Shallum

Shallum of Israel ( Šallūm, "retribution", fl. mid-8th century BC), was the fifteenth king of the ancient Kingdom of Israel, and the son of Jabesh. The Shallum dynasty, or the House of Shallum was an ephemeral dynasty, represented only by Shallum (reigned 752 BCE). In the Bible Originally a captain in the army of King Zechariah, Shallum "conspired against Zechariah, and smote him before the people; and slew him, and reigned in his stead". He reigned only "a month of days in Samaria" before Menahem—another captain from Zechariah's army—rose up and put Shallum to death. Menahem then became king in Shallum's stead. In the Books of Kings (2 Kings, Chapter 15, verses 10, 13-14) Shallum's father is identified as Jabesh. However, the passage may instead mention a toponym, identifying that Shallum was "the son" of a city called Jabesh. In this view, Shallum may have originated from Jabesh-Gilead. The city is mentioned several times in the Biblical texts. In the Book of Judges (Chapter 21), the male inhabitants of the city are murdered and their virgin girls are given as brides to the men of the Tribe of Benjamin.