The Pulpit Commentary — 2 Kings — Section 440

xii. 22; 1 Kinge vii. 50; 2 Chron. iv. 8). Mariseiah, of whom we hear a good dee.I in Of these Bolomou mndo onn hundred, all in Jeremiah (see Jer. :ui. 1; xxix. 25-29; gold. And auoh things as were of gold, in xxxvii. 3). And the three keepers of the gold. The "and" supplied by our trans- door; rather, and three keepers of the fotors would be better omitted. The writer threshold. There were twenty-five "gate- meo.ns tbo.t of the articles enumero.tecl some keepers" of the temple (1 Chron. :uvi. 17, were in gold and some in silver, though 18), all of them Levites. On what principle probo.bly the greater part were in bronze. N ebuzar-adan selected three out of the And of silver, in silver, the captain of the twenty-four ie uncertain, since we have no guard took away (comp. Jer. Iii. 19). evidence that the temple had, as Bii.hr says Ver. 16.-The two pillars (eee the comment it had," three main entrances." Jer. :uxviii. on ver. 13), one ■ea-rather, the 011e sea-- 14 certainly does not prove this. and the baaes which Solomon had made for Ver. 19.-And out of the oity he took an the house of the Lord ; the brass of all those officer-literally, a eun,uh-that was set venels was without weight; i.e. the quo.n- over the men of war-eunuchs were often tity of the braes was eo large that it wo.e employed in the East ae commanders of not thought to be worth while to weigh it. solclierd. Bagoas, general of the Persian When gold o.nd silver vessels were carried monarch, Ochus, is a. noted example-and off, their weight was carefully taken by the five men of them that were in the king's royal scribes or secretaries (' Ancient Monar- presenoe--literally, of them that saw the chies,' vol. i. p. 476), who placed it on king's face; i.e. that were habitually about record o.s a. check upon embezzlement or the court; Jeremiah says (Iii. 25) "seven peculation. men" instead of five-which were found in Ver. 17.-The height otthe one pillarwae the city-the majority of the courtiers had, eighteen oubite (comp. 1 Kings vii. 15 and no doubt, dispersed, and were not to be foond ,Ter. lii. 21, in which latter place an even when Nebuze.r-adan searched for them-and more elaborate account of the pillars is the principal soribe of the host; rather, &11 given), and the ohapiter upon it was bra.ss; in the margin, the scribe of the captain of nLther, and there was a chapiter (or capital) the host (-rbv -ypo.JJµ.o.T<a. -rov 6.pxoVTos -r;js upcm it of brass-and the height of the liuv&JJ•01s, LXX.). " Scribes" or "secre- chapiter three cubits. The measure given, taries" always accompanied the march of both in 1 Kings vii. I 6 and J er. Iii. 22, is Assyrian armies, to count e.nd record the "five cubits,'' which is generally regarded number of the slain, to catalogue the spoil, ae correct; but the proportion of 3 to 18, or perhaps to write despatches o..nd the like. one-sixth, is far more suitable for a capital We may gather that Jewish commandants than t!Jat of 5 to 18, or between a third and were similarly attended. Whioh mustered a fourth. And the wreathen work-rather, the people of the land-i.e. enrolled them, and there wa, wreathen work, or network- or entered them upon the army list, another and pomegranates upon the ohapiter round of the" scribe's" duties-and threescore men nbout, all of brass (comp. 1 Kings vii 18, of the people of the land that were found in 19) : and like unto these had the seoond the oity. Probably notables of one kind or pillar with wreathen work. The ornamen- another, persons regarded ae especially 1·e- to.tion of the second pillar was the same as sponsible for the revolt. that of the first (see Jer. Iii. 22). Ver. 20.-And Nebuzar-adan captain of Ver. 18.-And the captain of the guard the guard took these, BJ1d brought them to took Beraiah the ohief priest. The " chief the King of Babylon to Biblah(eee the com- priest" is 11 new expression; but it can only ment on ver. 6). Two batches of prieonerd mee.n the " high priest." Sere.iah seems to seem to have been brought before Nebuchad- have been the grandson of Hilkiah (1 Chron. nezzar at Riblah-firet, the most important vi. 13, 14), and an ancestor (grandfather of all the captives, Zeclekiah and bis sons or greo.t-grandfather) of Ezra (Ezro vii. 1). (ve1·s. 6, 7); then, a month later, Seraiah the lie had stayed e.t his post till the city was high priest, and the other persons enume- taken, e.nd was now seized by Nebuzar-11dan rnted in vers. 18 and 19. The remaining ae one of the most import11nt personnges prisoners were no doubt broogbt also by whom he found in the city. And Zephaniah Nebuzar-adRn to Rible.b, but were not con- the aeoond priest, Keil and Dii.hr tr11n~late ducted into the presence of the king. "a priest of the second order,'' i.e. 11 mere Ver. 21.-And the Xing of Babylon smote orllinary priest; but something wore tbnn them, and slew them at Biblah in the land this must be intended by Jeremiah, w1o of Hamath. Severi ties of this kind o!Ja- 011lle him (Iii. 34), ;,,JlfPLI JiJ:a>, i.e. dis- racterized nll ancient warfare. The As- tinctly "the second priest." It is oo~jec- syrian sculptures show us prisoners of war tnred that he was the high priest's substi- impaled on crosses, beheaded, beaten on the tute, empowered to o.ct for him o_n occasions. head with maces, and sometimes extendt>d Possibly he was the Zephe.niah, son of on the ground and flayed. The inscription.;  THE SECOND BOOK OF Ttrn KINGS. (on. xxv. 1-30.