Omri was the ruler of the Kingdom of Israel for seven years. What distinguished him from his predecessors was not only the manner in which he ascended the throne but the fact that his successors were his own son and grandson.

He came to power as the General of the Army which crushed the rebellion of a junior officer named Zimri who usurped the throne. During his reign Omri purchased a hill in Shomron and built a new city on it. In the merit of adding a city to Eretz Yisrael, say our Sages (Sanhedrin 102b), he merited that the scepter of royalty passed on to two more generations in his family (Maharsha ibid.).

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