The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Kings — Section 250

"And the people spake unto king Reho- Buch an establishment as his (eh. iv. 22, bo11m, so.ying." Of more importo.nce, how- 26) and such undertakings (ch.vi. 14, 22; iii. ever, is the fact tho.t it is at direct vo.rio.nce 1; vii.; ix. 26, 17, 18) wonld be extremely with ver. 20, which places the appearance of costly, and that their cost was not alto- Jeroboam on the scene after the revolt of gether defra.yed by the presents of subject the tribes. Indeed, these two verses can princes (eh. iv. 21; cf. x.10, 14), the profits only be brought into agreement by the of the king's merchants (eh. x. 28), or the questionable device of understanding the imports of the fleet (ib., v. 21). But the "all Israel" of ver. 20 very differently from people had certainly had to pay a more the same expression in ver.1. If, however, odious tribute, that of forced labour, of we follow in this instance the LXX., which servile work (eh. iv. 6, Heb. ; v. 14; cf. eh. omits the name of Jeroboam both here and ix. 21. C~ is almost always used of a tri- in ver. 12 (and which thereby implies that bute rendered by labour, Gesen.) It is he was not one of the deputation to Reho- q nite true that Solomon was not the first boam, but, as ver. 2 states, was at that time to institute this; that David had exacted it still in Egypt), the difficulty vanishes. before him (2 Sam. xx. 24) ; that the bur- Ver. 20 then becomes the natural and den was one with which a.11 subjects of the logical continuation of vers. 2, 3. "And old-world monarchies, especially in the Jeroboam dwelt in Egypt. And they sent East, were familiar; and that in this case it and called him [to the country.) . . . And had been imposed withpeculiarconsiJerate- when all Israel heard tho.t Jeroboam was ness (eh. v.14). But it is none the less cer- come again [at their summons] they sent tain, when we consider the magnitude of and called him nnto the congregation," &c. Solomon's undertakings, and the number And in favour of the omission of Jeroboam's of men necesse.rily employed in executing name is the fact that the Hebrew text, both them, that it must have in,olved some in ver. a and in ver. 12, betrays some little hardships and created much dissatisfaction ; confusion. In ver. 3, the Cethib has ~lltJ!l such results n.re inevitable in all conscrip- and ~::i,•1 in ver. 12, whereas the Keri has tions. "Forced lo.boor he.s been amongst ttJ 1l ~- both cases. The words look, that the causes lea.ding to insurrection in many ages and conn tries. It al.ienu ted the people is t~ say, as if a. singular nominative had of Rome from the lest Ta.rquin; it helped been subsequently introduced], a.nd spa.ke to bring a.bout the Frenoh Revolution; and unto Rehoboa.m, saying. it was for many years one of the principal Ver. 4.-Thy father ma.de our yoke [see grievances of the Russian serfs" (Rawlin- for the literal sense of the word, Num. son). But we may find instances of its xix. 2 ; Deut. xxi. 3, &c.; for its tropi- working perhaps as more Eastern, more cal use, Levit. xxvi. 13 ; Dent. xxviii. 4B, closely illustre.tive of the text amongst the &c.J grievous [Heb. heavy. Was this com- Fellahin of Egypt. "According to Pliny, plaint a just one? It is one which occe.- 360,000 men hnd to work 20 years long o.t l!ions us some surprise, 11a the reign of one pyramid" (Bahr). In the construction of Solomon had not only been glorious, but the great Mahmoudieh canal, by Mehemet the people had e.ppo.rently enjoyed the Ali, over 300,000 le.bourers were employed. greatest plenty and prosperity (eh. iv. 20, They worked under the lash, and such were 25 ; cf. viii. 66). Bishop Hall, Bi.ihr, e.nd the fatigues e.nd he.rd~hips of their We that other writers, consequently, who see in the many thousands died in the spa.ea of a few fa.et tho.t the ten tribes had chosen J eroboe.m months (cf., too, Exod. i. 11 sqq.; ii. 23]: for their mouthpiece a settled determiuo.tion now therefore me.ke thou the grievous on their po.rt to revolt, o.ffirm that their [Hcb. hard, heavy] service of thy father, grievances were purely factitious. But we a.nd his heavy yoke which he put upon us, must not forget that, despite the unbroken lighter [lit.," lighten somewhat from," &c.], peace (see Hall, "Contempl." ii. 136) o.nd a.nd we will serve thee. [Their stipula- genera.I prosperity e.nd affiuence, the people tions seem reasonable enough. Biilir, who had ho.done burden o.t leo.st to bear which is s11,ys, "We cannot admit the complo.int of always go.lling and vexatious, the burden of too hn.rd tribute-work to be well founded," e. conscription. It is by no meo.ns certo.in, and Keil, who ma.into.ins tho.t "there can- though it is oonsto.ntly o.seumed, and is not not have beon any well-grounded occasion in itself improbable, that the taxes and im- for complo.int," surely forget that both the posts ho.d been heavy, the passo.ges alleged aged counsellors (ver. 7) and also the in support of that view (eh. x. 15, 25; xii. writer of this book (vers. 13-15) manifest 4, LXX.) being quite inoonclusive. But some degree of sympo.thy with the oom. while wo have no right to spee.k of the plo.ine.nts.] " enormous exe.otions of the la.te king " Ver. 5.-And he said unto them, Depa...-t (Sto.uley), we m11y be perfectly surn that yet for three days [so as to affunl time for 252 THE FIRST BOOK OF KINGS. [OH. XII. 1-24,