The Pulpit Commentary — 2 Kings — Section 171

to •lay all whom they found engAgcd in it. try" (;,~('17'2) occur~ only in this pin.re; but Dut to draw som0 thousnnds of his subjects its mcnning is sufficiently asccrtnincd, first, by false pret.en00s into a trap, and then to from tho context, nnrl secondly, from the kill them in it for doing wh0-t he had him- cognate Ethiopia aUah, which means "a self in..-ited them to do, wns an act th0-t wns linen gnrmcut." Linen garments wero re- wholly unjustifiable, nnd th0-t savoured, not garded ns ~specinlly pure, o.nd were gene- of the wisdom which is from above, but of rnlly affected by the priests of nnoiont that bnstard wisdom 'l'lhich is "earthly, religions, o.nd preferred by tho worshippers. sensual, de..-ilish" (Ja.s. iii. 15). Jchu's HooL11en temples hnd almost alwn.ys "vcs• religious reformation did not suooced, and tries" or " wn.rdrobes " n.ttaehcd to them, it was conducted in such a way that it did where garments considered suitnble wer" not deserve to succeed. A little more laid up in store. Bring forth vestments for honest boldness, and a little less frequent all the worshippers of Baal. It may be resort to subterfuge nnd ore.ft, might h"ve doubted whether "all the worshippers of bad a different result, and have been better Daal" could hl\ve been supplied with robes both for himself and for his people. out of the temple vestry, which would ordi- Ver. 20.-AndJ'ehusaid, Proclaim a solemn n"rily contain only vestments for the priests. a.asembly for Bw. The word translated But Jehu may have had the supply kept "solemn assembly" is the same which is up from the robe-room of tile pal11ee, which applied to the great feasts of Jehovah would be practically inexhaustible. The among the Israelites in Lev. :r.:xiii. 36; gift of garments to 1111 comers, which was Numb. xxix. 35; Dent. X'<i. S; 2 Chron. vii. certainly not usual, must have been in- 9: Neh. viii. 1S; Isa. L 13; Joel i. 14; ii. tended to render the festive.I its attractive 15; and Amos v. 21. Originally, it signified as possible. And he brought them forth vost- a time of repression, or abstention from ments. The keeper of the wardrobe obeyed \'l"orldly business; but it had prob0-bly the order given him, e.nd supplied vestments grown to mean a day when worldly bnsiness to all the worshippers. was suspended for the sake of e. religions Ver. 23.-And J'ehu went, and J'ehonadab ,rathering. Such ge.therings had no donbt the son of Reoh&b, into the house of Baal. been held from time to time in honour of Keeping up the pretence that he was a de- Baal; and Jehu's proclamation consequently votee of Bae.l, anxious to " serve him much '' ,xcited no distrust. And they proclaimed (ver. 18), Jehu himself entered the eacred it. No opposition was made to the king's edifice, together with J ehonadab the son of \\;sh. No J ehovist pe.rty showed itselC. The Rechab, whom he wished to have as a wit- "solemn assembly" was procln.imed for ness to his "zeal for the Lord" (ver. 16), some day in the near future, when e.11 the Having entered, he addressed the multitude, people had been apprised of it. or the chief 11uthorities among them, requir- Ver. 21.-And J'ehu sent through all ing that they should exercise extreme vigi- Israel; i.e. through the whole of his own lance, and make it quit~ certain that none king-dom, from Dan on the north to Bethel but true followers of Baal were present. on the sonth. And all the worshippers of And said unto the worshippers of Baal, Bearoh, Bae.I came, so that there was not a man left and look tha.t there be here with you none of that came not. Duty and inclination for the servants of the Lord, but the worshippers once coincided. The king's command made of Baal only. Jehu's real object was un- it incumbent on them, tht:y would argue, to doubtedly to save the lives of any "servants 11ttend ; and attendance woold, they sup- of Jehovah" who might incautiously ha~e posed, result in a time of excitement and mixed themselves up with the Baal-wor- t:njoyment, which they were not disposed shippers, out of curiosity, or to have their to miss. The deatl1-pe11alty threutened for share in the general holiday. Tuat he non-attendnnce (ver.19) was scarcely needed shoulcl bavu thought suoh a thing possible or to indnce them 1111 to come. And they came even probable inclicates the general laxity of into the house of Baal. Ahab had er<:ctcd the time, and the want of any sharp line of n temple to Baal in Samaria shortly after demarcation between the adherents of the his marriage with Jezebel (l Kings ni. 22). two religions. He cleverly masked his de- Like the other temples of the time, in Judrea, sire for the safety of his own religionists in Egypt, and in Pbcenicia, it was not a nnder a show of keen anxiety tlio.t the mere" house," but contained vast courts and coming ceremonies should not be profaned corridors fitted for the reception of immeme by the presence of scoffers or inditrerent numbers. And the house of Baal was full persons. His requirernent was in the spirit from one end to another; literally, from of tLat warning which the heathen com- brim to brim; i.1>. brimful-" metaphora monly gave before enteri11g upon the more sumpta a ve.sibus Lumore aliquo plenis." sacred rites of their religion-" Procul este, Ver. 22.-And he said unto him that was profani." over the Tllt'ry. The word traDBlated "ves• Ver. 24.--.lnd whe11 they went in-ratltc.r, OH, X, 1-36.] THE SECOND BOOK OF 'l'HE KINGS. 213