1 Kings 22

Chap. XXII. Ver. 1—28. Ahab and Jenoshaphat, agreeing to attack Syria, consult Ahab’s prophets.—It is a melancholy fact in the history of most nations, that their years of peace are few compared with those of war. Here are three years of peace, from the time of Ahab’s treaty with Ben-hadad, who promised to restore all the towns that his father had taken from Israel; but when he got safe home, it is most probable he thought no more about than Jehoshaphat, who had succeeded his father ’Asa, was now upon the throne of Judah, and foncd prosperously; but he now unhappily forms an affinity with Ahab, whom he visits, and agrees to go with him to war against Ramoth-gilead. First, however, he proposes to inquire of the Lord; on which occasion Ahab calls together his idolprophets, chiefly consisting of those of Jezebel, who, not being present at the affair at Carmel, (for they were not prophets of | Baal, but of Ashtaroth,) escaped the fate of their brethren.

These were perhaps introduced under the general term of prophets; but aehesbéphat perceived, or at least suspected, that they were not prophets of Jehovah, and therefore inquires if there was no other prophet—a prophet of Jehovah? Ahab confesses there was one Micaiah, “but (says he)‘I’ hate him} for he doth not prophesy good concerning me.”” Jehoshaphat however, wishes to see Fee who is sent for, and entreated y the way to prophesy success, as the other prophets had done before him. He accordingly repeats their words, but in a tone of irony, and preserving their ambiguity: for the pronoun it (which, indeed, is not in the original) might be mterpreted either of the city to be attacked, or the assailing army; and as no king is named, either the king of Israel or of Syria might be understood: so that the equivocal oracle might be applied either to the capture of Ramoth-gilead, or of Ahab and his army.

By the tone and manner of the prophet, however, it is evident that Ahab suspected that he was not in earnest, and in a kind of bravado conjures. him to tell the truth. Micaiah therefore immediately takes up a parable that distinctly predicted the defeat of Israel, and the death of Ahab; and which plainly told him that his prophets were false prophets, and that the Almighty had permitted them to deceive him, as a punishment for employing them, and rejecting the prophets ot Micaiah, however, instead of convincing, so incensed Ahab, that he was immediately sent back to prison, from which he appears to have been brought at the request of Jehoshaphat. having committed the same crime of telling the truth on some former occasion.

The only matter of surprise is, that Jehoshaphat, who was evidently a pious man, and no idolater, should, after all this, consent to accompany Ahab on ‘this desperate expedition. Perhaps he hoped this was only the exastoo far pledged in joining his army with that of Ahab, to recede from his engagement. Ver. 29—53. The battle joined; Ahab slain, and his army scattered.—Upon going into the battle, Ahab, who had probably heard that the enemy aimed personally at him, artfully persuaded Jehoshaphat to dress in royal robes, while he disguised himself as a common captain, hoping that by this means the former might be taken for him, and himself escape. “Every bullet has its billet:” that is, it is directed by the hand of Providence: and we may say the same of every arrow, a remarkable instance of which occurs in this chapter; for while Ahab, knowing that he was’the object aimed at, thought himself secure and safe, a common erehice in his simplicity, taking no special aim, “drew a bow at a venture,”

which was directed into “the bosom” of the king of Israel, between the joiits of his harness where it was buckled on, and at once the Hebrew Canon; the remarks therefore already made on that, in a great measure apply to this.—It contains the contemporary history of the two kingdoms of Judah and Israel, during a period of 208 years, from the rebellion of Moab, A. M. 3108, to the destruction of the city and temple of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar, A. M. 3416.—In Israel the kings were uniformly idolatrous and wicked: and though the labours of Elijah, Elisha, and other prophets, were prospered to preserve a considerable number of the people from the general contagion; yet the measure of their national iniquity was soon filled up; so that they were conquered and carried captive by the kings of the Assyrians and dispersed among the Gentiles, no more, as a collected body, to be restore: to their own land.

Their country was, after this, planted by the conquerors with a mingled people, who established a corrupt and partial worship of Jehovah, from whom originated the nation and religion of the Samaritans. These svents began to take place considerably above a hundred years before the Babylonish captivity.—In Judah indeed some remarkable revivals of religion took \ Moab rebelleth. 2 Ahaziah, sending to Baal-zebub, hah his judgment by Elijah. 5 Elijah twice bringeth fire from heaven upon them whom Ahaziah sent to a prehend him, 13 He pitieth the third captain, and, encouraged by an angel, telleth the king of his death. 17 Jehoram succeedeth Ahaziah. n aziah fell down through a lattice | a mas.2;| turned back 2 4 Now therefore thus saith the Lorn, * Thou Chap.

I. Ver. 1-18. Ahaziah’s wicked reign, with the conduct of Elijah.—This book opens with de atfaits of Israel, soon after Ahaziah, son of Ahab, came to the crown, and near the time that the Moabites, who had been subdued by David, threw off the yoke of Israel, which we suppose to have been 896 years before the Christian era. About this time Ahaziah met with an accident, by falling througn a kind of sky-light. made of lattice work. Alarmed for the conse uences, an anxious to know the issue, he sends, not to Elijah the prophet of the God of Israel, but to the priests of Baal-zebub, the titular god of Ekron. This idol, whose name has been since appropriated to Satan, the great enemy of mankind, has been usually called the god of flies, and was either represented like “Jupiter, the fly-expeller,”

with flies attendant on him, or as CuapP. I. Ver. 2. Lattice.—(The flat roofs of the eastern houses are generally surrounded by a parapet wall breast high; but, instead of this, some terraces are guarded witli batustrades only, or latticed work. Of the same kind, probdably, was the lattice, or net, as the term shevacha seems to import, through which Ahaziah fell into the court. This incident provea the necessity of the jaw for the formation of battlements for the roof, ((Deuteronomy 22:8).) which God eTaciously dictated from Sinai, which furnishes a beautiful example of his paterhal care and goodness; for the terrace was a place where many offices of the family were performed, and business frequently transacted.

|— Bagster.— Baal-zebub,—He = he to have been the inedical idol of the Philistines. For abours of the prophets: but these promising appearances were of short duration; several of the kings were idolatrous and extremely wicked; the priests and Levites exceedingly neglected their important duty; and the people were generally prone to idolatry and iniquity. So that, afte: the death of pious Josiah, the nation became almost universally corrupt; and the melancholy account closes with the destruction of the city and temple the desolation of the country, and the enslaving and ete | away of the inhabitants, by the Chaldeans.—As all the prophets, (commonly so called,) whose writings have been preserved, lived in the latter part of this period; (those excepted who lived during or after the captivity;) and as they continually refer to the facts recorded in this history; we may consider all their predictions as sanctioning, by their accomplishment, the divine authority of the narrative; though it does not contain any express provnaey the completion of which extended much meyone the term of the return of the Jews from the Babylonish captivity.—7’.

A. M. 3108. | B. C. 896. shalt not come down from that bed on which a 2Sa.8.2. thou art gone up, but shalt surely die. And Elijah departed. 8 And they answered him, He i was a hairy a fly with a human face upon his shoulders. This Canaanitish idol is supposed to have been considered, like the Apollo of the Greeks, as the god of medicine, and was therefore consulted by Ahaziah under his accident. A fly is considered with us as a despicable creature; but it may be remarked, that when that indefatigable missionary, Dr. Vanderkemp, went first among the Hottentots, a fly, called the Mantis, (which had very much the appearance of a vegetable leaf,) was the only divinity of which they had an idea.— (Mission.

Sketches. This conduct of Ahaziah was highly insulting to the God of Israel. and therefore is Elijah sent to announce to him that he should never again come down from his bed alive, which proved to be the fact. The king hearing of this, (for he did not ee ee Reena ream MT the representation above mentioned, see Taylor’s Fragments to Calmet, with the plate of Baal-zebub. < Ver. 4. Thou shalt not come down.—Heb. ‘‘ The bed whither thou ait gone up, thou shalt not come down from it.” 4 Ver. 8. A hairy man.—Heb. ‘* A master of hair;” “ Clothed with a hairy garment.”’—Boothroyd. [That is, he wore a rough garment, either made of camels’ hair, as that. of John the Baptist, or of a skin, dressed with the hai7 on.

Sir J. Chardin informs us, in a MS. note on this place, cited by Harmer, that the eastern dervishes and fakeers are clothed just as Elijah was, with a hairy garment, girded with a leathern girdle.\—Bagster.

Notes on the verses

Chap. XXII. Ver. 2. The king of Judah came.—Namely, to marry his son to Ahab’s daughter. (2 Kings 8:19). (2 Chronicles 18:1),, Yer. 6. The Lord shall deliver.—It is observable, that the word here used for “Lord,” though generally printed in capitals by mistake, is not in the original Jehovah, but Adonai, which these prophets were in the habit of applying to their idol gods; when, however, they found that Jehoshaphat laid so great stress on consulting a prophet of Jehovah, they also adopted the sacred name, as if they had been hés prophets. [‘This prophecy is couched in the ambiguous terms in which the heathen oracles were delivered. It may mean, either ™ The Lord will deliver it (Ramoth-gilead) into the king’s (Ahab’s) hand;”

or, The Lord will deliver (Israel) into the king’s (of Syria) hand.” So in the famous reply of the ae oracle to Pyrrhus: ‘* I say to thee, Pyrrhus, the | credit. ]—Bagster 42 é Romans shall overcome: thou shalt go, thou shalt return, never in war shalt thou perish.” ]}—Bagséer. Ver. 10. In void place.—An open flat court, that had probably been used as a corn-floor. Ver. 15. Go and prosper.—[This was strong irony; they were the precise words of the false prophets; but were spoken by Micaiah in such a tone and manner as at once showed Ahab that he did not believe, but ridiculed these words of uncertainty. The reply of the Delphian oracle to Cresus was as ambiguous as that returned to Pyrrhus.. ‘‘ If Cresus crosses the Halys, he will overthrow a great empire.”

This he understood of ‘he empire of Cyius: the event proved it to be his own: he was deluded, yet the oracle maintained its Ver. 19. I saw the Lord sitting.—(Micaiah evidently gives here an account of what appeared to him in a vision; many of the circumstances must be considered as parabolical; for truth, rather than JSacts, is revealed in such repre- Ver. 20, shall persuade.—This strongly reminds us of the poeta machinery that introduces the-book of Job. See (1 Kings 1)of that book. Ver. 30. But put on thy robes.—The LXX, read, “ Put on my robes,” which might occasion him to be taken for Ahab; yet it is probable kings dressed pretty much alike.: ie Ver. 34. Between the joints of the harness.—The margin of 2 Chron.

xviii, 93. says, ‘Between the buckles and the coat of mail;”’ the arrow was so directed as to pierce his vitals, and inflict a mortal wound. Ver. 39. Ivory house.—{That is, probably, decorated with ivory in such abundance as to merit the appellation of an ivory house; in the same manner as Nero’s palace, mentione¢ i Suetonius, was named aurea, or golden, because “ overlaid with gold.”: Homer mentions ivory as employed in the palace of Menelaus at Macedon; and Bacchilides, cited by Athenus, says, that in the island of Ceos, the houses of the great men“ glisten with gold and ivory.” —Lucan, in his description of the palace of Cleopatra, observes, that “ seg | overlays the entrance;” and that the Romans sometimes omamented their apartments in the same manner, is evident.]—Bagster.

Ver. 48. Jehoshaphat made ships of Tharshish.—By the parallel passage, it seems that these ships were made at Ezion-geber, - to Tharshish; and