The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Kings — Section 312

"mouldy" in Josh. ix. 5, 12, where Qe. form of nttt] Bhalt thou say unto her, senius would render "crumbs." Mouldy for it shall be, when she cometh in, that bread would hardly be taken as a present. she shall feign herself to be another woman These cakes, according to the LXX., Cod. [Heb. make he,·sclf strange]. Alex., were for the prophet's children] and Ver. 6. And it was so, when AhJJa.h a cruse [i.e., leather bottle. p::ip;;,. Bakb1,k, heard the sound [Heh. voice] of her feet is clearly an onomatopoetic word, suggested as she ea.me in [i1~-~ should strictly be ~y tho bubbling noise of liquids in empty- plural, in agreement with i;l'~~J feet. It is ing] of honey [Spices and other delicacies were often given as presents, and honey in the singular, probably because the writer was a special product of the country (Exod. is thinking of the woman. But see Ewald, iii. 8; Deut. viii. 8; 2 Sam. xvii. 29. The 817 a, and of. 1 Sam. iv. 16] at [Heb. in] honey sent by Jacob to Joseph was prob- the door, that he said, Come in, thou wife ably "honey of grapes"). The present of Jeroboam; why felgnest thou thyself to was purposely a. poor one, for the sake of be ~other? [Heb. makest thyself strange, maintaining the deception; i.e., it was a as in ver. 5] for [the Heh. " and" brings part of the disguise], and go to him: he out the meaning much better, which is, shall tell thee what shall become of [Heb. " Thou art cleverly playing a part, and I be to] the child. [At first it strikes us a.s all the while have a message," &c.] I am strange that Jeroboam merely asks what the sent to thee With heavy [same word as in result will be. He does not petition, that is eh. xii. 13; there translated rough] tidings. to say, as in eh. xiii. 6, for a cure. But we [Heb. omits. For the construction see find the same peculiarity, which some would Ewald, 284 c.] explain by the fatalism of the East, in 2 Ver. 7.-Go, tell Jeroboam, Thus saith Rings i. 2, and eh. viii. 9, In the present the Lord God of Israel, Forasmuch as I instance, howeYer, no such explanation is exalted thee from among the people [com- m,eded. For (1) Jeroboam could hardly pare 2 Sam. xii. 8 ; Psa. l.xxviii. 70 ; 1 ask a favour of a prophat of Jehovah, or Kings xvi. 2] , and made thee prince over my hope that it would be granted if he did, and people Israel [God still claims dominion (2) if, as he feared, the sickness was judi- over Israel, despite the schism. They are cial, it would be nseless to ask for healing. still His people, and He is still their God], The infatuation which insisted on a dis- Ver. 8.-And rent [same word as in the gnise for the purpose of deceiving the pro. former prophecy of Ahijah, eh. xi. 30, 31] phet, who neYertheless was believed to be the kingdom away from the house of David, able to diYine the issue of the sickness, is aud gave it thee: and yet thou hast not very characteristic, and ha.s had many been as my servant David [who had been parallels since. pro1Josed to Jeroboam as his example, ch.xi. Ver. 4.-And Jeroboam's wife did so, and 38. This name, as that of a prince of the arose, and went to Shiloh, and ea.me [prob- rival house, wonld now be almost hateful to ably on the second day] to the house of Jeroboam], who kept my co=a.ndments, Ahijah. But [rather Now] Ahija.h could not and who followed me With all his heart see; for his eyes were set [Heh. stood. Same [cf. eh. xi. SS, 38; xv. 5], to do that only word as in 1 Sam. iv. 15. Cf. Gen. xxvii. 1. which was right in mine eyes ; In amaurosis the pupil is set, and does not Ver. 9.-But hast done evil above all contract with the light. A partial para- that were before thee [perhaps preceding lysis of the optic nerve is co=on in ex- kings are not meant, so much as judges- treme old ageJ by reason of his age. [Heb. judices et duces Israelis (Le Clerc). Kings, for hoariness, i.e. old age.] however, are not excluded. Both Saul and Ver. 5.-And theLordsaid nntoAhijah[the Solomon had sinned (1 Sam. passim; 1 attempted deceit was frustrated by a direct Kings xi. 5, 6), though neither had set up revelation, the same which disclosed the fate an organized idolism and " made Israel to of the child. •' God laughs in heaven at the sin "] : for thou hast gone and ma.de thee frivolous fetches of crafty politicians" (Hall)]. other gods [in defiance of the decalogue Behold., the wife of Jeroboam cometh to (Exod. xx. 4). Jeroboam, no doubt, in- ask a thing of thee for her son [or con- sisted that his calves were not idols, but cherubic symbols. But God does not recog- cerning ';,~, properly" to," ad, has themen.n- 0 nize this distinction. Practically they were ing of de, after verbs of speaking. Cf. Gen. " other god~," und so they arc hare called xx. 2; 1 Sam. iv. 19, &c.; Jer. xl. 16- dcrisi vely], and molten images [tho word Gescnius remarks on the similar use of is used of the golden calf, Exod. xxxii. 4, 8. Eir in the New Testament : .Acts ii. 25 ; See also Exod. xxxiv. 17; Dent. ix. 12; Eph. v. 32] ; for he is sick: thus and thus Judg. xvii. 3, 4. The" other gods'' and the [ cf. J udg. xviii. 4; 2 SO.Jll. xi. 25. nt is 11, " molten imeges " aro but two names (oz on. xrv. 1-20.] THE FIRST BOOK OF KINGS. 81;,