The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Kings — Section 254

Dcnjamin" (Pea. lxviii. 27), is here omitted prevailed over hereditary ties and ancient as of comparatively smo.11 account. Exo.ct feuds, and decided Benjamin to ea.at in precision has never characterized Oriental ite lot with Judah; the more so, as the writers, There is no suspicion of untruth : heads of this tribe ma.y have felt, after it is the genius of the people to once furnishing Israel with its king, ae 0 jealous of Ephraim as thi;y ha.d once been disdain the lore, of Judah. It must not be forgotten, how- Of nicel1 co.lculated Ieee and more.'· ever, that some portions of Benjamin, in- It may be added here that Edom remained cluding Bethel, Gilgal, a.nd Jericho, were under the sway of Judah until the reign incorporated in the northern kingdom of Jehore.m (2 Kings viii. 20), just o.a Moe.b (Ewald)], an hundred and fourscore thou- and other portions of Solomon's empire for sand chosen men [the LXX. has iKa,i,v e. considerable period formed pa.rt of the 1:ai fo:a,n=l20,000, but the larger number new kingdom of Israel (2 Kings i. 1 ; iii. need create no astonishment. At the time 4, 5).) of Da.vid'e census, the men of Juila.h num- Ver. 21.-And when Rehoboa.m was come bered-if the figures ca.n be depended on to Jerusalem, he assembled all the house -500,000, while Abija.h could muster some of Judah with [Heb. and] the tribe of 18 years afterwards au army of 400,000 Benjamin [It ie at first sight somewhat sur- (2 Chron. xiii. 3)), which were warriors prising that Benjamin, so long the rival of [lit., making war]. to fight against the Judah, and which had eo long resisted the house of Israel, to bring the klilgdom rule of David, should on this occasion again to Rehoboa.m, the son of Solomon. have detached itself from the leadership of [It is characteristic of Rehoboam tha.t he Ephraim, its near and powerful neighbour, proposes forthwith to subdue the rebellious and 0, tribe, too, with which it had a sort tribes by force. Probably ha had no idea. of hereditary connexion. That e. sort of to what extent the tribes would prove dis- jealousy existed at one time between the loyal.] tribes of Benjamin and Judah, consequent, Ver. 22.-But the word of God came unto no doubt, on the transference of the sceptre Shema1ah [This po.rt of the history is pro b- from the house of Saul to that of David, is e.bly derived from the "book" which this very evident. A thousand men of Benjamin prophet wrote (2 Chron. xii. 15). "\\'hen constituted the following of the rebel Shimei, Keil describes him as" e. prophet who is not (2 Sam. xi.x. 17). The rising of Sheba the mentioned again," he has surely overlooked Benje.mite, again (ib., x.x. 1), proves that 2 Chron. xii. 7, 8, where we find him pro- the enmity and discontent were not even phesying with reference to the army of then subdued. But when the ten tribes fell Shishak], the man of God [a co=on ex- away, Benjamin seems never to have faltered pression in the books of Kings. It rarely in its allegiance. The change is easily occurs in the other Scriptures. This desig- ~cc~unted for. It was the glory of Ben- nation is not altogether synonymous with Jamm that Jerusalem, the joy of the whole "prophet." It is used, for exo.mple, of earth, the civil and religious ea.pita.I of the angels (Judg. xiii. 6, 8), of Moses (Dent. nation, wae largely within its border. " The x.xxiii. 1), and of David. (2 Chron. viii. 14), city of the J ebusite" was in the lot of and would embrace any minister or servo.nt Benjamin (Josh. xviii. 28). But it was of God, while ~1 :;i~ is restricted to the also on the boundary line of Judah. teaching order. There were false prophets, This f~ct had, no doubt, brought the but no false men of God. It is also worth two tnbee into close contact, and had considering whether the name of prophet given them interests in co=on, in fact may not have been practically restricted to, had " riveted them together as by e. cramp " or bestowed by preference on, those who (Blunt, pp. 167, 174, who traces" e. gradual had received e. prophetic training, the" eons tendency of the ten tribes to become con- of the prophets " who had been taught in federate under Ephraim," and e. growing the schools. Cf. 1 Sam. x. 6-12; xix. 20 ; e.lliance and co=unity of interests between Amoe vii. 14], saying, Judah and Benjamin); e.nd now Benjamin Ver. 23.-Speak unto Rehoboa.m, the son could not fail to see that eeparo.tion from of Solomon, king of Judah, and unto all Judah would mean the loss of Jerusalem the house of Judah and Benjamin, and to (which would be largely peopled by the men the remm.nt of the people [" the children of Judah, David's tribe, and would be prac- of Israel" mentioned in ver. 17, where seo tically in their hands), while adhesion to note] , sayi11g, Ephraim would not prevent the este.blish- Ver. 24.--Thus sa1th the Lord, Ye shall ment of another sanctuary further north. not go up, nor fight aga.lnst your brethren The traditions of fifty years, consequently, [e. timely reminder of the unity of the mce and the eoDUDon inteiest in the capital, notwithstanding the division of the king:  256 THE FIRST BOOR OF KINGS. [oB. xn. 1--24.