The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Kings — Section 32

pose, as Canon Rawlinson does (" Speaker's word of promise is spoken of. Of. 1 Kings Com.," vol. ii. p. 489/, that in the words, viii. 26] ms word which Be spa.ke con- " show thyself II man, ' we have a reference cerning me [by the month of Nathan, to Solomon's youth; for words precisely 2 Sam. vii. 12-17 (cf. Psa. lxxxix. 4); or simile.r were addressed to each other by the David may refer to some subsequent pro- Philistines at Aphek (1 Sam. iv. 9). The mise made to him directly. In the promise age of Solomon at his accession is very of 2 Sam. vii. there is no mention of o.ny doubtful. David said, " Solomon my son stipulations, "If thy children," &o. But is young and tender " (1 Chron. :uii. 5 • both here and in Psa. oxxxii. 12, and in xxix. 1); and Solomon says of himself, "i 1 Kings viii. 25, special prominence is am a little child " jb~ "11,7) (1 Kiugs iii. 7). given to the condition (dum se bene Josephus, probably reflecting the tradition gesserint), which no doubt was understood, of his time, fixes his age at fourteen ; if not expressed, when the promise was Eupolemus at twelve. I incline to think first made], saying, If thy children take that the words " young and tender" almost heed to [lit., "keep," se.me word ns in vers. forbid the favourite opinion that he was 2, 3] their way, to walk before me in truth about twenty.] with all their heart and with all their soul Ver. 3.-And keep the charge [lit., there shall not fall thee [lit., " be cut off to "watch the watch" (custodies custodia,n thee,'' as marg. (cf. l Sam ii. 29; Josh. ix. 23). Jehovae), or, "serve the service." Biihr This word does not occur in the original para.phrases, " be a true wat.cher in the promise made through Nathan. But it does sernce of Jehov&.a." I'he words are con- occur in subsequent versions of the promise, 1 Kings viii. 25, ix. 5, as well as here-11, stantly employed to denote a strict per- strong presruaption that the promise must formance of the service of the tabernacle or have been repeated to David in another of the duties of the priests e.nd Levites shape], ea.id he, a man on the throne of Israel (Lev. viii. 35; rnii. 30; Numb. i. 53; iii. 7, 8, 25, 28, 32, 38; mi. 30; 1 Chron. But this thought-that the permanence xxiii. 32, &c. ; also Gen. xxvi. 5). "The of his dynasty depended on the faithful reference," says Rawlinson, "is to the observ11,I1ce of the law as it is written in the charge given to all the kings in Dent. :xvii. 1~20." But there is no necessity book of Moses (i.e., in all its details), seems for restricting it to that one injunction. to have reminded the dying man that he What the charge is is expl.ai.ned presently] himself had not always kept the statutes of the Lord thy God to walk in Bis ways, he was urging his successor to keep. It to keep [same word] Bis statutes, and had been his duty as king, as the power llis commandments, and Bis judgments, and His testimonies [it is impossible to ordained of God, to visit all violations of draw any clear and sharp distinction be- the 111,w of God with their appropriate tween these foar words, as the older ex- penalties; and this duty, in some instances positors do. " The phrase is derived from at least, had been neglected. For the law the Pentateuch" (Wordsworth). The force of Moses, reaffirming the primeval law of the accumulation of practically synony- which formed part of the so-called " precepts mous terms is to represent the law in its entirety (" Die Totalitiit des Gesetzes," of Noah" (Gen. 6)-that ix. blood must be Keil) ; cf. Dent. v. 31, viii. 11, and espe- expiated by blood-enjoined, with singular cially Paa. cxix. J , that thou mayest prosper. emphasis and distinctness, the death of the [The marginal rendering, " do wisely,'' is murderer (Numb. xxxv. 16, 17, 18, 19, preferred by some (Keil, e.g.) ; bnt tLe 30-33; Exod. xxi. 14). It declared that translation of the text has the authority of Gesenius and others on its side, and so long as murder remained unpunished, gives a better meaning. "The context the whole lo.nd was defiled and under a evidently requires 'prosper' here, as in curse (Numb. xxxv. 33). And it gave the Josh. i. 7" (Rawlinson). "That thou king no power to pardon, 110 discretion in mayest . . . do wisely " is a very lame the matter. Until tbo red stain of blood and impotent conclusion to ver. 3. We hnve here an evident reminiscence of Josh. was washed out "by the blood of him that i. 7 ; possibly also of Dent. :u.ix. 9. David shed it" the Divine Justice was not mtis- was unquestionably well versed in the fied, and 11, famine or pestilence or sword Scriptaree of that age, of which every king might smite the lo.nd. Now, David knew was commanded to make a copy. all this : he could not fail to know it, for Ver. 4.-That the Lord may continue [rather, "estalilish" (ut conjirniet), as i.t is he he.d seen his country, 11, few years before, rendered in 2 Sam. vii, 25, where this same visited by a famine bec11,use of tho un- cu. 11. 1-11.) THE FIRST BOOK OF KINGS. 25