Three Assyrian kings are known by the name Tiglath-pileser, though only Tiglath-pileser III, who ruled 744-727, is mentioned in the Bible, where he is also called by a form of his nickname, Pul (2 Ki 15:19; 1 Chron 5:26).
Relief of Tiglath-pileser III,
British Museum.
Due to the fragmentary nature of the records, the history of Tiglath-pileser's reign is known only in broad outline. Nevertheless, Tiglath-pileser accession to the throne signaled a new aggressive phase in Assyrian territorial ambitions, and he was soon adding new vassals to his empire. Though compliant vassals remained the preferred mode of government, he began a new policy of deporting rebellious populations and replacing them with captives from other regions; in this national identities were effectively diluted and nationalistic sensitivies reduced.
By 738 BC Menahem, king of Israel, had submitted to Tiglath-pileser and "gave a thousand talents of silver to gain his support and strengthen his own hold on the kingdom. Menahem exacted this money from Israel. Every wealthy man had to contribute fifty shekels of silver to be given to the king of Assyria. So the king of Assyria withdrew and stayed in the land no longer" (2 Ki 15:19-20). In 729 Tiglath-pileser added Babylon to his list of conquests, which added to Assyria's international prestige but also incited local alliances of rebellion. One such coalition initiated by Rezin, king of Damascus, included Pekah of Israel, Philistia, and possibly Edom, but when Ahaz of Judah refused to join the alliance, they attacked Jerusalem—in what historians nowadays call the Syro-Ephraimic war—hoping to kill Ahaz and replace him with a puppet they could exploit (2 Ki 16:5; Isa 7:1-14). Though warned by Isaiah to trust in Yahweh for deliverance (Isa ), Ahaz appealed to Tiglath-pilseser for help instead (2 Ki 16:7). This resulted in a three-pronged attack by Tiglath-pileser which ended with the sack of Damascus and Gaza. Israel lost "Ijon, Abel Beth Maacah, Janoah, Kedesh and Hazor. He took Gilead and Galilee, including all the land of Naphtali; and he carried the people captive to Assyria" (2 Ki 15:29; 1 Chron 5:28). Pekah was killed and replaced by Hoshea as king of a greatly reduced state, and Judah was sucked deeper into the sphere of Assyrian political and religious influence (2 Ki 16:10ff). Soon afterwards Tiglath-pileser died, but Israel's and Judah's misery under the Assyrians were far from over.
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