Useful Bible Studies > 2 Kings Commentary > chapter 15
The people accepted the son of a powerful king as their ruler because they expected him to have his father’s skills. It was usual in the past for a father to train his son to do the same work that he did. So, it seemed right for the king’s son to be the next king.
However, the king’s son did not always have the same qualities that his father had. Menahem was a powerful and cruel man who knew how to control people. We know little about the personal qualities of his son Pekahiah who became king after him. Pekahiah was an evil man, as his father had been. However, the time was short for him to prove what he was able to do as king. While he was trying to establish his rule, Pekah, one of his chief military commanders, was plotting against him.
Pekah may have been acting from personal ambition. However, he may have considered that his actions were necessary to save the nation from a weak king. He attacked the royal palace in Samaria with a group of 50 soldiers. These men were from Gilead, the part of Israel on the east side of the Jordan river. About 100 years earlier, Israel lost that land in a war against Aram (10:32-33). These men may have come from families that had to escape from Gilead at that time. They knew clearly from the experience of their families that their nation needed a strong king. That gave them a strong reason to support Pekah, who was clearly a very powerful man.
So, they entered the palace and killed Pekahiah, together with two of his chief officials. Then they appointed Pekah as the new king. Pekahiah had ruled northern and central Israel for just two years.
Next part: Pekah becomes king of Israel (2 Kings 15:27-28)
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