King
Menahem
16th King of Israel
752–742 BC
Biography
Menahem son of Gadi came from Tirzah to Samaria, killed Shallum, and reigned ten years. When the city of Tiphsah (or Tappuah) did not open its gates to him, he attacked it and ripped open all the pregnant women — an act of extreme brutality that shocked even the ancient world's military norms. He continued in all the sins of Jeroboam I. During his reign the Assyrian empire under Tiglath-Pileser III made its first major incursion into Israel. To secure his throne and buy off the Assyrian threat, Menahem exacted a tax of fifty shekels of silver from every wealthy man in Israel — totaling 1,000 talents — and paid it to Tiglath-Pileser. This transaction marked the beginning of Israel's subjugation to Assyria and the hemorrhaging of national wealth that would contribute to the kingdom's eventual fall.
Key Events
- 1Attacked Tiphsah2 Kings 15:16 →
Because Tiphsah did not open its gates, Menahem attacked it and ripped open all the pregnant women
- 2Tiglath-Pileser invaded2 Kings 15:19 →
Pul (Tiglath-Pileser III) of Assyria came against the land; Menahem paid him 1,000 talents of silver
- 3Taxed the wealthy2 Kings 15:20 →
Levied fifty shekels of silver from each wealthy man in Israel to raise the 1,000 talents for Assyria
- 4Assyria withdrew2 Kings 15:20 →
Tiglath-Pileser turned back and did not stay in the land after receiving the tribute
Key Verses
“Pul the king of Assyria came against the land, and Menahem gave Pul a thousand talents of silver, that his hand might be with him to confirm his hold on the royal power. Menahem exacted the money from Israel, that is, from all the wealthy men, fifty shekels of silver from every man, to give to the king of Assyria.”
Spiritual Significance
Menahem demonstrates how political compromise with empire is paid for by the suffering of the people. He bought his throne's security by taxing ordinary Israelites and subjugating the nation to Assyria. His cruelty at Tiphsah and his capitulation to Assyria represent the twin evils of a leader who is brutal to the weak and servile to the powerful.
Character Profile
- Strengths
- Maintained stability for 10 years, kept Assyria from occupying Israel temporarily
- Weaknesses
- Extreme cruelty (ripped open pregnant women), capitulation to Assyria, heavy taxation, continuation of Jeroboam's idolatry
- Lessons
- Leaders who gain power by violence and maintain it by cruelty ultimately serve not their people but themselves and foreign powers. Menahem crushed the weak (Tiphsah), taxed the wealthy (to pay Assyria), and secured nothing for Israel's future.