According to 2 Kings, Zimri ruled Israel for only seven days in Samaria.
Zimri was a commander of chariots who conspired against King Elah while Elah was at Tirzah. Zimri killed Elah, seized the throne, and attacked the rest of Baasha’s ruling family. His reign was extremely brief: when Israel’s army learned of the coup, it proclaimed Omri king.
Omri and the army besieged Tirzah. Seeing that the city had fallen, Zimri entered the citadel of the royal palace and burned it over himself, dying in the fire. Second Kings summarizes his reign as seven days, making it one of the shortest recorded reigns in the biblical monarchy.
Zimri is easy to confuse with later kings involved in coups, especially Jehu, who also overthrew a dynasty. Unlike Jehu, Zimri did not establish a lasting royal house. Omri ultimately became king and founded a dynasty that included Ahab. The biblical account places these events in the divided northern Kingdom of Israel.