2 Kings 15:19There 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.
The setting
Samaria, Israel, ~738 BC. King Menahem empties the royal treasury to pay massive tribute to Tiglath-Pileser III of Assyria. Modern-day West Bank, Palestine.
The emotion here: recording a nation's desperate gamble for survival
The original word
kesef (כסף) — silver, money, payment that creates obligation
Why it matters
1,000 talents of silver equals about 75,000 pounds of silver — roughly $50 million today
Read with care
What most readers miss in 2 Kings 15:19
Pul is Tiglath-Pileser III's throne name — this is the superpower of the ancient world
Common misconceptionPeople think this was smart diplomacy, but it actually made Israel a vassal state and hastened their destruction 20 years later.
The thread continues
Verses that echo 2 Kings 15:19
Bible Genome reading
2 Kings 15:19 — Bible Genome reading
Emotional genome
2 Kings 15:19 comes from the book of 2 Kings, written during the Divided Kingdom period. These words are attributed to Narrator. The dominant emotion in this verse is anxious, with a comfort power of 20% and a tone that is urgent. It belongs to the narrative genre of biblical literature. Key themes include foreign threat, tribute. Notable phrases: king of Assyria; one thousand talents.
Emotionally similar
Verses that meet the same anxious
“And no wonder, for even Satan masquerades as an angel of light.”
— 2 Corinthians 11:14
“Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.”
— 2 Timothy 3:12
“The evil spirit answered, "Jesus I know, and Paul I know, but who are you?"”
— Acts 19:15
“I fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to me, 'Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?'”
— Acts 22:7
“When we had all fallen to the earth, I heard a voice saying to me in the Hebrew language, 'Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? It is har…”
— Acts 26:14
Your reflection
What does 2 Kings 15:19 mean to you, today?
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