Tilgath-pilneser

Tiglath-pileser, also known as Pul, was an Assyrian king who conquered parts of Israel and received tribute from King Menahem.

Tiglath-pileser, also referred to as "the great" or "Pul," was a powerful Assyrian king who reigned from 745 to 727 BC. He is mentioned in several passages in the Old Testament (2Ki.15.19,29; 16.7,10; 1Ch.5.6,26; 2Ch 28:20; Hos.5.13; 10.6). Tiglath-pileser's reign marked the beginning of the Neo-Assyrian Empire's expansion and dominance in the ancient Near East. He is known for his military conquests and political reforms. In the biblical account, Tiglath-pileser received tribute from King Menahem of Israel (2Ki 15:19) and later conquered parts of Israel, including Gilead, Galilee, and Naphtali, deporting the inhabitants to Assyria (2Ki 15:29; 1Ch 5:26). King Ahaz of Judah sought Tiglath-pileser's help against the kings of Israel and Syria, but this alliance ultimately led to Judah's subjugation and religious compromises (2Ki 16:7-10; 2Ch 28:20). The prophet Hosea denounced Israel's reliance on Assyria, symbolized by Tiglath-pileser, as futile and contrary to trust in God (Hos.5.13; 10.6). Tiglath-pileser's reign marked a significant turning point in the history of Israel and Judah, as the Assyrian Empire's expansion posed an increasing threat to their sovereignty and independence.

An Assyrian king. It has been a question whether he was identical with Tiglath-pileser III. (q.v.), or was his predecessor. The weight of evidence is certainly in favour of their identity. Pul was the throne-name he bore in Babylonia as king of Babylon, and Tiglath-pileser the throne-name he bore as king of Assyria. He was the founder of what is called the second Assyrian empire. He consolidated and organized his conquests on a large scale. He subdued Northern Syria and Hamath, and the kings of Syria rendered him homage and paid him tribute. His ambition was to found in Western Asia a kingdom which should embrace the whole civilized world, having Nineveh as its centre. Menahem, king of Israel, gave him the enormous tribute of a thousand talents of silver, “that his hand might be with him” (2 Kings 15:19; 1 Chr. 5:26). The fact that this tribute could be paid showed the wealthy condition of the little kingdom of Israel even in this age of disorder and misgovernment. Having reduced Syria, he turned his arms against Babylon, which he subdued. The Babylonian king was slain, and Babylon and other Chaldean cities were taken, and Pul assumed the title of “King of Sumer [i.e., Shinar] and Accad.” He was succeeded by Shalmanezer IV.