1 Kings 16

Notes on the verses

Chap. XVI Ver. 1—34. Jehu the prophet, announces the 5. “He took away out of the cities of Judah all the high places and the images.” meaning all the high places with images which were used for idol worship or, perhaps, he took the high places out of all the cities or great towns, but not out of all the villages. See Dr. John Edwards. Ver. 17. Built Ramah.—(By building Ramah is here meant fortifying it, in order to prevent all intercourse with the kingdom of Judah, lest his subjects should cleave to the house of David: for Ramah was a city of Benjamin, situated on the confines of both kingdoms, probably on a hill, as the name imports, commanding a narrow defile between the mountains, through which lay the principal road to Jerusalem; so that a fortification being erected here, no communication could be held between the people of Israel and Judah, without Baasha’s permission.

—Bagster. Chap. XVI Ver. 1. Son of Hanani.—He also was a prophet. See (2 Chronicles 19:2). kingdom in the thirty-first year of Asa, and reigned seven years.” So Dr. Wall; Ver. 7. Because he killed him.—That is, Nadab, and the family of Jeroboam but the text divides the time more equally.; 5 am.—Rab. Sol. Ben Jarchi. Ver. 24. Shemer; owner of the hill, Samaria.—Dr. Clarke renders this the third year year. {Baasha began to reign in Ver. 8. Twenty and sixth “He bought the hill of Shomeron from Shomer, and called it Shomer by Elah in the; yet he died and was succeeded of Asa, and reigned 24 years. Little Shomer,) after the name of Shomer, owner of the hill.” This oa, (i. a like manner, Elah, who began to reign in the 26 26th year of Asa; and, in the centre of the kingdom, about midway between city was situated nearly in year of Asa, and was killed in the 27th, is said to have reigned two years.

Thus Dan and Beer-sheba. In the Chi- (Samaria was situated on an agreeable and fertile hill — it is evident that a part of a year is calculated as a whole year. and four from Atharoth, ac- — in the tribe of Ephraim, 12 miles from Dothaim, | dies is ascribed to his reign Jerusalem, according to Josephus annals, the whole year in which a king cording to Eusebius, and one day’s journey from only from the beginning of the hours or 48 miles north from Je- years of the succeeding king being reckoned. According to Dr. Richardson, it is 16 The kings of Israel omitted no following year.]—Bagster. rusalem, and six from Shechem, or Nablous. year of Asa.—There is a difficulty in this most splendid of cities.

It was Ver. 23. In the thirty and first thing to render it the strongest, richest, and by Dr. which the learned Rabbi, Sol. Ben Jarchi, (as quoted enlarged and fortified destroyed by Hyrcanus, rebuilt by Gabinius, and greatly It is now “The division of the kingdom between Tibni and Omri honour of Augustus. someone Clarke,) thus explains: by Herod the Great, who called it Sebaste lasted five years (or, therein, began in the twenty-seventh year of Asa, (and) village, called Sabusta. — Bagster. Omri came into possession of the whole between four and five.) Tibni dying, Ver. 34. He laid the foundation, &c.—The sense above is that most usually given; but the Chaldee favours the idea of his having sacrificed his sons on these occasions.

See (2 Kings 3:27). Others suppose, that during the progress of building as his children died: i. e. when the foundations were laying the eldest died, and the last or youngest when the gates were set up. Nor is it strange that they died by some casualty, as the falling of stones or timbers, and the like.