Original Word: מְנַחֵם
Part of Speech: Proper Name Masculine
Transliteration: Mnachem
Pronunciation: meh-nah-KHEM
Phonetic Spelling: (men-akh-ame')
KJV: Menahem
NASB: Menahem
Word Origin: [from H5162 (נָחַם - comfort)]

1. comforter
2. Menachem, an Israelite

Menahem

From nacham; comforter; Menachem, an Israelite -- Menahem.

see HEBREW nacham

Word Origin
from nacham
Definition
"comforter," king of N. Isr.
NASB Translation
Menahem (8).

מְנַחֵם proper name, masculine (comforter) king of Northern Israel, 2 Kings 15:14,16,17,19,20,21,22,23; ᵐ5 Μαναημ.

Historical Setting

Menahem son of Gadi appears during the political free-fall that followed the prosperous reign of Jeroboam son of Joash. In little more than a dozen years Israel cycled through four kings (Zechariah, Shallum, Menahem, Pekahiah), each rise to power propelled by conspiracy and bloodshed. Menahem’s decade on the throne (approximately 752–742 BC) sits at the midpoint of this turbulence and ushers the Northern Kingdom into direct vassalage to Assyria.

Assassination and Accession

“Then Menahem son of Gadi went up from Tirzah to Samaria, attacked Shallum son of Jabesh in Samaria, struck him down, and killed him. And Menahem reigned in his place” (2 Kings 15:14). The brevity of Shallum’s one-month reign underscores the instability of Israel’s throne. By seizing power through violence, Menahem perpetuated the cycle of covenant-breaking leadership warned against in Deuteronomy 17:14-20.

Cruelty at Tiphsah

“At that time Menahem attacked Tiphsah—all who were in the city, and its territory from Tirzah—because they would not open their gates. He ripped open all the pregnant women” (2 Kings 15:16). The shocking savagery recalls Amos 1:13, where similar atrocities are condemned among Israel’s neighbors. Menahem’s actions demonstrate how far Israel’s king could drift from the compassionate character of the LORD, ironically contradicting the comfort implied by his own name.

Relationship with Assyria

“Then Pul king of Assyria invaded the land, and Menahem gave Pul a thousand talents of silver to gain his support and strengthen his hold on the kingdom” (2 Kings 15:19). Tiglath-Pileser III (Pul) marked Assyria’s resurgence as a world power. Menahem’s tribute:

1. Introduced Israel’s first recorded payment of protection money to Assyria.
2. Signaled the erosion of national sovereignty.
3. Foreshadowed the exile foretold by prophets such as Hosea (“they go to Assyria, a wild donkey wandering alone,” Hosea 8:9).

Economic Oppression

“Menahem exacted this money from every wealthy man in Israel—fifty shekels of silver from each—to give to the king of Assyria” (2 Kings 15:20). The transfer of wealth from Israel’s elite to a pagan empire illustrates covenant curses in action: “The alien who lives among you will rise higher… but you will sink lower and lower” (Deuteronomy 28:43-44). Rather than repent and seek the LORD, the king mortgaged the nation’s future.

Succession and Aftermath

Menahem “rested with his fathers, and his son Pekahiah reigned in his place” (2 Kings 15:22). Pekahiah’s two-year rule ended in yet another coup, demonstrating that tribute could purchase time but not stability. Within twenty years Samaria fell (2 Kings 17), completing the trajectory set in motion under Menahem.

Theological Reflections

• Name irony: A man called “Comforter” became a terror to his own people, reminding readers that true consolation flows only from the LORD (Isaiah 40:1).
• Covenant violation: Violence, idolatry, and foreign alliances replaced justice, mercy, and trust in God (Hosea 5:13; 12:1).
• Sovereignty of God: Even Menahem’s ruthless reign served divine purposes, moving history toward the prophetic warnings of judgment and the larger redemptive account culminating in Christ.

Lessons for Believers

1. Power gained apart from righteousness yields neither peace nor permanence.
2. Compromise with the world’s systems offers short-term relief but long-term bondage.
3. God’s comfort is not found in human rulers but in the promised King whose rule is just and everlasting (Isaiah 11:1-5; Luke 1:32-33).

Key References

2 Kings 15:14, 16-23; Hosea 5:13; Hosea 8:9; Deuteronomy 28:43-44; Isaiah 40:1; Isaiah 11:1-5.

מְ֠נַחֵם מְנַחֵ֖ם מְנַחֵ֧ם מְנַחֵ֨ם מְנַחֵם֙ מנחם mə·na·ḥêm menaChem mənaḥêmInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts