Verse 25. - But Pekah the son of Remaliah. Remaliah was probably a man of some importance, since Pekah seems to have been almost better known by his patronymic, Ben-Remaliah, "son of Remaliah," than by his own proper name (see Isaiah 7:4, 5, 9; Isaiah 8:6). A captain of his - "captain of a thousand," according to Josephus (l.s.c.) - conspired against him, and smote him in Samaria, in the palace of the king's house; literally, in the tower (or keep) of the king's house, the loftiest part (אַרְמון is from רוּם, to be high) - certainly not the harem (Ewald), if Pekahiah was feasting there with his friends (δολοφονηθεὶς ἐνσυμποσίῳ μετὰ φίλων ἀπέθανε), as Josephus says. With Argob and Arieh. These seem to be the "friends" of Josephus, who were with the king and shared his fate, not fellow-conspirators with Pekah. The names are uncommon ones. And with him - i.e. Pekah - fifty men of the Gileadites; fifty men of "the Four Hundred," according to the LXX. "The Four Hundred" were probably the royal body-guard, which at this time may have consisted of Gileadites. And he killed him, and reigned in his room. It does not appear that Pekah had any grievance. His crime seems to have been simply prompted by ambition.
15:8-31 This history shows Israel in confusion. Though Judah was not without troubles, yet that kingdom was happy, compared with the state of Israel. The imperfections of true believers are very different from the allowed wickedness of ungodly men. Such is human nature, such are our hearts, if left to themselves, deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked. We have reason to be thankful for restraints, for being kept out of temptation, and should beg of God to renew a right spirit within us.
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 Deuteronomy 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.
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 Deuteronomy 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.