The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Kings — Section 159

stretched out arm ;) when he shall come Hebrew nation. It has hence been too and pray toward this house. readily inferred that this portion of the Ver. 43.-Bear thou 1n heaven thy dwell- Ing place, and do according to all that the prayer, at lee.et, if not the preceding peti- stranger calleth to thee for: that all people tion also, has been interpolated oy a rost- of the earth may lmow thy name [It is captivity writer. But there is really D'l interesting to notice this foreshadowing of solid reason for doubting its genuineness. tho inclusion of the Gentiles in the one Not only is it the seventh petition (see on fold. The same thought is found in some ver. 31), but the captivity of Israel had of the Psalms o.nd in Isaiah, e.s St. Panl witnesses (Rom. xv. 9 sqq.) Cf. Paa. xxii, been denounced as the punishment of per- 27; lxxii. 11 ; lmvi. 9 ; xcviii. 3 ; cii. 15 ; sistent disobedience long before by Mose~ cxvii. 1 ; Ise.. xlix. 6 ; lii. 10] to fear thee, and in the chapters to which such constan~ as do thy people Israel ; and that they may reference is made (Lcvit. xxvi. 33, 44; lmow that this house, which I have builded, Dent. xxviii. 25, 36, 64; cf. iv. 27)-a fact ls called by thy name. [Heb. that thy name is called (or, has been called, ~~i?t which is in itself an indirect proof of LXX. hrn,;tcA7Jra,) upon this house, i.e., tlie.t genuineness, as showing that this petition God bas taken this house for His habita- is of a. piece with the rest of the prayer. tion: tbe.t He 'dwells there, works, hears, And when to this we add that the carrying answers there. SIL!lle expression, Jer. vii. of a conquered and refractory race into cap- 10, 11, 14 ; xxv. 29; Dent. xxviii 10 ; Ise.. tivity was an established custom of the iv. 1. In Nu.m. vi. 27 we be.ve, "they she.11 put my ne.me upon the children of Ee.et, we shall be inclined to e.grce with Israel." In Dent. xii. 5, and xvi. 6 (cf. Bahr, that "it wonld have been more re- 1 Kings xi. 36), we ree.d of the place God markable ii Solomon he.d not mentioned it." has '' chosen to put his no.me there." Ver. 46.-If they sin against thee (for So far the royal suppliant has spoken of there 1s no man that sinneth not), and thou prayers offered in or at the temple. He be angry with them, and deliver them to now mentions two oases where supplications the enemy [Heb. give them before an enemy] , will be offered by penitents fe.r distant from so that they carry them away captives unto the land or the enemy, far or near ; the holy city or even from the Holy Land, And first, he spee.ks of the armies of Israel Ver. 47. - Yet if they shall bethink themselves [Hob. o.s marg., bring back to on e. CIL!llpaign. their heart. SIL!lle phrase, Deut. iv. 3!) ; Ver. 44.-If thy people go out to battle xxx. 1. The latter passage, it should be against their enemy, whithereoever [Heb, noticed, treats of the captivity, so that in the way which] thou shalt send them Solomon, consciously or unconsciously, em- [These words clearly imply tbe.t the war, ploys some of the very words used by whether defensive or offensive (i.e., for the Moses in contemplating this contingency. chastisement of other nations), is one which These repeated coincidences lea.d to the had Go,l's sanction, and indeed was waged belief that the prayer we.s based upon and by His appointment] , and shall pray unto compiled from the Penta.tench] 1n the land the Lord toward [Heb. in the way of. Same whither they were carried captives, and expression ns above. The repetition is sig- repent, and make supplication unto thee nificant. "They he.ve gone in God's way. 1n the land of them that carried them cap- They may therefore look the we.y of God's tives, saying, We have sinned, and have house for help." Executing God's commis- done perversely, we have committed wicked- sion, they might justly expect His blessing) ness. [This vorse is full of paroncnnasia, the city which thou hast chosen, and toward i:l'~:"1, lJi::'J, lJ~, &o. Wo1·ds almost t!J.e house that I have built for thy name. identical with this confession Wbre used Ver. 45.-Then hear thou in heaven their (Dan. ix. 6; Pso.. cvi. 6) by tl:e Je~vs ~ prayer and their supplication, and main- their captivity at Be.bylon, from which 1t tain their cause. [Heb. do their judgments, he.a been concluded tho.t this part of the i,e., secure them justice, defend the right. prayer must belong to the time of the cap- B=e words, Dent. x. 19; cf. Psa. ix. 6, Heb.J tivity. But surely it is, to say the least, The le.st petition-the second of those just as likely that the Jews, when the cap- which speak of prayers ,uldressed townrds tivity of which Solomon spoke befel them, borrowed the phrase in which their greo.t the temple, or the Holy Presence whioh king by o.nticipation expressed their peni- dwelt there, from a foreign lo.nd-contem- tence. Seeing in the captivity 11, fulfilment pl.ii,tes as possible the ee.ptivity of the of his prediction, they would n11tl1re.lly see  138 THE FIRST BOOK vF KINGS. [ CH. VUI. 1-68.