TIRZAH

(Tirʹzah) [pleasantness, delightfulness].

1. One of the five daughters of the Manassite Zelophehad; a contemporary of Moses and Joshua.—Num. 26:29, 33; 27:1-7; 36:11, 12; Josh. 17:3, 4.

2. A city in Samaria, the exact location of which is uncertain. Archaeological evidence seems to favor Tell el-Farʽah, about seven miles (11 kilometers) NE of Nablus (linked with ancient Shechem).

Under the command of Joshua, the Israelites defeated the king of Tirzah. (Josh. 12:7, 24) Centuries later, Jeroboam, the first king of the northern kingdom, transferred his residence to Tirzah. (Compare 1 Kings 12:25; 14:17.) Tirzah evidently continued to be the capital of the northern kingdom during the reigns of Jeroboam’s son Nadab (1 Ki. 15:25-28) and his successors Baasha, Elah and Zimri. (1 Ki. 15:33; 16:5, 6, 8, 15) The last of these kings, Zimri, committed suicide at Tirzah when Omri captured the city. (1 Ki. 16:17-20) After reigning in Tirzah for six years, Omri built Samaria and made that city his capital. (1 Ki. 16:23, 24, 29) More than one hundred and fifty years later, Menahem, a resident of Tirzah, killed Shallum and became king in Samaria.—2 Ki. 15:14, 17.