Hebrew word · H6322

פּוּל

pul

Pul

Tiglath-pileser is Hebrew for Akkadian Tukultī-apil-Ešarra, 'my trust is the son of Esharra' (the god Ninurta). He was Tiglath-pileser III, king of Assyria from 745 to 727 BC. Pul is Pulu, the name he used as king of Babylon from 729 BC.

Appears 4 times in 3 verses of the Hebrew Old Testament. ·

What it means

A man living at the time of Divided Monarchy, first mentioned at 2Ki.15.19

Another name of tig.lat pil.e.ser (תִּגְלַת פִּלְאֶ֫סֶר "Tiglath-pileser" H8407)

§ Pul = "distinguishing"

the Babylonian name for Tiglath-pileser III, king of Assyria

Abridged from Brown, Driver and Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (1906), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).

In depth

From the study of 1 Chronicles 5:26

Range of meaning

Tiglath-pileser is Hebrew for Akkadian Tukultī-apil-Ešarra, 'my trust is the son of Esharra' (the god Ninurta). He was Tiglath-pileser III, king of Assyria from 745 to 727 BC. Pul is Pulu, the name he used as king of Babylon from 729 BC.

Against the English

KJV, WEB and YLT print 'the spirit of Pul … and the spirit of Tilgath-pilneser', which reads as two kings. BSB and NIV render 'that is', making them one king. Assyrian and Babylonian sources settle it: they were one man.

How it drifted

Before the Assyrian and Babylonian records were read in the 19th century, readers naturally took the two names as two kings. Older translations reflect that.

Used elsewhere in the period

Babylonian King List A gives 'Pulu' where the Babylonian Chronicle gives Tiglath-pileser. Ptolemy's Canon lists 'Poros' for the same years. 2 Kgs 15:19 (Pul) and 15:29 (Tiglath-pileser) use the two names in separate stories. Tiglath-pileser's own inscriptions record taking tribute from Menahem of Israel and deporting people from 'the House of Omri' (Israel).

From the study of 2 Kings 15:19

Range of meaning

A personal name, used in the Bible only for an Assyrian king (2 Kgs 15:19; 1 Chr 5:26). Its Akkadian form is Pulu. A separate Pul in Isaiah 66:19 (Hebrew) is probably a place-name, often corrected to Put.

Against the English

English versions all keep "Pul," so readers do not learn that this is the well-known Tiglath-pileser III. He is named as Tiglath-pileser a few verses later (15:29; 16:7–10).

Used elsewhere in the period

Babylonian King List A gives the king who ruled Babylon in 728–727 BC as Pulu, matching Tiglath-pileser III. Ptolemy's Canon, a Greek list of Babylonian kings, gives Poros for the same years. Tiglath-pileser's own annals list among his tributaries Menihimme of Samerina, "Menahem of Samaria" (ANET 283), and the Iran Stela (published 1972) names him again. Josephus (Antiquities 9.232) retells the episode with the name Phoul. 1 Chronicles 5:26 reads "Pul king of Assyria and Tiglath-pilneser king of Assyria." The "and" there can mean "that is," and the verb that follows is singular, so the verse probably refers to one king under two names.

Where it appears

2 Kings · 2

  1. 2 Kings 15:19 פ֤וּל לְפ֔וּל Pul, to Pul

    Then Pul king of Assyria invaded the land, and Menahem gave Pul a thousand talents of silver in order to gain his support and strengthen his own grip on the kingdom.

    Here: Tiglath-pileser III of Assyria (reigned 745–727 BC). Babylonian records list him under the name Pulu. This is the first time an Assyrian king is named in the Bible.

1 Chronicles · 1

  1. 1 Chronicles 5:26 פּ֣וּל Pul

    So the God of Israel stirred up the spirit of Pul king of Assyria (that is, Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria) to take the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh into exile. And he brought them to Halah, Habor, Hara, and the river of Gozan, where they remain to this day.

    Here: Pulu, the name Tiglath-pileser III used as king of Babylon. It is the name 2 Kings 15:19 uses when Menahem of Israel paid him tribute.

Isaiah · 1

  1. Isaiah 66:19 פּ֥וּל Pul

    I will establish a sign among them, and I will send survivors from among them to the nations—to Tarshish, Put, and the archers of Lud; to Tubal, Javan, and the islands far away who have not heard of My fame or seen My glory. So they will proclaim My glory among the nations.

    Here: As written, an otherwise unknown people; almost certainly 'Put' (Libya, North Africa), as the Greek translation reads. Put and Lud appear together elsewhere as soldiers for hire (Jer 46:9; Ezek 27:10; 30:5).

Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.