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Omri

Biblical
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

King of Israel who founded Samaria and established a powerful but idolatrous dynasty

Detailed Definition
Omri bought the hill of Samaria and built a capital, but his reign entrenched Baal worship; Ahab was his son (1 Kings 16). In poetry, Omri symbolizes political innovation divorced from righteousness, the legacy of architectural achievement tainted by spiritual compromise, and how dynasties rise on both strength and sin.
Example
Example in poetry:
In 1 Kings 16:23–28, Omri founds Samaria—a detail used in historical poetry about Israel’s decline; 19th-century verse depicts Omri’s evil as exceeding predecessors; Contemporary poems explore Omri’s dynasty as case study in political consolidation through compromise; In laments over idolatry, Omri’s capital becomes synonymous with corruption; Some chronological poems list Omri among kings who “did evil in the sight of the Lord”; Educational poems cite Omri to teach about archaeology and biblical history.
Additional Notes
Omri, king of Israel and founder of a dynasty, is noted for “doing evil in the eyes of the Lord” (1 Kings 16); though politically powerful, his spiritual legacy is negative; his name appears in extrabiblical inscriptions (e.g., the Mesha Stele), offering a bridge between biblical and archaeological history for historically grounded poetry.
Also Known As
Omri king of Israel Omri founder of Samaria
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