2 Kings 15 Study Notes

15:17-18 The formal beginning of Menahem’s reign in Israel is typical.

15:19-20 In 743 BC, near the end of Menahem’s reign, Tiglath-pileser III (known in the Bible by his throne name Pulu or Pul) invaded the region. This created a new political situation since Assyria was now the enemy to the north and northeast. Thus the major internal struggle for most of the small kingdoms of Palestine and Aram was between the pro-Assyrian party that advocated peace with Assyria at any price and the anti-Assyrian party that advocated wars for independence at any price. Menahem purchased his throne by taking a pro-Assyrian stance and paying a huge tribute, seventy-five thousand pounds of silver. Menahem raised the tribute money by imposing a head tax on the prominent men of Israel. This tax alienated the anti-Assyrian parties in Israel.

15:21-22 The only thing noteworthy about the closing notices of Menahem’s reign is that he succeeded in leaving the throne to his son Pekahiah.

15:23-26 Pekahiah ruled only two years. Subsequent history indicates that the reason for his short reign could have been the dissatisfaction of the anti-Assyrian party in Israel. The leader of the rebellion was Pekah, who became the next king. The formal close reveals nothing new about Pekahiah.

15:27-28 The formal opening statements for Pekah indicate that he ruled for twenty years, a long and successful rule for this period, though his first twelve years were probably as an independent ruler in Gilead. Then he enjoyed eight years (740-732 BC) of rule over Israel until the Assyrians returned.

15:29 Israel had been briefly free from Assyrian invasion because Assyria was too busy elsewhere, so Pekah broke his treaty with Assyria. But then, in 734 BC, Tiglath-pileser returned, conquered, and annexed large portions of northern Israel. The area defined by the names in the text includes significant Transjordan Hebrew holdings and regions north of the fertile Plain of Esdraelon. This still left the king of Israel with the fertile heartland of the country and a reasonable hope of local, though not imperial, prosperity. The Hebrews in the annexed territories were deported to the east and—though not stated here—the Assyrians brought in new population to resettle the land.

15:30-31 Pekah was then deposed by a revolution led by Hoshea. It is not clear whether this was the work of a pro-Assyrian party or of an anti-Assyrian party that penalized Pekah for not being successful enough in his resistance to Assyria. Hoshea later conspired against Assyria. The closing comments for Pekah reveal nothing new.

15:32-35 The clock turns back to two kings of Judah who became king during the reign of Pekah. Again, Jotham’s length-of-rule formula can be confusing. His sixteen years apparently did not include the ten years of co-regency with Azariah, nor did they include the three-year co-regency with Ahaz. He was a good king, except he did not close down the worship of the Lord at the illegal shrines on the high places. He was the last of the four good kings from Joash to Jotham, and he was the only one who, as far as the Bible reveals, did not finish badly. An addition to the Lord’s temple was his outstanding achievement.

15:36-38 The closing comments about Jotham’s reign cast a cloud on the future in referring to the beginning of raids against Judah by Aram’s King Rezin and Pekah of Israel. Historians take this harassment as trying to force Judah into an anti-Assyrian coalition. By some datings, Ahaz may have been ruling as co-regent with Jotham during the invasions of Judah described in the next chapter (16:5-6; see Is 7:3-6).