PEGAIA (Hebrew *Pégaïjâh*). — King of Israel, the 17th after the division of the kingdom. He succeeded his father Menahem (v.) and reigned for about two years (737–736 B.C.). His religious and moral conduct was reproachable, as was generally the case with the kings of the separate kingdom of Israel. He was killed in the tower of the royal palace, a victim of a conspiracy hatched by one of his commanders named Pekah (v.), who usurped the throne; with him the 7th dynasty came to an end (2 Kings 15:23–25).
With P. perished Argob and Arieh; the fifty men of Gilead who, according to the Vulgate, would have perished together with P., were instead, according to the Masoretic text, on the side of the conspirator Pekah, perhaps also a native of Gilead.
PEKAH (Hebrew *Pégaï*). — Descendant of Shem and son of Eber; brother of Joktan and father of Reu, one of the ancestors of Abraham. He was called P. “because in his time the world was divided” (Gen 10:25).
Of this phrase the most varied interpretations have been given. Two are the most important: Dillmann, Holzinger, Hummelauer think that it refers to the division of the land made by Noah among his grandsons; but no mention of such an event is found. The ancients, followed still by many moderns (Hetzenauer, Vaccari), hold that it alludes to the division that occurred after the confusion of tongues (Gen 11:1–9): “The Lord confused the languages of all the earth and from there dispersed them over all the earth.” This took place in the fifth generation after the flood, according to data known today. Some understand P. as a generic and geographical name, but without sufficient reason. P. begot Reu at the age of thirty, and “he died at the age of 239 years, leaving sons and daughters” (Gen 11:18–19). He is mentioned in Luke 3:35.
Vincenzo M. Jacono