The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Kings — Section 476

Ahab's disposal were equally insufficient, vii 2; Hn.b. ii. 6). It can hn.rdly have and that in themselves 200 or 2000 tried been to "mark his uUer coutompt of the ,eterans 'l'l"ould hose been just as inadequate foe," Rawlinson, who compares Ilelsliazzar's a force as 200 pages. The agency by which feast (Dan. v. 1---4) when besieged Ly Cyrus. the nctory 'l'l"as won '\'\as purposely weak Ilut Ben-hndad was the besieger. We a.re and feeble (per turbam imbellem), in order rnther reminded of Alexo.nder's carouse at that the 'l'l"ork might be seen to be of God Babylon.] (cf. Judg. vii. 2; 1 Cor. i. 27, 29). Aud Ver. 17.-And the young men of the this consideration makes agaiust the sup- princes of the provinces went out 11.rst; position that the attacking body was com- and Ben-hadad sent out [Or had sent posed of tried and skilful ,varriors. J Then out. Possibly, the unusual stir in the he said, Who shall order [Hcb. bind; we city, the mustering of the troops, &c., had speak of "joining battle "J the battle? [The led to his sending out scouts Lefore the meaning is-not, "who shall command this young men issued from the gates. The force," but, "which side shall begin the LXX., however, has "And they send and fray?"] And he answered, Thou [i.e., thy tell the king of Syria," which Rawlinson band of youug men shall m:ike the attack.] thinks represents o. purer text. But it Ver. 15.-Then he numbered [or reviewed looks like an emendation to a.void the diffi- (cf. Num. i. 4-Jc fi'l<J.-; iii. 39-43)] the young culty, which is removed by translating men of the prtu.ces of the provinces, and they were two hundred and thirty-two [cf. n~~~l as pluperfect], and they told him, say- 2 Chron. xiv. 11 ; Ps:i. xxxiii. 16; Dent. 1ng; There a.re· men come out of Samaria. xxxii. 30, &c. LXX. 0111Ko~U1 rp,a,covra. [Heb. men went forth, &c.] Theodoret remarks that by this band-230, Ver. 18.-And he said, Whether they be as he understood it-Almighty God would come out for peace [i.e., to negociate or to destroy the hosts of thirty and two kings. submit], take them alive; or whether they The nnmbers may have been recorded be come out for war, take them alive. because of the correspondency]: and after [We may tro.ce in these words, possibly them he numbered all the people, even all the influence of wine, but certainly the the children of Israel, being seven thousand. exasperation which Ahab's last message had [This nnmber is of conrse to be understood, occasioned the king. So incensed is he unlike that of eh. xix. 18, literally. And that he will not respect the rights of am- the context (cf. ver. 19) shows that this bassadors, and he is afraid lest belligerents was the nnmber of fighting men. But this should be slain before he can arraign them small army can hardly fail to create sur- before him. Possibly he meant that they }Jiise, especially ii we compare it with the should be tortured or slain before his face.] i;tatistics of the soldiery of an earlier o.ge Ver. 19.-So these young men of the (2 Sam. xxiv. 9; 1 Chron. xxi. 5; 2 Chron. princes of the provinces came out of the xiii. 3; xiv. 8). It is true this was not city, and the army which followed them. strictly o.n army, but a garrison for the de- [i.e., the 7000. They "came out" after fence of the capital. But it looks very much the young men.] as if, under the feeble rule of Ahab, the Ver. 20.-And they slew every one hla kingdom of Israel had become thoroughly man [The LXX., which differs here cou- disorganized. "The position of Jarchi is siderably from the Hebrew, insertg at this that of a. trne Rabbi, viz., that the 7000 point teal ;owrepwucv ficauror: rov wap' were those who had not bowed the knee aiiroii. Ewa.Id thinks th9 Hebrew text unto Baal (eh. xix. 18)," Bahr.] ought to be made to correspond, and would Ver. 16.-And they went out al noon. read \t!i 1~ t!i 1~ ~)~11 i.e., ea.oh repeatedly [" At the time when Ben-ho.dad, haughty killed his man, as in 1 Sam. xiv. 16]: and and confident, had given himself up with the Syrians fied [When e. few ho.d fallen, his vassals, to the table, news of which had utter panic seized the rest. The separate 1irobo.Lly been received in the city" (Bahr). kings, with their divided interests, thought But it seems at least equally probable that only of their own safety. It wo.s a sauve the noon hour was selected either in obe- qui peut. " The hasty and disordered flight dience to the unrecorded directions of the of a vast Oriental army before an enemy prophet, or as being a time for rest and contemptible in numbers is no unoommon sleep, as it still is in the East. J But Ben- occurrence. Above 1,000,000 of Persians hada.d was dr1nking hJmself drUnk 1n the fled before 47,000 Greeks at Arbela" (Raw- pavilions, he and the kings, the thirty and linson). The very size of suoh hosts, two kings that helped hlm. [Strong drink especially where the command is divided would seem to have been a besetment of and where the generals are drunk or in- •he monarchs of that age (cf. eh. xvi. 9; capable, contributes to their defoat]; and Prov. xui. 4; Dan. v. 1 sqq.; Esther i. 10; Israel pursued them : and Ben-ha.dad the CID, XX. 1-48.] THE FIRST BOOK OF KINGS. Cf!1