2 Kings 15:16-22

C. MENAHEM SUBMITS TO ASSYRIA 15:16-22

TRANSLATION

(16) Then Menahem smote Tiphsah and all who were in it and its borders from Tirzah; because they did not open unto him therefore he smote it; and all the pregnant women he ripped open. (17) In the thirty-ninth year of Azariah king of Judah, Menahem the son of Gadi began to reign over Israel; and he reigned ten years in Samaria. (18) And he did evil in the eyes of the LORD; he did not turn all his days from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat who made Israel to sin. (19) And Pul king of Assyria came against the land; and Menahem gave to Pul a thousand talents of silver, that his hand might be with him to strengthen the kingdom in his hand, (20) And Menahem secured the money from Israel, from all the wealthy land owners, to give the king of Assyria, fifty shekels of silver for each man. And the king of Assyria returned, and did not remain there in the land. (21) And the rest of the acts of Menahem and all which he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel? (22) And Menahem slept with his fathers; and Pekahiah his son ruled in his place.

Sixteenth King of Israel
MENAHEM BEN GADI
752-742 B.C.
(Comforter)

2 Kings 15:16-22

Synchronism
Menehem 1 = Uzziah 39
Contemporary Prophet
Hosea

By the blessing of the upright the city is exalted: but it is overthrown by the mouth of the wicked. Proverbs 11:11

COMMENTS

The only town known to history or geography as Tiphsah is the famous city on the Euphrates river (cf. 1 Kings 4:24). It would appear that Zechariah had intended to continue the expansionist policies of his father. At the very time Zechariah was assassinated, the armies under Menahem were garrisoned at Tirzah awaiting orders to march northward. After rather easily disposing of Shallum the assassin, Menahem immediately launched the expedition which had previously been planned. In the early days of Menahem, Assyria was weak and unable to resist these incursions. All the territory from Tirzah in Israel to Tiphsah fell temporarily under the control of Menahem. When the city of Tiphsah refused to surrender, Menahem treated it in a most cruel way. Even pregnant women were ripped open and their unborn children bandied about on the swords of his soldiers![580]

[580] On this cruel practice of ancient warfare see 2 Kings 8:12; Isaiah 13:8; Hosea 10:14; Hosea 13:16; Amos 1:13.

Menahem's conquests in the north were short-lived. In 745 B.C. the mighty Tiglath-pileser, known in Babylonia as King Pul, came to the throne of Assyria. In one of his early campaigns Tiglath-pileser invaded Israel and forced Menahem to pay an enormous tribute of a thousand talents of silver (about $2,000,000).[581] This payment in effect made Menahem a vassal of Tiglath-pileser and placed his throne under the protection of the Assyrian monarch (2 Kings 15:19). To secure this tribute money, Menahem taxed the wealthy land owners fifty shekels each.[582] The tax would have to be levied on a thousand men. Content for the moment with his take, Tiglathpileser returned to Assyria (2 Kings 15:20).

[581] The figure of $2,000,000 is based on the Berkeley Version. An inscription of Tiglathpileser mentions the tribute of Menahem. See ANET, pp. 282ff.
[582] Fifty shekels of silver ($2,000) was about the price of a slave in this period. See D.J. Wiseman, Iraq XV, (1953), p. 135.

Nothing more is known of the life and reign of Menahem. He appears to have died a natural death. Menahem was succeeded by his son Pekahiah (2 Kings 15:21-22).