The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Chronicles — Section 301

that he put to death two parts of them, and satisfactory. '1 'he wealth of Zobah is, of kept the third part a.live. The reason of course, illustrato,l by these shields of gold. this <leliberate aud severe punishment i.s not Ver. 8.-Tibhath, and . . . Chun. 'fhese stated. Once David and the Moabites had names replace Betah. and Berothai in the been on very different terms (1 Sam. xxii. parallel place, in the former case with pos- 3, 4 ; but see also Ps. Ix. 8). sibility of orthographic explanation, but not Ver. 3. - Hadarezer ; in the parallel in the latter. The purpose for which David places, Hadad,ezer; though our present form was glad to take their brass is not mentioned is found both in Samuel (e.g. 2 Sam. x. 16) in Samuel, but only here. The brazen see., and in other places in Chronicles, yet in all and the pillars, and the vessels of brass (see these places some manuscripts show Hada- 1 Kings vii. 14-47; 2 Chron. iv. 1-18). dezer (see Gesenius, • Lexicon,' sub voce). In this latter place these subjects will be Zobah. Pa.rt of Syria, east of Hamath, e.nd found treated more fully. This so-called for the most part of CClllo-Syria, north of "brazen sea" (nwn~r, c~-1:!N) took the place in Damascus, and stretching in the direction Solomon's temple of tlie earlier brazen laver of the Euphrates. Possibly it is one with (n~n~ -ii•:;,) of the Mosaic ritual (Exod. Ptolemy's Za.ke (I Sam. xiv. 47; 2 Sam. xxx. ·17-21; Lev. viii. 10, 11; 1 Kings ,·iii. 3-10; x. 9; 1 Kings xi. 23-25). vii. 38). It is now called a sea, because of Hamath. In the valley of the Orontes, the its large size. The use of the original !aver northern boundary of the Holy Land. It is is plainly told, for the priests to wash at it traceable from the time of the Exodus (Gen. their liands and feet before offering sacri- x. 18; Numb. xiii. 21; xxxiv. 8) to that of fices. It stoo<l in the court of the taber- the Prophet Amos (Amos vi. 12). Though in nacle, between the altar and the door. The Zobah, it is probably not the Hamath-Zobah ten Javers of Solomon's temple were used of 2 Sam. viii. 3. To stablish his dominion. for washing the sacrificial victims them- In the parallel place, " to restore," i.e., no selves (2 Chron. iv. 6). The brazen seu doubt, to endeavour to do so, and that (which was rather of copper than brass, how- against the gi-owing force of De.vid. He ever) rested upon twelve standing oxen, had already suffered at the hand of Saul three turning their fo.ces to each quarter of (l Sam. xiv. 47, 48). the heavens. Its height was five cubits, its Ver. 4.-The parallel place (2 Sam. viii. diameter ten cubits, the thickness of itH 4) omits, probably by error merely, the word metal a handbreadth, and its capacity " chariots," and reads for onr seven thousand, variously given at two thousand baths (1 "seven hundred." As the form of expres- Kings vii. 26) or three thousand (2 Chron. sion in the last two clauses of our present iv. 5). It was removed from its supports of verse is the same in both ceses, it is more oxen by Ahaz (2 Kings xvi. 17), and placed natural to render, David honghed all the on a pedestal of stone. And it was eventu- oha.riot horses, but reserved a hUI1dred, i.e. ally destroyed by the Assyrians (2 Kings a hundred horses unhougbed; be houghed xxv. 13). And the pillars. (For these all but a h=dred. Our Authorized Version, pillars of the porch, named Jachin and in the parallel, gets over the difficulty by Boaz, see 1 Kings vii. 15-22; 2 Chron. iii. inserting "for," i.e. enough for, "a hundred 15-17.) And thB 'IJCBsels of ln·ass. (For chariots." these, see I Kings vii. 40-51; 2 Ohren. iv. Ver. 5.-The Hebrew text of Damascus, 16-18.) here ne:i:t verse and also 2 Chron. xxvili. 5, Ver. 9.-Tou. In the parallel place, spelt spells the wora' with a resh, O°;!itting ~he Toi. Nothing else is known of this King of dagesh forte in the mem fo~owrn~, w,h1ch Hamath, who now proffers his congratulations Ge;enius instances (see his Le:ucon ) as to David. the Syriac orthography. Ver. 10.-Hadoram. In the parallel plctco Ver. 6.-The word "garrisons" appears written Joram. The Septuagint has the in tile text in the parallel place, and would name spelt with d in both places, which be justly supplied in our Hebrew text here. hns led to the suggestion that possibly the Ver. 7.-Theshields; Hebrew C?rd,· Much real name was Jedorum. Josephus suggests doubt has been entertained as to the mean- that Tau had been brought into subjection ing of this wo:d· It~ ety~ology is un- by Hadadezer, and wished by liis present certain. Gesemus derives 1t from a root con[!'l'atulations and valuable gifts to in- si.,nifying "hardness." For the most part, gratiate himself with David for u purpose. hiwever the context of the seven places of Had war; literally, WaB a man of war; i.e. its occu;rence which he instances (2 !-am. he had shown his addictedness to war, or viii. 7; 2 Kings xi. 10; eh. xviii. 7; 2 Chron. bud warred abundantly with Ton. It is xx.iii. 9 • Cant. iv. 4; Jer. Ii. 11 ; Ezek. eviJent that Tou had generally fored the xxvii. 1i) favour the rendering "i,hi~lJs,'' worst in their encounters. though the quotation f:om Je~. h. 11 Ver. 11.-From Edom. This is probably (literally, "fill ye the shields") 18 not so tho correct reading, and not, aa in the para!- OH.xvm, 1-17.] THE FIRST BOOK OF THE CHRONICLES. 299