Useful Bible Studies > 2 Kings Commentary > chapter 15
Menahem saw that he had to gain authority over the whole country. It was not enough just to kill the previous king, as Shallum had done. Menahem had to force the people in every town and city to accept him as their king.
So, Menahem began to visit the towns in Israel. In each place, he probably demanded that the best and strongest young men should be in his army (1 Samuel 8:11-12). He would have also arrested or killed anyone who might oppose him.
In one town, Tiphsah, the people did not want to accept this cruel ruler and his demands. Like all the towns in Israel, Tiphsah had strong walls that completely surrounded the town for its defence. So, the inhabitants of Tiphsah shut the gates that were the only entrances into the town. They would not allow Menahem and his soldiers to enter. Menahem’s anger was fierce and very terrible. He was not only angry with the people in the town, but also with everyone in the surrounding region. He destroyed the town and he dealt with its people with the most extreme cruelty.
It would have been the men in Tiphsah, and not the women, who decided not to allow Menahem into their town. Still, Menahem killed even the young women who were expecting babies, in a truly awful manner. Sometimes in the past cruel foreign armies had attacked Israel’s people in this manner (8:12). Now the man who claimed to be Israel’s king was doing it.
That was how Menahem gained control over Israel. When the people heard about his cruelty, they did not dare to oppose him.
Next part: Menahem accepts Assyria's authority over him (2 Kings 15:17-19)
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