2 Kings 15:20

20 And Manahem laid a tax upon Israel, on all that were mighty and rich, to give the king of the Assyrians, each man fifty sicles of silver: so the king of the Assyrians turned back, and did not stay in the land.

2 Kings 15:20 Meaning and Commentary

2 Kings 15:20

And Menahem exacted the money of Israel, even of all the
mighty men of wealth
Who were most able to pay it, by which means he eased the poor, and might thereby attach them to him:

of each man fifty shekels of silver, to give to the king of Assyria:
that is, he required them to pay fifty shekels apiece to make up the above sum as a present to Pul; though the words in the original text lie more naturally thus, "to give to the king of Assyria fifty shekels of silver for one man"; that is, for every man in his army; which amounted to about six pounds a man:

so the king of Assyria turned back;
to his own country:

and stayed not there in the land;
in the land of Israel, neither to distress nor to help Menahem, for which he gave him the money.

2 Kings 15:20 In-Context

18 And he did that which was evil before the Lord: he departed not from the sins of Jeroboam, the son of Nabat, who made Israel to sin, all his days.

19 And Phul, king of the Assyrians, came into the land, and Manahem gave Phul a thousand talents of silver to aid him and to establish him in the kingdom.

20 And Manahem laid a tax upon Israel, on all that were mighty and rich, to give the king of the Assyrians, each man fifty sicles of silver: so the king of the Assyrians turned back, and did not stay in the land.

21 And the rest of the acts of Manahem, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the words of the days of the kings of Israel?

22 And Manahem slept with his fathers: and Phaceia, his son, reigned in his stead.