pntion-and Haze.al set his faoe to go up the narrative of Kings is to be supplemented to 1eru■e.lem. If Go.th bo Abu-Gheith, as by that of Chronicles. From Chronicles we nppears probable, it would be distant from learn that, before the withdrawal of the Jcrneo.lem not less than forty miles in e. direct line. If He.ze.el, however, we.a re- Syrians, Joaeh had fallen iuto a severe ill- turning to the trane-J ordanio country taken ness, which confined him to hie e.partment from Israel, it would lie in his wny, and (2 Chron. xxiv. 25). Thie gave opportu- might noture.lly tempt him to mllke a dash nity for conspiracy. Among the courtiers e.t it, more especio.lly as he was flushed with were two, perhaps more, whom the fate of victory. Zecbariah had grieved, and who were prob- Ver. 18.-And 1ehoaeh Xing of iJndah took all the ho.llowed thillgs. The writer of ably opposed to the entire series of later Chronicles tells us that, first of o.11, there changes In religion which had been eanc• we.e o. battle. "The army of the Syrians tioned by Joash (2 Chron. xxiv. 17, 18). camo with a eruo.11 oompany of men, and the These persons "made a conspiracy," which Lord delivered e. very gree.t host into their was successful, and "slew J oash on hie bed" hand" (2 Chron. xxiv. 24). The loss was especil\lly heavy among the nobles, who (2 Chron. x.xiv. 25). They then buried him officered the Jewish army. Much plunder in Jerusalem, but "not in the sepulchres of was ta.ken by the visitors (2 Chron. xxiv. the kings." 23). Then, probably, the siege of the city was commenced, e.nd Joash, like Rehoboaru Ver.19.-And the rest of the e.ots of 1oash, and Asa before him (1 Kings xiv. 26; xv. and all that he did, are they not written in 18), and Hezekiah subsequently (eh. xviii. the ohroniclee of the kings of Judah l This 15, 16), had reoonrse to the temple treasures, formal phrase, with which he concludes his and with them bought off ihe invader. It account of almost every Jewish king ( L is noticeable that Athaliah bad not deprived Kings xiv. 29; xv. 7, 23; xxiL 45; eh. viii. the temple of them previously. That Jeho- 23; xiv. 18; xv. 6, etc.), cannot be regarded shs.phe.t, and 1ehoram, and Ahaziah, his as e.n acknowle<lgment by the author of any fa.there, kinge of Judah, had dedicated. special or designed reticence with respect to Though Jehore.m o.nd Ahaziah apostatized the reign of Joa-ah. We must suppose him so far as to wo.intain the Bae.I-worship in unconscious of any such design. He had Jerueo.lem, and even to force attendance on to omit much in every case; in the preseut it (2 Chron. xxi., 11), yet they did not re- he ho.ppened to omit all the darker sho.<le~; linquish e.ltogether the worship of Jehovah. and the result was an over-favourable por- That J ehoram called his son, Ahaziah, traiture of the monarch. But, in the pro- "possession of Jehovah," and Ahaziah one vidence of God, complete historico.l justice of hie sons, Joe.ah, "whom Jehovo.h snp- was secured by the labours and researches ports," is indicative of this syncretism, of a second inspired writer. which was oommon in o.ncient times, but Ver. 20.-And his servants arose, and made ago.inst whioh pure Judaism me.de the a oonspiracy. By "his servants" officers of strongest possible protest. And his own his household are probably intended, attend- hallowed thillge-i.e. the gifts whioh be bad ants whose position would give them ready himself made to the temple-and all the access to his person. And slew Joa.shin the gold tho.t was found in the tree.auras of the honsa of Millo. Joe.eh had probably trans- house of the Lord. This was probably not ferred his residence to "the house of Millo" much; but some "veBBels of gold" had been -the great fortress built by Do.vid (2 Sam. made (2 Chron. xxiv. 14) out of the residue v. 9) and Solomon (1 Kings ix. 15, 2{) in of the money subscribed for the repairs. J ernsalom-for greater secur:ty durin 00 the And in the king's house. The royal palace siege; and, being there prostrated by°eick- ho.cl been plundered by the Arabd and nese, could not remove from it when the Philistines combined in the reign of J ehoram siege was over. Whioh goeth down to Silla. (2 Chron. xxi. 16, 17); but ia the thirty No commentator has succeeded in explaining years that ho.d since elapsed there had been this passage. There is no other mention of time for fresh e.ccumulo.tions. And sent it Silla; and it is difficult to understa.nd how to Haze.al King of Syria: and he went away a fortress o•iuld be said to " go down" to from 1erusalem. The personal presence of any place. Our Revisers' conjecture-" on He.zo.el at the siege seems to be here implied, the way that goeth doton to Silla "-mo.y be while 2 Chron. xxiv. 23 rather implies his accepted as e. possible explanation; but it o.beonce. Perhaps he was nbsent at first, implies that e. word (l:17~) hi\:! dropped out but joined the besiegers after o. while. of the text. Ver. 21.-For Jozaohe.r the son of Shime- Vere. 19-21.-Thll olose of the reign of e.th; called in Chronicles " Zabe.d," prob- Joa,Bl1-hia murder bJI his aerva11t8. Again o.bly through o. corruption of the to:xt. Rio TB.E SECOND BOOK OF THE KINGS. [cH. XII, 1-21.
mother, Shimeath, was, a.ooording to Ohro- oity of David. Some oritios (ns Theniua uiolcs (2 Chron. xxiv. 26), RU Ammonitese. nnd Dean Stanley) see a oont!"adiotion be- And J'ehombad the aon of Shomer. For tween this statement and that of 2 Chron. " Shomer" we have in Chronicles "Shim- xxiv. 25, that he was "not buried in the rith," which is the feminine form of scpulch1'8B of the kings;" but, as Bel'theau, " Shomer," Rnd we are told tha.t she was a Keil, and Bahr observe, "the two statements l\IooLitess. The Jews were at all times fond are not i1Tcconcilable," since he may have of b king wives from Moa band Ammon (Ruth been regarded as "buried with his fa.there," i. 4; l Kings xi. 1; Ezra ix. 1, 2; Neh. if his gmve was anywhere in Jerusalem, xiii. 23), despite the prohibition of mixed even thou1i;h he wae excluded from the royo.l marriages in the Law (sre Deut. vii. 3). His burying-ple.ce. And Amaziah his son reigned servants, smote him, and he died ( for their in his stead! (For the reign of Amaziah, motives, see the introductory paragraph), see eh. xiv. 1-20.) and they buried him with his fa.then in the