The Pulpit Commentary — 2 Chronicles — Section 5

64; oh. iv. l compared with vii. 7. See rest of this verse, the pe.mllel pe.ssnge hns alBO Herod., • Hist.,' vii. 48). The priests, " an underetandiug heart," in place of our of oour•e, performed the saorifioes at the " wisdom and knowl,edge ; " and "that I may command of Solomon. discern between good 11,nd b11,d," in place of Vere. 7-12.-The msion and prayef' of our that I may go out and aome in before Solomon., a,id God's anitwer to that prayer. this people. In using the words, "wisdom and knowledge," Solomon seems to h11,ve (<Jomp. I Kings iii. 5-15 ; ix. 2.) remembered well the prayer of his father Ver. 7.-That night. This oan mean no (l'Chron. xxii. 12). (For the pedigree of the other night than that which followed the simple and effective phrase, "know how to rlay (or the days) of sacrifices eo multitu- go out e.nd come in," see Numb. xxvii. 17: dinous. The parallel account in 1 Kingsiii.5 Dent. xxxi. 2; 1 Sam. xviii. 18, 16; 2 Sam. tells us the way in which " God appeared iii. 25). It is at the same time refreshing t.o Solomon," viz. by dream. The words of to revisit the times when the most exalted God's offer. Aek what I shall give thee, l!.l'8 nominal ruler was also the real ruler, o.s identical in the parnllel plaoe. being tile leader, the judge, the teo.oher in Ver. 8.-Thou ha.et showed great meroy the highest sense, 11,nd "tile feeder " of his unto David my father. These aleo are the people. Nor is it less refresping to notice exact word;; found in the parallel place, but how, in Israel e.t least, the fact was so well they omit the words, "thy servant," before recognized e.nd honoured, that justice and "David," found there. And hast made me to judge just judgment lay at the deepest to reign in his stead. This concise expression foundation of civil society. takes the place of two equivalent expressions, Ver. 11.-With this verse the answer to found at the end of the sixth and beginning Solomon's prayer begins. It is here con- of the seventh verses in the parallel passage, cisely given in two verses, but occupies five the former of which passages also describes (vers. 10-14) in the pare.llel place, including it as " this great kindness," i.e. kindness on the verse not found here, which says, "The the part of God- description very mnch in speech pleased the Lord, that Solomon had harmony with David's own grateful e.cknow- asked this thing." Otherwise there is no ledgment to God (1 Kings i 48). Up to essential difference of any importance, though this point onr present account differs from it may be noted that the parallel gives voice its parallel in cutting out Solomon's eulogy to the promise of "length of days," on the of his father (" According as he walked condition of Solomon fulfilling his pa.rt in before thee in trnth e.nd in righteousness showing obedience to the Divine will, and and in uprightness of heart with thee"), in following the steps of his father. Biohes, e.nd his humbler disparagement of himself wealth (C•J?~~ ,~JI). The most elementary (" And I, e. little child, know not how to go idea of the former of these two words seems out or come in "). to be "straight growth," "prosperity:" of Ver. 9.-Now, 0 Lord God, let thy promise the latter, "to gather together" or "heap 1lllto David my father be established. This up." The former is foui:id first ~ Ge~. x~i. challenge on the part of Solomon, intended, 16; and in the verb (b1ph. conJugation) m without doubt, most reverently, is not given Gen. xiv. 23. Afterwards it is found in in the pare.llel place, e.nd forms not only a. almost all of the historical books, in the distinctive but an interesting additional Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and in the feature of the present account. It is thought prophets Jeremiah and Daniel. The latter by some that the" promise "here challenged word occurs only five times (Josh. xxii. 8: is not verv distinctly recorded anywhere, in this and the following verses ; and in but surely passages like 1 Chron. xvii 12- Eccles. v. 19; vi. 2). Its Cha.ldee form is 14; wi. 10 ; xxviii. 6, 7 amply meet the also found in Ezra vi, 8 and vii. 26. A com• case. See also 2 Sam. viL 12, 15. Xing parison of these passages scarcely sustains over e. people like the dust. It is noteworthy the supposition of some, suggested by the that, though the equivalent of this phrase derivation of the word, that it marks is found in the parallel, the distinctiveness specially those stores of ueeful things of this simile is not found there. (For the which constituted largely the wealth of use of the simile to express e. vast number, Old Testament times. Wisdom and know- see Gen. xxviii. 14; Numb. xxiiL 10; Zeph. ledge. The distinction between these is L 17; Zeeb. ix. 3.) It is not at e.ll of fre- evident as also that they a.re needful comple- quent use in Scripture. ments ~f one another for the forming of a Ver. 10.-Give me now wisdom and catholic, usefnl, sound character. knowledge. The force of the opening of Ver. 12.-Buoh as none of the kings . this verse, and the relation of ii to the before thee, neither , . . after thee. These former, e.re both prejudiced by the "now" words were sadly ominous of the short-lived (i"lr-tl7) being deposed from its right posi- glory of the kingdom. O~ly two kings had tion- as the firat word in the vene. For the reigned before Solomon 111 Israel, and the au. r. 1-17.] THE SECOND BOOK OF THE CHRONICLES. 5