King Pekah - Biography

Pekah secured the throne of Israel by murdering his predecessor, King Pekahiah. He reigned 20 years, all the time sponsoring the golden calf cult, which the LORD despised.

Pekah joined forces with Syria in an assault on Jerusalem, where Ahaz was king. The people of Judah were terrified of this confederacy, but the LORD sent word through the prophet Isaiah that it would fail, which it did.

Later Assyria marched on Israel, probably because Pekah declared Israel's independence and refused to pay the tribute the previous two kings had paid. Assyria took much of Pekah's territory and deported many of his people. At this failure, a man named Hoshea assassinated Pekah and assumed the throne himself.