The Pulpit Commentary — 2 Kings — Section 168

receiving his second, but to o.llowthemselves whioh the Lord epake concerning the hous1 to bccomo the tools o.ntl 11,genta of his policy. of Ahe.b. As the accomplishment had gone They o.ccortlingly put the seventy princm so far, it wns safe to predict, or at any rate to death without o.ny heaitntion, though they Jehu felt emboldrnerl to predict, that the co.n sco.rcely ho.ve clone so without reluo- entire prophecy of Elijah wonld be fulfilled tance. And put their heads in baskets. to the letter. The whole house of Ahab Thus concealing their bloody deed as long would perish-it wonld be made like the 11,e they coultl. In the Assyrian sculptures, house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, antl those who slo.y the king's enemies carry the like the house of Bao.aha. the son of Aliijah heads openly in their he.ntls, as though (1 Kings x.xi. 23), and its adherents would glorying in what they havo done. And share its fate. For the Lord ha.th dori.e that sent him them to Jezreel. Jehu had bidden which he spake by his servant Elijah; i.e. them to bring the heads to him ; but this "has requited Ahab in the portion of Jez- was a degradation to which they did not reel; has caused dogs to eat the flesh of feel bound to submit. They therefore sent Jezebel ; and has begun the destrnction of the heads by trusty messengers. his house. The inchoate fulfilment of pro- Ver. 8.-And there came a messenger, phecy was al ways felt to be the strongest and told him, saying, They have bronght the possible argument for its nltimate complete he11ds of the king's sons. And he said, Lay fulfilment. ye them in two heaps at the entering in of Ver. 11.-So Jehu slew all that remained the gate until the morning. Thus all who of the holllle of Ahab in J ezreel, and all his entc•red into the town or quitted it would great men, and his kinsfolks; rather, and sec them, and, being struck by the 11;he.stly Jehu slew. Encouraged by his past snccess, spectacle, would make inquiry and learn having killed Jehoram, Ahaziah, and Jeze- the truth. "The gate" was also e. general bel, having secnred the adhesion of the place of assembly for the gossips of the chief men in Samaria, and effected the de- town and others, who would soon spread struction of e.11 those who might naturally the news, antl bring together e. crowd of have claimed the snccession and involved persona, curious to eee so unusual a sight. him in civil war, Jehu proceeded to greater Ver. 9.-And it came to pass in the morn- lengths. He "slew e.ll that remained of the ing, that he went out, and stood, and said house of Ahab in Jezreel "-the princesses to all the people, Ye be righteous. Not e.n probably, as well e.s the princes-and further ironical reproach to those who had brought pnt to death all the leading partisans of the the heads-" Ye consider yourselves right- dethroned dyne.sty, the "great men," per- eous, yet this bloodshed rests upon you;" haps even those who had worked his bloody much Ieee a serious declaration (Gerlach) will at Samaria., and the intimate friends thnt now at last the sins of idolatrous Israel and supporters of the honse-the □'JI]'.?:?, as were ntoned for; but an argument ad cap- they are here co.lied-not relatives, bat"•• in- tandum, addressed to the crowd of specte.tord timate acquaintances." And his priests. whom the unwonted spectacle had brought This expression canses a difficnlty, since the together, "Ye a.re just persons, and capo.hie destruction of the Baal-priests is related sub- of pronouncing a just judgment; judge, sequently (vers. 19-25). It has been sug- then, if I o.m the wicked person which men gested to understand by Cl'.J;:!j, not "priests," generally consider me." Behold, I oonspired but " high state officers" (Bihr)-e. meaning against my master, and slew him: but who which the word is thought to have in 2 slew all these 1 I confess to one murder ; Sam. viii. 18 e.nd I Kings iv. 5. But this but hero are seventy murders. And who signification of ]Cl:.I is scarcely e.n ascertained is guilty of them? Not I, or my party, but the trusted adherents of the Aho.bite one. Perhaps the same persons are intended dynasty, the rulers plnced by them over the o.s in ver. 19, the present notice of their capital, and the governors to whom they denth being e. mere summo.ry, and the nar- had entrusted the royal ohildron. Does not rative of vers. 19-25 e. full statement of this show that all parties are weo.ry of the the circumstances. Until he left him none Aha.bites and of their system? Does it remaining; i.e. until the entire Ahahit.e not clear me of any private or selfish motive, faotion was blotted out. and indicate the desire of the whole ne.tion Vera. 12-14.-The massacre of the brethrtlff for a oh11nge, oivil e.nd religious-a ohange of .A.haziah. which shall entirely subvert the new re- Ver. 12.-And he arose a.nd departed, e.nd ligion introduced by Jezebel, and fall baok oo.me to Samaria; rnther, went on his way upon the lines of that maintained by Elijah to Samaria trnopd,911 ,i, laµlipElav, LXX.). and Elisha.? Having 11rrs.nged matters e.t Jezreel as his Ver. 10.-Xnow now the.t there shall fall interests required, and seoured the adhesion unto the earth-i.e. 11 perish," 11 oome to of the Samaritan "great men," Jehu now nought "-nothing of the word of the Lord, set out for the capita.I. The namitive from II. KINGS, f 210 THE SECOND BOO.K OF THE KINGS. [en. x. 1-36,