Menahem
Summary
The sixteenth king of Israel, remembered for cruelty: he ripped open the pregnant women of a city that would not open its gates to him. He paid a thousand talents of silver to Tiglath-pileser III of Assyria to hold his throne, taxing Israel's wealthy men to raise it.
- Among the passages here, Menahem is first named in 2 Kings 15:14: “Then Menahem son of Gadi went up from Tirzah to Samaria, struck down…”
- The record places Menahem in Divided Kingdom.
- 8 verses name Menahem, in 1 book.
- 4 moments stand in order on this page, each with its verse.
On this page
Start here
Then Pul king of Assyria invaded the land, and Menahem gave Pul a thousand talents of silver in order to gain his support and strengthen his own grip on the kingdom.
2 Kings 15:19-20→- 4 key events in order
- 8 verses name Menahem, across 1 book
In Scripture
- Verses
- 8
- Books
- 1
Menahem
- Role
- 16th King of Israel
- Era
- Divided Kingdom
- Dates
- 752–742 BC
- Tribe
- Israel
- Father
- Gadi
- Children
- Pekahiah
The life in order
from the events the row records, with the first and last verse that names the person among the passages this page stands on
1Where the passages this page records open
2What the record holds, in its own order
- Attacked Tiphsah2 Kings 15:16At that time Menahem, starting from Tirzah, attacked Tiphsah and everyone in its vicinity, because they would not open their gates. So he attacked Tiphsah and ripped open all the pregnant women.
- Tiglath-Pileser invaded2 Kings 15:19Then Pul king of Assyria invaded the land, and Menahem gave Pul a thousand talents of silver in order to gain his support and strengthen his own grip on the kingdom.
- Taxed the wealthy2 Kings 15:20Menahem exacted this money from each of the wealthy men of Israel—fifty shekels of silver from each man—to give to the king of Assyria. So the king of Assyria withdrew and did not remain in the land.
- Assyria withdrew2 Kings 15:20Menahem exacted this money from each of the wealthy men of Israel—fifty shekels of silver from each man—to give to the king of Assyria. So the king of Assyria withdrew and did not remain in the land.
3Where the passages this page records close
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.
Then Pul king of Assyria invaded the land, and Menahem gave Pul a thousand talents of silver in order to gain his support and strengthen his own grip on the kingdom.
What they got right, and what they got wrong
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.
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.
Menahem in Scripture
Open a book to read its mentions here. Text: Berean Standard Bible. Names repeat in Scripture, so some of these verses may speak of another person called Menahem. The two marks are drawn from the chapters this page's own references stand in.
Old Testament1 book · 8 mentions
2 Kings8 mentions
- 2 Kings 15:14Then Menahem son of Gadi went up from Tirzah to Samaria, struck down and killed Shallum son of Jabesh, and reigned in his place.
- 2 Kings 15:16At that time Menahem, starting from Tirzah, attacked Tiphsah and everyone in its vicinity, because they would not open their gates. So he attacked Tiphsah and ripped open all the pregnant women.
- 2 Kings 15:17In the thirty-ninth year of Azariah’s reign over Judah, Menahem son of Gadi became king of Israel, and he reigned in Samaria ten years.
- 2 Kings 15:19Then Pul king of Assyria invaded the land, and Menahem gave Pul a thousand talents of silver in order to gain his support and strengthen his own grip on the kingdom.
- 2 Kings 15:20Menahem exacted this money from each of the wealthy men of Israel—fifty shekels of silver from each man—to give to the king of Assyria. So the king of Assyria withdrew and did not remain in the land.
3 further mentions in 2 Kings, read them in the book.
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