Tirzah (תרצה, trtsh). City located northeast of Shechem that served as the capital of northern Israel during the divided kingdom, from Jeroboam’s reign to Omri’s reign.

Joshua defeated the Canaanite king of Tirzah, probably by fighting a battle to take the city itself (Josh 12:24).

There was a palace in Tirzah (1 Kgs 16:9), and several Israelite kings lived and ruled there: Jeroboam (1 Kgs 14:17), Baasha (1 Kgs 15:21, 33), Elah (1 Kgs 16:8), Zimri (1 Kgs 16:15), and Omri (1 Kgs 16:23). Baasha was buried in Tirzah (1 Kgs 16:6). Zimri assassinated King Elah in Tirzah (1 Kgs 16:9–16). Then, seven days later, Omri besieged the city and killed Zimri (1 Kgs 16:17–19).

Tirzah is used as a comparison in the Song of Songs (Song 6:4). As northern Israel’s capital, Tirzah probably had wealth and beauty worthy of its name—which means “beauty” or “pleasure.”

Scholars have identified several possible sites for Tirzah. Based on the similarity in names, Tulluza and Teyasir—both located northeast of Shechem—have been suggested as sites for Tirzah (Albright, “Site of Tirzah,” 244). However, aside from the linguistic similarities, neither location fits the biblical description of Tirzah. Today, most scholars accept Albright’s identification of Tell el-Farah North as Tirzah. For more information on the archaeology of the site, see this article: Tirzah, Archaeology of.