Wall, or Walls upon them ; or doing this by the Miniſtry of Angels.
hich cannot be incredible to any Man. except to him rhat denies the Truth of all the Miracles Recorded in rhe Old and New Teſta- ment ; which being Atteſted, many of them, by Jews and Heathens ; 1t15 the height of Folly and Impudence to deny. For ifever Miracle was to be wrought, now ſeems to have been the proper time, and {eaſon for 1t . when the Blaſphemous Syrians denied the Soveraign and Infinite Power of God, and thereby in ſome ſort obliged him,
- for his own Honour, to give a Proof ofir ; and to ſhew, Thar he
Main B
was the God of the Plains, as well as of the Mountains ; and that he could as effeQtually deſtroy them in their ſtrongeſt Holds, as in the open ficlds;& make the very walls,to whoſe ſtrength they rruſted for their Defence, to be the Inſtruments of their Ruine. Bur it may be further obſerved, thar it is not ſaid, Thar all theſe were killed by the Fall of this Wall; bur only that the Wall fell upou them, Kil- ing ſome, and ban othiers; as is uſual in-thoſe caſes. Nor ts itneceſf ry, that the Wall ſhould fall upon every individual per- fon ; bur*.c is ſufficient to juſtitie this Phraſe, ifir fell upon the
_
ody 'of thenx; for the Words in the Hebrew run thus, 1he Wal
«a, =
than Capital, 'Deut: 18; 19. 2. This Fault was much worſe in 2Pro-
phet, who very well knew the Authority of Gods Commands, and
this way or manner of punithing them. . 3. We cannot judge ofthe Caſe, becauſe this Man might be guilty of many other hainous ſins unknown to us» bur known to God ; tor which, God might juſtly cut him off: which God choſe rodo upon this occaſion, that by the ſeverity of this Puniſhment of a P: ophets Diſobedience, proceeding. from pity to his Brother, he might rcach _4hed the greatnefs of his fin, in ſparing him through fooliſh pity, ., whom by the Eaws of Religion and Juſticez and Prudence, and common Safety, he ſbould .' have Cur off, and what puniſhment he might expe for it. ,
37 Then he found another man, and ſaid, Smite me,
I pray thee. And the man ſmote him, #-fo that in + Heb. TBE or ne ſmiting and 38 Sotheprophert departed, and waited for the king *%7x.
{miting he wounded him.
by the way, and diſguiſed himſelf / with aſhes w upon
his face. | ER. 23K 4 { That
' l |
i
Chap. XX!
iN
© 1 That he might ſooner gain Acceſs to the King, and Audience fron him. Sec on v. 35- wm Whereby he changed the Colour of it. Or, with a vail, or cloth, or band ; ( as the Hebrew Dottors under- ſtand the word) whereby he might ſeem to have bound up his wound. which probably was in his Face; for it was to be made in 2 very conſpicuous place, that itmight be viſible to 4hab and others.
+ 29 Andas the king paiſed by, he cried unto the king : and he ſaid ny, Thy ſervant went out into the mid(t of the battel, and behold, a man oturned aſide, and brought a man unto me, and ſaid, Keep this man: if by any means he be milling, then ſhall thy life be for his lite p,
or elſe thou ſhalt + pay a talent of ſilver.
» This following Relation is not an Untruth, but a Parable 3 an uſual way of Inſtruftion in the Eaſtern parts, and ancieat Times, ? and moſt fit for this occaſion, wherein an obſcure Prophet was to | ſpeak to a great King ; whoſe Ears were tender, and impatient of a
own-right Reproof, and exceeding Partial in his own Cauſe; who by this Artificeis made to condemn himſelf. before he was aware of it, and ſo forced to receive the Prophets juſt Sentence with more patience and Moderation : Compare 1 Sam: 12; and14. s My Com- mander or Superior, as the manner of his Expreſſion here following ſheweth. p Thou ſhalt dic in his ſtead ; as below, v. 42. Compare Exod. 21. 23. + Heb. be 49 And as thy ſervant was buſie here and there, | he was rot Was gone. And the king of Ifrael ſaid unto him, So ſha thy judgment 9 be, thy ſelf haſt decided it.
q i.e. Thy Sentence ; or the Sentence againſt thee : thou muſt
erform the Condition to which thou didſt ſubmit. Either ſuffer the one, or do the other. . 41 Andhe haſted, and took the aſhes away from his face : and the king of Iſrael diſcerned him that he was one of the prophets 7. r Either 1. By his Face, which was known either to the King, or
to ſome of his Courtiers there preſent. Or, 2. By the change of thethe manner of his Addreſs to him, which now was ſuch as the Prophets uſed. ; |
42 And-he ſaid unto him, Thus fſaich the LORD,
| * Chap: * Becauſe thou haſt let go our of :hy hand a man + whom
| +F Heb, i Weigh.
#427; ,f IT appointed co urrer deſtruction, therefore thy life ſhall & wo his life s, and thy people for his people 7.
s Quef. What was the great Sin of 4hab in this Afftion, for which God fo ſeverely Puniſheth him? 4nf. The great Diſhonour hereby done to God, in ſuffering ſo horrid a Blaſphemer, wv: 23. to go unpuniſhed, which was contrary to an expreſs Law, Lev. 24. 16« Obj, \Whar is this to Benpadad, ſeing that Law concerned Jſraelites only ? Anſs It reached both to them that were born zn the land, and { asis there expreſſed ) unto ſtrangers that were among them, and in their. power, which was Benhadads caſe 3 for God had delivered him into Ahabs hand, for his Blaſphemy, as he promiſed to do, v. 28. by
.