The Pulpit Commentary — 2 Kings — Section 255

were tr·ith the 1dng e.nd shared hie fate, not Neba.t, who me.de Isl'ael to llin. Josephus fellow-conepirntore with Peke.h. The names (' Ant. Jud.,' ix. ll. § 1) says that Peke.h Rre uncommon ones. And with him-i.e. was an irreligious king, and a tmnsgTessor Pekah-flfty men of the Gileadites; fifty men of the Law (o.11•fJ"1$ ..-, 1t..l ,rapd.vop.os). of "the Four Hundred," according to the Isaiah shows how he intrigued with foreign- LXX. •· The Four Hundred" were probably ers a.go.inst his brethren of the sister king- the royal body-gue.rd, which e.t this time dom (Isa. vii. 2-6). The writer of Ohro- muy have oonsisted of Gileadites. And he nioles tells of his fierce anger age.inst the killed him, and reigned in his room. It does Jews (2 Chron. xxviii. 9), and of the dread- not appear that Peka.h he.d any grievance. ful carnage whioh he sanctioned after the His crime seems to have been simply great battle. prompted by ambition. Ver. 29.-In the days of Pekah King of Ver. 26.-And the rest of the acts of Pe- Israel oame Tigle.th-pileser King of Assyria. ke.hia.h, and all that he did, behold, they are Tiglath-pileser's records are not in the shape written ill the book of the ohronioles of the of annals, and are, moreover, in a very mu- king& of Israel. tilated condition. He does not date events, like most Assyrian kings, by his regne.l years. Vera. 27-31.-RErnN OF PEKAB. The His first expedition into Syria. is thought, however, to have been in his third year, writer is ago.in exceedingly brief. Peke.h's B.o. 743, but there is no evidence that, on reign was a remarkable one, and might have this occasion, he proceeded further south furnished much material to the historian. tha.nDnma.scus, where he took tribute from In conjunction with Rezin of Damascus, he Rezin. Some years e.fter this-B.o. 738, ac- mnde war upon Judree., defeated Ahaz with cording to Mr. G. Smith-he penetrated to Palestine, where his chief enemy was Aze.- gTee.t loBS ~2 Chron. :x:xviii. 6), and le.id siege riah King of Judah, who had united under to Jerusalem !Tsa. vii. 1). Ahe.z called in his sway most of the tribes BS fe.r as He.me.tb. the aid of Assyria, and Tigle.th-pileser me.de After chastising Azarie.h, he extended his two expeditions into Po.leatine-the one dominion over most of the neighbouring mentioned in ver. 29, and another some states and kingdoms ; RD.d it was at this time that (as related in ver. 19) he took years afterwards. In the latter he seems to tribute from Mena.hem. Subsequently (a.bout have had the assistance of Boshes., who, B.0. 734) he me.de an expedition for the pur- with his sanction, slew Pekah, and became pose of oonquest, whicll receives very soa.nt king. The scanty notices of our author notice, in one inscription only. This is pro- must be supplemented from 2 Chron. :x:x viii. ; bably the expedition of the present passage. And took Ijon, and Abel - beth -maaoho.h. Isa. vii 1-9; viii. 1-8; and the ABsyrian These were places in the extreme north of inscriptions. the Israelite territory, in the vicinity of the Lake Merom, such as would naturally be Ver. 27.-ln the two and fiftieth year of o.mong the first to fall before an Assyrio.n A.za.riah King of Judah; rather, in the thirty- invader (on their exact position, see the ninth or thirty-eighth year (see the comment comment on 1 Kings :xv. .20). And J'e.noe.h. on ver. 23). Pekahie.h's " two years" may J anoah is now generally regarded as identi- not have been complete. Peka.h the &on of cal with the modern Hunin, a village olose ll.emaliah began to reign over Israel in by "an ancient fortress of great sirength" Samaria, and reigned twenty years. The (Robinson, 'Later Researches,' p. 871), in Assyrian records make this number impos- the hill country north-west of Merom. It sible. Tiglath-pileser's entire reign lasted is in a direct line between Abel-bcth-maa.- only eighteen yee.rs, yet it more than covered cha.h (.Abil) and Kedesh (Oadea), as we the entire reign of Peka.h. When he first should expect from the present passage. invu.ded the kingdom of Samaria, Mena.hem And Xedesh, and Hazor. Kedesh is beyond was upon the throne (' Eponym Canon,' p. all doubt the "Kedes,'' or "Cedes," of to- IW, line 29); when he last attacked it, pro- day-an important site in the same moun• bo.Lly in B.C, 730-two years before his death tain district, rather more than six miles in n.c. 728-he set up Hoshea, or, at any south of Hunin, and four from the" waters of rate, sanctioned his usurpation (ibid., pp. Merom" (see Robinson,• Later Researrhes,' l'..!;J, 124, lines 15-18). Pekah's entire reign pp. 366, 367). Hnzor was in the near neigh- must have come in the interval, which is bourhood of Kedesh, towards the south pro- certainly not more than one of fifteen, pro- bably. The exact position is disputed. bably not more than one of ten years. Robinson's arguments iu favour of El-Khu- Ver. 28.-And he did that which was reibeh are weighty ; but the engineers em• .ml in the sight of the Lord : he departed ployed by the Palestine Exploration }'uml JL,at from the ains of l eroboa.m the BOD of rei.,ml Khurbe.t-Ha.rrah, between Kedesh OH, XV. 1-38.] THE SECOND BOOK OF THE KINGS. 301