The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Kings — Section 233

of a portion unbuilt. We have elsewhere of."] the new garment that was on him, suggested that this was the breach in the line and rent [same word as in vers. 11, 12, 13) of circumvallation, caused by the Tyroproon it in twelve pieces. [The first instance of valley, and that the Milla was the bank, or an "acted parable" (Rawlinson).] rampart which closed it. And to this view Ver. 31.-And he s<tld to Jeroboam, Take the words of the text lend some confilma- thee ten pieces : fo1 thus saith the Lord, tion J of the city of David his father. [As the God of Israel, Behold, I will rend the Millo was built about the 25th year of kingdom out of the hand of Solomon, &nd Solomon's reign (eh. ix. 15), we are en- will give ten tribes [Keil insists that abled to fix approximately the date of " ten " is here mentioned merely as the Jeroboam's rebellion. It was apparently number of completeness; that, in fact, it about ten or twelve years before Solomon's is to be understood symbolically and not death. arithmetically. He further states that in Ver. 28.-And the man Jeroboam was a point of fact the kingdom of Jeroboam only mighty man of valour [same expression J udg. consisted of nine tribes, that of Simeon vi. 12; xi. 1; 1 Sam. ix. 1 ; 2 Kings xv. 20. being practically surrounded by the territory In Ruth ii. 1 it hardly seems to imply valour of Judah, and so becoming incorporated in so much as wealth (as A. V.) : and Solomon the southern kingdom. But surely, if that seeing the young man that he was indus- had been the idea. in the prophet's mind, it trious [Heb. doing work], he made him would have been better expressed had he ruler over all the charge [Heb. appointed torn off one piece from the garment and him to all the burden] of the house of given the rest, undivided, to Jeroboam Joseph. [The tribe of Ephraim, with its (Bii.hr). And the reference to the number of constant envy of Judah, must have been the tribes is unmistakable. As to Simeon, mortified to find themselves employed- we have no means of knowing what part though it wa.s but in the modified service that tribe, if it still existed, took at the divi- of Israelites-on the fortifications of J eru- sion of the kingdom. See on eh. xix. 3. Its salem. Their murmurings revealed to Jero- members had long been scattered (Gen. xlix. boam the unpopularity of Solomon, a.nd 7), and it gradually dwindled away, and has perhaps suggested thoughts of overt rebel- already disappeared from the history. But lion to his mind.] even if it had a. corporate existence and did follow the lead of Judah, still that is not con- Ver. 29.-And it ea.me to pass at that clusive on the question, for we know not only time [a general expression=" when he was that the historian uses round numbers, but thus employed "] when [Heb. that] Jero- also that we are not to look for exact state- boam went out of Jerusalem that [Heb. ments, as the next verse proves] to thee. and], the prophet Ahijah the Shilonlte [i.e., of Shiloh, as is expressed eh. xiv. 2--4, Ver. 32.-But he shall have one tribe where see notes. He too, therefore, was an [LXX. ouo t1,cij1Trpa. Some would understand Ephraimite (Josh. xvi. 5). This portion of " one tribe, in addition to Judah," but the history is probably derived from his writ- compare eh. xii. 20, "tribe of Judah only," ings (2 Chron. ix. 29). We may be pretty and see note on ver. 13. Possibly neither sure that Nathan was now dead] found him Judah nor Benjamin is here to be thought in the way; and he [i.e., Ahijah. Ewald of separately. In eh. xii. 21, and 2 Chron. understands Jeroboam to be meant, and xi. 3, 23, they are both reckoned to Reho- would see in the new p:annent his " splendid boam. They might be regarded as in some robe of office "] he 4 clad himself with a sense one, inasmuch as they enclosed the Holy City (Seb. Schmidt), the line of divi- new garment [ill:??~ same word·as i1?9~ sion passing right through the temple such transpositions of letters being common. platform. But it is perhaps safer, in view The simlah was the outer garment (Gen. of eh. xii. 20, to understand the term of ix. 23 ; 1 Sam. xxi. 10, &c.), which served at Judah, compared with which large and night as a covering (Dent. xxii. 17). It influential tribe "little Benjamin" was was probably identical in shape, &c., with hardly deserving of separate mention) for the camel's-hair burnous, or al,ba, worn by my servant David's sake, and for Jerusa- the Arabs at the present day (cf. Conder, pp. lem's sake [see on vers. 12, 13], the city 318, 342), and being almost a square would which I have chosen out of all the tribes of lend itself well to division into twelve Israel. partsJ ; and they two were alone in the Ver. 33.-Because that they [The LXX. field [i.e., open country.] has the singular throughout, and so have Ver. 30.-And Allljah caught [This all the translations, except the Chaldee. English word almost implies that it was But the plural is to be retained, the import Jeroboam's garment (cf. Gen. xxxix. 12); being that Solomon was not alone in his but the original simply means " laid hold idolatrous leanings ; or it may turn our OB. XI, 14-48.] THE FIRST BOOK OF KINGS. 287