The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Kings — Section 297

the sepulchre [Palestine, being of lime- Ver. 33.-After this thing [calculated etone formation, he.a o. lo.rge number of though it we.s to make a. deep impression oaves. These, enlarged o.nd nde.pted, were and to furnish e. solemn warning) Jeroboam overywhere used for interments. (" The turned not from his evil way. " tlome hand whole cliffs on its southern side [Hinnom] wae found that durst repair the e.ltar God are honeycombed with tombs," Porter). In had rent" (Matthew He:ury). According to three sides of the cave vaults (loculi), ea.eh Josephns, the old prophet now explained large enough to hold e. body, were recessed away the miracles of the prophet of Judah, in the rock, the entrance being closed by e. alleging that the altar had fallen because it sle.b of stone (see Conder, pp. 85, 96, 118, was new and the king's band bad become &c.) In the so-ce.lled "tombs of the kings" powerless from fatigue (Ant.,viii. 9, § 1)], but I\Ild "prophets" we he.ve such sepulchres on made again [Heb. " returned and made. " a l:J.rge see.le. A. Paper on the Tombs of The tnutology is significant. He returned Palestine will be found in the Quarterly not from his sin, but returned to it] of the Statement of the Palestine Exploration lowest [see on eh. xii. 11] of the people Fund, p. 613 sqq. It appears from 2 Kings priests of the high places : whoscever would xxili. 17 that a pillar we.s erected to mark [Heh. pleased] , he consecrated [lieb. filled this prophet's resting-place] wherein the his hand. In the consecration of Aaron and man of God 1s buried ; lay my bones beside his sons, and possibly of their successors his bones. [The.t is to say, " Bury me e.lso, the portio::is of the victim which were in the cell next to his" (Rawlinson). But usually bumecl upon the e.ltar, together with it is not absolutely certain that this arre.ngff- the right shoulder or leg, which was the ment (of loculi) obtained e.t this early period. priest's portion, a.nd three cakes of un- The bodies me.y have been in much closer leavened bread, were put into the hands of contact. See 2 Kings xiii 21. The LXX. the candidates for the priesthood, e.nd adds here, " That my bones may be se.ved waved before the Lord before they were with his bones; " an obvious gloss, founded offered on the altar (Exod. xxix. 22-26 ; on 2 Kings xxiii. 18. This request throws Levit. viii. 25-28). To " fill the hand" some light on the yearning desire of the consequently became a Rynonym for con- modem Jew to rest e.s near as possible to the secration J him [It would almost appear, bodies of the saints. See Porter, i. p. 145.J from tl1e extreme rendiness with which Ver. 32.-For the eay1.llg which ha cried Jeroboam ordained his priests, that few by the word of the Lord against the altar in candidates offered themselves for the office. Bethel, and against all the houses of the In one respect, however, he exacted more high places [At that time there would seem from the candidate than did the law. For to have been but two " high places." Keil whereas the latter required "one bullock sees" e. prophetic element in these words." and two rams" (Exod. xxi:x. 1, &c.), be He thinks the old prophet foresaw that such domanded one bullock and seven rams ns sanctuaries would be multiplied. Rawlinson the offering on consecration (2 Chron. gathers, " from the mention of the great xiii. 9] , and he became one of the prtest3 high place in 1 Kings iii. 4, that there were [Heb, and he. became priests, &c. So the many lesser high places in the land," which, Chnldee. LXX. 1:al iyw,ro iep,v,] of tile high no doubt, was the case at the date of places. Solomon's accession. It is probable, how- Ver. 34.-J.nd this thing [Heb. "in this ever, the.t many of these, if not all, would be deserted when the temple was built. And tLiug :" i;i1~- Cf. 1 Chrou. vii. 23 ; ix. 33] it is most rensonable to suppose that in became sin Ullto the house of Jeroboam, these, as in tbo followinc words, the his- even to cnt it olf, and to destroy it from oft' torian has represented the prediction or the face of the earth [eh. xv. 29. The nffirrnntion of the old proph·et in the lan- forfeiture of the crown would bring in its guage of his own time] which a.re in the train, almost as o. matter of course, the cities of Sa.maria. [Obviously, these exac, destruction of his family (eh. xiv. 10-14). words cannot have been used by the prophet And we are taught here that bolli events of Bethel, for Sn maria dates its existence are to be regarded, under the dispensation of and name from the reign of Omri (1 Kings temporal rewards e.nd punishments, e.s the xvi. 24). The compiler of the Rings pro- recompenses of his impiety; of that daring bably found the term in the documents schismatic policy which, in e.11 its branches, which he used, or possibly, as already sug- betrayed 11 complete disregnrd of the terms gested, translated the prophet's meaning into of the covenant, and which was persevered the language of o. later day) ahall aurely in contemptuous defio.nce of ili.e repeated oome to pasa. wo.rnings of God.)  800 THE FIRST BOOK OF KINGS. [oa:. xm. 11-84.