Elah, the son of Baasha, ruled as king of Israel until one day in a drunken stupor at the home of one of his officials, Zimri a military officer assassinated him. Zimri continued with executions until all of the male family and friends of Baasha were eliminated.
When the Israelite military learned that Zimri had plotted against and murdered the king, they named the Commander, Omri, king and they attacked the city of Tirzah, where the king’s palace was located. When Zimri saw that the town was taken, he set the palace on fire around him and died in the fire. Since the days of Jeroboam, the city of Tirzah had served as the capital of Israel. Omri purchased land on top of a hill, owned by Shemer and renamed it Samaria. This replaced Tirzah as the capital city for Israel (northern kingdom). [Reflection based on the Bible Reference – 1 Kings 16:8-26]
