Bible Strands
2 Kings 15:8
In the thirty-eighth year of Azariah’s reign over Judah, Zechariah son of Jeroboam became king of Israel, and he reigned in Samaria six months.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The chronicler records the dynastic transition in the northern kingdom at the midpoint of Azariah’s Judahite reign, marking the exact moment Zechariah assumes the throne in Samaria.
The words — The text anchors the event with בִּשְׁנַת (bi.sh.Nat) = in the year and מָלַךְ (Ma.lakh) = he became king, establishing a precise synchronism between the northern and southern monarchies.
The thread — The succession is cross-referenced in 2 Kings 14:29 as the direct result of Jeroboam’s death, while the chronological marker ties back to Azariah’s coronation in 2 Kings 14:21 and his burial in 2 Kings 15:7.
Why it lands — The verse demands a reader to track how political timelines intersect with divine judgment, noting that Zechariah’s brief six-month rule immediately precedes the record of his continuation of Jeroboam’s sins in 2 Kings 15:9.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
In the thirty and eighth year of Azariah king of Judah did Zachariah the son of Jeroboam reign over Israel in Samaria six months.
Cross-references
- 2 Kings 14:16 And Jehoash rested with his fathers and was buried in Samaria with the kings of Israel. And his son Jeroboam reigned in his place.
- 2 Kings 14:29 And Jeroboam rested with his fathers, the kings of Israel. And his son Zechariah reigned in his place.
- 2 Kings 14:21 Then all the people of Judah took Azariah, who was sixteen years old, and made him king in place of his father Amaziah.