% Ramoth in the Land of Gilead, Deut. 4. 43. Joſh. 20. 8. 1 Kings 22. 3.10 called todifferenceir from Ramoeth in Iſachar, 1 Chron. 6.73. x In Manaſſeh beyond Jordans See Numb. 32. 41, Deut. 3. 14- y This is added by way of diſtintion from thoſe Towns of Jair.
For being without Jordan they were lyable to the attempts of their Enemies. 14 Ahinadab the ſon of Iddo had || Mahanaim z. | Or, » z The City and Territory of Mahanaim : of which ſee Gen. 32. 2: Mahana® Joſh. 13. 26. But this ſeems too narrow a compaſs for one of theſe great Officers, and unequal to the reſt : although theſe portions ſeem not to be diſtributed into equal portions of Land, but into larger or leſſer parts, according to their Fertility or Barrennels. And this ſeems to have been a very Fruitful place. See 2 Sam. 17- 27. Or, to Mahanaim. So he may underſtand all the ſpace from the parts laſt mentioned to Mahanaim, which was in the Tribe of Gad, 15 Ahimaaz was in Napthali :he alſo took Baſmath the daughter of Solomon to wife.
16 Baanah the ſon of Huſhai was in Aſher, and in
Aloth, | 17 Jehoſhaphat
(hap»
+ Heb. brad. q Heb.
(0%
+ Heb.
anfidentlþ *Micz4-.
*:Chrox Q 25,
010
ide
0 in
(haps TV:
+ Heb. bread, 4 Heb.
(IE)
+ Heb. onfdently; *Mic:4-4.
*2Chron: & 25,
17 Jehoſhaphat the ſon of Paruah in Iflachar. 18 Shemei the ſon of Elah «, in Benjamin, a3 Which he adds to diſtinguiſh him from that curſed and cur-
Shimei, 2 Sam. 16. 5. : : m—_ "Geber the ſon of Uri was in the country of Gi- lead b, in the country of Sihon king of the Amorites, and of Og king of Baſhan : and be 4s the only officer
which was in the land c. þ i.e. In the remaining part of that Land of Gilead, which was mentioned above, v. 19. c Or rather, in that Yand, for the Hebrew points intimate that the empharical Article 1s there underſtood,to wit, in all Gilead, excepting the parcels mentioned before,in all the Territories of S:hon and Og ; which becauſe they were of large ex- tent, and yer all committed to this one Man,it is here noted con- cerning him as his priviledge above the reſt, whoſe Juriſdictions ere of a narrower extent. : k 20 © Judah and [ſrael were many, as the ſand which
; by the ſea in multitude, eating and drinking, and king merry.
pas And Solomon reigned over all kingdoms, from
the river d unto the land of the Philiſtines e, and unto
the border of Egypt f: they brought preſents, and
ſerved Solomen g all the days of his life. |
d Euphrates : for ſo far David, having conquered the Syrians, ex- tended his Empire, which So/o0n alſo maintained in that extent. And ſo God's Promiſe concerning the giving of the whole Land,as far as Eupbrates, to the 1[raelites, was fulfilled. And, if the Iſras- lites had multiplied ſo much thar the Land of Canaan would not ſuffice them, having God's Grant ofall the Land as far as Euphrates they might have ſeized upon ir whenſoever occaſion required. e Which is to be underſtood incluſively ; for it is unreaſonable to think that the Phil;fines were not within Solomon's Dominion.f Un- to the River Sihor, which was the border between Egyp; and Canaan, Joſh 13. 3- Comp Gen. 15. 28. g By Tribute, or otherways,as he needed and required.
22 © And Solomons # Proviſion for one day was
thirty | meaſures þ of fine flower, and threeſcore mea-
ſures of meal 5,
h Heb- Cors : each of which contained ten Ephah's, Exod: 16.36. $9 this Proviſion was ſufficient for near three thouſand Perſons. ; Of a courſer ſort for common uſe,and for the inferior ſort.
23 Ten fat oxen &, and twenty oxen out of the pa- ſtures I, and an hundred Rong. beſides harts, and roe- bucks, and fallow-deer, and fatted fowl.
k Fatted in ſtalls. / Well fleſhed, tender and good,though not ſo fat as the formers» . .
24 For he had dominion over all tbe yegion on this ſide the river, from Tiphſah 2 even to Azzah,over all the kings on this lide the river » : and he had peace on all ſides round about him.
- Either that Tiphſah, 2 King. 15. 16. which was in the Kingdom of Iſrael within Jordan : or, rather, another place of thar name up- on the Riwer now mentioned, to wit, Euphrates, even that eminent City which is mentioned by Ptolemy, and Strabo. and Pliny. called Fhapſarum. And this beſt aggrees with the following 4zzah,which was the border of Canaan in the South and Weſt, Gen 10: 19. Dent: 2+ 23. as Tiphlah was in the North and Eaſt. And {ſo his Dominion is deſcribed by both its borders.» Who owned ſubje&ion,and payed Tribute to him. :
25 And judah and Ifrael dwelt + fafeiy,* every mar under his vine, and under his fig-tree o,from Dan even to Beerſheba, all the days of Solomon.
o Enjoying the Fruit of his own Labours with ſafety and com- fort. Under theſe two Trees, which were moſt uſed and culti- vated by the 1/raelites,he underſtands all other Fruit-bearing Trees, and all other comforts, by a Synecdoche. And they are brought In as fitting or dwellmg under thee Trees, partly for Recreation or Delight in the Shade ; and Parly, for the- Comfort or Advantage of the Fruit ; and withal, to note their great ſecurity,not only in their ſtrong Cities, but even in the Country, where the Vines and Fig-trees grew, which were moſt open to the incurſions of their
NEmues.
26 © And * Solomon had forty thouſand ſtalls of horſes p for his chariots q, and twelve thouſand horſe men 7. Þ In 2 Chron: 9: 25. it is but four thouſand. Anſ. Firſt, Some ac- knowledge an error of the Tranſcriber, writing arbachim, forty,for arbah, four, which was an eaſfie miſtake. And ſuch miſtakes in ſome Copies, in thele leffer matters,God might permit, for the trial and exerciſe of our Faith, without any prejudice to the Authority of the Sacred Scriptures in the great DoEtrines of Faith and good life. Secondly,lIr is not exa&tly the ſame Hebrew word which is here and there, though we tranflate both ffals ; and therefore there may well be allowed ſome difference in the fignification, the one ſig- nifying properly ſtables, of which there were 4000, the other ſtalls or partitions for each Horſe, which were 40000. Which great num- ber ſeems direGly forbidden, Deuts 17. 16. except Solomon had ſome particular diſpenſation from God, which might be, though it be not recorded. q Both for his Military Chariots, which jecm to be thoſe 1400, 1 King. 10. 26. and for divers other uſes, as about his great and various Buildings, and Merchandiſes,and other occa- ſions, which might require ſome thouſands of other Chariots Ap-