The Pulpit Commentary — 2 Kings — Section 59

iii. 29: vi. 20, et.o.). But here we have a the "polyt,heistic superstition II tl1Rt evory plain nnd distinct recognition of him as tho god l1as his own land, where alone he oan bo one and only God that is in all the earth, properly worshipped, It rests simply on Ne.aman thus shows I\ greater docility, a the notion of there being such a thing ae readier receptivity, than almost any of the "holy !,(round" (Exod. iii. 5)-ground more other pious heathens who are brought before suited for tho worship of God than ordinary ue in Scripture. Balaam tmd Cyrus alone common soil, whioh therefore it is worth equal him. Now therefore, I pray thee, while to transfer from place to pince for a take a blessing-i.e. " a presont 11 ---0f thy religious purpose. For thy servant will servant. Heathens were aooustomed to henceforth offer neither burnt offering nor carry presents to the oracles which they se.criftoe [as meat offerings or firstfruits] c-.onenlted, and to reward those from which unto other gods, but unto the Lord. It is they received favourable responses with gifts implied that Naame.n had been hitherto a of enormous value ( see Herod., i. 14, 50, eto. ). polytheist. Not muoh is known of the The Jewish prophets did not gonerally Syrian religion, but, so far os oon be object to such free-will offerings. Naaman gathered, it would seem to hnve been a therefore quite naturally and reBSonably somewhat narrow polytheism. The sun was made the offer. He would have contravened the supreme god, and wee worshipped usage had he not done so. ordinarily under the Mme of Hadad (Ma- Ver. 16.-:But he said, As the Lord liveth, crob., 'Sat.,' i. 23). There was also, cer- before whom I stand, I will receive none. tainly, a great goddess, the "Dee. Syre.,. Elishn regards it 68 best, nuder• the circum- of the Romans, whom they identified with stances, to refase the offered recompense. Cybele and with their own "Bona Dea," a It wu not compulsory on him so to act: for divinity parallel with the Ashtoreth of the the precept, •• Freely ye have received, Phcenicians, and the Ishtar of the Assyrie.ns freely give" (Matt. x. 8), had not been yet and Babylonians. Whether there were any uttered. Pious Israelites commonly brought other distinct deities may be doubted, since gifts to the prophets whom they consulted Rimmon is possibly only another name of (l Sam. ix. 7, 8; 1 Kings xiv. 3). Bnt, i.u He.dad (see the comment on ver.18). Adonis the case of a foreigner, ignorant hitherto of is simply "Ailone.i,11 i.e. "my Lord," e.n true religion, whom it wns important to im- epithet of the Supreme Being. press favourably, and, if possible, win over Yer. 18.-In this thing the Lord pardon to the faith, Elisha deemed it advisable to thy servant. Ne.ame.n is not prepared to be tnke no reward. Ne.a.man was thus taught a martyr for his religion. On returning to that Jehovah wu his true Healer, the pro- Damascus, it will be among his civil duties phet the mere instrument, and that it was to accompany his master to the national to Jehovah that his gratitude, his thanks, temples, and to prostrate himself before the and hie offerings were due. And he urged ima gee of the natione.l deities. If he declines, him to take it : but he refused. Contests of if (like e.n early Christian) he will not enter politeness are common in the Ee.et, where "the house of devils," much less bow down the one party offers to give and even i.n.ei.ete before the graven image of a false god, it on giving, while the other makes e. pretence may cost him hie life; it will certainly cost of declining: but here both parties were him his court favour. For such a sacrifice in earnest, and the gift was absolutely he is not prepared. Yet his conscience tells declined. him that he will be acting wrongly. He Ver. 17.-And l!l"8.8.Dl6II ea.id, Shall there not therefore expresses e. hope, or a prayer, that then, I pray thee, be given to thy 1ervant hie fault, for a fault he feels that it will be, two mules' burden of earth t Nae.man does may be forgiven him-that Jehovah will not state what he intends to do with the not be "extreme to mark what is done earth; and the critics have consequently amiss," but will excuse hie outward con- suggested two uses. Some suppose that he formity to his inward faith and zeal. That intended to make tbe earth into e.n altar when my master goeth into the house of upon which he might offer his sacrifices; Rimm.on. Rimmon is probably derived from comp. Exod. xx. 24, where an altar of earth rum (01,), "to be high," e.ud means "the is spoken of (Bahr and others). But tlie exalted god," according to the gloss of He- more general opinion (Tbenius, Von Ger- sychius-'Pcfµar, l/1/mr-ror 6e&r. It is wrongly lach, etc.) is that he wished to spread the connected with Jita1:,, "a pomegranate," and earth over a piece of Syrian ground, and should rather be compared with the Arabic thereby to hallow the ground for purposes Er Rha,nan, " the Most High." The royal of worship. The Jews themselves nre known name, "Te.b-Rimmon" (1 Kings xv. 18), to have acted similarly, transfeITing earth contains the root, as does also the local name from Jerusalem to Babylonia, to build e. (Zech. xii. 11), "Hadad-Rimmon." This temple on it: and the idea is not on unne.- last word gives rise to the suspicion that ,nr .. I one. lt dOOII not necessarily imply Ba.dRd anq Ril!lmon are merely two namea cm. v. 1-27.J THE SECOND BOOK OF THE KCNGS. 97