What is the temple of Arza? Which idol is this?

[Reb Chaim HaQoton]

In I Kings 16:9, the Bible mentions that Zimri assassinated Elah, king of Israel, when the latter was drunk at the "House of Arza" (בית ארצא). Both the Targum and the Peshitta there add that Arza was an idol (טעוותא), with the Peshitta writing (טעוותא דבביתא). Does anyone here know which idol in specific is being referred to here? Is a god named Arza mentioned elsewhere? I was thinking that the Peshitta might identify Arza with Baal Zevuv because the latter is sometimes translated as בעל דבבא in Aramaic, but I see no other reason to make this claim and I'm not sure I'm reading the Peshitta properly here.

[iskander]

Melachim I - I Kings - Chapter 16
9.And his servant Zimri, captain of half the chariots, conspired against him while he was in Tirzah drinking himself drunk in the house of Arza who was [appointed] over the household in Tirzah
http://www.chabad.org/library/bible_cdo ... rashi=true

[Reb Chaim HaQoton]

I understand that many commentators explain that Arza is the name of a person, but I was specifically asking according to the approach of Targum and the Peshitta.

[iskander]

Where did you find what?

[Reb Chaim HaQoton]

Where did you find what?

[iskander]

pass

[Peter Kirby]

In I Kings 16:9, the Bible mentions that Zimri assassinated Elah, king of Israel, when the latter was drunk at the "House of Arza" (בית ארצא). Both the Targum and the Peshitta there add that Arza was an idol (טעוותא), with the Peshitta writing (טעוותא דבביתא). Does anyone here know which idol in specific is being referred to here? Is a god named Arza mentioned elsewhere? I was thinking that the Peshitta might identify Arza with Baal Zevuv because the latter is sometimes translated as בעל דבבא in Aramaic, but I see no other reason to make this claim and I'm not sure I'm reading the Peshitta properly here.

Interesting question. I'm not familiar with this matter. Perhaps someone can shed some light on the subject.

[semiopen]

This story does not seem that interesting to modern scholars.

Maybe that's because because this part of 1 Kings is mostly political propaganda, and this is just another couple of Northern Assholes.

If it is talking about the guy actually being in a temple, there are two choices, Baal somebody or Astarte. Astarte might make more sense because of the first letter.

The third possibility is that the guy was at Arza's house.

My wild guess is that the author wasn't putting anything special in here.

[John2]

I find that your question is adequately answered here:

http://hermeneutics.stackexchange.com/q ... ol-is-this

It points out that the phrase אֲשֶׁר עַל הַבַּיִת occurs nine times in the OT (1 Ki 16:9, 18:3; 2 Ki 10:5, 18:18, 18:37, 19:2; Is. 36:3, 36:22, 37:2), and that:

"Except for one of the nine verses, the LXX consistently translates the Hebrew phrase אֲשֶׁר עַל הַבַּיִת into Greek by a declension of the word οἰκονόμος, which translates into English as 'steward' or one who manages a household."

And concludes that:

"There does not appear to be any support for the belief that אַרְצָא (ʾarṣāʾ) is an idol rather than the person 'who was over the house' of King Elah in Tirtzah, the city from which he reigned over Israel (cp. 1 Kings 16:8)."

[John2]

I came across this blog post that discusses the role of "the one over the house" (the position that Arza is said to have had in 1 Kings 16:9):

http://www.thesacredpage.com/2011/08/bi ... s-for.html

"The role of 'master of the palace,' literally 'the one over the house' (Heb. ‘asher ‘al-habayith), was the Number Two position of authority after the King (observe the dynamic in 1 Kings 18:1-5, for example). The office was first established by Solomon (1 Kings 4:6). Apparently, the badge of his office was the wearing of the key to the palace on the shoulder (Isa 22:22). The steward controlled access to the king, either by unlocking or locking the palace doors to those who sought the king’s presence."

"Michael Barber has done work showing that the Royal Steward was understood as a priestly character. I cannot repeat all his evidence, but I will point out the connections of which I am aware: (1) the girdle (Heb. ‘abnet) mentioned in the passage ('sash' in the Lectionary translation) is only mentioned elsewhere in the OT as a priestly garment, usually along with the robe (Heb. kuttonet): Ex. 28:4, 39, 40; 29:9; 39:29; Lev. 8:7, 13; 16:4. (2) The steward is said to be a father to the House of Judah. 'Father' is a priestly title in the Old Testament (Gen 45:8; Judg 17:10; 18:19). (3) Eliakim is the son of Hilkiah. Although we are not sure which Hilkiah this is, it is notable that the name 'Hilkiah' is only used by Levites in the Old Testament (Jeremiah, a Levite, is also 'son of Hilkiah,' Jer 1:1), and at least two Hilkiahs were in fact High Priests (2 Kings 22:4 etc. and parallels in 2 Chron 34; Neh 12:7)."