Meaning of the Name Pekah
Pekah is most likely connected with the Hebrew p-q-h root. That root belongs to the semantic field of "opening the eyes" or "being alert," so the name is often explained as "open-eyed" or "watchful." The interpretation is reasonable, though the nuance of proper names is never completely fixed.
Origin
The name Pekah is of Hebrew origin.
Who is Pekah in the Bible?
Pekah was a king of the northern kingdom of Israel and is especially known for his policy with Rezin king of Aram against Judah. During his reign Assyrian expansion intensified and part of Israel's territory was lost. His story is important in 2 Kings 15-16 and in the setting of Isaiah 7.
The story of Pekah in the Bible
Pekah was one of the last kings of the northern kingdom of Israel. According to 2 Kings 15:25, Pekah son of Remaliah was an officer of King Pekahiah; with fifty men of Gilead he conspired against the king in the citadel of the palace in Samaria, killed him, and took the throne. His reign fell in a time of rapidly shifting power in the region. Pekah allied himself with Rezin, king of Aram, and together they moved against Judah; as Isaiah 7:1 relates, they marched on Jerusalem but could not take the city. In the face of that threat the prophet Isaiah brought King Ahaz of Judah a word of assurance from God not to fear. Meanwhile Assyrian pressure reached its peak: according to 2 Kings 15:29, Tiglath-Pileser of Assyria seized Israel's northern territories, including Galilee and the land of Naphtali, and deported the people to Assyria. Pekah's end mirrored his beginning; Hoshea son of Elah conspired against him, killed him, and reigned in his place. His story reflects the final struggles of a kingdom nearing its fall.
Is Pekah mentioned in the Quran?
The name Pekah does not appear in the Quran; in the Old Testament, in 2 Kings and Isaiah, he is the king of Israel who allied himself with the king of Aram.
Verses where Pekah appears
- 2 Kings 15:25 —
Pekah the son of Remaliah, his captain, conspired against him, and struck him in Samaria, in the castle of the king’s house, with Argob and Arieh; and with him were fifty men of the Gileadites: and he killed him, and…
- 2 Kings 15:29 —
In the days of Pekah king of Israel came Tiglath Pileser king of Assyria, and took Ijon, and Abel Beth Maacah, and Janoah, and Kedesh, and Hazor, and Gilead, and Galilee, all the land of Naphtali; and he carried them…
- Isaiah 7:1 —
In the days of Ahaz the son of Jotham, the son of Uzziah, king of Judah, Rezin the king of Syria, and Pekah the son of Remaliah, king of Israel, went up to Jerusalem to war against it, but could not prevail against it.