Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of 2 Kings 15:25
But Pekah the son of Remaliah, a captain of his, conspired against him, and smote him in Samaria, in the palace of the king’s house, with Argob and Arieh, and with him fifty men of the Gileadites: and he killed him, and reigned in his room.
23 26. Reign of Pekahiah king of Israel. He is slain by Pekah, the son of Remaliah, who succeeds him (Not in Chronicles)
25. Pekah a captain of his ] R.V. his captain. The word is the same which in 2Ki 7:2 is used for the captain (A.V. lord) on whose hand the king of Israel leaned. Probably Pekah occupied some such position about the king, which gave him the opportunity of attacking his master, for the murder was perpetrated ‘in the castle of the king’s house’. From the mention of the fifty men of the Gileadites who took part with him in the conspiracy, it has been conjectured that Pekah was himself a native of that wild land, the home in former days of Jephthah and of Elijah. His conduct is of the kind to be expected from one nursed in such wild localities.
in the palace [R.V. castle ] of the king’s house ] The word is rendered ‘palace’ everywhere in A.V. except Pro 18:19 ‘like the bars of a castle ’. But here and in 1Ki 16:18 (see note there) the sense requires some word expressive of security and protection from a foe. Hence the change in R.V. We know so little of the construction of the royal houses of Israel that it is difficult to be precise about what is meant. But it seems most likely that the king when he knew that Pekah and his fifty comrades were bent on his murder would take refuge in the most fortified place he could reach.
with Argob and Arieh ] Doubtless two friends who had remained with Pekahiah to the last.
of the Gileadites ] The LXX. has in some MSS. the words =of the four hundred. I have found no means of explaining the reading. Before ‘fifty’ in this clause R.V. inserts were.
and he killed [R.V. slew ] him and reigned in his room ] R.V. stead. The words are exactly the same in the original as the closing words of verse 10 above. Both should be alike in the English.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
A captain of his – A mere captain, a person, therefore, of very moderate rank. The low birth of Pekah is probably glanced at in Isaiahs favorite designation of him as Remaliahs son Isa 7:4-5, Isa 7:9; Isa 8:6.
From the fact that Pekah employed Gileadites to carry out his designs, it has been conjectured that he himself belonged to the trans-Jordanic region.
In the palace of the kings house – Rather, In the tower of the kings palace; or possibly in the harem of the kings palace (1Ki 16:18 note).
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 25. Smote him in Samaria, in the palace of the king’s house, with Argob and Arieh] Who Argob and Arieh were we know not; some make them men, some make them statues. Pekah had fifty Gileadites in the conspiracy with him.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
Argob and Arieh might be either Pekahs partners in this treason, or the kings courtiers or officers, who were now slain with him.
Fifty men of the Gileadites; who assisted him in the execution of his treason.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
25. with Argob and Arieh,&c.Many commentators view these as the captain’s accomplices.But it is more probable that they were influential friends of theking, who were murdered along with him.
2Ki15:27-31. PEKAH’SREIGN.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
But Pekah the son of Remaliah, a captain of his,…. The word signifies a “third” man, the third to the king, as some think; Josephus a calls him a “chiliarch”, one that had the command of a thousand men:
conspired against him, and smote him in Samaria, in the palace of the king’s house; Josephus b says it was at a banquet:
with Argob, and Arieh; whom, according to Abarbinel, Pekah slew with the king, being mighty men, who were always about him; but they seem rather to be conspirators with Pekah, and assisting to him in smiting the king; the former of these, Ben Gersom thinks, was governor of Argob, a country on the other side Jordan, and the latter had his name from his fortitude, which signifies a lion:
and with him fifty men of the Gileadites; which may seem to strengthen the above notion concerning Argob, since the Gileadites were of the same side of Jordan, and were near Argob, see De 3:13
and he killed him, and reigned in his room, as his father killed Shallum, and reigned in his stead.
a Ut supra. (Antiqu. l. 9. c. 11. sect. 1.) b Ibid.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
25. Smote him in the palace of the king’s house Rather, as Gesenius, “the fortress of the king’s house, the innermost part, as the highest and strongest, q.d., the citadel. J.D. Michaelis, and after him most modern interpreters, here translate it the woman’s apartment, the harem; but there is no trace of this in the ancient interpreters, nor is there any reason for departing from the simple explanation above given.”
With Argob and Arieh That is, as the Hebrew particle here sufficiently indicates, Argob and Arieh were slain along with the king. They were probably two important persons of Pekahiah’s court, whom Pekah thought it not safe to leave alive after their master’s assassination.
With him With Pekah.
Fifty men of the Gileadites These men probably belonged to the royal army, and were under the command of Captain Pekah, and joined with him in the conspiracy.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
2Ki 15:25 But Pekah the son of Remaliah, a captain of his, conspired against him, and smote him in Samaria, in the palace of the king’s house, with Argob and Arieh, and with him fifty men of the Gileadites: and he killed him, and reigned in his room.
Ver. 25. But Pekah the son, &c. ] Phace, quidam eiusdem nominis, saith Sulpitius: but that is not so; Pekahiah and Pekah are names like, but not the same.
With Argob and Arieh.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Pekah. Compare Isa 7:1.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
am 3245, bc 759
Pekah: 2Ki 15:27, 2Ch 28:6
a captain: 2Ki 9:5, 1Ki 16:9
conspired: 2Ki 15:10, 2Ki 9:14
with Argob: From the contstruction of the Hebrew Text, it would appear that Argob and Arieh were slain with the king, and that the fifty Gileadites were conspirators with Pekah.
Reciprocal: 2Ki 8:15 – so that he died 2Ki 14:19 – they made 2Ki 15:30 – made 2Ki 21:23 – General Jer 41:7 – slew Hos 7:7 – devoured
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
15:25 But Pekah the son of Remaliah, a captain of his, conspired against him, and smote him in Samaria, in the palace of the king’s house, with {i} Argob and Arieh, and with him fifty men of the Gileadites: and he killed him, and reigned in his room.
(i) Which were of the same conspiracy.