KJV King James Version
[And] 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 the kingdom in his hand.
VERSE STUDY • KJV
2 Kings 15:19
[And] 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 the kingdom in his hand.
Read it in 5 translations
BSB Berean Standard Bible
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.
WEB World English Bible
There came against the land Pul the king of Assyria; and Menahem gave Pul one thousand talents of silver, that his hand might be with him to confirm the kingdom in his hand.
ASV American Standard Version
There came against the land Pul the king of Assyria; and Menahem gave Pul a thousand talents of silver, that his hand might be with him to confirm the kingdom in his hand.
YLT Young’s Literal Translation
Pul king of Asshur hath come against the land, and Menahem giveth to Pul a thousand talents of silver, for his hand being with him to strengthen the kingdom in his hand.
Surrounding context — 2 Kings 15
16 Then Menahem smote Tiphsah, and all that [were] therein, and the coasts thereof from Tirzah: because they opened not [to him], therefore he smote [it; and] all the women therein that were with child he ripped up.
17 In the nine and thirtieth year of Azariah king of Judah began Menahem the son of Gadi to reign over Israel, [and reigned] ten years in Samaria.
18 And he did [that which was] evil in the sight of the LORD: he departed not all his days from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin.
19 [And] 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 the kingdom in his hand.
20 And Menahem exacted the money of Israel, [even] of all the mighty men of wealth, of each man fifty shekels of silver, to give to the king of Assyria. So the king of Assyria turned back, and stayed not there in the land.
21 And the rest of the acts of Menahem, and all that he did, [are] they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?
22 And Menahem slept with his fathers; and Pekahiah his son reigned in his stead.
Topics connected to this verse
Original-language word links
These Hebrew/Greek tokens are linked by Strong's number. Click one for its lexicon definition and other occurrences.
בָּ֣אH935 · boto come (in): comeפ֤וּלH6322 · pulPulמֶֽלֶךְ־H4428 · me.lekhkingאַשּׁוּר֙H804 · ash.shurAssyriaעַל־H5921 · aluponהָאָ֔רֶץH776 · e.retsland: country/planetוַיִּתֵּ֤ןH5414 · na.tanto give: giveמְנַחֵם֙H4505 · me.na.chemMenahemלְפ֔וּלH6322 · pulPulאֶ֖לֶףH505 · e.lephthousandכִּכַּר־H3603 · kik.karPlain (of Jericho)כָּ֑סֶףH3701 · ke.sephsilver: moneyלִהְי֤וֹתH1961 · ha.yahto beיָדָיו֙H3027 · yadhandאִתּ֔וֹH854 · etwithלְהַחֲזִ֥יקH2388 · cha.zaqto strengthen: strengthenהַמַּמְלָכָ֖הH4467 · mam.la.khahkingdomבְּיָדֽוֹ׃H3027 · yadhand
Cross-references
2 Kings 14:5And it came to pass, as soon as the kingdom was confirmed in his hand, that he slew his servants which had slain the king his father.2 Kings 18:16At that time did Hezekiah cut off [the gold from] the doors of the temple of the LORD, and [from] the pillars which Hezekiah king of Judah had overlaid, and gave it to the king of Assyria.1 Chronicles 5:25-26And they transgressed against the God of their fathers, and went a whoring after the gods of the people of the land, whom God destroyed before them.Hosea 8:9-10For they are gone up to Assyria, a wild ass alone by himself: Ephraim hath hired lovers.2 Kings 17:3-4Against him came up Shalmaneser king of Assyria; and Hoshea became his servant, and gave him presents.Hosea 10:6It shall be also carried unto Assyria [for] a present to king Jareb: Ephraim shall receive shame, and Israel shall be ashamed of his own counsel.2 Kings 12:18And Jehoash king of Judah took all the hallowed things that Jehoshaphat, and Jehoram, and Ahaziah, his fathers, kings of Judah, had dedicated, and his own hallowed things, and all the gold [that was] found in the treasures of the house of the LORD, and in the king’s house, and sent [it] to Hazael king of Syria: and he went away from Jerusalem.Jeremiah 17:5Thus saith the LORD; Cursed [be] the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the LORD.2 Kings 16:8And Ahaz took the silver and gold that was found in the house of the LORD, and in the treasures of the king’s house, and sent [it for] a present to the king of Assyria.Isaiah 9:1Nevertheless the dimness [shall] not [be] such as [was] in her vexation, when at the first he lightly afflicted the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, and afterward did more grievously afflict [her by] the way of the sea, beyond Jordan, in Galilee of the nations.Hosea 5:13When Ephraim saw his sickness, and Judah [saw] his wound, then went Ephraim to the Assyrian, and sent to king Jareb: yet could he not heal you, nor cure you of your wound.
HISTORICAL INTERPRETATION
Compare classic commentaries on 2 Kings 15:19
Put Matthew Henry, Adam Clarke, Calvin, Wesley, Barnes, Jamieson–Fausset–Brown, Aquinas’ Catena and other public-domain sources beside the passage.
Compare commentaries →