail carries 1 Kings 16:8–16:10 from “1 Kings 16:1–16:7 has just shown: Jehu condemns Baasha's dynasty and his violence.” toward “1 Kings 16:11–16:14 next develops: Zimri destroys Baasha's house.”
Read 1 Kings 16:8–10 together
Why these verses belong together: Zimri assassinates Elah is the complete reviewed scene, prayer, oracle, list, or regnal notice bounded at 16:8–16:10.
Verse 8. 8 In the twenty and sixth year of Asa king of Judah began Elah the son of Baasha to reign over Israel in Tirzah, two years.
Verse 9. 9 And his servant Zimri, captain of half his chariots, conspired against him, as he was in Tirzah, drinking himself drunk in the house of Arza steward of his house in Tirzah.
Verse 10. 10 And Zimri went in and smote him, and killed him, in the twenty and seventh year of Asa king of Judah, and reigned in his stead.
What Remains True
Because 1 Kings 16:8 dates Elah's accession and two-year reign at Tirzah, responsible reading keeps the narrated action, source limits, accountable agents, and affected people together; Prophetic fulfillment does not absolve assassination, massacre, civil conflict, suicide, or the royal policies of Omri and Ahab; Jezebel is not a gendered archetype.
How It Can Shape Life
- When an analogous issue arises, use 1 Kings 16:8 to name the specific conduct—dates Elah's accession and two-year reign at Tirzah—then document power, evidence, uncertainty, safeguards, and people at risk.
Continue in Context
The full thought-unit study remains the final contextual authority for this Verse Lens.
Read 1 Kings 16:8–16:10 — Zimri assassinates ElahSources used for this Verse Lens
How certain is this explanation? strong
These are the sources used directly for this lens. Language, grammar, disagreements, and the complete source shelf remain attached to the full thought-unit research record.
Biblical text
King James (Authorized) Version — eng-kjv2006
eBible.org and CrossWire Bible Society
USFM archive eng-kjv2006_usfm.zip; source files dated 2026-08-19; downloaded 2026-08-24; archive SHA-256 aec1b3b26c622fd3d963d2bbac963016b9513246ffbfa20da00bb100372ea007; normalized corpus SHA-256 09aef51d90488aa7b9722b3fd9a93f4b25f6bf2064c5fd798fb39673c300ddf2.
Supports: Exact displayed KJV wording, paragraph metadata, supplied-word markup, and complete verse coverage.
Exact location: 1 Kings 16:8–16:10, pinned eng-kjv2006 USFM corpus
Open source ↗hebrew text and morphology
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible: 1 Kings
Open Scriptures
Open Scriptures, release 2.2
Supports: Hebrew wording and morphology used for lexical, grammatical, name, clause, and older-English checks; this is not a critical apparatus or historical proof.
Exact location: Open Scriptures MorphHB v.2.2, commit 6a5db284c715c18b239422e57bb89684e6a19f00, wlc/1Kgs.xml, Masoretic words and morphology for 16:8–16:10
Open source ↗