Omri

After Zimri's coup and death, Israel was divided between supporters of Omri and Tibni. Omri's faction prevailed, and he became sole king. He purchased the hill of Samaria from Shemer and built a new capital there, a city that remained central to the northern kingdom. Although the biblical narrative of his reign is brief, it judges him as more wicked than his predecessors because he continued and intensified the sins associated with Jeroboam. Extra-biblical inscriptions show that Omri's dynasty made a strong impression on neighboring peoples, who continued to use his name for Israel even after his line ended.