The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Kings — Section 313

the eame thing, viz., the calves of Bethel "sweep after" (Keil). The firet rendering and Dan], to provok11 me to anger [Thie is the more literal. The "after" is ex- wns the result, not, of couree, the object of plained, not as Bii.hr (" as often as a new Jeroboam's idolatrous worehip], and hast scion arises I will take it a.way"), but by the ea.et me [The order of the Hebrew st11mps fact that one who expels another foll.owJ the " me" as emphatic, " and ME hast thou after him (Gesen.)J of the house of Jero- cast, &o.J behind thy back [This strong ex- boam, as a man taketh a.way dung [cf. 2 pression only occurs here and in Ezek. Kings ix. 37 ; Job xx. 7; Jer. viii. 2; ix. xxiii. 35. It forcibly expresses Jeroboam's 22 ; xvi. 4. This word expresses the loathing eontemptuone disregard of God's revealed and contempt with which they would be will. In Psa. I. 17, Neh. ix. 26, we have treated] , tW tt be all gone. somewhat similar phrases]: Ver. 11.-Hl.m that dieth of Jeroboam Ver. 10.-Therefore, behold, I will bring [Heb. to Jeroboam, i.e., belonging to, of the evil upon the house [The punishment fell house of. "Of Jeroboam," conveys the on the house (eh. xv. 29), not, however, to idea. of his seed. It is possible that his wife the exclusion of the prime offender (2 Chron. shared in the genera.I doom], 1n the city :xiii. 20 ; cf. eh. xxi. 29). The reader will shall the dogs eat; and him that dieth in observe that the judgments denounced the field shall the fowls of the air [Heb. against J eroboe.m's sin, like all th_ose of the heavens, as in Gen. i. 26; ii.19; vii. 23, &c.] Old Testament, are tempore.l. The recom- eat [This was a terrible threat to a. Jew- pense to come is completely ignored. These that the dead body should fall a prey to severe retributions are calculated and pro- dogs and wild beasts. Cf. Psa.. lxrix. 2 ; portioned precisely as if there were no here- Jer. vii. 33; xvi. 4; x:xx:iv. 20; Ezek. xrix. after] of Jeroboam, and will cut o!f from 5, &c. For him it had a factitious horror, Jeroboam him that pisseth against the because of the threatening of Dent. xxviii. wall [This phrase, which Rawlinson observes 26; cf. Rev. xix. 17, 18. It was, there- is confined to the period from David to Jehu, fore, the climax of disgrace and misfortune ; is by him, and generally, understood to the greatest dishonour that could be offered mean "every ma.le." (Itis found in 1 Sam. to the dust and to the memory. Hence the xxv. 22 ; 1 Kings xvi. 11; xri. 21 ; and 2 threat of David (1 Sam. xvii. 46 ; cf. ver. Kings ix. 8.) But it is noteworthy, as 44); hence the devotion of Rizpah (2 S:i.m. Gesenius has remarked, that this is not a xri.10), and the complaint of the Psalmist ho.bit of Ea.stern men. Every traveller in (Paa. lx.xix. 2). Cf. Homer, Iliad i. 4, 5. Egypt will confirm the remark of Herodotus u Whose limbs, unburied on the naked shore, (eh. ii. 35) on this subject, and the same Devouring dogs and htlllgry rn.lturos tore.'' applies to Palestine; i.e., the men sit down for this purpose, covered with their garments Dogs, it is well known, are the scavengers of {Judg. iii. 24; 1 Sam. xriv. 3). Some, Eastern cities. They exist there in great consequently, have been led to suppose that numbers, and in a semi-savage state, and the reference is to the dog, but animals the carc11ses of animals and carrion of all would h11rdly sh11re in the destruction of sorts are left for them to consume, which the royal house. Gesenius is probably they do most effectue.lly, roaming the streets right when he interprets it of boys. Thus all night (Psa. Jix. 6, 14) in search of garbage. understood, it lends additional meaning to Vultures 11nd other birds of prey perform o. the passages where it occurs. It expresses similar office in the open country (Jobuxix. extermination, root and branch, man and 29, 30; Matt. xxi.v. 28)] : for the Lord hath boy], and him that ls shut up and left 1n spoken it. Israel [A proverbial expression (Dent. xxxii. Ver. 12.-Ariee thou therefore, get thee 36 ; 1 Kings xri. 21; 2 Kings ix. 8), o.nd to thine own house : and when thy feet involving some piny upon words. It enter into the city, the child [Heb. tlien evidently means" men of all kinds," bot a.s the child. This is the force of the l] shall to the precise signification of the terms die. [Tb.is was "the sign that the Lord "shot up" and "left," there has been much bath spoken" (eh. xiii. 3). The death of difference of opinion, some (1) interpreting the ohild at the precise moment of the them to mean respectively married and single return should serve as an earnest and fore. (so Keil, al.); others (2) bond and free taste of the doom just denounced.] (Gesen, al.); others (3) precious and vile; Ver. 13.-And all Israel &!l:i.ll mourn for and others again (4) minors and those of age. him [no doubt ho was heir to the throne] (So Biihr, "All the male desoendants, even and bury him [mcntiuned to heighten the the minors, were threatened with destruc- oontrast. He should bo tho ono exception tion.") On the whole perhaps (2) is pre- to the rule of ver. 11) : for he [Reh. this] ferable], and will take a.way the remnant .only of Jeroboam sh:i.11 come to the grave, (Heb. "exte1·minate after" (Gesen.) or beca.uss 1n him there is found [Heb. waa 816 THE FIRST BOOK OF RINGS. [en. xiv. 1-20.