Assyria and the Decline of Northern Israel

Azariah son of Amaziah, sixteen, reigns fifty-two years in Jerusalem. "And the LORD smote the king, so that he was a leper unto the day of his death, and dwelt in a several house. And Jotham the king's son was over the house, judging the people of the land."

Zechariah son of Jeroboam reigns six months; Shallum kills him "before the people," ending Jehu's line in the fourth generation, "as the word of the LORD… unto Jehu." Shallum reigns a month; Menahem kills him, sacks Tiphsah "and all the women therein that were with child he ripped up." "And Pul the king of Assyria came against the land: and Menahem gave Pul a thousand talents of silver," fifty shekels from each wealthy man.

Pekahiah reigns two years; his officer Pekah kills him. "In the days of Pekah king of Israel came Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria, and took Ijon, and Abel-beth-maachah, and Janoah, and Kedesh, and Hazor, and Gilead, and Galilee, all the land of Naphtali, and carried them captive to Assyria." Hoshea son of Elah kills Pekah. In Judah, Jotham builds the upper gate of the temple.

Pul is Tiglath-pileser III

Pul (Pulu) was the Babylonian throne name of Tiglath-pileser III (745–727 BC), who reorganized Assyria into a standing empire with provinces and mass deportations. His inscriptions name "Menahem of Samaria" among tributaries (c. 738 BC), say that the people of "Bit-Humri" (house of Omri) overthrew Pekah, and that he installed Hoshea as king.

Azariah and Uzziah

Kings calls him Azariah; Chronicles, Isaiah and Amos call him Uzziah. Both mean "YHWH is (my) help/strength." 2 Chronicles 26 says his skin disease came when he burned incense in the temple. A later stone plaque (1st century BC/AD) reads "Hither were brought the bones of Uzziah, king of Judah. Do not open."

Atrocity

Menahem's killing of pregnant women at Tiphsah is reported as an atrocity; Amos 1:13 condemns Ammon for the same crime. The text records it without approval.