dom] the ch!ldrcn of Iorael: return every AbijR.h is born, when Rehoboo.m he.a beeD man to his house: for this thing [i.e., the something like a year upon the throne. division, rupture] is [lit., was] from me. [A prophet of Judah now confirms what a After his birth, Jeroboo.m o.sks o. second prophet of Israel had already announced]. time to be released : he retwns to his own They hea.rkened therefore unto the word of country, takes up his abode at Se.rira, for- the Lord, and returned [not "because they tifies it, and gathers the tribe of Ephraim probably so.w thnt a war with the numeri- round him. Here Abije.h falls siok, and cnlly greater, n.nd just now bitterly excited ten tribes would bring them into a wore~ the visit to the prophet, narrated in ohe.p. condiLion still" (Bahr), but because of the xiv., takes ple.oe. The child dies; there is "word of the Lord." It was the remon- genere.l mourning, after which Jeroboam strance of the prophet a.lone restrained goes to Shechem, and collects the tribes. them. They knew their numerical inferiority Here the prophet Sheme.ie.h (not Ahijah) before, but they nevertheless mustered for battleJ to depa.rt [e. common Hebro.ism. The tee.re a. new garment in twelve pieces, gives phrase in 2 Chron. xi. 4, n:i~o ~:mii, him ten, and promises him the dominion " they returned from going," w~·/ probably over ten tribes. After which follow the designed as an explanation], accord!n.g to events of vers. 5-24 of this chapter. the word of the Lord. The great circumsta.ntie.lity of this nar- At this point the Vat. LXX. inserts a long rative has led some schola.rs--Dee.n Stanley addition, which differs from, and indeed among them-to prefer it before the Hebrew contradicts, the Hebrew text in some im- version. But its details will not bear careful portn.nt particulars. Rehoboam is repre- examination, o.nd there is little doubt that sented as 16 years of age (Heb. 40), as it is e. compilation of laterd!l.te. Its untrust- reigning 12 years (Heb. 17); his mother worthiness has been well shown among others is Naane.n (Heh. Ne.a.mah), and is the by Rawlinson, Speaker's Co=entary in loc. daughter of .Ana, son of Ne.hash, king of But he omits to notice what is perhaps its Ammon. Jeroboam is described 11,9 son of strongest condemnation, viz., that this LXX. Sa.rira, e. harlot. He is appointed by Solo- addition is in conflict with the LXX. (and mon superintendent of the levy of Ephraim, Heb.) text of chap. xi. The e.ccount of and builds for him a city Sarire., and also Jeroboam'e me.nfage with the sister of the completes the circumve.l.l.ation of Jcrnse.lem. queen, e.g., is manifestly e. variation of the He hB.s 300 cha.riots and aims at royalty. history of Hadad (eh. xi. ver. 19;. see e.!so Solomon seeking to slay him, he flees to ver. 22). Nor does it harmonize with the Shishe.k, king of Egypt, who treats him preceding history of this chapter, as given with distinction, giving him the sister of by theLXX. his own wife in m&rriAge. Here his son
HOMILETICS. Vers. 13-15.-,TudiciaZ Infatuation. It is impossible to read this history of the great rebellion, even at the ;present day, without a certain feeling of sadness, V{e see here a young prince, hell' to one of the greatest empires of antiquity, the inheritor of an illustrious and unequalled name, with all the advantn.ges which the glory and greatness of his father could give him, reaping the benefits of a long peace, his coffers full of money, his cities filled with all manner of store, his fleets plouglriDg the sea, his army guarding his frontier ; we see him wantonly flinging these singular advantages away from him, and absolutely courting his own destruction and the dismemberment of his kingdom. We see a position which has had but few, if any, parallels recklessly sacrificed for the lack of a few conciliatory words. It needed but the slenderest modicum of common sense and all would have gone well. He ha.d but to stoop for one day~ order to conquer for ever (ver. 7). But no; we hear him instead hurling opprobrious words at the spokesmen of the ten tribes, and forthwith the land is ablaze with insurrection. He madly talks of the ~ht of hie little :finger, of whips and scorpions, a.nd from that bonr ClB, Xfl, 1-24.] THE FIRST BOOK OF KINGS. 267