The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Kings — Section 220

"e,en the building of altars for idols was that we have no 1·ecord of Jewish children a participation in idolatry, which was irre- passing through the fire to Moleoh before ooncilable with true fidelity to the Lord" the time of Ahaz (Biihr, Keil).] (Keil). Biihr contends that the words" went Ver. 6.-Alld Solomon did evll 1n the after Ashtoreth," &c., no more invoke sight of the Lord [cf. J udg. ii. 11 ; iii. 7, personal se.niee than the word "built'' in ver. 7 invol'<"es pernonal labour; but both &c.), and went not f1ll1y ~?.t.;> ~?, sc. n:~h~ expressions sliow that he regar.led these A pregnant expression found e.lso Num. idolatries not only without disfavour, but xiv. 24; xxxii. 11, 12; Dent. i. 36) after with l'ositive approval and practical eu- the Lord, as did David his father. coumgemcnt. "It is not likely he could be so Ver. 7.-Then did Solomon build an high insensate as to adore such deities, but so far place [see on eh. iii. 2] for Chemosh, the was the uxorious king blinded with affection, abom!natio11 of Moab [The meaning of that he gave not passage only to the idolatry •' Chemosh '' is uncertain. Gesenius su "gests of his heathenish wives, but furtherance " "Vanquisher"-Chemosh was the g"od of (Bp. Hall). And the distinction, so far as war. The mention of Ashtar-Chemosh on the the sin is concerned, between this and actual :ri:i:oabite stone "~~nnects the Moo.bite religion idolatry is a fine one. It is not implied, with the Phcau1c1au," where Ashta.r is the howe'<"er, that Solomon ever discarded the masculine form of Asta.rte, and euagests worship of Jehovah. To the end of his reign that "Chemosh wa.e connected with the an- he would seem to have offered his solemn drogynous deities of Phrenicia." (Speaker's sacrifices on the great altar thrice a year. ~omm. on Nnm. xxi. 29). It is probable, Ent his heart was elsewhere (ver. 9).) m fact, that Cbemosh, Ba.al, Ashtoreth Ash~oreth the geddess of the Zidonia.ns :Molech, &c., were originally so many name~ [rq_i'lfl,', 'AtrrapTTJ, probably connected with o~ the one SUJ?reme God, worshipped under different attnbutes, and with various rites at1TTJP, stella, and star, by some identified in difierent countries], 1n the bill that 1s with the planet Venus, by others with before Jerusalem [see 2 Kings xxiii. 13. the moon, is here mentioned for the first The hill is of course the mount of Olives. time in the singular (Ashtaroth, plural, is The altar would seem to have stood on the found in Gen. xiv. 5; Judg. ii. 13; L 6; 1 south peak, which is now known, as it has Sam. vii. 4; xii. 10, &c.) With Baal, she been for centuries past, as the Mons Scandali, divided the worship of the Phrenicianc, the or the Mons Ojfensionis (the Vulg. rendering antiquity of which is evident from Geu. xiv. of 2 Kings l.c.) See Robinson, i. 565,566], 5; Nnm. xrii 41. It was really an impure and for Molech, the abomination of the cultns of the reprodnctive powers (see be. cblldren of Ammon. [Ewald sees in these low on xiv. 23). Interesting proof of the e.lLars e. wise religious tolerance (" Hist. existence of a temple of this goddess at Israel," iii. pp. 297, 298).] Bidon is snpplied by an inscription dis- Ver. 8.-Alld lll!:ewlse did he for all co-.,ered there in 1855 (see Diet. Bib. i. 123)], [having done it for one, he must needs do 8.lld after Milcom [In J er. xlix. 13 ; Amos it for all. "No hill about Jerusalem was 1.15, "Malcam," i.e., their king. According to free from a chapel of devils " (Hall)] his Gesenius, the same as Malech (i.e., the king) strange wives, which burnt [Heb. buming, in ver. 7, though Ewa.Id, Movers, Keil regard Ewa.Id, 335 a] incense and sacrifl.cad unto them as difierent deities. But it seems their gods. [Observe, as bearing on the more probable that it was the same deity, question of Solomon's apostasy, that Solo- worshipped (2 Kings xxiii. 10, 13) under dif- mon built the altars ; his wives sacrificed, ferent attributes. This is " the first direct &c. According to Keil, incense is here men- historical allusion" to his worship in the tioned before sacrifice, because vegetable Old Testament. A warning against H is took precedence of animal offerings in the found Levit. :u. 2-5. He was the fire-god, nature-~or~~ip of Western Asie, (Biihr, as Ba.al was the sun-god, and the sacrifices Symbolik, u. pp. 237 sqq.) Dut it is very offered to him were those of children, who doubtful whether this idee, wa.e in the mind would seem to have not only "passed of the writer.] through the fire," but to have been burnt therein. Pea. cvi 37, 38; Jer. vii. 31; xix. 5; Ver. 9.-Alld the Lord was angry with Ezek. xxiii. 39, &e. See Diet. Bib. ii. 403] Solomon, because h1B heart was turned the abom1Ila.t1on [i.e., the hateful, detest- from the Lord God of Israel, which had e.ble idol] of the Ammonites. [It has been appeared unto him twice. [of. iii. 5 and suggested (Speaker's Commentary on Levit. ix. 2. The anger arose partly from tho ex- n. 2) that the children offered to :Molech ceptional favours which had been shown to were ch~ldren of incest or adultery, and we him; cl. Amoe iii. 2 ; Luke x. 12-lli.J are reminded that Ammon was the child of Ver. 10.-And had commanded him co11- inceBt, It mast be remembered. however, cern1lli tilts tlllng [eh. ii1. 6] that he Oll. X.I. 1-13.] TIIE FIRST BOOK OF KINGS. 223