pe.mllel in its vers. 10-16. Zedekie.h hia Nebuohadnezz1n's first tn.king of Jeruso.lom, brother; ,:.e. not ndopting the very generic B.o. 606-5. Although this de.te docs not uSRge or 1he terms of relationship, so com- tally exn.ctly with the n.o. 538 of Cyrus's con- mon in Old Testament le.ngue.ge, his unele. quest of Babylon, yet the discrepo.noy is His mother (Hamufal, ver. 18 of pe.re.llel) ee.sily explained on more than one suffi- we.s the same with the mother of Jehoe.he.z. ciently ue.tural supposition (e.g. that Oyrus's Ten yea.re old evidently when Jehoie.kim reign W&II not exe.ctly synchronous in the began his reign, he mnst have been thirteen beginning of it with his conquest of vears younger th1m his whole brother Je- Babylon, etc.). Enjoyed her Hbbaths (see boahe.z. Zedekiah's ne.me was before Mat- Lev. xxvi. 34, 35, 43-46). taniah. The account of Zedekie.h in the Ver. 22.-In the first year of Cyrus XiDg pe.rallel (which see) is very muoh more full. of Persia. A period of half e. century has Ver. 12.-Humbled not himself before elapsed between the latest date of the fore- J'eremie.h the prophet. Very nnmerous going verses (ciro, B.c. 586) and the do.ta pe.ssag-es in the Book of Jeremie.h (xxi.- signalized here (ciro. n.c. 5118-6). With li.) illustrate both this de.use and generally the procle.mation of Oyrua begins in fact the feeble che.re.cter and uncertain career the manhood, with e.11 its mystic, its of Zedekiah. wonderful, and its still non-progressing Ver. 13.-He also rebelled age.inst . . . etruggle1, of the Jew. His simple child- 1'ebuohe.dnezze.r, who had me.de him BWea.r by hood, wilful youth, e.re indeed for ever gone. God (Elohim). The criticism of the Prophet But he e.nd his nation a.re with unspeakably Ezekiel upon this oath-violation on the pa.rt painful travail born. No life of ne.tion that of Zcdekiah is to be found Ezek. xvii. 12- is or ever be.a been merits the devout 20; xxi. 25. Unto the Lord God of Israel. observation and study that this unchol- Note here the resorting on the pa.rt of the lengeably does. Our present verse and the Jew to the name, Jehovah. It is not this one succeeding it are, sentence for sentence, name that is used at the commencement of the same with the opening verses of the the verse. Book of Ezra, which may possibly once have Ver. 14.-This, with the following three joined on to Chronicles, e.s one work, though verses, may be regarded as the forme.l and we think this exceedingly unlikely. Cyrus final indictment of the people of Judah, and (the i;;i;:, of the Hebrew text) we.a the may be compe.red with the.t of Isre.el son of e. roye.l Persian, Cambyssee; his (2 Kings xvii. 6-23). All the ohief of the mother wa.s Ma.ndane, de.ughter of Astye.ges, priests (see 1 Chron. :x:xiv. 1, 3--19). The last King of Media.. The name e.ppears on heads of the twenty-four courses there the monuments, written Kurus. Cyrus spoken of, with the high priest added, sum defeated his grandfather Aetyages, B.O. 559; up the twenty-five men of Ezek. viii 16, ending thereby the Median royal line; and the entire of which chapter may well be he defeated Crrosus, B.o. '.546, possessing read with the present history, and its himself ther~by of the kingdom of Lydia: description of the culminating pitch of he took Babylon, e.e above, B.O. 538. He wickedness of king, priests, and people. himself died in battle, n.c. 529. That the Ver. 15.-His meuengers. The chief word of the Lord by . . . Jeremiah might of these were pre,mm.ably Isaiah, Jeremiah, be e.ccomplished (see Jer. xxv. ll-14; Ezekiel. The mn.rginal references (Jer, xxv. xxix. 9-11). The Lord stirred up the 3-7; xxxv. 12-15) are very interesting, spirit of Cyrus. The fact is told us, e.nd both for this verse and the following. tLis, no doubt, as on e. thousand other un- Ver. 16.-No remedy (comp. our eh. suspected occasions of far more intrinsic and xxi. 18; Prov. vi. 15; :nix. I; J er. viii. 15: vital interest in the Bible, is sufficient. It xiv.19; xxxiii. 6; Mai. iv. 2 [iii. 20]). would have been interesting to know, how- Ver. 17.-Powerful illustrations of this ever, even here, the mode in which Cyrus verse mav be read in Lam. ii. and Ezek. ix. was appealed to; as, e.g., it has been plau- thronghout the length of the cha.piers. sibly suggested that Daniel may he.ve been Ver. 18.-Compare the parallel in its in part instrumental in the work, and that, vers. 13--17 (2 Kings xxv.); Jer. lii.15-23. again, in pa.rt perhaps by directing the Vere. 19, 20.-(Compare the parallel, attention of Cyrus to Isa. xliv. 28; x:lv. 1. 2 Kings x:xv. 1-12; Jer. :u:xix. 1-10; lii. Ver. 23.-Hath the Lord God of heaven 24-30.) The reign of the kingdom of Persia.; given me , , . the Lord his God be with i.e. the ascending on the throne of the him. The adopting by Cyrus of the Hebrew Persian king. The immediate successor of "Jehovah" in both these places cannot Nebuchadnezzar was his son Evil-Merodach. escape our notice. There can be no room to Ver. 21.-The word of the Lord. Note doubt that Cyrus was acquainted with the me.rginal references (Jer. xxv. 9-12: xxi.x. sacred literature of the Hebrews, and 10 J· The three score and ten yee.rs of deso- especie.lly wiih the writin~~ of Isaio.h, 1&1.eDelll may proLu.bly 0011t be dated from Jeremiah, and Ezekiel, a.a witll the language cm. xnv1. 1-23.J THE SECOND BOOK OF THE CHRONICLES. 441
of Drmiel. It may have been po.rtly a numerous passages m Ezra. parallel in gr11oeful o.ot on the part of Cyrus to word matter with this verse do not need specifica- his proclamo.tion to the Jews thus, or it may tion here. Now begins the new period of have been simply, what uncler the circum- Jewish life, with fiercer probation, with stances came moat naturally to him, with unbounded and varioas trial, and probably little or no intention in it either way, The of world-length continuance.