The Pulpit Commentary — 2 Kings — Section 374

both of them. And I will wipe rerusalem upper cle.eseB (Zeph. iii. 1-3); the prophets a■ e. mo.n wipeth a di&h, wiping it, and were "light and treacherous persona; " the turning it upside down. J erne11lem will priests " polluted the sanctuary, e.nd did be emptied, ns n mo.n empties hiB dish of violence to the Law" (Zeph. ii. 1-3). tho 1·efuse scraps remaining on it, o.nd will "Spoiling e.nd violence," "strife and con- be· then pnt o.wo.y, ns done with. 'l'he tention;" were rifethroughont the city(Hab. metaphor expresses contempt o.s well as i. 3). Ewe.Id sums up the state of tl1inga e.s condemnation. follows : "'fhe atmosphere of the age was Ver. 14.-And I will for■ake the remnant poisoned from above ; and the leaders of the of mine inheritanoe. "The remnant" here people of every class, whose moral decline is not the remnant left of Judo.h e.fter the he.d already become a subject of lament in deportation of two hundred thousand souls the preceding century, sank into an almost by Sennacherib (as in eh. xix. 4), but the incredible degeneracy. The prophets, who remnant that is left of the whole people of ought to 110.ve been ever the most loyal Israel-the two tribes 11S distinct from the gUA.rdians of the truth, were for the most ten. The ten tribes were forsaken when part like dumb and greedy dogs; many of the Assyria.na took and deatroyeil Sa.maria the priests a.I lowed themselves to be seuuced (eh. xvii. 18, 23); the two remained. Now into offering heathen sacrifices; the judges the two also would be forsaken, e.nd the last and nobles paid little heed to the eternal remnant of God's inheritance cast out. And right. Equivocation and hypocrisy spread deliver them into the hand of their enemies. among those who ought to have ministered Not the Chaldeans only, who were not yet most austerely to pnblic truthfulness of life; "their enemies," bu~ their persistent and while those who were engaged in commerce inveterate enemies, the Syrians, Moe.bites, and trade sank into the harshest indifference Ammonites (see eh. xxiv. 2), and Eilomites to every higher e.im, and thought only of (Ezek. xxv. 12; Joel iii. 19), who all joined the acquisition and enjoyment of wealth. with Nebuchadnezzar at the last, and (as Bo terrible wo.s the demoralization which Ewald says, 'History oflsrnel,'vol. iv. p. 270) set in under Me.no.sseh, that those who re- "indulged their ancient hatred by taking mained faithful to the ancient religio~. were e. very active part in the final war." And either scoffed at ns fools, or allowed to perish they shall beoome a prey and a spoil to all in cold contempt without o.uy effort being their enemies (comp. Jer. xli. 2-10; xlviii. made to save them, o.nd were even derided 27; Obo.d. 10-14; Zeph. ii. 8, etc.). The after their death." And have provoked me yeara which immediately followed the Cap- to anger, since the de.y their fathers oe.me tivity were years of terrible suffering to the forth out of Egypt, eve!l llI!.to this de.y. remno.nt whom Nebuchadnezzar left in the The moral and spiritual depro.vity of Judah, lo.nil (eh. xxv. 12). Every petty power in though it only co.me to a head in the time the neighbourhood felt itself at liberty to of Manasseh, had its roots in n long-distant make incursions with J uuma at its pleasure, p11St. As St. Stephen pointed out to the to plunder o.nd ravage, and drive off cap- Sanhedrin (Acts vii. 39-43), it began in tives, or massacre them in cold blood, or the wilderness with the worship of the commit 'any other atrocity. Some critics golden calf, and went on to the worship of rego.rd the de110ription of IBBie.h in eh. xlii. the host of heaveu, of Moloch, and of 22-2! as prophetic of these sufferings. Bemphe.n; it wo.s shown markedly in the Ver. 15.-Beoause they have done that terrible sin of Peor (Numb. xxv. 1-3); it which wo.s evil in my sight. The chief eins stinted God's hand when the nations !Jo.cl of the people were the following: Altard to be driven out from Canaan(Judg. ii.1-5); for the worship of the host of hee.veu were it provoked God's o.nger greatly during the erected upon almost every roof (Jer. xix. whole period of the Judges (Judg. ii.11-19); 13; Zeph. i. 5); offerings of cakes were checked under David and Solomon, it broke macle in the very streets to Aetarte (Jer. vii. out afresh on the accession of Rehoboam 18); the fire of Tophet-a huge furnace in (1 Kings xiv. 22- 2!), o.nd showed itself, the valley of Hinnom-w11.e kept constantly more or le;s, under every subsequent king, uuming, nnd the sacrifice of innocent culmino.ting o.t last in tliat fearful condition children to the bloody sun-god, Maloch, was of things which has heen described o.bove perpeLuo.l (Jer. vii. 31; Ezek. xxiii. 37); (see the oowment on the first olause of this it wae o.s common to swear by the no.me of verso). Moloch as by that of Jehovah (Zeph. i. 5). Ver. 16.-llloreover Manasseh shed inno- Lascivious rites were practised. Uloee by cent blood very mnoh. We must not under- the temple the uncho.ste priestesses of Venus stand this of his own offerings to Moloch, had their habitations, and their wretebed for these ho.ve been ali-eady put ou reoord me.le attendants, the Galli of tJie clnssico.l age.inst !Jim (ver. 6), e.nd this is something writers, plied their trade ( oh. xxiii. 7). additional (note the strong expression, 0,:11). C1·uelty aull oppression increased o.mong the nor even of the multitudinous sacritlces ui  THE SECOND 1300K OF THE KINGS. (oil, XlCI, 1-20,