Pekahiah (Hastings' Dictionary)

King of Israel for two years, son and successor of Menahem (2 Καὶ 15-),” Two dates fixed by Assyrian records determine with unusual closeness the years of his reign. The inscriptions of Tiglath-pileser ΠῚ. show that Mena- hem was alive in 738, and that Pekabiah’s suc- cessor, Pekah, was dethroned in 734-733. It follows in all probability that the years 737 and 736 include the whole or the greater part of Pekabiah’s reign. The synchronism of 2K 15 is improbable.

It is unlikely that Azariah of Judah was living in 737, since az was king in 734 and the reign of Jotham comes between.—The internal condition of Israel in this reign has all its features in common with Hosea’s general picture of the period (see HoseEA). Nor can there be any doubt what the critical question of foreign policy was,—whether the attitude to Assyria should one of sub- mission, or one of resistance in co-operation with other Syrian states.

The absence of Tiglath- pileser in the north allowed time for negotiation and debate. Pekahiah’s assassination by his mili- tary adjutant or attendant may have been planned in co uence of his opposition to war with Assyria Possibly Rezin of Damascus was cognizant of the plan, and sanctioned it as a means of bringing Israel and Damascusintoline. The text relating the event is now corrupt (2K 15").

The r seems to have employed a force of Gileadites, which was probably suflicient to secure Samaria and so accomplish the revolution. It is not clear whether ‘Argob’ and ‘ Arieh’ were defenders or assailants of the king. The name Argob suggests that the words were originally some statement about the Gileadites (cf. Stade, Geschichte, i. 588). The Lucianic recension of the LXX assigns 10 years to Pekah- iah’s reign. It has been observed that 2 Καὶ 17! implies the same duration.

From the 2nd year of Azariah to the 12th of Ahaz is 80 years according to the Hebrew chronology, and this demands 10 years of Pekahiah’s to be added to the 20 of Pekah. Klostermann (Bilcher Sam. u. Kn.) accepts 10 years as the oper figure. But this cannot be harmonized with the data of the Assyrian inscriptions. It originated in a system which endeavoured to equalize the sum of the reigns of the Israelite kings with the sum of the reigns of the Judman kings (Benzinger, Konige, p. xxf.)

See preceding article. W. B. STEVENSON. PEKOD (ἡρη; Ezk 23" Ἢ Φακούκ, A καὶ bold; Jer 50 (Gr. 27)” B ἐκδίκησον, connecting with verb 7p2).—The name of an important tribe and of the place it occupied in Lower Babylonia. The passage in Jer 50” is called by Orelli (Com. on Jer. ad loc.) a symbolical name (cf. RVm ‘ visitation’) of Chaldwan-Babylonia. But we find in the Assyr. inscriptions, notably those of Sargon, a thrilty people dwelling near the mouth of the Uknu river, called Puktidu (cf.

Sargon’s Annals, lines 233, 265, 269, etc.) Tiele (Bad.-Assyr. Gesch, 222, 236) regards them as an Aram. —— They were at times allies of the Elamites, and gave the Assyrian oe, 138 PELAIAH PENCIL kings great trouble in ruling Lower Babylonia (ef. Delitzsch, Paradies, p. 240; Schrader, COT ii. »p. 117, 120; Winckler, Gesch. Bab, u. Assyr. 223, 3; Maspero, Passing of Empires, 119, 191, 230, 256, 306, 416; and art. KoA). Ira M. PRICE.