In the fiftieth year of Azariah king of Judah Pekahiah the son of Menahem began to reign over Israel in Samaria, and reigned two years.
In the fiftieth year that Azariah was king of Judah, Pekahiah (who was Menahem's son) became king of Israel in Samaria, and he ruled for two years.
This verse records that Pekahiah became king of Israel and only ruled for two years during Azariah's long reign in Judah.
📚 Historical Context
This was during the period of the divided kingdom (around 740 BC), when Israel and Judah were separate nations often in conflict. Pekahiah's short two-year reign was part of a time of great political instability in Israel, with multiple kings being assassinated and dynasties changing rapidly. The mention of Azariah's fiftieth year shows how the biblical writers used the longer, more stable reign in Judah to date events in the turbulent northern kingdom.
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