statutes which I [LXX. MwMij!; ; Qui Jacit Micah iii. 12; Jer. xxvi. 18; Pea. h:xix. 1; per alimn, &c.] have set before you, but but it is hardly right to resort to conjectures, go and serve other gods and worship unsupported by a single version or MS., so them [Exo,;I.. xx. 5 ; Deut. v. 9 ; xiii. 2]: long as e.ny sufficient mea.n.i.ng can be ex- Ver. 7.-Then 'Will I cut off' Israel out of tracted from the words as they stand, and the land which I have given them [Cf. no one can deny that " high " may surely Deut. iv. 26, 27; and for the fulfilment see signify " conspicuous," Cf. Matt. xi. 23] , 2 Kings :i.xv. 11, 21 ;] and this house which every one that pe.sseth by tt shall be I have haJlowed for my name (Jer. vii. 14] astonished. [ Cl!,;,~ primarily means to be wlll I cast out of my sight (same e:i.pres- sion, 2 Kings =iv. 20]; and Israel shall be a dumb with astonishment, Gesen., Thea. iii. proverb and a byword among all people p. 1435) and shall hiss O,J~, like" hies," [tl:e exact words of Deut. xxviii. 37. Similar words in Isa. xiv. 4; Micah vi 16. Much is an onoma.topoetio word. It does nol the same punishment is denounced in Levit. denote the hissing of terror (Bahr) but of :v::'l"i. 14-38, and Deut. iv. 45, 63]: derision; cf. J er. xix. 8; xlix. 17 ; Job x.xvii. Ver. 8.-And at this house, which 1s high 23; Lam. ii.16, 16. Rawlinson aptly remarks, [Heb. And this }wu,se shall be high, illil' as bearing on the aut"orship of the Kings, that this is a familiar word in Jeremiah (see ji•~V.- Oil!" translators were probably ~: eh. xviii. 16 ; xxv. 9; xxix. 18 ; 1. 13; Ii tlnru:iced by 2 Chron. vii. 21, the text of 37, in addition to the passages cited above), and that the other prophets rarely use it. which il! ji'?? D'i;I ,~~ which wonld seem The fact that much of this charge is in to be an emendation, designed to clear op Jeremia.h's style, confirms the view ta.ken the difficulty rather than an accidental vari- above (note on ver. 4), that the ipsissima ation of the text. But here the literal i•erba of the dream a.re not preserved to ns. rendering is probably the truer, the meaning The author indeed could hardly do moro being " this house shall be conspicuous, as than preserve its leading ideas, which he an example "-so the Vnlg. domus haec erit would naturally present in his own dress]; in exemplum. The LXX. accords with the and they shaJl say, Why hath the Lord Hebrew text, o ou:o~ ovroi: forai o v,/,71Mr;, done thus unto this land and to this house? bnt the Syriac and Arabic read, " this [Similar words Deut. :v::ix. 24, 26; Jer. house shall be destroyed." Keil sees in the x.xi.i. 8.J words an allusion implicite to Deut. xxvi. 19, Ver. 9.-And they shall answer, Because and =viii. 1, where God promises to make they forsook the Lord their God who Israel ji•~.!,1, and says" the blessing will be brought forth their fathers out of the land turned into a curse." The temple should of Egypt [Based on Deut. xxix. 25. Solomon indeed be "high," should be what Israel in his prayer referred repeatedly to this would have been, but it shall be as a great deliverance, vers. 16, 21, 51, 53], and warning, &c. ; but this connexion is some- have taken hold upon other gods and have what far-fetched and artificial. Thenins worshipped them and served them ; there- fore hath the Lord brought upon them all wonld read for ji'?i, 0'~ "mine," after this evil,
HOMILETICS. Vers. 1-9.-The Second Appearance to Solomon. "Behol<l the goodness and severity of God" (Rom. xi. 22) .. To Solomon goodness, to Israel severity. I. The GOODNESS OF GoD is manifested- !. In revealing Himself to Solomon. The greatest favour God can show us is to show us Himself; the greatest gift is to give us Himself. "Give what Thon wilt, without Thee I am poor, And with Thee rich, take what Thou wilt a.way." "I will love Lim and will manifest myself unto him" (John xiv. 21). " I ~ come in to him and sup with him" (Rev. iii. 20). "We will ma.ke our abQile with him" (John xiv. 23). There are no richer promises than these. Well may we exclaim, "O altitudo I" (Rom. xi. 83.) "0 why should heavenly God to men have such regard I " Yes, the ricllea, honour, glory, &c., given to Solomon were of sm~ll ac~ouni compared wHh the good thoughts and high aspirations bestowed upon him. Riches 01!, tx. 1-9.] ~lIE FiRS'r BOOK OF KINGS. 187