מלכים ב, פרק ט״ו, פסוק כ״ה

A violent coup unfolds within the walls of the royal palace as a carefully planned rebellion is executed by the person closest to the throne. The uprising is led by Pekah son of Remaliah, the king's top military commander and most trusted confidant, who uses his position to seize power by force. The assassination takes place directly in the central hall of the royal residence.

The exact details of the attack depend heavily on the nature of Argob and Arieh. The primary approach among commentators is that these were two mighty warriors who allied with Pekah to carry out the murder. Argob was likely named after the region he governed, while Arieh, meaning lion, was a title earned through his fierce, predator-like bravery in battle. Taking a completely different approach, [רש״י] explains that these terms do not refer to people at all, but rather to the architecture and design of the palace. In this view, Argob is a term for the kingdom's major fortress palaces, and the assassination occurred in the grand hall adjacent to it. Arieh refers to a golden lion statue positioned inside that very palace. A third perspective [מלבי״ם] suggests that Argob was indeed a mighty warrior, but he was stationed there to protect the king, not to attack him. Beside this loyal guard stood a real, live lion, specifically trained to maul anyone who entered the king's presence without permission.

The role of the fifty men from Gilead present during the attack is also viewed through these different lenses. Most commentators agree that these soldiers actively assisted Pekah in his rebellion. Their alliance with the rebel leader was a natural fit, as the region of Argob belonged to the Gileadites, though it is also possible they were simply in the palace as guests. However, according to the perspective that Argob was the king's loyal bodyguard [מלבי״ם], these fifty Gileadite men stood firmly by his side, fighting to defend their king from the violent uprising.