Arza
Arza was the steward of King Elah's household in Tirzah (1 Kings 16:9).
Biography
Arza served as the palace administrator, the steward of King Elah's household, in Tirzah, the capital of the northern kingdom of Israel during the dynasty of Baasha. His name appears in 1 Kings 16:9 in connection with one of the most dramatic assassinations of the Divided Monarchy period. Zimri, a military commander who commanded half of Israel's chariot force, hatched a conspiracy against King Elah and carried it out while Elah was drinking himself drunk in Arza's house. Whether Arza was complicit in the plot or merely the unwitting host of the assassination is not stated in the text. Zimri then seized the throne, though his reign lasted only seven days before Omri, backed by the army, overthrew him.
Significance
Arza's household became the site of a pivotal moment in the violent succession crises that plagued the northern kingdom. The scene of a king assassinated while drunk in his steward's house vividly illustrates the moral and political decay that characterized Israel's rulers after Jeroboam's apostasy. The Deuteronomistic Historian consistently presents these violent upheavals as the outworking of divine judgment against dynasties that perpetuated idolatry (1 Kings 16:7). Arza's incidental role in this narrative serves as a reminder that those who occupy positions of proximity to corrupt leadership can become entangled in its consequences, whether through complicity or mere association with those who choose wickedness.
Verse Appearances (1)
1 Kings
References
- Orr, J. (ed.) (1915) The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia. Chicago: Howard-Severance Company. [Public Domain]
- Tyndale House, Cambridge (n.d.) Translators Individualised Proper Names with all References (TIPNR). STEPBible. Available at: https://www.stepbible.org. [CC BY 4.0]
- Church of England (1769) The Holy Bible, Authorized (King James) Version. [Public Domain]