The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Kings — Section 281

(Porter, p. 219; Van de Velde, ii. 283), so that were no part of the original prophecy, b11t a this function was an act of open defiance] : marginal note which in course of time found ILlld Jeroboam stood by [Heb. upon. See its way accidentally into the text. The idea on eh. xii. 32, 33. It is the so.me occasion] of Keil, that "Josiah" is mentioned here not the altar to burn incense [or to bum the as 11, proper no.me, but o.s e.n appellation, "he fat, &c., of the sacrifice. Bee on eh. xii. 33. whom Jehovah e11stains," is hardly worthy Thie altar was clearly, pro hac vice, an altar of serious consideration. It may be allowed, cf burnt ofiering; not an altar of incense, however, that the meanin.1 of the name as is proved by the next verse.] affords some slenderreo.son for its mention) ; Ver. 2.-And he cried against the altar and upon thee shall he offer [lit., sacrifice] In the word of the Lord, and eaJd, O altar, the priests of the high places [see ou eh. altar, thus saJth the Lord ['rhis apostrophe xii. 32] that burn incense upon thee, and of the altar is very striking and significant. men's bones [Heb. bones of man, i.e., hum~n It is as if the prophet disdained to notice bones. Nothing could more completely fore- the royal but sell-constituted. priest;. as !f eho.dow the future desecration of the altar. it were useless to appeal to h1.m ; as if his The presence in the congregation of o. living person was of little consequence compared man who ho.d merely touched a dco.d body with the religious system he was inaugu- o.nd had not been purified, defiled the taber • rating, the system of which the altar was nacle (Num. xix. 13), how much ruore the the centre and embodiment); Behold a child deo.d body Hseli, burnt on ihe very altar. shall be born unto the house of David, The Se.marite.n who once strewed the temple Josiah by name [This particular mention with human ashes (Jos., Ant. x.iii. 2. 2) of the Reformer by no.me was formerly re- knew that he took the most eficctcal ,:;a.y garded, as by many it is ~till, as_ a remark- to pollute it] shall be burnt [Heh. shall they able instance of prophetic foresight. But burn] upon thee. [For the ful.filP.:!2nt, see the tendency of late, even amongst orthodox 2 Kiogs xxiii. 20, " At the grouncl of this theologians, ho.a be.?n to doubt the authen- judgment, as of the whole theocratic LJ.w, ticity of these two words, on the ground lies theju.s talionis" (Keil, 18-16).] that it is unlike Scripture prophecy in It is worthy of note how completely this general to descend to such details, which brief protest proclaimed to J ero boa.m the rather belong to soothsaying than predic- tion. Prophecy concerns itseli not with utter and sh11.meful overthrow, both of his names, times, e.nd similar particulars, but political e.nd religious systems. A child with the " progressive development of the of the rival house of David shoulu sta.uu kingdom of God in its generu.l features " where he then stood, his successors extinct (Keil). It is not for a moment denied that or powerless to prevent him, and should the prophet could just as easily, speaking "in the word of the Lord," have mentioned the cover this new cultus with disgrace o.nd con- name of J osio.h, as the circumstance tho.t e. son tempt. The mo.n of God, he must h11ve of the house of David would utterly destroy felt, has proclo.imed in few words the foll of the worship of calves. But it is alleged hie dynasty, the triumph of his rivo.l, o.nd that th'\i latter prediction is quite in accord- the failure of o.ll his schemes. ance with Scripture usage, and the former altogether contre.rient thereto. The case of Ver. 3.-And he gave a sign [The Hcb. Cyrus (Is11. xliv. 28; xlv. 1), it is true, is an n~io ro.ther signifies o. portent (rip a!:, mira- exception to the rule, unless ~~ (which culum, prodigium) tho.n a sign, the proper meo.ns the sun) is, like Pharaoh and Ho.do.d, word for which is ni~. The word occurs o. name of office, a title of the Persian kings. repeatedly iu the Pentateuch, where it is ren- The instances of Iso.e.o (Gen. xvii. 19) and dered wonder, or miracle, by our tro.nsl11.tors Solomon (1 Chron. xx.ii, 9) are not paru.llels, (Wordsworth). Signs he.d, of cottrse, been o.s in both these cases the name was highly given before (Exod. iv. 30; vii. 9 ; 1 Sam. significo.nt, and each we.a mentioned, not by xii. 17; &c.) but hardly in such immedittle wo.y of prophecy, bute.s a direction to bestow attesta.tion of o. speciil.l message. From this tho.t no.me on a ohild shortly o.bout to be time forward such signs a.re not infrequent born. And it is certainly noticeable-though (Isa. vii. 14; xxxviil. 8; 2 Kings xb:. 29). the argument e si/e.ntio is necessarily o. pre- They mark the decline of fe.ith (Matt. xii. carious one-" tho.t where this narrative is 39). As to the need e.t this crisis for some age.in referred to (2 Kings xxiii. 15-18) there miraculous token, see Homiletics. The is no allusion to the faot that the mo.n of God fitness of this particular sign is obvious] Jmd prophesied of Josio.h by naine" (Ra.w- the same day, saying, Tl!J.s 1.s the s!zu linson). On the whole, therefore, it seems which [Rather that; V~=quod. Tho A. V. probable that the two words io~ ~i1!~~\ rendering hardly makes •sense. Nor does  284 THE FIRST BOOK OF KINGS. [tH, XIII. 1-10,