The name Arza (Hebrew: ’Arsa’) is of uncertain meaning, possibly related to a word meaning “earth” or “firmness.” Arza is not known for any personal deed, but his identity is preserved in scripture because of his connection to a crucial location in the capital city of the Northern Kingdom of Israel during a moment of regicide and political change.
The Owner of the Palace
Arza is mentioned in the historical narrative of the kings of Israel, specifically in the account of the reign of Elah, King of Israel, who ruled for only two years (circa 886-885 B.C.). The capital city at this time was Tirzah.
The biblical context for Arza is the violent conspiracy led by Zimri, one of Elah’s military captains, against the young king.
1 Kings 16:9 records the event:
“And his servant Zimri, captain of half his chariots, conspired against him, as he was in Tirzah, drinking himself drunk in the house of Arza steward of his house in Tirzah.” (KJV, emphasis added).
The Role of Arza’s House
The significance of this single verse lies in the detailed setting it provides for the assassination:
- Steward of the House: Arza held the position of “steward of his house” (sar-bet), meaning he was a high-ranking official responsible for managing the king’s household, property, and probably his personal security within the palace complex in Tirzah. This position would have required him to be a close and trusted servant of King Elah.
- Scene of the Crime: King Elah was relaxing in Arza’s personal house, within the city, where he was described as “drinking himself drunk.” This suggests that the king felt safe and secure in Arza’s presence, making the king highly vulnerable to attack.
- Facilitation of Treason: Although Arza is not explicitly named as a conspirator, his house was the place where the treason occurred. By providing the setting—and presumably, failing in his duty to protect the king—Arza’s house became permanently linked to the crime that installed the usurper Zimri as king.
The assassination was swift and brutal, with Zimri striking and killing the intoxicated King Elah in Arza’s house, thereby seizing the throne.
The Theological Significance
Arza’s brief presence highlights the deep moral and political corruption that plagued the Northern Kingdom of Israel during this era, a persistent theme in the books of Kings:
- Political Instability: The rapid succession of violent coups—from Jeroboam to Nadab, from Baasha to Elah, and now Elah to Zimri—demonstrated the kingdom’s failure to maintain righteous governance and its departure from God’s Law.
- Betrayal and Corruption: The betrayal came not from an external enemy, but from within the king’s own trusted circle—a captain (Zimri) and a steward (Arza) whose loyalty was compromised. This instability was a direct consequence of the spiritual idolatry introduced by earlier kings. The very name Tirzah—meaning “pleasantness”—became the setting for drunkenness, violence, and treachery.
In conclusion, Arza is remembered in the biblical record as the high-ranking steward whose house in Tirzah became the infamous setting for the assassination of King Elah, a tragic symbol of the political chaos and moral decay that characterized the history of the divided kingdom of Israel.