stand for respectively, they here substan- diviclecl his own hosts. He took the flower tially mean the same. It is possible that of all, under his own command, to face the the difference is that of a corrupt text or Syrians in the field, who were the most for- careless copying. The Arom-naharaim midable of the enemy. The rest he put (Mesopotamia), which comes before us first under his brother Abishai, to face thA in Gen. x.xiv. 10, pBBses out of Scripture Ammonites at the gate, i.e. of the city language after the defeats of this chapter- Medeba. The plan succeeded, for if the tre.ct of country which it designated Abishai had only done as much as hold (some seven hundred miles by twenty to back the Ammonites a.while, so soon as they two hundred and fifty) being absorbed, first se.w the Syrians break and flee they knew by Aasyrie., and afterwards by Babylon. the.t Joab e.nd hls army would be free to The AssyTian Inscriptions revee.l the foot "help" Abi~he.i. that Mesopotamia. WBB the prey of e. le.rge Ver. 15.-Then J'oab came to J'eruse.lem. number of small eepare.te tribee e.t the This is equivalent to saying that, for what period of the judges and the ee.rly Jewish he deemed sufficient reasons, Joab did not monarchy, which is quite consistent with stay to besiege the Ammonites in the city, the glimpses we here get of it e.nd its within the we.lie of which they had taken people. Aram-mae.oha.h probably desig- refuge, nor to pursue the Syrians. Hence ns.tee the tract of country north of East we find these latter soon me.de bold to rally Manasseh, bordering on Palestine, and and to get additional aid. bounded by the Jorde.n, Mount Hermon, Ver. 16.-:Bsyond the river; i.e. the river and on its eBSt, Salce.h. Zoba.h (see eh. Euphrates. Shophaoh. In the parallel xvili. 3, note; 1 Sam. xiv. 47). The parallel pie.ea spelt Shobach. Of him nothing else pie.ea a<lds also " the men of Ishtob." is known except his death, as recorded in Ver. 7.-Tbirty and two thousandohariots. ver. lB and in 2 Sl\m. x. 18. The reading in the parallel place is evidently Ver. 17.-Came upon them. The reading what is intended (comp. eh. xviii. 4 with of the parallel passage is probably correct, its parallel, 2 Se.m. viii. 4). Clearly a stop i.e. they "ea.me to Helam," inC1smuch Cls should follow the numeral, which designates the ple.oe is repeated, both in ver. 16 e.ncl the number of the men under arms. ver. 17. Nothing else, however, is knowu Medeba. Some four miles south-east of of Hele.m. 'fhe Septuagint he.a Ai>..d.µ.. Heshbon (Numb. xxi. 30; Josh. xiii. 9, 16; Ver. 18.-Seven tho11Sand men which Isa.. xv. 2), or others give it as nine miles. fought in ohariots. The parallel pC1ssago It is not given in Samuel. has "the men of seven h· T1dred chariots." Ver. 9.-The kings. Compare this and There could not be ten figl ting men to a. ver. 19 with ver. 19 of the parallel olmpter, chariot. The reading of Samuel is moro and also with ver. 8 (2 Sam. x. 19, 8). likoly to be correot than our present Ver. 10.-The meaning in brief of this reading. Forty thousand footmen. Tho terse is that, as Joab found there wero parallel place shows " horsemen." practically two enemies, and two armies to Ver. 19.-:Beoame his se"anta; i.e. his foce, ho avoided the mistake of being shut tributaries and vassals. up between them more than necessary, and
HOMILETICS. Vere. 1-19.-The ill wOTk of suspiciousness. Even when the history and tho biography which we come across in Scripture are of a repulsive character, we manifestly h(lve no room to blame the historians, who certainly did not make that history nor invent their biographies, but who did faithfully record in both the manifestation~ of human nature. On the other hand, we have much for which to be thankful in the comparison of Scripture history and biography with other. Human hearts, human life, make history; and according as these are willingly or unwillingly beneath the strong overruling control of Divino providonce do they make history that gladdens the heart to read, or that makes ashamed. Ilut for instructiveness much will depend on the selection and the disposition of the material of history. And Scripture follows, we doubt not, a perfect rule and wisest guidance in these respects. 'l'he sensational is not its guiding principle; certainly the prurient is not; nor that which would affect or even heartily " strive to wind" it " ... too high For mortal man beneath the sky." It court11 not extremes for extremes' sake, nor gives prominence to the more unusual 310 THE FIRST BOOK OF THE CHRONICLES. [on, xrx. 1-19.