Shalman
“Perhaps fire-worshipper (Persian) or a contraction of Shalmaneser”
Summary
A king mentioned by Hosea who destroyed Beth-arbel, probably an abbreviated form of Shalmaneser or possibly another ruler entirely.
☩Biblical Reference
Shalman appears only once in Scripture, in Hosea's prophecy: 'as Shalman spoiled Beth-arbel in the day of battle.' This destruction served as an example of devastating military conquest, with mothers dashed in pieces with their children—a warning of what would befall Israel.
☩Identity
The identification of Shalman is debated. Most commonly, it is interpreted as a contracted form of Shalmaneser, the name of several Assyrian kings. If this is correct, the specific king cannot be identified with certainty. Some have proposed Shalmaneser IV, who undertook western expeditions around 775 BC, or Shalmaneser V, who attacked Samaria in 725 BC. Others identify Shalman with Salamanu, a king of Moab who paid tribute to Tiglath-pileser of Assyria during Hosea's time.
☩Historical Context
The destruction of Beth-arbel was apparently a well-known and terrible event in Hosea's day, though its details are lost to history. Fausset notes that no monuments of Shalmaneser remain because Sargon, his usurping successor, destroyed them. The Assyrian canon agrees with Scripture in placing Shalmaneser directly after Tiglath-pileser.
Related Verses1 mention
Hosea· 1 verse
References
- 1.John McClintock and James Strong, "Shalman," in Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature, vol. IX (Harper & Brothers, 1867–1887).
- 2.James Orr (ed.), "Shalman," in International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, vol. IV (Howard-Severance Company, 1915).
- 3.Andrew Robert Fausset, "Shalman," in The Englishman's Critical and Expository Bible Cyclopædia (Hodder & Stoughton, 1878).