The Pulpit Commentary — 2 Kings — Section 151

• one ns thee. a mere common man, whether was probably 1tnxious to know tho reasons my tidings a.re peaceful or the oontruy? I which bad induced the oapto.in of hie host shall not tell thee my errand. Turn and to quit hie post at Ramoth-Gilco.d. Ahaziah follow in my tra.in." The messenger had probably accompanied him out of politeness, no choice but to obey. An attempt at flight though be too may he.ve been curious to would hove led to his being seized or slain. learn the news. If any dieo.ster had over- And the watohme.n told, saying, The mes- taken the army of Israel, the Bl\fety of Judah senger came to them, but he oometh not might also be endangered, "Tua res agitur, a.gain. The watchman evidently thought paries cum proximus ardet." And they went his not returning suspicions, and repol'ted out against J'ehu-rather, to meet Jehu- it e.t onoe. Joram should now have fa.ken ,ls d.-...,..~w 'loo (LXX.); see the Revised nlann, but he did not. He appears to he.ve Version-and met him in the portion of had no notion that any danger could be Na.both the J'eneelite. Humanly speaking, approe.ching. this was accidental. The "portion of Na- Ver. 19.-Then he sent out a seoond on both," or his plot of ground, lay outside the hol'Bebe.ck. Persistency in n course sllown south-eastern gate of the city, at no great by experience to be futile was characteristic distance from the walls; and it happened of the sous of Ahab and Jezebel (compare that Joram and Jehu met within its limits. 1 he conduct of Ahe.zie.h, as described in eh. Had the king started a little sooner, or had i. 9, 11, 13). Which came to them, and said, Jehu mnde Ieee haste, the meeting would Thus aaith the killg, le it pee.ce ! Exactly have taken place further from the towo, the same inquiry as before, and no doubt and outside the" portion of Naboth." But in the same sense (see tbe comment on ver. Divine providence so ordered matters that 17). Jehu, acldressed with the same words, vengeance for the sin of Ahab was eXRcted thinks it sufficient to give the same answer. upon the very scene of hie guilt, and a His object is to lose no time, but to reach prophecy made, probably by Elisha, yea.re the king as quickly as possible. And J'ehu previously, and treasured up in the memory answered, What hast thou to do with peaoe t of Jehu (ver. 26), was fulfilled to the letter. turn thee behind me. Ver. 22.-A.nd it oameto pa.as, when J'oram Ver. 20.-Alld the watahman told, sa.ying, saw J'ehu, that he said, Is it peaoe, J'ehu t He came even Ullto them, and cometh not Still the ea.me question is asked; but we again. A still stranger circumstance, and cannot be sure that it is asked in exactly one still more suspicious. The second mes- the so.me sense. Something in the aspect senger could only have been sent out be- of Jehu, and in hie furious haste, may by cause the king disapproved the detention of this time he.ve alarmed the king. Or pos- the first. Whoever, therefore, had detained sibly he may be merely repeating the question the second messenger mu.t be consciously put through his messengers, and still un- acting in opposition to the wishes of the answered, "Is all well with the army er king. And the driving is like the driving no? Has there been any disaster?" Jehu, of J'ehu the son of Ni.mshi. It is not meant at any rate, chooses to understand his vague that J~hu was driving his own chariot phrase in the former sense, as if he had (which great men never did, eh. xxii. 34), asked, "le it peace between thee and me?" and drove in r. furioUB manner, but that the and answers in the negative. And hi "company" was being urged forward at an answered, What peaoe, so long as the whore, unusual pace, in a reckless and hot-headed doIDB of thy mother J'ezebel and her witoh- way. The watchman conjectured, therefore, crafts are so many 1 literally, so long as the that Jehu must be leading them, since be tDhoredom& of thy motlier Jezebel and thoee had a character for impetuosity. For he many tDitcliC1'ajta of hers oootinue. By driveth fnrioualy; or, madly-" like a mad- "whoredome" are meant idolatries, as so man" (Keil)-" p1111eipitanter" (Vatabl.). frequently in Scripture (Lev. xiL 29; XL The LXX. translate "" ,r<tpcv..Acrni-wbich 5; Jer. iii. 2, 9; xiii. 17; Ezek. xvi. 17; Las, perhaps, the ea.me meanin'.{ (comp. u. 30; uiii. ll, eto.: Hoa. ii. 2; iv. 12: Eur., • Hipp.,' 935; Lysia.B, Fr., .38). v. 4; Nah. iii.4, etc.); by "witchcrafts" all Ver. 21.-A.nd J'oram so.id, llrla.ke ready- those magical practices which were so rather, harms,; literally, attaeh-i.e. "attach common ut the time in Egypt, Assyria, and the horses to the chariot-and his chariot Babylonit1, and no doubt also in Phcenicia, was made ready-literally, and one attached, and whicll were so strictly forbidden by the or harnesaed, hu chariot-and J'oram King llfoeaio Law (Exod. u:ii. 18; Dent. xviii. of Israel and Ahuia.h King of J'udah went 10). Besides the Baal-worship, Jezebel had out, each in hie chariot. The uncle and the introduced these unhallowed praotices into nephew went out together, still, as it would the kingdom of Israel. Jehu reproaches eeem, uuappreheusive of any danger, though Joram with allowing them, and declnres the circumstances were certainly such 88 that there can be no peace between him might well have arouaed BU8picio11- Jor11m , and his roaster u11der such oiloumetance11, OH, IX, 1-37.] THE SECOND BOOK OF THE KINGS. 193