Omri (Om´ri; Heb., meaning uncertain, possibly “worshiper”)

The sixth king of Israel ca. 876–869 BCE, a contemporary of King Asa of Judah and founder of a dynasty that included his son Ahab (ca. 869–850), Ahaziah (ca. 850–849), and Joram (ca. 849–842). According to (1Kgs 16:23), Omri ruled Israel for twelve years, six of them in Tirzah. Of all Omri’s deeds after he became king of Israel, the only one mentioned in the Bible is the founding of a new capital at Samaria, which marked a new chapter in the history of the Northern Kingdom. His reign, while successful by secular standards, is judged harshly in the Bible (1Kgs 16:25-26).