The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Chronicles — Section 355

Bidonians, gave it me when his pal!LCB also had been divinely given (2 Se.m. xii. sheltered me on my return thither;" 24, 25). 'Odyssey,' xv. 424, "I boa.et to come from Ver. 10.-The. sub!ta.nce of this verse is Bidon, fe.med for its skill in the working of found also in Nathan's language ( eh. xvii. brass." Similar references me.y be found in 12, 13; 2 Sam. vii. 13, 14). Herodotus (vii. 44, 96) e.nd Strabo (xvi. 2, Ver. 12.-The father's prayer for the son, § 23. See e.lso • Speaker's Commentary,' and in his hearing, will have often recurred under 1 Kings v. 6). to the memory of Solomon, and may have Ver. 5.-Solomon . , . is young and been the germ of the son's own prayer, which tender. It is impossible to fix the exe.ct age "pleased the Lord" (1 Kings iii. 5--14; of Solomon e.s marked by these words. In 2 Chron. i. 7-12). , e. "fragment" of Eupolemus (see Cory's Ver. 13.-The references to olden time, 'Ancient Fragments of the Phcenicia.n, etc., and the pointed reference to Moses, must bo Writers,' edit. London, 1832) he is put down regarded e.s emphatic. In eh. xxviii. 20 we at twelve years of e.ge. Josephus (' Ant. find the additional words, "and do it," Jud.,' viii. 7, § 8)as vaguely supposes he was inserted e.fter the animated e.nd intensely fourteen a.t the time that he took the throne. earnest exhort.ation, Be strong, and of good He was the second son of Bathsheba., and oonrage. This inspiriting summons was no can scarcely have exceeded the last-men- new one. It was probably already hallowed tioned age by more than three or fonr years in the name of religious language, and (yet comp. 1 Kings ii. 2; iii. 1, 7). Thie would he often quoted (Deut. iv. 1; :uxi. same la.ngue.ge, "young and tender,'' is 5-8; Josh. i. 5-9). repeated in eh. :uix. 1. The reign of Ver. 14.-Now, behold, in my trouble. Solomon lasted forty years (1 Kings xi. 42; The Septuagint, Vulga.te,and Luther's trans- 2 Chron. ix. 30). He is co.lied old (1 Kings lation adopt here our marginal reading, xi. 4) when his strange wives "turned "poverty." Keil, Berthea.u, and others a.way hie bee.rt after other gods." We are translate, with much greater probability, not told his age at the time of his death. " by severe effort," which translation may There are, in fa.et, no sufficient data for be fortified, not only by such references as fixing to the year, or indeed within the Gen. xx.xi. 43 and Pll. oxx.xii. 1 (where the liberal margin of several years, the e.ge now so.me root is found in Pue.l infinitive), but designoted as young and tender. by the expression evidently answering to Ver. 7.-(Comp. eh. :uii. 1, 2; 2 Be.m. the present one in eh. xxix. 2 (,ni:i-",~::i), vii. 2, 3.) For my son, the Chethiv shows "with 1111 my strength." Moreover, De.vid "his son," the Keri substituting "my." could not with correctness speak of poverty Ver. 8.-Beoa118e thou hast shed muoh as oharo.ctcrizing his condition during the blood. 'fhis is repeated very distinctly time tho.t he had been collecting for the below (oh. xxvili. 3), and appears there object of his heart's desire. And scarcely ogain as acknowledged by the lip of David with auy greater correctness could he speak himself. It seems remarkable that no of the necessary anxieties and respousi- previous statement of this objection, bilities of his roye.l office as at all spcoiolly nor even allusion to it, is found. Further, marking this period. A hundred thousand there seems no very opportune ple.oe for it talents of gold, and a thousand tho1181LDd in either our oh. xvii. 1-15 or in 2 Sam. talents of silver. Our sense of disst,tis- vii. 1-17. Yet, if it seem imposeible to fo.ction in being able neither heartily to rosist the impression that it must have accept nor conclusively to reject this state- found expression on the occasion referred ment of the quo.nlities of gold and silver to in those two passages, we may fit it in prepared by David, mo.y be lessened in somo best between vers. 10 e.nd 11 of the former degree by the statement found in ver. 16, roferenoo, and between vers. 11 and 12 of that "of tho gold, the ail vcr, and the brass, the latter. So far, however, as onr Hebrew and tho iron, there is no number."' l\lilruan, text goes, this is the fifllt place in whioh the in his 'History of the Jews' (i. 2li6, 267, statement is ma.do. edit. 1830), says upon the general subject of Ver. 9.-Shall be bom. This is not the this verae, "But enormous a.a this wealth necessary translation of the verb. The (i.e. that of Solomon) appears, the statement form ,',;3 does not express here future time. of his expenditure on the temple, and of his Solomon was a.lreatly born when the word annual revenue, so passes all credibility, of the Lord came to D1,vid. On tho other that o.ny attempt at forming o. co.lculation, hand we may supposo special emphasis to on the uncertain do.ta we posses., 1uuy ,,t belon'g to the clause, Hi.a name eha.11 be once be e.bancloned as e. hopeless task. No Solomon. The name designates the me.n better proof can be given of tl10 uncertainty of peace, o.nd the clause is an o.nnoun_cement, of our authorities, of our imperfect know- probably intended to throw further rnto the ledge of the Hebrew weights of money, o.nd, ,ho.de the alternative name Jedidiah, which above all, of our total iguomnee of the 350 THE FIRST BOOK OF '!'HE CHRONICLES. [ea. xxn.1-19.