The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Kings — Section 500

me.rgin of which J ezreel stands, is at e. much serves, " How thoughtless our author mus• lower level than Samaria, which is in the have been if in two consecutive chapters- mountain distriot of Ephraim "] to the i.e., on the same leaf, as it were-he h11d rineya.rd of Na.both the Jezreelite, to take inadvertently inserted direot contradiotions." possession ofit. [" Behind him-probe.bly And the following oonsiderationa will show in the be.ck part of his chariot-ride his that the discrepancy is only apparent. (1) two pages, Jehu e.nd Bidke.r (2 Kings ix. The sentence here pronounced against Ahab 26)," Stanley. But the expression" riding was, on his repentance, stayed in its execu- in pairs after Ahab " (A. V. "rode together tion. God said distinctly, "I will not bring a.fter ") does not make it certain that they the evil in his days," and as disti.notly were in the same chariot. Indeed, they added that He would " bring the evil in his may have been on horseback. This was son's _days, upon his lwuse" {ver. 29). And apparently (2 Kings ix. 26) on the day after (2) with the prophecy, as thus modified, the the murder.] facts exaotly record. The body of Jehoram Ver. 17-And the word of the Lord ea.me was " oast into the portion of the field of to Elijah the Tishbite, saying [As in oh. Na.both the Jezreelite" (2 Kings l.c.). And xvii. 1, 8 ; xviii. 1], if it be objected (3) that our historian sees Ver. 18.-Arise, go down [Bahr hence in the death of Ahab in Samaria (eh. :xx. concludes that Elijah was at this time in a ~.c.) a falfilment of this prophecy, the answer mountain district. But wherever he might IS that that death was a partial fulfilment be, this word would probably be used of a of Elijah's words. The repentance of Ahab, journey to the plain of Esdraelon) to meet having secured him immUDity from this [" The word used l Sam. xvii. 48 of David sentence, hie subsequent folly and sin (cf. going out to meet Goliath" (Stanley). But eh. xxii. 27) nevertheless brought do'\Vll the same word is used (ib., eh. xviii. 6) of the upon him a judgment of God strikingly women going out to meet Saul, and indeed similnr, as we might expect it would be, to it is the usual word for all meetings. We that originally denounced against him, cn.nnot hence infer, consequently, that Elijah which was now reserved for his son. In went forth as if to eucounter a foe] Ahab other words, the prophecy was fulfilled to king of Israel, which is 1D sa.ma.rta. [i.e., the letter in the person of his son, but it whose seat is in Sa.m&ria.; who rules there. had a secondary fulfilment in its spirit on There is no need to understand the word of himsalf]. the territory of Sa.maria.] : behold, he ls 1D Ver. 20.-And Ahab said to Elijah, Bast the vineyard of Na.both, whither he is gone thou found me [Not merely, "Hast thou down to possess it. [The words imply that foUDd me out ? hast thou suxprised me in Elijah foUDd Ahab-strode into his presence the very act ? " though this mea.ning is not to -in the vineyard ; not that he was there be excluded, but 11lso, " Has thy vengeance already when the royal chariot entered it overtaken me ? " ~~9 is used in this sense {Stanley).] 1 Sam. xxiii. 17 ; Isa. x. 10 ; Ps11. xxi. 9. Ver. 19.-And thou sha.J.t speak unto him, Ahab is so conscience-stricken by tho s11ddou saying, Thus saith the Lord, Bast thou apparition of Elijah, whom in all probllbility killed [J;lr;r~l.::l,, a re.re and expressive word. he had not seen or heard of since " tho day We might render, sl,aughterea], a.nd also [this of Carmel," and by his appearance on tho word suggests tha.t Jezebel'& programme, scene at the very moment when he WllB which he had e.ccepted, was fast being entering on the fruit of his misdoing," in the accomplished. But in the very hour of its very blossom of his sin," that he feels th11t completion it should be interrupted] taken judgment is already begun], Om1De enemy? possession ? And thou shalt speak unto [No doubt the thought WllS present in him, eay1Dg, Thus saith the Lord [For the Ahab's mind that Elijah had ever been repetition, see on eh. xx. 13, 14), In the opposed to him and thwarting him, but he place where dogs [LXX. ai lii, Elli oi ,cvvir] does not dream (Von Gerla.eh, in Biibr) of licked the blood of Na.both shall doge lick justifying himself by ascribing Elijah's in- thy blood [according to the lex talionis, as tervention to personal hatred towards him- in eh. xx. 42] , even th1De. [Heb. even thou. self. The sequel shows that he w11s The LXX. adds, "And tho harlots shall thoroughly conscious of wrong-doing.) And bat.be in thy blood." For the construction he answered, I have found thee : because see Gesen., Gram. § 119. 3 ; and cf. Gen. [not because I am thine enemy, but because) :uvii. 34; Prov. xxiii. 15; Paa. ix. 7. thou has sold thyself [or sellest thyself, i.e., Thenius contends that there is a contra- surrenderest thyself wholly. The iclca i,i diction between this vcr. and eh; xxii. 38 clee.rly derived from tho institutions of {together with 2 Kings ix. 25) which is ale.very, according to whioh the bondservant absolutely insuperable. But as Diihr ob- was wholly at hie master's dispos11l and WIii CB. XXI. 1-29.] THE FIRST BOOK OF KINGS.