The Cuneiform inscriptions and the Old Testament; - The Search For ...

SECOND BOOK OF KINGS XV. 215
17. ^K"^^? /i^'DHJp 1,2'^ Menahem became king— of Israel.
Also the cuneiform inscriptions mention an Israelite Mena-
hem under the form Minihimmu of Samaria. The chief
passage occurs in the annals of Tiglath-Pileser Layard 50,
10: Ma-da-tu Ku-us-ta- as-pi Ku-um-mu-ha-ai,
Ra-sun-nu Dimaskai*, Mi-ni- hi-im-mi Sa-ml-
ri-na-ai &c. i. e. "tribute of Kustaspi of Kumuch, of
Rezin of Damaskus , of Menahera of Samaria &c.", comp. 224
III Rawl. 9. 50.
What are we to say of this king, mentioned in Tiglath-
Pileser's inscription? If we take the Biblical chronology
into account, an identification of this person with the Mena-
hem of the Bible is scarcely feasible. Indeed, the beginning
of the twenty years' reign of Pekah (758), who was second in
succession after Menahem, falls as much as 13 years before
the beginning of the reign of Tiglath-Pileser in the year 745!
In consideration of this circumstance, we were disposed to
adopt the view that the Menahem of the inscriptions might
have been a rival king to Pekah , who threw himself into
the arms of the Assyrian despot in order to win recognition.
But to say nothing of the fact that the Bible says not a word
respecting such a second Menahem , this hypothesis of a
later Menahem is not easily compatible with the well nigh
contemporary mention in the cuneiform records of a Judaean
king Azarjah i.e. Uzziah (see above). This latter circum-
stance rather leads us to identify the Menahem of the in-
scriptions with the older. Biblical Menahem, exactly con-
temporary with Uzziah-Azarjah. We thus arrive at the
following identification
:
* In the text stands (mat) G ar-I miri-Su-ai. On this see above
p. 138.