The BC dates shown here have been reverse-calculated from the period of Judah's Babylonian Exile -
which is when the AM dates (dates after Creation) meet recognised historical BC dates.
See Critical Path for further information.
Copyright © 1999, 2012 by David Petrie
Person:
Omri, king of Israel
Start Reign:
3295 AM [Chart]
929 BC [Chart]
[Table][Index]
End Reign / Died:
c. 3302 AM
c. 922 BC
Biblical References:
1 Kings 16:21-28
Comments:
The biblical narrative states that Omri became king in the 31st year of Asa, king of Judah. Zimri had became king in the 27th year of Asa. Therefore, the war between Omri and Tibni lasted approximately 4 years.
The length of Omri's reign causes some problems for biblical scholars. Omri became king in Asa's 31st years. Ahab (Omri's son) became king in Asa's 38th year - 7 years later. However, the biblical narrative plainly states that Omri's reign lasted for 12 years. There are a few explanations that could be made for this discrepancy:
1. That the figure of 12 years is wrong - either recorded wrong or transcribed wrong over the years since it was recorded.
2. That the 12 year reign dates from the beginning of the Omri/Tibni war, not the end. This would make for an 11 year reign - close enough to 12 years when rounding errors are taken into account. Possible biblical support for this view can be found in 1 Kings 16:16, where Omri is described as being crowned prior to Zimri's death.
3. That Ahab's starting date of the 38th year of Asa is wrong. This only complicates things, however, because it means that another figure later on would have to be wrong.
The chart has been plotted with option 1 assumed. However, option 2 has some merit and should not be overlooked.