The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Kings — Section 328

Asta.ne, the De(! Syria. It is clear from -which Shishak is ea.id to have conquered. Dent. ni.ii. 18 (Heb.) that mal.e prostitutes The usne.l inference is that such cities, e.1- are here spoken of, the name of the female though in Jeroboe.m's dominions, had never• being :i~.".1~- The former is described in theless held out age.inst his rule-the fo11ner ver. 19 l.c. as a dog, the latter as a whoi·eJ for religious reasons; the latter, perhaps, in 1n the la.nd [cf. eh. xv. 12. It is highlv the effort to recover their independence. Mr. probable that these infamous persons were of Poole, however (Diet. Bib., art. " Egypt " ), Canaanite or Phamician origin (this being a accounts for the no.mes on the supposition Phrenicie.n superstition, Movers, "Phoniz." that Shishak directed his forces against the i. 671), but it is some'll"be.t precarious to northern as well as the southern kingdom, found e.n assertion to tbe.t effect on these last a.nd certainly this seems to agree better with words (as Bahr)], and [Heb. omits and] the facts. It is be.rdly likely that Jeroboam, they did according to all the abominations with the army at his command, would of the nations [see Levit. xviii., xx. ; tolerate so many centres of disaffection in Dcut. x.iii. 9-12] which the Lord cast his midst. Besides, the Levites, we are out before the children of Israel. [" Here told, had migrated in a body to Judah; we sec a reason for God's comma.nd, re- and the Ca.naanites at this period co.n quiring the extirpation of the Ca.naa.nites" hardly have been in e. position to defy any Hebrew monarch. The silence alike of (Wordsworth).] our historian and of the chronicler as to the Ver. 25.-And it came to pass in the fifth invasion of Isre.el is easily accounted for by year [that is, two years after king and the fa.et that Judah bore the brunt of the people forsook the law of the Lord (2 Chron. war.] xii. 1). Retribution seems to have overtaken Ver. 26. -And he took away the treasures Judah sooner than Israel. They had the of the house of the Lord [The historian Jess excuse, and they seem to have plunged omits to mention the interposition of She- deeper into idolatry and i=orality (see maiah (2 Chron. xii. 6-8). The account Homiletics, p. 335)] of Ring Rehoboam, that of the Chronicles is altogether much fuller], Shisha.k king of Egypt [to whom Jeroboam and the treasures of the king's house ; he had fled (eh. xi. 26, 40)] ea.me up against even took away all [rather, "and every- Jerusalem. [This expedition is related thing (sc. that he could lay his hands on) he with somewhat more of detail in 2 Ohren. took away." The spoil must have been xii. 2-4. For Shishak, see eh. xi. 40. It enormous] : and he took away all the was in the twentieth year of his reign that shields of gold [cf. eh. x. 17] which Solomon Shishak, once Jeroboam's protector and had made. friend, invaded Palestine. It has been Ver. 27.-And king Rehob0am made 1n conjectured (Ewe.Id, al.) that he was incited their stead brazen shields [lit., shields of so to do by Jeroboam, and that the two brass or copper ; e. striking token of the kings waged war against Judah in concert decadence of the kingdom ; cf. eh. ix. 28 ; (see on ver. 30). Dut as to this Scripture is x. 22. "He changed his father's religion, silent; a.nd moreover, if Jeroboam sum- as hie shields, from gold to brass" (Hall)], moned Shishak to his assistance, it is cer- and committed [Heb. appointed] them tain that his own kingdom did not altogether unto the hands of the chief of the guard escape invasion; and it is perhaps more [Heb. commanders of the runners (see on probable that the divided and weakened eh. i. 38)] , which kept the door of the state of the country seemed to promise the king's house. [Cf. 2 Kings xi, 6. The Egyptian king an easy capture of Jerusalem, functions of the body-guard were vecy varied. of the treasures of which he had doubtless A primacy duty we.a, obviously, to supply heard. It is well known that a record of sentinels and attendants for the palace.] this expedition exists in the sculptures andin- Ver. 28.-And it was so, when the king scriptio!ls of the great temple at Karnak. The went unto the house of the Lord, that the l,assi relievi of the temple wall contain over guards [runners] bare them [Whatever 130 figures, representatives, as the names idolatries Reboboe.m tolerated or en- :m the shields show, of so many conquered couraged, it is clear that he maintained the ~ities. Amongst these are found three of temple worship with great pomp and cir- the " cities for defence " which Rehoboe.m cumstance. The state visits of the Sultan had built, viz., Shoco, Adoraim, and Aija- to the Mosque may perhaps be beet com- lon (2 Chron. xi. 7-10), while many other pared with these processions. Ewald sees towns of Palestine, such as Gibeon, Taanach, in this circumstance o. proof of Rehoboo.m's Bhunem, Megiddo, &c., a.re identified with vanity. The brazen shields were " borne more or less of probability. One feature in before him in solemn procession, as if every- the ~t is reme.rka.ble, viz., the number of thing were the same as before "J , and Levitic11,l and Oa.naanite cities-cities of Iwael brought them back lllto the guard chamber OD, XIV, 21-81.] THE FIRST BOOK OF KINGS. 833