Lexical Summary Pul: Pul Original Word: פוּל Strong's Exhaustive Concordance Pul, the name of an Assyrian king and of an Ethiopian tribeOf foreign origin; Pul, the name of an Assyrian king and of an Ethiopian tribe -- Pul. NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originof foreign origin Definition an Assyr. king, the same as NH8407 NASB Translation Pul (3). Brown-Driver-Briggs מּוּל proper name, masculine = תִּגְלַת מְּלֶאסֶר (q. v.) (Assyrian Pulu; Babylonian name of Tiglath-pileser, SchrSBAk 1887, 592; KB ii, 287, compare 277 TieleGesch 266 f.; compare (through Persian tradition, EMeyEntstehung, 30) Πῶρος, Canon of Ptolemy KAT2, 490); 2 Kings 15:19 (twice in verse); 1 Chronicles 5:26, Φουα[λ]. — Isaiah 66:19, see פוט. Topical Lexicon Historical settingPul emerges in Scripture at two distinct moments—first as an eighth-century monarch who spearheads Assyrian expansion, and later as a distant nation named in Isaiah’s sweeping missionary vision. Together these references frame both God’s temporal dealings with Israel and His ultimate purpose to make His glory known “among the nations” (Isaiah 66:19). Pul the king of Assyria (2 Kings 15:19-20; 1 Chronicles 5:26) 1. Political backdrop. In the early 730s BC the northern kingdom was weakened by internal revolt and successive assassinations. Into this vacuum stepped Pul, better known in Assyrian records as Tiglath-pileser III. Assyria’s policy of demanding tribute rather than immediate annexation appears in 2 Kings 15:19, where “Menahem gave Pul a thousand talents of silver so that his hand might be with him to strengthen the kingdom under his rule”. The payment bought only temporary relief; Assyria soon returned with harsher measures. 2. Divine sovereignty. 1 Chronicles looks behind the political façade: “The God of Israel stirred the spirit of Pul king of Assyria… and he took the Reubenites, the Gadites and half the tribe of Manasseh into exile” (1 Chronicles 5:26). Israel’s covenant infidelity opened the door for Assyria, yet the chronicler insists that even the world’s superpower moved only at the prompting of Israel’s God. The captivity of the Trans-Jordan tribes foreshadowed the larger exile that would befall Samaria a decade later. 3. Moral and pastoral implications. Pul the distant nation (Isaiah 66:19) Isaiah’s climactic vision projects far beyond Assyrian dominance. After the final deliverance of Zion, survivors are “sent… to Tarshish, Pul, and Lud… to Tubal and Javan”. Here Pul is grouped with remote maritime or continental peoples unfamiliar with Israel’s God. Several observations flow from this verse: 1. Geographic reach. Whether Pul was an African locale (adjacent to Lud/Put) or a remnant memory of the Assyrian name, its placement emphasizes the extremes of the known world. The gospel, Isaiah declares, will travel to the limits of geography and culture. 2. Missional motif. The same God who once summoned Pul against Israel will later dispatch redeemed Israelites to Pul with the message of His glory. Judgment gives way to proclamation; wrath prepares the stage for mercy. 3. Eschatological hope. Isaiah 66 closes with all nations streaming to worship in Jerusalem. The mention of Pul assures readers that no people lies beyond the saving intention of God. Theological synthesis • Providence: Pul’s military campaigns illustrate God’s control over history; Isaiah’s Pul proves His reach extends to every ethnic group. Applications for contemporary ministry 1. Preaching. Use Pul as a case study in how God employs secular powers to fulfill both disciplinary and salvific purposes. Key takeaways Pul the monarch warns against superficial political alliances and highlights God’s right to discipline His covenant people. Pul the nation embodies the universal scope of the Great Commission. Together the four verses bearing this name call the church to humility under God’s hand and zeal in proclaiming His glory to the ends of the earth. Forms and Transliterations לְפ֔וּל לפול פ֤וּל פּ֣וּל פּ֥וּל פול ful lə·p̄ūl leFul ləp̄ūl pul pūl p̄ūlLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance 2 Kings 15:19 HEB: בָּ֣א פ֤וּל מֶֽלֶךְ־ אַשּׁוּר֙ NAS: Pul, king of Assyria, KJV: [And] Pul the king of Assyria INT: came Pul king of Assyria 2 Kings 15:19 1 Chronicles 5:26 Isaiah 66:19 4 Occurrences |
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