for as soon as the battle began, God struck the Arabians with such a panic fear, that From 1 Kings they began to flee; and Asa and his army pursued them, took the spoil of their camp, 2 Chron carried away their cattle, smote the cities that were in league with them, and so returned in triumph to Jerusalem. After so signal a victory, Asa continued in peace for the space of five years more; in which time he thought himself obliged, both in gratitude to God and in compliance to the encouragement (a) which his prophet Azariah had given him, to set himself about a thorough reformation in religion. To this purpose he executed all that could be convicted of sodomy: he destroyed all the idols that were to be found, not only in Judah and Benjamin, but in any of the conquered countries likewise: he repaired the altar of burnt-offerings, and summoned not only natives but strangers likewise to the worship of the true God. On a solemn festival which he had appointed, he ordered seven hundred oxen, and seven thousand sheep, part of the spoil which he had taken from the Arabians, to be sacrificed; and, at the same time, engaged in a covenant with his subjects, (which was confirmed by oath) that whoever should forsake the true worship of God, should have (b) the sentence of the law executed upon him, and be infallibly put to death. His own mother had been a patroness of idolatry; and therefore, to shew his impartiality, he removed her from court, and forbad her coming near the queen for fear of infecting her; and understanding that she had set up an idol in a grove consecrated to an obscene deity *, he burnt the idol and the grove both, and threw their ashes into the brook Kidron, (c) as Moses did before by the molten calf. (a) 2 Chron. xv. throughout. b) Deut. xvii. 2, &c. The words of the text, both in 1 Kings xv. 13. and 2 Chron. xv. 16. according to our translation, are to this effect:" That Asa removed his mother Maachah from being queen, because she had made an idol in a grove, both of which he cut down and burnt." The word which we render Idol, is in the original Mipheletseth; but then the whole difficulty turns upon this, what the proper signification of this word is. The Vulgate translation has cleared this matter pret ty well, by rendering the passage, that this queenmother "was the high priestess in the sacrifices of Priapus;" and when the Septuagint (according to the Vatican copy) informs us, that she held an assembly in this grove, and that her son Asa cut down all the close arbours, or places of retreat, as the word Zúvodos, which we render assembly, may have a more carnal meaning, and the other Kaladuous properly signifies hiding-places, or places of retirement for wicked and obscene purposes; we may from hence infer, that both the Latin and Greek translators took the Mipheletseth of Maachah to be some lewd and lascivious deity, which loved to be worshipped in filthy and abominable actions; and that this could be no other than the Roman Priapus (whose worshippers were chiefly women) seems to be implied in the very etymology of the word, which properly signifies Terriculamentum, or a device to frighten other things away; for this was exactly the office of Priapus in all gardens. that the Roman Priapus is thought to represent? And viii. to the end of Pomosisque ruber custos ponatur in hortis, A. M. 3001, Ant.Chris. 1003, &c. or 990. The fame of this reformation, and the blessings wherewith God had hitherto distin&c. or 4421. guished Asa's reign, made the subjects of Baasha (who was now king of Israel) come over in great numbers to Jerusalem; which Baasha perceiving, was resolved, if possible, to put a stop to it; and therefore he fortified Ramah, a town in the tribe of Benjamin, so conveniently situated, that by keeping a good garrison there, he might hinder all passing to and fro without leave, and so cut off all communication between his people and the people of Judah. Asa hearing of this, and knowing the intent and purpose of the stratagem, was resolved to give him a diversion, if he possibly could, on the other side. To this end he took all the silver and gold that was in the temple, as well as what was found in his own exchequer, and sent it as a present to Benhadad, king of Syria, requesting his assistance against Baasha. The largeness of the present soon had its effect; for Benhadad immediately attacked several cities in Israel with such success, that Baasha was forced to abandon his new design of fortifying his frontiers towards Judah, in order to defend the other parts of his kingdom that were thus furiously invaded; which gave Asa an opportunity to demolish the works that were begun at Ramah, and with the materials that Baasha had prepared to build him two cities in his own dominions, Gebah and Mispah. This applying however to Benhadad for assistance was, in Asa, a thing inexcusable. It implied a distrust of God's power and goodness to help him, of which he had so lately so large an experience, and therefore the prophet Hanani was sent to reprove him for it: But instead of receiving his reproofs with temper and thankfulness, he was so exasperated with them, that he put the prophet in chains, and gave orders, at the same time, for the execution of several of his subjects. The truth is, towards the close of his reign, he grew very peevish and passionate, and uneasy with those that were about him; which, charity would be apt to think, proceeded from his distemper, a severe gout (in all probability), whose humour rising upwards, killed him in the one and fortieth year of his reign. He was succeeded by his son Jehoshaphat. But instead of being interred (as the manner of the Jews was), †2 he Ashtaroth, which is the same with Astarte, we can In cases of extreme danger, it was always held lawful to employ sacred things in the defence of one's country: But there was no such necessity in this case. God had appeared wonderful in Asa's defence against an enemy much more powerful than Baasha was ; nay, he had promised him his protection at all times, and success in all his undertakings, if he would but adhere to his service; and yet, forgetting all this, he strips the temple of its treasure, and bribes a heathen prince to come to his assistance, and break his league with another, to whom he stood engaged: So that here were three offences in this one act of Asa's. For, 1st, he alienated things consecrated to God without necessity; 2dly, he did this out of a carnal fear, and distrust of that God, whose power and goodness he had lately experienced; and, 3dly, he did it with an ill intent, even to hire Benhadad to a breach of his league and covenant with Baasha. Pool's Annotations. * [It is not said that he gave orders for the execution of his subjects, but that he oppressed them, or became a tyrant.] + The words in the text are these,-" They laid him on the bed, which was filled with sweet odours, and divers kinds of spices prepared by the apotheca ordered his body to be burnt, with great quantities of perfumes and spices, and his bones From 1 Kings and ashes to be collected, and buried in a sepulchre, which he had provided for himself viii, to the end in the city of David. During the long continuance of Asa's reign, sundry successions and revolutions happened in the kingdom of Israel, whereof the Sacred History has given us but a short account. In the first or second year of Asa died Jeroboam, of some acute disease, which the Scripture does not specify. His reign was famous (or infamous rather) for the revolt of the ten tribes, the public institution of idolatry, and the terrible defeat which Abijah gave him, and which he himself seems not long to have survived. He was succeeded by his son Nadab, a person who took care to imitate his father in all his wickedness; but his reign was not long. In less than two years he was treacherously killed by Baasha, his captain-general, who usurped bis crown, and to maintain himself in that usurpation, put every one that was related to his predecessor to death; which was certainly a very wicked and barbarous act, though it proved the accomplishment of the prophecy † which Ahijah had denounced against Jeroboam's house. In the six and twentieth year of king Asa, Baasha died, and was succeeded by his son Elah, a vicious and debauched prince, that in the second year of his reign (as he was carousing in his steward's house) was assassinated by Zimri, a considerable officer ries art; and they made a great burning for him," 2 Chron. xvi. 14. But then the question is, whether the body itself was burnt, or only some spices and. odoriferous drugs, to prevent any bad smell that might attend the corpse? The Greeks and Romans indeed, when they burnt any dead bodies, threw frankincense, myrrh, cassia, and other fragrant things into the fire, and this in such abundance, that Pliny (Nat. Hist. cap. 18.) represents it as a piece of profaneness to bestow such heaps of frankincense upon a dead body, when they offered it so sparingly to their gods. The Jews, however, (say the maintainers of this side of the question) were accustomed to inter, and not burn their dead, though they might possibly learn from the Egyptians the usage of burning many spices at their funerals, as we find they did at the funeral of Zedekiah king of Judah, Jer. xxxiv. 5. but, notwithstanding this, some very able commentators are of opinion, that all these spices and perfumes were burnt along with Asa's body; and they remark, that among his other offences, the sacred history takes notice of this vanity of his, in ordering his body to be disposed of according to the manner of the Gentiles, and not of his own people. Though therefore they suppose that Asa was the first who introduced this custom, yet, in after-ages, it becam very frequent, and was thought the more honourable ceremony of the two, 2 Chron. xxi. 19. Ibid, xvi. 14. Amos vi. 10.; Patrick's and Calmet's Commentary on 2 Chron. xvi. 14. + The denunciation is expressed in these words, "Therefore behold, I will bring evil upon the house of Jeroboam, and will cut off from Jeroboam him that pisseth against the wall, and him that is shut up and left in Israel, and will take away the remnant of the house of Jeroboam, as a man taketh away dung, till it be all gone. Him that dieth of Jeroboam in the city shall the dogs eat; and him that dieth in the field, shall the fouls of the air eat; for the Lord hath spoken it." (1 Kings xiv. 10, 11.) The only diffi. culty in which words is, how Baasha's exaltation to the kingdom of Israel can be ascribed to God, (as it And yet Baasha's expedition against Asa, in or- of 2 Chron. A. M. 3001, of horse, who, to secure the kingdom to himself, † cut off all Baasha's friends and re&c. or 4421. lations: but he had not taken care (as Baasha did) to gain the army (which was then be1003, &c. sieging +2 Gibbethon) over to his interest; so that when they heard of the news of the Ant. Chris. or 990. king's death, they declared for Omri their general. He immediately raised the siege, In the eight and thirtieth year of King Asa, Ahab succeeded his father Omri, and in wickedness excelled all his predecessors. But of him we shall treat at large in our next chapter, and chuse to conclude here with this observation,-that though, while Asa reigned in Judah, Israel was in the hands of seven or eight several princes, viz. Jeroboam, Nadab, Baasha, Elah, Zimri, Tibni, Omri, and Ahab; yet such was their hardness in sin and idolatry, that in all these changes they never once thought of re turning to the house of David, or the worship of the true God at Jerusalem. + One part of the threat, which the prophet Jehu denounces against Baasha, is, as we see, that God would "make his house like the house of Jeroboam," 1 Kings xvi. 3.; and that exactly came to pass: For, as Nadab the son of Jeroboam reigned but two years, so Elah the son of Baasha reigned no more and as Nadab was killed by the sword, so was Elah: so wonderful a similitude was there between Jeroboam and Baasha, in their lives and in their deaths, in their sons and in their families. Patrick's Commentary. This was a city in the tribe of Dan, and given to the Levites for their habitation, Josh. xix. 44. and xxi. 23. but they seem to have quitted it, as they did the rest of the cities, when Jeroboam would not suffer them to excercise their office, and the Philistines, it is likely, then seized upon it, as being adjoining to their country. It seems however, to have been a place of no inconsiderable strength, since we find, that it maintained a siege for three kings reigns successively, though with some interruption, 1 Kings xvi. 15. 16. +3 Some interpreters would rather have it, that Omri set the royal palace on fire, in order to burn Zimri in it, who had retired thither. The Hebrew words indeed will bear that construction, but the other sense seems more likely. Nor has profane history forgot to preserve the memory of some princes who have chosen to die in this manner, rather than fall by the sword, whereof Sardanapalus is one of the most ancient, and most notorious examples. Calmet's *[According to Dr Hales for six years.] (c) Ibid. How It is somewhat wonderful, that when Omri bought this place of Shemer, whereon he intended to build a city, he did not call it by his own name, unless we may suppose, that when Shemer sold it, he let him have the greater bargain of it, upon condition that it should be continued in its first owner's name. ever this be, it is certain, that as Samaria was situated in the midst of the tribe of Ephraim on a fruitful and pleasant hill, it soon became the regal and capital city of the kingdom of Israel; nor did its kings omit any thing to make it as strong, as fine, and as rich as possible. What fate it underwent by Benhadad king of Syria; by Sahlmanezer king of Assyria; by one of the Maccabean family; by Herod the Great, who rebuilt and beautified it; by Augustus Cæsar, and by the emperor Adrian, under whom it finally fell; we shall see, in a great measure, in the course of this history. It is conjectured by Bochart, (who traced the ruins of it,) to have been once larger than Jerusalem; but now it consists of nothing but a few cottages and convents, inhabited by some Greek monks. Wells's Geography of the Old Testament, vol. 3. and 66 THE OBJECTION. of 2 Chron. JEROBOAM, no doubt, was a very politic man; and the division which he brought From 1 Kings about in the Jewish monarchy was a matter of no small contrivance: But still his viii. to the end setting up calves, as objects of Divine worship, in order to keep his people at home,and to prevent their returning to the house of David and the temple of Jerusalem, was the most senseless and absurd project that ever entered into any wise man's head. The temple of Jerusalem had not, at this time, been finished above thirty years, and persons enough there were alive who had been eye-witnesses at its dedication, of the glory of the Lord, which not only filled the sanctuary, but the very courts adjoining, (a) so that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud :' And how could he then think of making these people believe, that the image of a calf was equally a symbol of the Divine presence? How indeed could they but think that the king was making a parcel of dupes of them, when, upon the erection of these dumb idols, he could have the confidence to tell them, (b) Behold thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee out of Egypt!' 6 Israel had already suffered too much by a dangerous practice of this kind. The sin of the molten calf had cost their forefathers no less (c) than three thousand lives; and in every calamity that befel their posterity, some grains of this wicked idol they always thought were mingled in it. And can we imagine that they would so easily be inveigled into the like abomination again; that they would make so quick a transition from the worship of the true God to the grossest idolatry, and not rather look upon Jeroboam as their mortal enemy, that was going to bring upon them some heavy judgment, by attempting to introduce a thing which, when they considered the fate of their ancestors, was enough to make them tremble? Had he done indeed as † Sanballat, we find, in after-times did, built an handsome temple in some commodious place, and taken in priests and Levites to officiate therein, this might have been some temptation for the people to stay with him; but, instead of this, to have recourse to that old invention, for which their forefathers had smarted so severely, was a practice so absurd, so unpopular, so dangerous, so odious, so sure to give disgust, and so apt to raise a general revolt, that Jeroboam must certainly have been a man too wisé and politic ever to attempt it. For the same reason we can hardly credit the story of Pharaoh's taking cities from the Philistines, and giving them to Solomon, as part of his daughter's portion. This king of Egypt (be he who he will) might possibly be a warlike prince; but the country of the Philistines (and Gezer in particular) lay so far distant from him, and so little deserved any military expedition, that we cannot but think that there is some part the country, Manasseh, with some others that |