Menahem

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For the Khazar ruler of the same name, see Menahem (Khazar). For the medieval poet and philologist, see Menahem ben Saruq.

Menahem (Hebrew מְנַחֵם "comforting", Standard Hebrew Mənaḥem, Tiberian Hebrew Mənaḥēm) was king of the ancient Kingdom of Israel and the son of Gadi.

William F. Albright has dated his reign to 745 BCE-738 BCE, while E. R. Thiele offers the dates 752 BCE-742 BCE.

He came from Tirzah to Samaria to slay Shallum by his own hand, and succeeded him as king (2 Kings 15:14). He brutally suppressed a revolt at Tiphsah (so the name in the Masoretic text; modern commentators and translators prefer the reading Tappuah, following the Lucian recension of the Septuagint), and ripped unborn children from the wombs of their mothers (15:16). During his reign Tiglath-Pileser III, king of Assyria, invaded Israel with a powerful force, but was induced to leave by a gift from Menahem of 1,000 talents of silver, raised from a levy of 50 shekels on each "person of means" (15:19-21). Tiglath-Pileser records this tribute in one of his inscriptions.

After a reign of about ten years, he died, leaving the throne to his son Pekahiah. The author of the Book of Kings describes his rule as one of cruelty and oppression.