Tibni

Tibni son of Ginath is the rival claimant to the throne of Israel after the violent end of Zimri's seven-day reign. He appears for two verses, long enough to be named, supported by half the country, and lost.

A divided succession

When Israel could not agree on a king, the people split into two camps: "Then the people of Israel were divided into two parts: half of the people followed Tibni the son of Ginath, to make him king; and half followed Omri" (1 Kgs 16:21).

The contest is decided by the relative weight of the two factions, not by any reported act of Tibni's own. "But the people who followed Omri prevailed against the people who followed Tibni the son of Ginath: so Tibni died, and Omri reigned" (1 Kgs 16:22).

What the umbrella holds

Nothing further is recorded — no genealogy beyond the patronymic "son of Ginath," no policy, no battle account, no oracle. The category collects a single moment: a split in the kingdom following Zimri's death, a faction strong enough to keep Omri from immediate accession, and the eventual collapse of that faction. Tibni is named at the start of the dispute, named again when he dies, and is not mentioned afterward.