The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Kings — Section 232

of Rezon, either in the confusion of the de- zenith] , an Ephrathite [i.e., Epbraimite ; feo.t, or in some subsequent time of o.narchy, of. Judg. xii. 5; 1 Sam. i. 1. Ephraim took possession of Do.mo.scus, o.nd he, it was the ancient rival of Judah, o.nd by would seem, usurped the crown. The word reaaon of its numbers, position, &c., might "reigned," however (pluro.l), is eomewho.t well a.spire to the headship of the tribes r3mo.rkiLble. It mo.y perho.pe be o.ccounted (Gen. xlix. 26; xlviii. 19; Deut. xxxiii. 17; for by the pluro.le which precede it. The Josh. xvii. 17)] of Zereda. [Mentioned here insertion of one "yod" (1:l'?t:) 1, for ,:i';,r., 11) only, unless it is identical with Zeredathah gives the sense" they made him king," which (2 Chron. iv. 17) or Zartho.n (Josh. iii. 16; would certo.inly be preferable, if the emen- 1 Kings iv. 12) in the Jordan valley. do.tion were not purely conjecturo.l. That this place we.a apparently situate in the tribe of Manasseh, is no argument Ver. 25.-And he was an adversary to against the identification (Bahr), for an Israel all the days of Solomon [We a.re not Ephre.thite might surely be born out of compelled, however, to believe the.t his Ephraim. It is, however, observable that reign lasted " e.11 the de.ye of Solomon." Zeredo. has the definite e.nicle (similarly This lo.st expression is to be to.ken with con- ;, l:ap,ip,r in the LXX., but this ple.ce is lo- sidero.ble latitude. It is e.n Oriento.lism. cated in Mount Ephraim), which Zarthe.n At the time of eh. v. 4, neither He.dad nor &c., ho.ve not. Hence it is probably the same Razon we.a giving Solomon e.ny trouble], as the Zererath of Judg. vii. 22. In fact, beside tile mischief which Bo.dad did [Heh. some MSS. read i1?J1 there insteo.d of i1)'W omits did. The construction of the Hebrew (see Ewo.ld, 277d (2), 292b, note) is difficult. and 1 and 1 o.re not only etymologico.lly Litero.lly, "o.nd with the evil which Ho.dad," intercho.ngeo.ble, but are also extremely &c. (comp. ver. 1 of this cho.pter, "o.nd with lie.hie to be confused (see a.hove on ver. 14)], the daughter," &o., with Exod. i. 14, Heb.) Solomon's servant [i.e., officer; cf. ver. 28] , The LXX. rnconstructs the text, ma.king whose mother's name was Zerua.h [i.e., the following words, "o.nd he abhorred," lep1011,S, His mother's no.me is recorded, &o., o.pply to Ho.dad; e.nd altering Syria probably because his father, ho.ving died (Ci~) into Edom (C1~) to suit. Dut it early, was compo.ro.tively unknown. But it is not impossible the.t tho similo.rity either is fo.r better to understand i1~11 (with with Zemiah (cf. eh. i. 7) or Zererah ho.d our Authorized Version) ; i.e., beside the something to do with its preservation. The mischief which He.dad did (or, "besicle the people would not readily forget that mischief of IIo.do.d," Ewo.ld). "And he Solomon's other greo.t o.d verse.ry we.s the (Rezon) o.bhorred," &o. Ho.de.d's enmity son of Zeruio.h. And we ho.ve me.ny proofs he.a o.lreo.dy been described (vere. 17-22), how much the Jews a.fleeted the jingle of o.nd the historio.n he.a po.ssed on to the ce.se similar words], even he lifted up h1s [Heh. of Rezon. It is extremely unlikely tho.t he a] hand [i.e., rebelled. Synonymous ex- should now suddenly recnr exclusively to pression 2 S>lm. xviii. 28; xx. 21. Observe, He.do.d. It is very no.turo.l for him, on the we have no history or account of this rebel- other ho.nd, in hie account of Rezon, to re- lion except in the LX.X., but merely of the mind us that all this wo.s in addition to the oircumste.nces which Jed to it] aga.inst the mischief wrought by Hadad] : and he ab- king. horred [Heh. loathed] Israel, and reigned over Syria. Ver. 27.-And this wa.s the cause [or, Ver. 26.-And Jeroboam [Viewed in the this is the account; this is how it came about. light of their history, the no.meH Jeroboam So.me words Josh. v. 4, and eh. ix. 15. We and Rehoboa1n are both instructiv8. The have here a. long parenthesis, explaining the fust meo.ns, "Whose people a.re many; " tho origin, &o., of Jeroboa.m's disaffection] that second, "Enlarger of the people." The he lifted up h1s hand [Heh. a hand] against latter might almost ho.ve been bestowed in the king. Solomon built Milo [see on eh. irony, the former by way of po.rody] the son ix. 16], o.nd repaired the broaches [These or Nebat [The co.se of Joroboa.m is now words convey the impression the.t Solomon 1·ela.ted at muoh greater length, not so much renewed the decayed or destroyed parts of because of the importance of the rebellion the wall. But (1) iJI? does not men.n re- at the time, as because of its bearing on the pair, except indirectly. It means he closed, lo.tar history of Israel. It led to the disrup- shut. And (2) l'7.~ sing, refers to one breach tion of the kingdom and the schism in the or opening. M~reover (3) it was not so Church. It was the first gree.t symptom of long since the wo.11 wo.s built (2 So.m. v. 9). the deoe.dence of the power of Solomon ; of It could hardly, therefore, ho.ve decayed. his decline in piety we ha.ve ho.d many indi- 11nd there ho.d been no siege to co.use a oe.tions. We see in it e.n indication the.t breach. We must nndersto.nd the word, con- the Hebrew _oommonweo.lth ho.a passed its sequently, not of a po.rt broken dowu, bu, 236 THE FIHST BOOK OF KINGS. [ OH. XI. 14--48,