The Pulpit Commentary — Hosea — Section 12

Dr1r1l, but he clave to the calves of Jeroboam when God would punish the sins of both at Dothol nnd Dan-the fundamental sin of tho princes and people of Israel. The closi; tho kings of Ierael. In what he did, there- of Jehu's dyne.sty was at once the prepara- fon•, tlrn net itself woe right, for God com- tion for and the commencement of the ces- manded it; but the motive wne wrong, for eation of the kingdom of Israel. The place it was selfish nmbition that prompted it. of this calamity was the Valley of J ezreel. 'l'hus it wns with Br1oshr1; he executed This famous valley wa.s the cockpit of vengce.nco by command of God on the wicked Palestine. There Israel conquered the host house of J erohoam I., and for so doing wne of King Ja.bin; there Gideon overthrew the exalted to bo prince over God's people Mirlianites; there Saul was defeated by the Iamol ; but the word of the Lord came Philistines, when driven up the elopes of against him, as we read, "For e.ll the evil Gilboa "the beauty of Israel wa.s slain in tl:ie.t he did in the sight of the Lord, ... in thy high ple.cee;" there a. defeat equr1lly being like the house of Jeroboam; e.nd be- sorrowful and not less dieastrous wa.s aggra- cause he killed him." The Chnldee regards vated by the death of good King Josiah, an,\ the blood shed by Jehu in Jezreel, though proved fatal to the kingdom of Judah ; there, shed in a rigilteous cause and for the root- too, in. later times, the laet conflict took place ing out of the Be.al idolatry, as innocent between the Crnsa.ders and the Moslems, in blood, because Jehu himself e.nd his house which vict.ory crowned the arms of Sala- turned aside to the idolatry of the calves. din ; there, also, was fought the battle, 11.s Jerome takes e. similar view of the matter. we learn from this passage, which decided Kimchi adopts these.me; his words, literally the fate of the kingdom of Israel. The translated, Me the following : "And why situation of this valley was admirably suited does be call it the blood ot' Jezreel? Be- for such scenes. This plain, or valley, cause it was shed in Jezreel. And though broad as it ie beautiful, begins where the in thie matter he did that which was right maritime plain, interrupted by the ridge of in the eyes of Jehovah, yet,since he did not Carmel, turns aside a.nd extends a.croBB the observe to we.lk in the Le.w of Jehovah, e.nd centre of the country from the Mediterranean did not turn a.side from e.11 the sins of J ero- Sea on the west to the Jordan valley on the boam the son of Nebe.t, the blood which he east, and from the hills of Galilee on the shed was reckoned to him e.e innocent north to those of Ephraim or Sa.maria on blood.'' He then adduces as a parallel the the south. The form of this plain is tri- case of Ba.asha already mentioned. And angular; its eastern side or base is fifteen will oanse to oeaee the kingdom of the house miles, reaching from Engannim, now Jenin, of Israel, J eroboa.m II., the third of J ehu's to the hills below N a.zo.reth ; the north side family, was now reigning; a fourth member along the hills of G,.liJee is tweke miles ; of the some was to occupy the throne. the southern, fanned by the hills of Sa- That fourth sovereign Will! Zecha.riah, whose maria, is eighteen miles; while the apex of short inglo1-ious reign lasted only six this somewhat irregular triangle is a. narrow months, at the expiration of which he fell pass through which the river Kishon- a victim in the conspiracy by Shallum. " that ancient river, the river Kishon "- Thus ended the dynasty of Jehu; while its with its winding stream makes its way to overthrow pa.ralyzed the strength of the the sea On the east there a.re three northern kingdom. And, though the day branches in the direction of the Jordan, of its complete destruction was deferred for which bear a remote resemblance to the half a century, yet the disorders, dethrone- fingers of a hand. 'fhe northern branch ments, anarchy at times, and repeated passes between Tabor and Little Hermon, assassination of the sovereigns, to which or Jebel edrDuhy; the central one, which ia Mena.hem was the only exception, prepared the Valley of J ezreel proper, runs between the way for the final c11.ta8lrophe. The Shunem and Jezreel, now Zain; the overthrow of the house of John hos been southern between Mount Gilboa. a.nd En- aptly termed by Hengstenberg "the begin- gannim, now Jenin-this branch, having no ning of the end, the commencement of the outlet, loses itself among the eastern hills. process of decODl(JOsition.'' The name of this pl.i.in was derived from Ver. 5.-And it shall oome to pass at that the city of Jezreel, situated near its eastern day, that I will break the bow of Israel in extremity oo n spur of i\Iount Gilboa, which the valley of J'ezreel. Here we have a pre- Ahab chose as a royal residence, and diction of o. most momentous event, with which remained so for three successive express statement of the place where it reio-ns, though in the time of Jeroboam IL should occur, as also the time of its occur- Sa~aria had again, as in the days of Omri, rencu. Tho event itself was more thr1n the become the royal city. In thi8 great plain, downfall of fl dynasty; it was the destruc- called by the Greeks Esdraelon, tlio bow tion .of o. kingdom. The date of the.t de- of Israel was to be broken. 'fhe bow struction is dofined simply as the period (qeslieth, rad. qashah, hard, stiff, unbend-  TR1t ftt)()IC OF IIOSR& [t9, I, 1-11.