2 Kings 15:16

Hebrew Bible

14 Menahem son of Gadi went up from Tirzah to Samaria and attacked Shallum son of Jabesh. He killed him and took his place as king. 15 The rest of the events of Shallum’s reign, including the conspiracy he organized, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Israel. 16 At that time Menahem came from Tirzah and attacked Tiphsah. He struck down all who lived in the city and the surrounding territory, because they would not surrender. He even ripped open the pregnant women. 17 In the thirty-ninth year of King Azariah’s reign over Judah, Menahem son of Gadi became king over Israel. He reigned for 10 years in Samaria. 18 He did evil in the sight of the Lord; he did not repudiate the sinful ways of Jeroboam son of Nebat, who encouraged Israel to sin. During his reign,

Hosea 13:16

Hebrew Bible

14 Will I deliver them from the power of Sheol? No, I will not! Will I redeem them from death? No, I will not! O Death, bring on your plagues! O Sheol, bring on your destruction! My eyes will not show any compassion! 15 Even though he flourishes like a reed plant, a scorching east wind will come, a wind from the Lord rising up from the desert. As a result, his spring will dry up; his well will become dry. That wind will spoil all his delightful foods in the containers in his storehouse. 16 (14:1) Samaria will be held guilty because she rebelled against her God. They will fall by the sword; their infants will be dashed to the ground—their pregnant women will be ripped open.

 Notes and References

"... The focus narrows to the besieged capital Samaria, the only major reminder of the once successful, influential Northern Kingdom. Samaria naturally was the prime target of the Assyrian assault, as the headquarters of the rebel Hoshea. The covenant curses predict doom for countryside and city alike. Here the city curses are described as imminently fulfilled. The initial couplet states the reason for the punishment: rebellion against Yahweh. The concluding triplet describes the punishment itself. The punishment is military (the “sword,” curse type 3); and it will be merciless, extending even the brutal slaughter of infants and pregnant women. The curses of Leviticus 26 are the backdrop for the prediction of Samaria’s desolation in verse 1. The verb occurs no less than seven times in Leviticus 26 (verses 22, 31, 32, 34, 35, 43). Leviticus 26:25-31 describes the miseries of the city under siege and then captured, with an aftermath of awful slaughter, as a punishment for covenant infidelity. The background for verse 1 may also be Leviticus 26, at least in part, since the latter refers to destruction by the sword (verse 25) and the violent death of children (verse 29; compare verse 22; Deuteronomy 28:52–57; 32:25). The practice of slitting open pregnant women in war as punishment for rebellion is attested also in 2 Kings 15:16 and Amos 1:13 ..."

Stuart, Douglas Word Biblical Commentary: Hosea-Jonah (p. 452) HarperCollins, 2020

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