The Pulpit Commentary — 2 Kings — Section 410

aft.er bis arrival. And brought him to 1eru- c,omp. Josephus, 'Ant. Jud ..' x. tl. § 2). Je- nlem, imd buried him in hia own aepulohre hoahaz obeyed the summons; and Neohob, (comp. eh. xxi. 18 and 26). The writer of having obta.ined possession of his person, Chronicles says, " in the sepulchre of hie fathers," apparently meaning the burial- "put him in bands,'' aud oarried him off to plaoo in which were interred the bodies Egypt, where he diod (ver. 34; comp. Jer. of MRn&eeeh and Amon. We learn from xxii. 10-12; Josephus, l. 8, a.). Chronicles that a grea.t lamentation was made for Josiah, the only King of Judah Ver. 81.--J'ehoe.hu was twenty ana three slain in battle, the last good king of David's years old when he began to reign. He was, line. the pious prince whose piety had uot therefore, younger than his brother Eliakim, . sufficed to avert the anger of J chovah. who, three months later, was •• twenty-five Jeremia.h "lamented for him" (2 Chron. years old" (ver. 86). His original name xi.:1,;•,. 25), perhaps in a set composition (Jo- seems to have been "Shallum," as above sephus,' Ant. Jnd.,' x. 5. § 1); though that noticed (see the comment on ver. 80). composition is certainly not either the Book Probably be changed it to "Jehoahaz" of Lamenta.tions or the fourth chapter of (" Possession of Jehovah") on his accession, that book. He was further mourned by And ho reigned three months in J'eruse.lem- "all the singing men and the singing three months and ten days, according to women" (2 Cbron., L &. c.), who "spake of Josephus - and his mother's name was him in their lamenta.tions,'' and "made He.mute.I, the daughter of J'eremie.h of them an ordinance in Israel," and entered Libnah. The father of Hamutal was not, these "la.mentations," apparently in a. book, therefore, Jeremiah the prophet, who was which we.a called 'The Book of Le.men- a native of Ane.thoth (see Jer. i. 1), t&tions,' or 'of Dirges.' And the people Ver. 82.-And he did that which was evil of the land took 1 ehoahu: the son of 1 osiah. in the sight of the Lord (see the comment Jehoahaz w&e otherwise na.med "Sha.llnm" on vers. 31-33). Josephus says that he (1 Chron. iii 15; Jer. xxii. 11). On what was lur,{3~s 1<cxl µ.11:pbs -rclv -rplnrov (l. 8. o.)- grounds the people preferred him to his " irreligious and of impure habits." Ezekiel elder brother, Eliakim, we do not know. (m. 3) seems to call him a persecutor. Perhaps Eliakim had aocompa.nied his Aooording to ell that his fathers had done. fa.ther to Megiddo, and been ma.de prisoner As idole.try was the chief sin of his by Nechoh in the ba.ttle. And anointed him "fathers," Jehoahaz must have been an (see the comment on l Kings i. M, and idolater. mpra, eh. xi. 12), and made him king in hia Ver. 33.-And Phe.re.oh-lfeohoh put him father's stead. in bands at Rlblsh. "Riblah," which reta.ins its name, was situe.ted in the Cwle- Vers. 31-33.-S:e:OBT REIGN OF JERO.UUZ. Syrian plo.in, on the right bnnk of the Pha.ro.oh-Nechoh, having defeated Josiah, Orontes, in lat. 3-1° 23' N. nearly. It com- left J e?UJ1&lem and J udma behind him, while manded a ford over the river (Conder, he pressed forward on his original enter- ' Heth and Moab,' p. 17), and is in the midst of a rich, corn-producing country. prise (see ver. 29) into Northern Syria and Hamatb, to which it was regarded as belong- the district about Carchemish, or the tract ing, is situated more than fifty miles further north-east of Aleppo. It was three months down the river. Rible.h was well placed before he had completed his conquests in as e. centre for communication with the these quarters, and, having arranged matters neighbouring countries. As Dr. Robinson says (' Researches,' vol. iii. p. 545), " From to his satisfaction, set out on his return to this point the roads were open by Aleppo Egypt. During these three months Jehoa.- and the Euphrates to Nineveh, or by Pal- hs.z bore rule a.t Jerusalem (ver. 31), and myra (Te.dmor) to Babylon, by the end of "did evil in the sight of the Lord" (ver. 32). Lebanon and the coast to Palestine ( Philistia) Ezekiel compares him t.o "a young lion," and Egypt, or through the Buka'a and the Jordan valley to the centre of the Holy which "l68med to catch the prey, and Land." Nebuchadnezzar followed the ex- devoured men" (m. 3). It may be sus- ample of N echob in me.king Ribliili bis head- pected that he re-established the idola- quarters during his sieges of Tyre and Jeru• tries which Josiah had put down; but this se.lem (see eh. xxv. 21 ; Jer. xxxix. 5: Iii. is uncerta.in. Pharaoh-N echoh, on his return 9, 10, 26, 27). In the land of He.me.th. 'l'he "land of He.ma.th" was the upper part from Carchemish, learuing what the Jews of the Cwle-Syrio.n valley from ubout le.t. Lad done, sent envoys to Jerusalem, and 34° to le.t. 3j0 30' N. That he might not 1ummoned Jehoa.hs.z to his presence a.t reign in 1eruse.lem. N echoh might naturally :Bible.h, in the territory of Hama.th (ver. 33; distrust the people's choioe. He might u.lso ou, xxm. 1-37,] THE SECOND BOOK OF THE KINGS. 461