Zakir Stele in an historical context

 

by

Damien F. Mackey

 

Proposed king and setting

 

Here it will be tentatively suggested that the hitherto unknown Zakir (or Zaccur), king of Hamath and Lu'ash (Laish/Dan?), was the very last ruler of the Jehu-ide dynasty, King Zechariah (or Zachariah) of Israel (c. 750 BC, conventional dating: Thiele).

 

This scenario immediately fits in various convincing ways.

 

The name Zakir (Zaccur) is a very good match for the Hebrew Zechariah (Zachariah):

Zechariah | The amazing name Zechariah: meaning and etymology

“The name Zechariah: Summary

….

Related names

• Via זכר (zakar): Zaccai, Zaccheus, Zaccur, Zacharias, Zecher, Zichri ….

 

The roughly estimated date for the Zakir Stele accords tolerably well with c. 750 BC, the conventional date for King Zechariah: Stele of Zakkur - Wikipedia

“The Stele of Zakkur (or Zakir) is a royal stele of King Zakkur of Hamath and … Lu'aš … who ruled around 785 BC”.

 

The later Jehu-ide dynasty, under fierce assault from Ben-Hadad II (often given as III) of Syria, son of Hazael, had managed – in the time of Zechariah’s father, Jeroboam II – to turn things around completely and now held Hamath (2 Kings 14:25): “This Jeroboam restored the boundary of Israel from Lebo-Hamath to the Sea of the Arabah, according to the word that the LORD, the God of Israel, had spoken through His servant Jonah son of Amittai, the prophet from Gath-hepher”.

 

King Zakir/Zechariah would be recording this fact in his Stele, he either having participated in this war with his father, or having been the one who had personally brought to completion Elisha’s prophecy that the dynasty of Jehu would strike down Syria “three times” (2 Kings 13:17-19).

 

While this prophecy of Elisha was given to King Jehoash of Israel, who is considered to have been the father of Jeroboam II, I have condensed the latter Israel kingship, believing that a 41-year reigning Jeroboam II cannot possibly be accommodated, and that Jeroboam II was, in fact, the same king as Jehoash.

 

Thus I would interpret the prediction about the Jehu-ide dynasty (2 Kings 10:30): ‘Because you have done well in carrying out what is right in My eyes and have done to the house of Ahab all that was in My heart, your descendants will sit on the throne of Israel to the fourth generation’, the same as has been done here (my emphasis):

The House of Jehu - Chabad.org

“The prophet foretold to Jehu that in recognition of his good deeds in behalf of G‑d's words he and three of his progeny would rule over Israel; but that they would eventually share the fate of the house of Jeroboam and Ahab”…

with Jehu himself to be included amongst the four.

 

I have also suggested that the supposedly last 6 kings of Israel, including Zechariah, be reduced to just 3, with Zechariah being also Pekahiah. Thus:

 

Zechariah (murdered) = Pekahiah (murdered);

Shallum (murderer murdered) = Pekah (murderer murdered);

Menahem (murderer) = Hoshea (murderer)

 

this last equation being greatly reiforced by the fact that, now Menahem, now Hoshea, gave 1000 talents of silver in tribute to Tiglath Pileser.