Albert Barnes Commentary 2 Kings 15:19

"There came against the land Pul the king of Assyria; and Menahem gave Pul a thousand talents of silver, that his hand might be with him to confirm the kingdom in his hand." — 2 Kings 15:19 (ASV)

This is the first distinct mention in Scripture of Assyria as an aggressive power. From native monuments, we learn that for more than a century Assyria had been pushing its conquests beyond the Euphrates, seeking to bring the entire region between that river and Egypt under its dominion. Jehu had paid tribute. Some—arguing from the use of the phrase “confirmed the kingdom” (here and in 2 Kings 14:5)—think that Jehoahaz had acknowledged Assyrian suzerainty and consented that his kingdom’s monarchs should receive their investiture from the Ninevite king. But until now, there had been no hostile invasion of Jewish or Israelite soil by an Assyrian army.

Now, however, the Assyrians are at last formally introduced into the history. A series of aggressions is related in this and the four following chapters, culminating on one hand in the destruction of the northern kingdom, and on the other, in the complete failure of Sennacherib’s attempt upon Judah and Egypt.

With respect to this particular expedition, there are certain difficulties. The name Pul does not appear among the kings on Assyrian monuments, and it is absent from the copies of the Assyrian Canon, which contains the entire list of monarchs from about 910 to 670 B.C. Moreover, Assyria Proper appears to have been in a state of depression for some forty years before the accession of Tiglath-Pileser (2 Kings 15:29). It is probable that during the decline of the Ninevite line, Pul, a Chaldean and not an Assyrian king, established a second monarchy on the Euphrates. This new monarchy claimed to be the true Assyria and was recognized as such by the nations of Syria and Palestine. His invasion was likely provoked by Menahem’s conquest of Thapsacus, which he would have viewed as a blatant aggression on his territory.

A thousand talents of silver - Compared with the tribute of Hezekiah soon afterward (2 Kings 18:14), this seems a large sum, but it was not beyond the resources of a state like Samaria at that time. The bond that had tied Samaria to Assyria from the reign of Jehu to that of Jeroboam II had ceased to exist during the period of Assyrian decline. Menahem now renewed it, taking on the duties of a tributary and expecting the support that Assyria was accustomed to lending its dependent states in their struggles with their neighbors. This explains the reproaches from the prophet Hosea.