The Pulpit Commentary — 2 Kings — Section 130

or. all his cllflf'iof;s (Revised Version). The Ver. 28.-And therelltoftheaotaof 1oram, nrtfole has the force of the possessive and all that he di-,., are they not written in p'.l'Onoun. And he rose by night, and smote the book of the ohronioles of the kings of the Edomites which oomp&1111ed him about. J'udah 1 Some of these aots e.ro recorded in .Tosephus understands the writer to mean our present Second Book of Chronicles; tba! Joram made his invasion by night, and e.g. his execution of his brother& and of smote tile Edomitcs on all sides (' Ant. many noble,, (2 Chron. xxi. 4); his erection J ud .. ' ix. 5. § 1); but it seems better to of high places (2 Ohron. ui. 11); his perse- rnppose, with most modern commentators, cution of the followers of Jehovah (2 Ohrou, that the meaning is the following: Soon xxi. 11); his reception of a writing fl'Om after Joram invaded the country, he found Elisha, which, however, had no effect upon himself rnrrounded and blocked in by the his conduct (2 Chrou. xxi. 12-15); bis war Edomite troops, and could only saye himself with the Philistines (2 Chron. xxi. 16) cmd hy a night attack, which was so far success- with the Arabs (2 Chron. xxi. 16); his loss ful that he broke through tbe e11emy's lines of all his sons but one during hi8 lifetime; and escaped; his army, howeYer, was so his long illness, and his painful death alarmed at the dan.irer it bad run, that it (2 Chron. xxi. 18, 19). But the • Book of nt once dispersed and rctnrned home. And the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah' was the capta.ills of the chariots; i.e. the captains a work on a larger scale than the extant of the Edomite chariots. They too were Book of Chronicles, and probably went into .. smitten," haYing probably taken the chief much greater det1\il. p:ut in trying to pr<·Yent the escape. And Ver. 2!.-And J'oram slept with his the people fled into their tents; i.e. dispersed fathers. J oram died after an illness, that to their homes. Compare the cry of Jero- lasted two years, of a.n incurable disease of boam (l Kings xii. 16), "To yonr tents, 0 his bowels. No "bttl'ning" was made for Israel! " him, and there we.s no regret e.t his death. Yer. 22.-Yet Edom revolted; rather, and And was buried with his fathers in the city Edom rc~oUed; or, so Edom re"Dolted. Joram's of David; i.e. in the portion of Jerus,,lem attempt having failed, the independence of which David built; bnt, according to Jose- the country was established. l!'rom under phus (' Ant. Jud.,' ix. 5. § 8) and the the ha.nd of J'udah unto this day. The author of Chronicles (2 Chron. xxi. 20), not successes of Amaziah and .A.za.ris.h against in the sepulchres of the kings. And Ahe.ziah Edam (eh. xiv. 7, 22) did not amount to his son reigned in his stead. Aho.ziah is reconquests. Edom coutint=ed a separate called "Jehoo.haz" in 2 Cbron. xxi.17, by country, !lot subject to Jndma, and fre- e.n inversion of the two elements of his quently at war with it, nntil the time of no.me, and "Azariah" in 2 Chron. xxii. Ii, John Hyrcanns, by whom it was snbjngated. apparently by a slip of the pen. " Unto this day" means, at the most, until Vere. 25-29.-THE WIOJIED REIGN 01' the time when the Books of Kings took their present shape, which was before the AWZJAH IN JUDAH. The writer continues return from the Captivity. Then Libnah the history of Jndo.h through another reign revolted at the same time. Libnah was -a very short one-almost to its close. He situated on the borJers of Philistia, in the describes the wickedness of Aho.ziah, for the Shefelah, or low country, but towards its most po.rt, in general terms, attributes it to eastern edge. Its exact position is UD• his connection with the "house of Ahab,'' certain ; but it is now generally thonght to be identical with the modern Tel-eB-Safi, and notes his alliance with Joram of lsrRel Letwcen Gath and Ekrou, about long. against the Syrians, and his visit to his 34° 50' E., !at. 31 ° :18' N. It had been an in- brother monarch e.t So.maria, which led on dependent city, with e. king of its own, in to his death. the Parly Canaanite time (Josh. x. 30; xii. 15), but had been e.f'signed to Judah (Josh. Ver. 25.-In the twelfth year of J'oram xv. 42), and had hitherto remained, so far the son of Ahab Xin.g of Israel. In eh. ix. us e.ppeurs, contented with its position. Its 29 the year of Ahozie.h's accession is so.icl people can scarcely have had any sympathy to have been Joro.m's eleventh year. It is with the Edomites, and its revolt at this conjectured that he began to reign e.s vice- time can have had no close connection with roy to his father during his severe illness in the Edomite rebellion. Lilmah's sympathies Joram'seleventh year,and became sole king would be with Philistia., and the occasion e.t his father's death in the year folhiwing. ,,f the revolt may he.ve been the invasion of Did Ahaziah the son of J'ehoram King of J udEa by the Philistines in the r~ign of J'udah begin to reign; i.e. begin to be full J ehoram, of which the author of Chronicles king. Epee.b (2 Chron. ui. 16), e.nd in which Ver. 26.-Two and twenty years old wu Jehoram's sons were carried o1t Ahaziah when he began to reign. The OH, Vlll. 1-29,] 'fHE SECOND BOOK OF THE KINGS. 171