Lectionary Calendar
Monday, October 13th, 2025
the Week of Proper 23 / Ordinary 28
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Bible in Basic English

1 Kings 16:8

In the twenty-sixth year that Asa was king of Judah, Elah, the son of Baasha, became king of Israel in Tirzah, and he was king for two years.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Anger;   Elah;   Tirzah;   Thompson Chain Reference - Elah;   Israel;   Israel-The Jews;   Kings of Israel;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Kings;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Omri;   Zimri;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Palestine;   Shechem;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Elah;   Tirza;   Zimri;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Ahaz;   Baasha;   Elah;   Israel;   Samaria;   Zimri;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Arza;   Elah;   Jehu;   Omri;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Elah;   Tirzah;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Baasha ;   Elah ;   Tirzah ;   The Hawker's Poor Man's Concordance And Dictionary - Nimshi;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Asa;   Jehu;   Smith Bible Dictionary - E'lah;   Israel, Kingdom of;   Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary - Asa;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - Kingdom of Israel;   Kingdom of Judah;   Babylonish Captivity, the;   International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Elah (2);   Tirzah;   Zimri (1);   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Asa;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
In the twenty-sixth year of Judah’s King Asa, Elah son of Baasha became king over Israel, and he reigned in Tirzah two years.
Hebrew Names Version
In the twenty-sixth year of Asa king of Yehudah began Elah the son of Ba`sha to reign over Yisra'el in Tirtzah, [and reigned] two years.
King James Version
In the twenty and sixth year of Asa king of Judah began Elah the son of Baasha to reign over Israel in Tirzah, two years.
English Standard Version
In the twenty-sixth year of Asa king of Judah, Elah the son of Baasha began to reign over Israel in Tirzah, and he reigned two years.
New Century Version
Elah son of Baasha became king of Israel during Asa's twenty-sixth year as king of Judah, and Elah ruled in Tirzah for two years.
New English Translation
In the twenty-sixth year of King Asa's reign over Judah, Baasha's son Elah became king over Israel; he ruled in Tirzah for two years.
Amplified Bible
In the twenty-sixth year of Asa king of Judah, Elah the son of Baasha became king over Israel in Tirzah, and reigned two years.
New American Standard Bible
In the twenty-sixth year of Asa king of Judah, Elah the son of Baasha became king over Israel at Tirzah, and reigned for two years.
Geneva Bible (1587)
In the sixe and twentie yeere of Asa king of Iudah began Elah ye sonne of Baasha to reigne ouer Israel in Tirzah, and reigned two yeere.
Legacy Standard Bible
In the twenty-sixth year of Asa king of Judah, Elah the son of Baasha became king over Israel at Tirzah, and reigned two years.
Contemporary English Version
Elah son of Baasha became king of Israel after Asa had been king of Judah for twenty-five years, and he ruled from Tirzah for two years.
Complete Jewish Bible
It was in the twenty-sixth year of Asa king of Y'hudah that Elah the son of Ba‘sha began his reign over all Isra'el in Tirtzah, and he ruled for two years.
Darby Translation
In the twenty-sixth year of Asa king of Judah, Elah the son of Baasha began to reign over Israel in Tirzah for two years.
Easy-to-Read Version
Elah son of Baasha became king during the 26th year that Asa was the king of Judah. He ruled in Tirzah for two years.
George Lamsa Translation
In the twenty-sixth year of Asa king of Judah, Elah the son of Baasha began to reign over Israel in Tirzah, two years.
Good News Translation
In the twenty-sixth year of the reign of King Asa of Judah, Elah son of Baasha became king of Israel, and he ruled in Tirzah for two years.
Lexham English Bible
In the twenty-sixth year of Asa king of Judah, Elah the son of Baasha became king over Israel for two years.
Literal Translation
In the twenty sixth year of Asa the king of Judah, Elah the son of Baasha began to reign over Israel in Tirzah, two years.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
In the sixe & twentieth yeare of Asa kynge of Iuda, was Ella the sonne of Baesa kynge ouer Israel at Thirza two yeare.
American Standard Version
In the twenty and sixth year of Asa king of Judah began Elah the son of Baasha to reign over Israel in Tirzah, and reigned two years.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
The twentie & sixth yere of Asa king of Iuda, began Ela the sonne of Baasa to raigne ouer Israel in Thirza, two yeres.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
In the twenty and sixth year of Asa king of Judah began Elah the son of Baasa to reign over Israel in Tirzah, and reigned two years.
King James Version (1611)
In the twentieth and sixt yeere of Asa king of Iudah, began Elah the sonne of Baasha to reigne ouer Israel in Tirzah, two yeeres.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And Ela son of Baasa reigned over Israel two years in Thersa.
English Revised Version
In the twenty and sixth year of Asa king of Judah began Elah the son of Baasha to reign over Israel in Tirzah, [and reigned] two years.
Berean Standard Bible
In the twenty-sixth year of Asa's reign over Judah, Elah son of Baasha became king of Israel, and he reigned in Tirzah two years.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
In the sixe and twentithe yeer of Aza, kyng of Juda, Hela, the sone of Baasa, regnyde on Israel, in Thersa, twei yeer.
Young's Literal Translation
In the twenty and sixth year of Asa king of Judah reigned hath Elah son of Baasha over Israel in Tirzah, two years;
Update Bible Version
In the twenty and sixth year of Asa king of Judah, Elah the son of Baasha began to reign over Israel in Tirzah, [and reigned] two years.
Webster's Bible Translation
In the twenty and sixth year of Asa king of Judah began Elah the son of Baasha to reign over Israel in Tirzah, two years.
World English Bible
In the twenty-sixth year of Asa king of Judah began Elah the son of Baasha to reign over Israel in Tirzah, [and reigned] two years.
New King James Version
In the twenty-sixth year of Asa king of Judah, Elah the son of Baasha became king over Israel, and reigned two years in Tirzah.
New Living Translation
Elah son of Baasha began to rule over Israel in the twenty-sixth year of King Asa's reign in Judah. He reigned in the city of Tirzah for two years.
New Life Bible
In the twenty-sixth year of Asa king of Judah, Elah the son of Baasha became king of Israel at Tirzah. He ruled for two years.
New Revised Standard
In the twenty-sixth year of King Asa of Judah, Elah son of Baasha began to reign over Israel in Tirzah; he reigned two years.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
In the twenty-sixth year of Asa king of Judah, began Elah son of Baasha to reign over Israel, in Tirzah, and he reigned two years.
Douay-Rheims Bible
In the six and twentieth year of Asa, king of Juda, Ela, the son of Baasa, reigned over Israel, in Thersa, two years.
Revised Standard Version
In the twenty-sixth year of Asa king of Judah, Elah the son of Ba'asha began to reign over Israel in Tirzah, and reigned two years.
THE MESSAGE
In the twenty-sixth year of Asa king of Judah, Elah son of Baasha began his rule. He was king in Tirzah only two years. One day when he was at the house of Arza the palace manager, drinking himself drunk, Zimri, captain of half his chariot-force, conspired against him. Zimri slipped in, knocked Elah to the ground, and killed him. This happened in the twenty-seventh year of Asa king of Judah. Zimri then became the king.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
In the twenty-sixth year of Asa king of Judah, Elah the son of Baasha became king over Israel at Tirzah, and reigned two years.

Contextual Overview

1 And the word of the Lord came to Jehu, son of Hanani, protesting against Baasha and saying, 2 Because I took you up out of the dust, and made you ruler over my people Israel; and you have gone in the ways of Jeroboam, and made my people Israel do evil, moving me to wrath by their sins; 3 Truly, I will see that Baasha and all his family are completely brushed away; I will make your family like the family of Jeroboam, the son of Nebat. 4 Anyone of the family of Baasha who comes to death in the town, will become food for the dogs; and he to whom death comes in the open country, will be food for the birds of the air. 5 Now the rest of the acts of Baasha, and what he did, and his power, are they not recorded in the book of the history of the kings of Israel? 6 And Baasha went to rest with his fathers, and was put into the earth at Tirzah; and Elah his son became king in his place. 7 And the Lord sent his word against Baasha and his family by the mouth of the prophet Jehu, the son of Hanani, because of all the evil he did in the eyes of the Lord, moving him to wrath by the work of his hands, because he was like the family of Jeroboam, and because he put it to death. 8 In the twenty-sixth year that Asa was king of Judah, Elah, the son of Baasha, became king of Israel in Tirzah, and he was king for two years. 9 And his servant Zimri, captain of half his war-carriages, made secret designs against him: now he was in Tirzah, drinking hard in the house of Arza, controller of the king's house in Tirzah. 10 And Zimri went in and made an attack on him and put him to death, in the twenty-seventh year that Asa was king of Judah, and made himself king in his place.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

am 3075, bc 929

In the twenty: Baasha began to reign in the third year of Asa, and reigned 24 years; yet he died and was succeeded by Elah in the 26th year of Asa; and, in like manner, Elah, who began to reign in the 26th year of Asa, and was killed in the 27th, is said to have reigned two years. Thus it is evident that a part of a year is calculated as a whole year. In the Chinese annals, the whole year in which a king dies is ascribed to his reign, the years of the succeeding king being reckoned only from the beginning of the following year. 1 Kings 16:8

Reciprocal: 1 Kings 14:17 - Tirzah 1 Kings 15:32 - there was war 1 Kings 15:33 - twenty and four years 1 Kings 16:6 - Elah 1 Kings 16:15 - seven 1 Kings 16:21 - divided 1 Kings 16:23 - twelve years 2 Kings 15:14 - Tirzah 2 Kings 15:23 - and reigned two years 2 Kings 21:19 - two years Proverbs 28:2 - the transgression

Cross-References

Genesis 3:9
And the voice of the Lord God came to the man, saying, Where are you?
Genesis 4:10
And he said, What have you done? the voice of your brother's blood is crying to me from the earth.
Genesis 16:1
Now Sarai, Abram's wife, had given him no children; and she had a servant, a woman of Egypt whose name was Hagar.
Genesis 16:2
And Sarai said to Abram, See, the Lord has not let me have children; go in to my servant, for I may get a family through her. And Abram did as Sarai said.
Genesis 16:4
And he went in to Hagar and she became with child, and when she saw that she was with child, she no longer had any respect for her master's wife.
Genesis 16:5
And Sarai said to Abram, May my wrong be on you: I gave you my servant for your wife and when she saw that she was with child, she no longer had any respect for me: may the Lord be judge between you and me.
Genesis 16:8
And he said, Hagar, Sarai's servant, where have you come from and where are you going? And she said, I am running away from Sarai, my master's wife.
1 Samuel 26:19
Let my lord the king give ear now to the words of his servant. If it is the Lord who is moving you against me, let him take an offering: but if it is the children of men, may they be cursed before the Lord, for driving me out today and keeping me from my place in the heritage of the Lord, saying, Go, be the servant of other gods.
Ecclesiastes 10:4
If the wrath of the ruler is against you, keep in your place; in him who keeps quiet even great sins may be overlooked.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

In the twenty sixth year of Asa king of Judah began Elah the son of Baasha to reign over Israel in Tirzah, two years. Not complete, for he died in the twenty seventh of Asa, 1 Kings 16:10 he reigned just the time that Nadab the son of Jeroboam did, 1 Kings 15:25.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Two years - i. e., More than one year, or, at any rate, some portion of two distinct years (compare 1 Kings 16:10).


 
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