Person Old Testament
Zimri
Zimri, a commander of half of Israel's chariots, became king after assassinating Elah, but his reign lasted only seven days. Mentioned in 8 verses across 2 books, first at 1 Kings 16:9.
Why it matters. King of Israel, reigned seven days
- Primary passages
- Last reviewed
- 2026-08-30 by the FaithGraph team
About Zimri
Zimri was a short-lived king of Israel who reigned for only seven days. He was originally a commander of half of the chariots in the army of Elah, king of Israel. While Elah was drinking himself into a stupor at the house of Arza, his steward, Zimri conspired against him and assassinated him. Zimri then proclaimed himself king and killed all the members of Elah's family, fulfilling the prophecy against the house of Baasha, Elah's father. However, when the army of Israel, which was besieging Gibbethon, heard of Zimri's actions, they proclaimed Omri, the commander of the army, as king. Omri marched to Tirzah, the capital city, and besieged it. When Zimri saw that the city was taken, he went into the citadel of the king's house and set it on fire, killing himself. Zimri's brief reign was marked by treachery and violence, and he is remembered as one of the wicked kings of Israel. The story of Zimri's rise and fall illustrates the political instability and moral decline that characterized the northern kingdom of Israel during this period.
Description from STEPBible TIPNR (Tyndale House, Cambridge), CC BY 4.0, lightly reformatted. This is background reference material, not Scripture and not a FaithGraph editorial claim.
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Appears in Scripture
Named in 8 verses across 2 books. Occurrence data from STEPBible TIPNR (CC BY 4.0); references only, no translation text.