43 And said to his servant, Go up now, look toward the sea. And he went up, and looked, and said, There is nothing. And he said, Go again seven times.

44 And it came to pass, at the seventh time, that he said, Behold, there ariseth a little cloud out of the sea, like a man's hand. And he said, Go up say unto Ahab, Prepare thy chariot, and get thee down, that the rain stop thee not.

45 And it came to pass in the mean while, that the heaven was black with clouds and wind, and there was a great rain. And Ahab rode, and went to Jezreel.

46 And the hand of the LORD was on Elijah; and he girded up his loins, and ran before Ahab i to the entrance of Jezreel.

CHAPTER XIX.

Ahab tells Jezebel what Elijah had done; she is enraged, and threatens to take away his life, 1, 2 He leaves Jezreel, and comes to Beer-sheba, and hence to the wilder

ness, where he is fed and encouraged by an angel, 3-9. His complaint, and

the vision by which God instructs him, 10-14. He is sent to Damascus, in order to anoint Hazael king over Syria; and Jehu, king over Israel, 15-18. He meets with Elisha, who becomes his servant, 19-21. Ante I. O1. 130. An. Megaclis, Arch. Athen. perpet. 16.

sword.

AND Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, and withal how he had slain all the prophets with the

2 Then Jezebel sent a messenger unto Elijah, saying, So let the gods do to me, and more also, if I make not thy life as the life of one of them by to-morrow about this time.

3 And when he saw that, he arose, and went for his life, and came to Beer-sheba, which belongeth to Judah, and left his servant there. 4 But he himself went a day's journey into

g Heb. tie, or, bind.-h 2 Kings 4. 29, & 9. 1.—i Heb. till thou come to Jezreel. k Ch. 18. 40.-1 Ruth 1. 17. Ch. 20. 10. 2 Kings 6. 31.-m Numb. 11. 15. Jonah 4. 3, 8.

Verse 43. Look toward the sea.] From the top of inount Carmel the Mediterranean sea was full in view. Verse 44. There ariseth a little cloud out of the sea, like a man's hand.] ke caph ish, like the hollow of a man's hand. In the form of the hand bent, the concave side downmost. I have witnessed a resemblance of this kind at sea, previously to a violent storm. A little cloud, the size of a man's hand, first appearing, and this increasing in size and density every moment, till at last it covered the whole heavens, and then burst forth with incredible fury.

Mr. Bruce mentions a similar appearance in Abyssinia: -"Every morning, in Abyssinia, is clear, and the sun shines. About nine a small cloud, not above four feet broad, appears in the east, whirling violently round, as if upon an axis; but arrived near the zenith, it first abates its motion, then loses its form, and extends itself greatly, and seems to call up vapours from all opposite quarters. These clouds, having attained nearly the same height, rush against each other with great violence, and put me always in mind of Elijah foretelling rain on mount Carmel." Travels, vol. v. page 336. edit. 1805.

the wilderness, and came and sat down under a juniper tree; and he requested" for himself that he might die; and said, It is enough; now, O LORD, take away my life: for I am not better than my fathers.

5 And as he lay and slept under a juniper tree, behold, then an angel touched him, and said unto him, Arise and eat.

6 And he looked, and behold, there was a cake baken on the coals, and a cruise of water at his head. And he did eat and drink, and laid him down again.

7 And the angel of the LORD came again the second time, and touched him, and said, Arise and eat; because the journey is too great for thee.

9

8 And he arose, and did eat and drink, and went in the strength of that meat P forty days and forty nights unto Horeb the mount of God. 9 And he came thither unto a cave, and lodged there; and, behold, the word of the LORD

came to him, and he said unto him, What doest thou here, Elijah?

10 And he said, I have been very jealous for the LORD God of hosts: for the children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down thine altars, and slain thy prophets with the sword; and " I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away.

11 And he said, Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the LORD. And, behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks

the whole court, and of the country: but, finding himself mistaken, he is greatly discouraged.

To Beer-sheba] This being at the most southern extremity of the Promised Land, and under the jurisdiction of the king of Judah, he might suppose himself in a place of safety.

Left his servant there.] Being alone, he would be the more unlikely to be discovered: besides, he did not wish to risk the life of his servant.

Verse 4. A day's journey into the wilderness] Probably in his way to mount Horeb. See verse 8. Juniper tree] A tree that afforded him a shade from the scorching sun.

It is enough] I have lived long enough; I can do no more good ainong this people, let me now end my days. Verse 5. As he lay and slept] Excessive anguish of mind frequently induces sleep, as well as great fatigue of body.

An angel touched him] He needed refreshment, and God sent an angel to bring him what was necessary. Verse 6. A cake baken on the coals] All this seems to have been supernaturally provided.

Verse 7. The journey is too great for thee.] From Beer-sheba to Horeb was about one hundred and fifty

miles.

Verse 8. Forty days and forty nights] So he fasted just the same time as Moses did at Horeb; and as Christ did in the wilderness.

Verse 9. He came thither unto a care] Conjectured by some to be the same cave in which God put Moses, that he might give him a glimpse of his glory. See Exod.

Xxxiii. 22.

What dost thou here, Elijah?] Is this a reproach for his having fled from the face of Jezebel, through what some call unbelieving fears, that God would abandon

NOTES ON CHAPTER XIX.

Verse 1. Ahab told Jezebel] Probably with no evil design against Elijah.

Verse 2. So let the gods do] If I do not slay thee, let the gods slay me with the most ignominious death. Verse 3. He arose, and went for his life] He saw it was best to give place to this storm, and go to a place of safety. He probably thought that the miracle at Carmel would have been the means of effecting the conversion of

1. They have forsaken thy covenant] They have now cleaved to and worshipped other gods.

2. Thrown down thine altars] Endeavoured, as much as they possibly could, to abolish thy worship, and destroy its remembrance from the land.

3. And slain thy prophets] That there might be none to reprove their iniquity, or teach the truth; so that the restoration of the true worship might be impossible. 4. I only, am left] They have succeeded in destroying all the rest of the prophets, and they are determined not to rest till they slay me.

21 And he returned back from him, and took a yoke of oxen, and slew them, and boiled their flesh with the instruments of the oxen, and gave unto the people, and they did eat. Then he arose, and went after Elijah, and ministered unto him. CHAPTER XX.

Ben-halal, k'ng of Syria, and thirty-two kings, besiege Samaria, 1. He sends

A

an insulting message to Ahab; and insists on pillaging the whole city, 2-7. The ellers of Israel counsel the king not to submit to such shameful conditions, 8. He sends a refusal to Ben hadad; who, being enraged, vows revenge, 9-12. prophet comes to Ahab, and promises him victory, and gives him directions how he should order the battle, 13-19. The Syrians are discomfitel, and Beu-hadad scarcely escapes, 20, 21. The prophet warns Ahab to be on his guard, for the Syrians would returu next year, 22. The counsellors of the king of Syria instruct him how he inay piccessfully invade Israel, 23-25. He leads an immense army to Aphek, to fight with Ahab, 26, 27. A man of God encourages Ahab; who attacks the Syrians, and kills one hundred thousand of them, 29. They retreat to Aphek, where twenty-seven thousand of them are slain by a casualty, 30. Benhadad and his courtiers, being closely besieged in Aphek, and unable to escape, surrender themselves with sackcloth on their loins, and halters on their heads; the king of Israel receives them in a friendly manner, and makes a covenant with Ben halad, 31-31. A prophet, by a symbolical action, shows him the impolicy of his conduct, in permitting Ben-halal to escape; and predicts his death, and the slaughter of Israel, 35-43 A MI. 3103.

B. C. 901.

Ante I. Ol. 125 An. Megaclis,

AND Ben-hadad the king of Syria gathered all his host together: and there were thirty and two kings with him, and horses, and chariots: and he went up and besieged Samaria, and warred against it.

Arch Athen. perpet. 21.

on Elisha to signify to him that he was called to the prophetic office. See more on this subject below.

Verse 20. Let me--kiss my father and my mother] Elisha fully understood that he was called by this ceremony to the prophetic office: and it is evident that he conferred not with flesh and blood, but resolved, immediately reresolved, to obey; only he wished to bid farewell to his relatives. See below.

What have I done to thee?] Thy call is not from me, but from God: to him, not to me, art thou accountable for thy use or abuse of it.

Verse 21. He returned back] He went home to his house probably he yet lived with his parents, for it appears he was a single man;-and he slew a yoke of the oxen: and he made a feast for his household, having boiled the flesh of the oxen with his agricultural implements, probably in token that he had abandoned secular life; and, having bidden them an affectionate farewell, he arose, went after Elijah, who probably still awaited his coming in the field, or vicinity, and ministered unto him.

On the call of Elisha I may make a few remarks: 1. Elijah is commanded, ver. 16. to anoint Elisha prophet in his room. Though it is generally believed that kings, priests, and prophets, were inaugurated into their respective offices by the rite of unction, and this I have elsewhere supposed, yet this is the only instance on record where a prophet is commanded to be anointed, and even this case is problematical: for it does not appear that Elijah did anoint Elisha. Nothing is mentioned in his call to the prophetic office, but the casting the mantle of Elijah upon him; wherefore it is probable that the word anoint, here, signifies no more than the call to the office, accompanied by the simple rite of having the prophet's mantle thrown over his shoulders.

2 And he sent messengers to Ahab king of Israel into the city, and said unto him, Thus saith Ben-hadad,

3 Thy silver and thy gold is mine; thy wives also and thy children, even the goodliest, are mine.

4 And the king of Israel answered and said, My lord, O king, according to thy saying, I am thine, and all that I have.

5 And the messengers came again, and said, Thus speaketh Ben-hadad, saying, Although I have sent unto thee, saying, Thou shalt deliver me thy silver, and thy gold, and thy wives, and thy children;

6 Yet I will send my servants unto thee tomorrow about this time, and they shall search thine house, and the houses of thy servants, and it shall be, that whatsoever is pleasant in thine eyes, they shall put it in their hand, and take it

away.

7 Then the king of Israel called all the elders of the land, and said, Mark, I pray you, and see how this man seeketh Pmischief: for he sent unto me for my wives, and for my children, and for my silver, and for my gold; and I denied him not.

8 And all the elders and all the people said unto him, Hearken not unto him, nor consent.

n Chap. 15. 18.-o Heb. desirable.-p 2 Kings 5. 7.-q Heb. I kept not back from him.

peculiar to those nations, that Palliatus, is used to signify a Greck, as Togatus is to signify a Roman.

5. Was it from this act of Elijah, conveying the prophetic office and its authority to Elisha, by throwing his mantle upon him, that the popes of Rome borrowed the ceremony of collating an archbishop to the spiritualities and temporalities of his see, and investing him with plenary sacerdotal authority, by sending him what is well known in ecclesiastical history by the name pallium, pall, or cloak? I think this is likely: for, as we learn from Zech. xlii. 4. and 2 Kings i. 8. that this mantle was a rough or hairy garment, so we learn from Durandus that the pallium or pall, was made of white wool, after the following manner: The nuns of St. Agnes annually, on the festival of their patroness, offer two white lambs on the altar of their church, during the time they sing Agnus Dei, in a solemn mass; which lambs are afterwards taken by two of the canons of the Lateran church, and by them given to the pope's subdeacons, who send them to pasture till shearing time; and then they are shorn, and the pall is made of their wool, mixed with other white wool. The pall is then carried to the Lateran church, and there placed on the high altar by the deacons, on the bodies of St. Peter and St. Paul; and after an usual watching, or vigil, it is carried away in the night, and delivered to the subdeacons, who lay it up carefully. Now, because it was taken from the body of St. Peter, it signifies the plenitude of ecclesiastical power: and therefore, the popes assume it as their prerogative, being the professed successors of this apostle, to invest other prelates with it. This was at first confined to Rome, but afterwards it was sent to popish prelates in different parts of the world.

6. It seems from the place in Zechariah, quoted above, that this rough cloak, or garment, became the covering of

3. We do not find any attempt on the part of his parents to hinder him from obeying the divine call: they had too much respect for the authority of God, and they left their son to the dictates of his conscience. Wo to those parents who strive for filthy lucre's sake, to prevent their sons from embracing a call to preach Jesus to their perishing countrymen, or to the heathen, because they see that the life of a true evangelist is a life of comparative poverty; and they had rather he should gain money than save souls. 4. The cloak, we have already observed, was the prophet's peculiar habit; it was probably in imitation of this that the Greek philosophers wore a sort of mantle, that distinguished them from the common people; and by which they were at once as easily known as certain academical characters are by their gowns and square caps. The pallium was as common among the Greeks as the toga was among the Romans. Each of these was so

prophetic dress without the prophetic call and God threatens to unmask them. We know that this became general in the popish church in the beginning of the 16th century; and God stripped those false prophets of their false and wicked pretensions, and exposed them to the people. Many of them profited by this exposure, and became reformed; and the whole community became at least more cautious. The Romish church should be thankful to the Reformation for the moral purity which is now found in it; for had not its vices, and usurpations, and super-scandalous sales of indulgences, been thus checked, the whole fabric had, by this time, been probably dissolved. Should it carry its reformation still farther, it would have a more legitimate pretension to the title of apostolic. Let them compare their ritual with the Bible and common sense, and they will find cause to lop many cumbrous and rotten branches from a good tree.

NOTES ON CHAPTER XX.

Verse 1. Ben-hadad] Several MSS. and some early printed editions, have Ben-hadar; or, the son of Hadar, as the Septuagint. He is supposed to be the same whom

the note on Josh. xii. 18. It is supposed that the town mentioned here was situated in Libanus, upon the river Adonis, between Heliopolis and Biblos.

Verse 28. Because the Syrians have said] God resents their blasphemy, and is determined to punish it. They shall now be discomfited in such a way as to show that God's power is every where; and that the multitude of a host is nothing against him.

Verse 29. Slew a hundred thousand footmen in one day.] This number is enormous: but the MSS. and versions give no various reading.

Verse 30. A wall fell upon twenty and seven thousand] From the first view of this text it would appear that when the Syrians fled to Aphek, and shut themselves within the walls, the Israelites immediately brought all hands, and sapped the walls, in consequence of which a large portion fell, and buried twenty-seven thousand men. But perhaps the hand of God was more immediately in this disaster: probably a burning wind is meant. See at the end of the

chapter.

Came into the city, into an inner chamber] However the passage above may be understood, the city was now, in effect, taken; and Ben-hadad either betook himself, with his few followers, to the citadel, or to some secret hidingplace, where he held the council with his servants immiediately mentioned.

Verse 31. Put sackcloth on our loins, and ropes upon our heads] Let us show ourselves humbled in the deepest manner; and let us put ropes about our necks, and go submitting to his mercy, and deprecating his wrath. The citizens of Calais are reported to have acted nearly in the same way, when they surrendered their city to Edward IH. king of England, in 1346: see at the end.

Verse 32. Thy servant Ben-hadad] See the vicissitude of human affairs! A little before he was the haughtiest of all tyrants; and Ahab calls him his lord: now, so much is he humbled, that he will be glad to be reputed Ahab's slave! Verse 33. Did hastily catch it] They were watching to see if any kind word should be spoken by him, from which they might draw a favourable omen: and, when they heard him use the word brother, it gave them much encouragement.

Verse 34. Thou shalt make streets for thee in Damascus] It appears that it was customary for foreigners to have a place assigned to them, particularly in maritime towns, where they might deposite and vend their merchandise. This was the very origin of European settlements in Asiatic countries: "The people gave an inch to those strangers; and, in consequence, they took an ell." Under the pretence of strengthening the place where they kept their wares, to prevent depredations, they built forts,

Then Ben-hadad came forth to him; and he caused him to come up into the chariot. 34 And Ben-hadad said unto him, m The cities, which my father took from thy father, I will restore; and thou shalt make streets for thee in Damascus, as my father made in Samaria. Then said Ahab, I will send thee away with this covenant. So he made a covenant with him, and sent him away.

35 And a certain man of " the sons of the prophets said unto his neighbour in the word of the LORD, Smite me, I pray thee. And the man refused to smite him.

36 Then said he unto him, Because thou hast not obeyed the voice of the LORD, behold, as soon as thou art departed from me, a lion shall slay thee. And as soon as he was departed from him, Pa lion found him, and slew him.

37 Then he found another man, and said, Smite me, I pray thee. And the man emote him, so that in smiting he wounded him.

38 So the prophet departed, and waited for the king by the way, and disguised himself with ashes upon his face.

r

39 And as the king passed by, he cried unto the king: and he said, Thy servant went out into the midst of the battle; and, behold, a man turned aside, and brought a man unto me, and said, Keep this man: if by any means he be missing, then shall thy life be for his life, or else thou shalt pay a talent of silver.

40 And as thy servant was busy here and

o Ch. 13. 17, 18.-p Ch. 13. 24.-q Heb. smiting and wounding.-r See 2 Sam. 12. 1, &c.-s 2 Kings 10. 24.-t Heb. weigh

and soon gave laws to their entertainers. In vain did the natives wish them away; they had got power, and would retain it; and at last subjected these countries to their own dominion.

It was customary also in the time of the Crusades, to give those nations which were engaged in them, streets, churches, and post dues, in those places which they assisted to conquer. The Genoese and Venitians had each

a street in Accon, or St. Jean d'Acre, in which they had their own jurisdiction; with oven, mill, bagnio, weights, and measures. See William of Tyre, und Harmer's Observations.

He made a covenant with him] According to the words recited above, putting him under no kind of disabilities whatsoever.

Verse 35. In the word of the LORD] By the word or command of the Lord; that is, God has commanded thee to smite me. Refusing to do it, this man forfeited his life, as we are informed in the next verse.

By this emblematical action he intended to inform Ahab, that, as the man forfeited his life who refused to smite him when he had the Lord's command to do it; so he, (Ahab,) had forfeited his life, because he did not smite Ben-hadad when he had him in his power.

Verse 36. A lion found him and slew him.] This seems a hard measure; but there was ample reason for it. This person was also one of the sons of the prophets, and he knew that God frequently delivered his counsels in this way, and should have immediately obeyed; for the smiting could have had no evil in it when God commanded it: and it could be no outrage or injury to his fellow, when he himself required him to do it.

Verse 38. Disguised himself with ashes upon his face.] It does not immediately appear how putting ashes upon his face could disguise him. Instead of DN apher, dust, Houbigant conjectured that it should be DN aphad, a fillet, or bandage. It is only the corner of the last letter which makes the difference; for the daleth, and◄ resh, are precisely the same, only the shoulder of the former is square, the latter round. That bandage, not dust, was the original reading, seems pretty evident frem its remains in two of the oldest versions, the Septuagint and the Chaldee: the former has, Kai kartonoato ev Teλapovi TOUS op0aλuovs avrov, "And he bound his eyes with a fillet." The latter has y ya ukerid bemaâphra êinohi; "And he covered his eyes with a cloth." The MSS. of Kennicott and De Rossi contain no various reading here: but bandage is undoubtedly the true one.

Verse 39. Keep this man] The drift of this is at once seen: but Ahab, not knowing it, was led to pass sentence on himself.