The Pulpit Commentary — 2 Kings — Section 170

ond might therefore be neeumed to be hostile 9-12), nnrl Omri (I Kings xvi. 17-19), to the houeo of Ahab. And J'ehonadab and ho.d hncl none of the characteristics of answered, It ia, Unhesitatingly, without 11, a religious reformation. Probably, ae yet, moment's p11,uee, without the eh11,clow of 11 no enepicion he.d toncherl the public mind doubt, the Kenite chief onet in hie lot with thnt Jehu would be a lees zealous worship- the revolutionist. Heart and soul ho would per of Baal than his µrecleceeeor. The out- join him in 11,n 11,nti-Ahnb policy. If it be, burst against Jezel,el'e "whoredome" and Give me thine hand. 'fhe Hebrews did not "witchcmfts" (eh. ix. 22) would be known clench agreements, like the Greeks ond to few, and might not have been understood Romo.DB, by gmeping ce.ch other's hands. a.a a condemnation of the entire Baalistie Jehu merely meaus to say, "If this is so, if system. The" zeal for Jehovah" whispered thou nrt heart and soul with me in the in the ear of Jehouadab (vcr. 16) had been mo.tter, put out thy hand, and I will take hitherto kept secret. Thue there wae no- thee into my chariot." Jehu intended at thing to prevent the multitude from giving once to do honour to the Kenite chief, and implicit credence to the proclamation now to strengthen his own position by being made, and looking to see the new reign in- seen to be eo familiar with him. And he- augurated by a. magnificent and prolonged i.e. Jehono.dab-gave him-i.e. Jehu-his festival in honour of the two great Phoouician hand; and he took him up to him into the deities, Baal the sllll-god, and Ashtoreth or ohariot. There wae always room in a oho.riot Aste.rte the famous "Dea Syre.." Such festi- for o.t le11,St three or four persons-the vals were frequently held in Phrenicia. and charioteer ancl the owner of the chariot in the rest of Syria, often lasting over ma.ny front, and one or two guards behind. daye, and constituting a time of excitement, Ver. 16.-And he si.id, Come with me, and fee.sting, and profligate enjoyment, which see my zeal for the Lord. Jehonadab muet possesse<l immende attraction for the great have understood that eomo further measures mase of Asiatics. were about to be taken ago.inst the family Ver. 19.-Now therefore call unto me all and adherents of Ahab. He evidently op- the prophets of :Ba.al, all his servants, and proved of all that Jehu had already done, all his priests. In Phoonicia, it would seem, o.nd was willing to give his countenance to as in Egypt and among the Jews, "prophets" further severities. He probably did not and " priests" were distinct cle.eses of per- know exnctly what Jehu designed: but he sons. The Egyptians called the priest ab, must have been able to make a tolerably the prophet nerer hon, literally, "servant of shrewd guess at what was impending. So God." They held the priest in the greo.ter they me.de him ride in his chariot. Perhaps honour. In Phrenicia, on the contrary, i::i;i-;r:'!.. should be changed into :i•:;>~!, which judging from the scanty notices that we seems to hove been the reading of the LXX., possess, prophets appear to have to.ken pre- who translate, by hrucd8ur<v uJTov ,v Ttp cedence of priests, e.nd to have had the ilpµ""'' uvTov, " he me.de him ride in his more important functions assigned lo them oho.riot." (see 1 Kings xviii. 19-40: xxii. 6). Let Ver. 17.-And when he oame to Sa.maria, none be wanting-literally, let not a man he olew a.11 that remained unto Ahab in fail-for I hava a great se.ori11oe to do to Sama.ria, till he ha.d destroyed him. Seventy Baal. Like the other g0tls of the heathen, mnle descendants of Ahnb had been already Dual n.ll<l Ashtoreth were worshipped chiefly destroyed in Sama.rie. (vers. 1-7). It seems by sacrifice. The sacrifice wo.s sometimes unlikely that the city can have contained human, but more commonly a sacrificbl nny other members of his honee excepting animo.l, such o.e a bull, a ram, or a he-gnat. females. Did Jehu now destroy the daugh- In the grenter festivals several hnndre<ls of ters of Ahe.b resident in So.maria., with victims were offered: e.n<l their flesh was their families? The me.eculine form usecl- served up llt the btuHJ.Ueta by which the lJ'';ll;l!!l,:J-cloos not disprove this. Aooording festivo.ls were accornpt\nied. Whcsoevor to the saying of the Lord, which he spe.ke to sha.11 be wanting, he sha.ll not live. His Elijah (comp. ver. 10, and see also the absence would be reg1mlcd as an a.et of cvn- comment on eh. ix. 7). tumacy verging on rebellion, and so ns Vere. 18-28.-Jehu destroys the icorship- deserving of capital punishment. :But J'ehu pers of Baal, and puts an tmd to the Baal- did it in subtilty, to the intent that he might worehip. destroy the worshippers of :Be.al. '' Subtilty" Ver. 18.-And J'ehu gathered all the wo.s charo.oterietio of Jehu, who always pre- people together, and said unto them, Ahab ferred to gnin his ends by cunning rather served :Ba.al a little; but J'ehu shall serve than in n straightforwurd way. ldolo.ters him muoh. Hitherto the revolution had wero by the Law lie.blo to death, e.nd Jehu borne tho appearance of a more dynastic would have had a perfect right to crush the c].ango, lilrn those introduce<l by l.laasha Bnn.1.-worship throughout the ll\Ilu, by send. (1 Kings xv. 27-29), Zimri (1 Kings xvi. ing his elllisse.ries everywhere, with otder11  212 THE SECON'D BOOK OF rrrn KINGS. [cH. :X 1--36.