Shallum
Summary
The fifteenth king of Israel who assassinated Zechariah to take the throne but himself reigned for only one month before being killed by Menahem, making him one of the shortest-reigning kings in history.
- Among the passages here, Shallum is first named in 2 Kings 15:10: “Then Shallum son of Jabesh conspired against Zechariah, struck him down and killed him…”
- The record places Shallum in Divided Kingdom.
- 27 verses name Shallum, in 6 books.
- 3 moments stand in order on this page, each with its verse.
On this page
Start here
In the thirty-ninth year of Uzziah’s reign over Judah, Shallum son of Jabesh became king, and he reigned in Samaria one full month.
2 Kings 15:13→- 3 key events in order
- 27 verses name Shallum, across 6 books
In Scripture
- Verses
- 27
- Books
- 6
Shallum
- Role
- 15th King of Israel
- Era
- Divided Kingdom
- Dates
- 752 BC
- Tribe
- Israel
- Father
- Jabesh
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
- Assassinated Zechariah2 Kings 15:10Then Shallum son of Jabesh conspired against Zechariah, struck him down and killed him in front of the people, and reigned in his place.
- One-month reign2 Kings 15:13In the thirty-ninth year of Uzziah’s reign over Judah, Shallum son of Jabesh became king, and he reigned in Samaria one full month.
- Killed by Menahem2 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.
Biography
Shallum son of Jabesh conspired against Zechariah in 752 BC, assassinated him publicly, and seized the throne of Israel. His reign lasted exactly one month. Menahem son of Gadi then came up from Tirzah, attacked Shallum in Samaria, struck him down, and killed him. Almost nothing else is recorded about Shallum's month on the throne — he came to power by violence, held it by violence for thirty days, and lost it by violence.
He is the embodiment of the moral chaos that characterized Israel's final decades: a rapid succession of assassinations in which no one could establish a stable claim to the throne. His brief reign is a mirror of the emptiness of power seized through treachery.
In the thirty-ninth year of Uzziah’s reign over Judah, Shallum son of Jabesh became king, and he reigned in Samaria one full month.
What they got right, and what they got wrong
Strengths
None recorded
Weaknesses
Assassination to gain power, betrayal of his king, failed to establish any legitimate claim
Lessons
Power seized through sin cannot be held by sin. Shallum's method of gaining the throne was also the method by which he lost it. The cycle of violence is always self-defeating.
Spiritual significance
Shallum's one-month reign is a stark illustration that power obtained through sin cannot be held. He murdered his way to a throne that was taken from him in thirty days by someone who did exactly what he had done. The path of treachery is circular and self-consuming.
Shallum 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 Shallum. The two marks are drawn from the chapters this page's own references stand in.
Old TestamentNew Testamentsegment width = share of mentions
Old Testament6 books · 27 mentions
2 Kings5 mentions
- 2 Kings 15:10Then Shallum son of Jabesh conspired against Zechariah, struck him down and killed him in front of the people, and reigned in his place.
- 2 Kings 15:13In the thirty-ninth year of Uzziah’s reign over Judah, Shallum son of Jabesh became king, and he reigned in Samaria one full month.
- 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 15:15As for the rest of the acts of Shallum, along with the conspiracy he led, they are indeed written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel.
- 2 Kings 22:14So Hilkiah the priest, Ahikam, Achbor, Shaphan, and Asaiah went and spoke to Huldah the prophetess, the wife of Shallum son of Tikvah, the son of Harhas, the keeper of the wardrobe. She lived in Jerusalem, in the Second District.
1 Chronicles11 mentions
- 1 Chronicles 2:40Elasah was the father of Sismai, Sismai was the father of Shallum,
- 1 Chronicles 2:41Shallum was the father of Jekamiah, and Jekamiah was the father of Elishama.
- 1 Chronicles 3:15The sons of Josiah: Johanan was the firstborn, Jehoiakim the second, Zedekiah the third, and Shallum the fourth.
- 1 Chronicles 4:25The sons of Shaul: Shallum, Mibsam, and Mishma.
- 1 Chronicles 6:12Ahitub was the father of Zadok, Zadok was the father of Shallum,
6 further mentions in 1 Chronicles, read them in the book.
2 Chronicles2 mentions
- 2 Chronicles 28:12Then some of the leaders of the Ephraimites—Azariah son of Jehohanan, Berechiah son of Meshillemoth, Jehizkiah son of Shallum, and Amasa son of Hadlai—stood in opposition to those arriving from the war.
- 2 Chronicles 34:22So Hilkiah and those the king had designated went and spoke to Huldah the prophetess, the wife of Shallum son of Tokhath, the son of Hasrah, the keeper of the wardrobe. She lived in Jerusalem, in the Second District.
Ezra4 mentions
- Ezra 2:42The gatekeepers: the descendants of Shallum, the descendants of Ater, the descendants of Talmon, the descendants of Akkub, the descendants of Hatita, and the descendants of Shobai, 139 in all.
- Ezra 7:2the son of Shallum, the son of Zadok, the son of Ahitub,
- Ezra 10:24From the singers: Eliashib. From the gatekeepers: Shallum, Telem, and Uri.
- Ezra 10:42Shallum, Amariah, and Joseph.
Nehemiah2 mentions
- Nehemiah 3:12And next to them, Shallum son of Hallohesh, ruler of the other half-district of Jerusalem, made repairs, with the help of his daughters.
- Nehemiah 7:45The gatekeepers: the descendants of Shallum, the descendants of Ater, the descendants of Talmon, the descendants of Akkub, the descendants of Hatita, and the descendants of Shobai, 138 in all.
Jeremiah3 mentions
- Jeremiah 22:11For this is what the LORD says concerning Shallum son of Josiah, king of Judah, who succeeded his father Josiah but has gone forth from this place: “He will never return,
- Jeremiah 32:7Behold! Hanamel, the son of your uncle Shallum, is coming to you to say, ‘Buy for yourself my field in Anathoth, for you have the right of redemption to buy it.’
- Jeremiah 35:4and I brought them into the house of the LORD, to a chamber occupied by the sons of Hanan son of Igdaliah, a man of God. This room was near the chamber of the officials, which was above the chamber of Maaseiah son of Shallum the doorkeeper.
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