Easton's Bible Dictionary (1897)
) An Assyrian king. It has been a question whether he was identical with Tiglath-pileser III. ), or was his predecessor. The weight of evidence is certainly in favour of their identity. Pul was the throne-name he bore in Babylonia as king of Babylon, and Tiglath-pileser the throne-name he bore as king of Assyria. He was the founder of what is called the second Assyrian empire. He consolidated and organized his conquests on a large scale. He subdued Northern Syria and Hamath, and the kings of Syria rendered him homage and paid him tribute.
His ambition was to found in Western Asia a kingdom which should embrace the whole civilized world, having Nineveh as its centre. Menahem, king of Israel, gave him the enormous tribute of a thousand talents of silver, “that his hand might be with him” (2 Kings 15:19; 1 Chr. 5:26). The fact that this tribute could be paid showed the wealthy condition of the little kingdom of Israel even in this age of disorder and misgovernment. Having reduced Syria, he turned his arms against Babylon, which he subdued. ” He was succeeded by Shalmanezer IV. ) A geographical name in Isa. 66:19. V.
“Put;” Ezek. 27:10).
Smith's Bible Dictionary (1863)
an Assyrian king, and the first Assyrian monarch mentioned in Scripture. C. 770. (2 Kings 15:19) (lord), a country or nation mentioned in (Isaiah 66:19) It is spoken of with distant nations, and is supposed by some to represent the island Philae in Egypt, and by others Libya.
Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible (1898)
), the first king of Assyria, who invaded Canaan, and by a present of 1000 talents of silver (equivalent to nearly $2,000,000 in our day) was prevailed on by Menahem to withdraw his troops and recognize the title of that wicked usurper. 2 Kgs 15:19. This is the first mention of Assyria in the sacred history after the days of Nimrod, and Pul was the first-mentioned Assyrian invader of Judaea.
Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible (1898) & Schaff's Bible Dictionary
PUL, a region mentioned in Isa 66:19. " Bochart, Henderson, Michaelis, and others suppose it to be the island of Philae and the surrounding regions. Porter, Grove, Poole, and other authorities make it some distant province of Africa. It is identified by the Septuagint with Phut, which is joined with Lud in Eze 27:10; Eze 30:5, and perhaps therefore denotes Libya. See Phut.
Hitchcock's Bible Names (1869)
bean; destruction