Matthew Henry on 2 Kings 15:8-31
The best days of the kingdom of Israel were while the government was in Jehu's family. In his reign, and the next three reigns, though there were many abominable corruptions and miserable grievances in Israel, yet the crown went in succession, the kings died in their beds, and some care was taken of public affairs; but, now that those days are at an end, the history which we have in these verses of about thirty-three years represents the affairs of that kingdom in the utmost confusion imaginable. Woe to those that were with child (Kg2 15:16) and to those that gave suck in those days, for then must needs be great tribulations, when, for the transgression of the land, many were the princes the…
Read the whole note in the consoleJamieson-Fausset-Brown on 2 Kings 15:17
MENAHEM'S REIGN. (Kg2 15:17-21)
reigned ten years in Samaria--His government was conducted on the religious policy of his predecessors.
Adam Clarke on 2 Kings 15:13
He reigned a full month - Menahem is supposed to have been one of Zachariah's generals. Hearing of the death of his master, when he was with the troops at Tirzah, he hastened to Samaria, and slew the murderer, and had himself proclaimed in his stead. But, as the people of Tiphsah did not open their gates to him, he took the place by assault; and as the text tells us, practiced the most cruel barbarities, even ripping up the women that were with child!
John Gill on 2 Kings 15:17
In the nine and thirtieth year of Azariah king of Judah began Menahem the son of Gadi to reign over Israel,.... Shallum reigning but one month, both their reigns began the same year.
Keil & Delitzsch on 2 Kings 15:17-18
Reign of Menahem. - Menahem's reign lasted ten full years (see at Kg2 15:23), and resembled that of his predecessors in its attitude towards God. In Kg2 15:18, the expression כּל־ימיו (all his days) is a very strange one, inasmuch as no such definition of time occurs in connection with the usual formula, either in this chapter (cf. Kg2 15:24 and Kg2 15:28) or elsewhere (cf. Kg2 3:3; Kg2 10:31; Kg2 13:2, Kg2 13:11, etc.). The lxx have instead of this, ἐν ταῖς ἡμέραις αὐτοῦ (in his days). If we compare Kg2 15:29, בּא פּקח בּימי (in the days of Pekah came, etc.), בּא בּימיו might possibly be regarded as the original reading, from which a copyist's error בּא כּל־מיו arose, after which כּל־…
