The Expositor's Bible: The Second Book of Kings. Farrar Frederic William

188

Josephus gives the sense very well: Καλὸς δοῦλος ὁ ἀποκτείνας τὸν δεσπότην (Antt., IX. vi. 4). The same question might have been addressed to Baasha, Shallum, Menahem, Pekah, and Hoshea; but at least Jehu might plead a prophet's call.

189

"Two or three." Lit., "two three," like the old English "two three" for "several."

190

Ver. 33. Heb., "He trod her underfoot." LXX., Συνεπάτησαν αὐτήν; Vulg., Conculcaverunt eam.

191

Liv., i. 46-48.

192

Prov. xi. 10. Compare the remark of Voltaire, who saw "le peuple ivré de vin et de joie de la mort de Louis XIV."

193

1 Kings xvi. 31. At this time Ethbaal was dead. He reigned probably from b. c. 940-908, and died at the age of sixty-eight (Jos., Antt., VIII. xiii. 1, IX. vi. 6; c. Ap., i. 18).

194

1 Kings xxi. 23.

195

Comp. Psalm lxxxiii. 10. Her name remained a by-word till the latest days (Rev. ii. 20), and the Spanish Jews called their persecutress Isabella the Catholic "Jezebel."

196

Omri, 12 years; Ahab, 22; Ahaziah, 18; Jehoram, 12.

197

The reading of 2 Kings x. 1, "Unto the rulers of Jezreel," is clearly wrong. The LXX. reads, "Unto the rulers of Samaria." Unless "Jezreel" be a clerical error for Israel, we must read, "He sent letters from Jezreel unto the rulers of Samaria."

198

Fig-baskets, Jer. xxiv. 2. The word dudim is rendered "pots" in 1 Sam. ii. 14. LXX., ἐν καρτάλλοις; Vulg., in cophinis. In Psalm lxxxi. 6 the LXX. has ἐν τῷ κοφίνῳ.

199

Jos., Antt., IX. vi. 5.

200

Heb., Tsibourîm; LXX., βουνούς.

201

Comp. 1 Sam. xvii. 54; 2 Macc. xv. 30.

202

2 Kings x. 12. The shepherds House of Meeting (Beth-equed-haroim). LXX., ἐν Βαιθακάθ; Vulg., ad cameram pastorum; Aquila, οἶκος κάμψεως. It has been conjectured by Klostermann that it belonged to the Rechabites, that they had been persecuted by Jezebel, and that they were glad to help in taking vengeance on her descendants.

203

The Chronicler (2 Chron. xxii. 8) says "sons of the brethren of Ahaziah."

204

LXX., ἡ δυναστεύουσα.

205

2 Kings x. 14, A.V., "at the pit." Lit., "in" or "into the cistern."

206

See Martin, Hist. de France, ix. 114.

207

Whittier.

208

Jer. xxxv. 1-19. Josephus (Antt., IX. vi. 6) calls him "a good man and a just, who had long been a friend of Jehu." "He was," says Ewald (Gesch., iii. 543), "of a society of those who despaired of being able to observe true religion undisturbedly in the midst of the nation with the stringency with which they understood it, and therefore withdrew into the desert."

209

Jer. xxxv. (written about b. c. 604). Communities of Nazarites seem to have sprung up at this epoch, perhaps as a protest against the prevailing luxury (Amos ii. 11).

210

In Josephus it is Jehonadab who blesses the king.

211

Heb., יֵש וָיֵשׁ.

212

Striking hands was a sign of good faith (Job xvii. 3; Prov. xxii. 26).

213

He did it "in subtilty" (בְצָקְבָה). This substantive occurs nowhere else, but is connected with the name Jacob. LXX., ἐν πτερνισμῷ, "in taking by the heel," with reference to the name Jacob, "supplanter."

214

Lit., "mouth to mouth." LXX., στόμα εἰς στόμα.

215

Ver. 22, מֶלְהָּהַה, Vestiarum, occurs here only. The LXX. omits it or puts it in Greek letters. Targum, κάμπτραι, "chests" Sil. Italicus (iii. 23) describes the robes of the priests of the Gaditanian Hercules, —

"Nec discolor ulli,Ante aras cultus; velantur corpora linoEt Pelusiaco præfulget stamine vertex."Keil, ad loc.

It was a mixture of "the rich dye of Tyre and the rich web of Nile."

216

The phrase may be impersonal, "when one [i. e., they] had finished the sacrifice"; but the narrative seems to imply that Jehu offered it himself (LXX., ὡς συνετέλεσαν ποιοῦντες τὴν ὁλοκαύτωσιν Vulg., cum completum esset holocaustum).

217

A.V., images; R.V., pillars.

218

Comp. Ezra vi. 11; Dan. ii. 5.

219

Amos i. 11.

220

Amos ii. 1.

221

Hos. i. 4.

222

Psalm lxxvi. 10.

223

Jehu 842-814.

Jehoahaz 814-797.

Joash 797-781.

Jeroboam II. 781-740.

Zechariah 740.

224

2 Kings viii. 12.

225

Isa. xiii. 11-16; Hos. x. 14, xiii. 16; Nah. iii. 10.

226

Amos i. 3, 4.