Menahem, son of Gadi (Hebrew:מְנַחֵם בֵּן-גדי) was the preantepenultimate king of Israel, and the founder of the House of Gadi.
He ascended to the throne after he assassinated Shallum, and was king for ten years in the thirty-ninth year of Azariah, king of Judah.
Biography[]
The assassination of Shallum[]
Shallum reigned in the thirty-ninth year of Uzziah, king of Judah, he reigned for 1 month and was assassinated by Menahem son of Gadi, who set up from Tirzah and went to Samaria to attain his evil scheme, and shortly after it became king.[1] He reigned in the thirty-ninth year of Uzziah[2], and did evil in the sight of God and followed the ways of Jeroboam son of Nebat.[3]
Revolt at Tiphsah[]
He subdued a revolt at Tiphsah, and brutally killed it's inhabitants and "ripping open the pregnant women".[4]
Tributary of Assyria[]
During his reign, the Assyrians and Pul it's king, invaded the land; as a tributary, Menahem gave him a thousand talents of silver to gain his support and strengthen his own hold on the kingdom.[5] "Menahem exacted this money from Israel. Every wealthy person had to contribute fifty shekels of silver to be given to the king of Assyria. So the king of Assyria withdrew and stayed in the land no longer."[6]
Death[]
Menahem then died with his ancestors, and his son Pekahiah reigned in his stead.