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III.

This chapter completes, in a narrative singularly beautiful and instructive, the detailed record of the early days of Solomon's reign-a record which bears such marks of continuity as argue derivation from a single source.

(1) Pharaoh king of Egypt.-At this time it would appear, from the Egyptian records and traditions, that Egypt was weak and divided, and that what is called the twenty-first dynasty of the Tanite kings was ruling in Lower Egypt. This, and a corresponding abeyance (judging from the monuments) of Assyrian power, gave scope for the rise to sudden greatness and wealth of the Israelite kingdom under Solomon, and probably induced the Egyptian king of those days to consent to an alliance which, at other times, the greatness of the Pharaohs might have spurned. No fault is found with the alliance by the sacred historian, for the Egyptians were never looked upon with the same aversion as the strange women of the Canaanite races. As, moreover, it is not in any way connected with Solomon's subsequent declension into idolatry, noticed in chap. xi. 1-8, it is not unlikely that the new queen literally acted on the call of the Psalmist (Ps. xlv. 10) to "forget her own people and her father's house."

(2) In high places.-The historian, writing from the point of view of his own time, when, after the solemn consecration of the Temple, the worship at "the high places," which form natural sanctuaries, was forbidden, explains that "because there was no house built unto the name of the Lord," the people, and Solomon himself, sacrificed and burnt incense in the high places. It is clear that these high places were of two kinds-places of sacrifice to false gods, and unauthorised sanctuaries of the Lord, probably associating His worship with visible representations of Deity. The former class were, of course, absolute abominations, like the high places of the Canaanite races, so sternly denounced in Deut. xii. 2, 3. The prohibition of the other class of high places-constantly disobeyed by some even of the better kingsappears to have had two distinct objects-(a) to guard against all local corruptions of God's service, and all idolatry, worshipping Him (as at Bethel) under visible forms; (b) to prevent the breach of national unity, by the congregation of the separate tribes round local sanctuaries. But besides these objects, it served (c), as a very remarkable spiritual education for the worship of the invisible God, without the aid of local and visible emblems of His presence, in accordance with the higher prophetic teaching, and preparatory for the perfect spirituality of the future. It is, indeed, hardly to be conceived that there should not have been before the

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at Gibeon.

days. (3) And Solomon loved the LORD, walking in the statutes of David his father: only he sacrificed and burnt incense in high places.

(4) And the king went to Gibeon to sacrifice there; for that was the great high place: a thousand burnt offerings did Solomon offer upon that altar. (5) In Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon in a dream by night: and God said, Ask what I shall give thee. (6) And

Captivity some places of non-sacrificial worship, in some degree like the synagogues of the period after the exile, although not as yet developed into a fully organised system. Unless we refer Ps. lxxiv. 8 to the Maccabean times, it must be supposed to describe the Chaldæan invasion, as destroying not only the Temple, but also "all the houses of God"-properly "assemblies," and in our Bible version actually translated synagogues"-" in the land." But these places of prayer and praise and instruction would be different in their whole idea from the "high places" rivalling the Temple. Up to this time it is clear that, even under Samuel and David, sacrificial worship elsewhere than in the Tabernacle was used without scruple, though certainly alien from the spirit of the Mosaic Law as to the supreme sacredness of the "place which God should choose to place his name there." (See, for example, 1 Sam. vii. 10, xiii. 9, xiv. 35, xvi. 5; 1 Chron. xxi. 26.) After the solemn consecration of the Temple, the circumstances and the character of such worship were altogether changed.

(4) Gibeon.-The name itself, signifying "belonging to a hill," indicates its position on the central plateau of Israel, in the land of Benjamin, whence rise several round hills, on one of which the town stood. There was now reared the Tabernacle, with the brazen altar of sacrifice, to which the descendants of the old Gibeonites were attached as "hewers of wood and drawers of water" (Joshua ix. 23). It was therefore naturally "the great high place."

(5) The Lord appeared.-This direct communication to Solomon by a dream-standing in contrast with the indirect knowledge of the Lord's will by David through the prophets Nathan and Gad (2 Sam. vii. 2— 17, xii. 1—14, xxiv. 11-14), and by "enquiring of the Lord" through the priest (1 Sam. xxiii. 9—12, xxx. 7; 2 Sam. ii. 1)-is perhaps the first indication of some temporary abeyance of the prophetic office, and (as appears still more clearly from the history of the consecration of the Temple), of a loss of leadership in the priesthood. At the same time it is to be noted that the vision of the Lord through dreams, being of a lower type than the waking vision, is mostly recorded as given to those outside the Covenant, as Abimelech (Gen. xx. 3-7), Laban (Gen. xxxi. 24), Pharaoh and his servants (Gen. xl. 5, xli. 1-8), the Midianite (Judges vii. 13), and Nebuchadnezzar (Dan. ii. 1, iv. 10—18); as belonging to the early stages of revelation, to Abraham (Gen. xv. 12), Jacob (Gen. xxviii. 12-15), and Joseph (Gen. xxxvii. 5-10); and as marking the time of cessation of the regular succession of the prophets during the Captivity (Dan. ii. 19, vii. 1).

(6) And Solomon said.-On Solomon's "wisdom," see Note on chap. iv. 29. Here it is clear that the wisdom which he asks is that of the ruler, involving

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Solomon said, Thou hast shewed unto Or, bounty.
thy servant David my father great
mercy, according as he walked before
thee in truth, and in righteousness, and

5

and has Riches and Honour also.

so that there was none like thee before thee, neither after thee shall any arise like unto thee. (13) And I have also 'given thee that which thou hast not asked, both riches, and honour: so that there shall not be any among the kings like unto thee all thy days. (14) And if thou wilt walk in my ways, to keep my statutes and my commandments, as thy father David did walk, then I will lengthen thy days. (15) And Solomon awoke; and, behold, it was a dream. And he came to Jerusalem, and stood 3 Heb.,many days before the ark of the covenant of the LORD, and offered up burnt offerings, and offered peace offerings, and made a feast to all his servants.

2 Heb., hearing.

in uprightness of heart with thee; and a 2 Chron. 1. 10.
thou hast kept for him this great kind-
ness, that thou hast given him a son to
sit on his throne, as it is this day.
(7) And now, O LORD my God, thou hast
made thy servant king instead of David
my father and I am but a little child:
I know not how to go out or come in.
(8) And thy servant is in the midst of thy
people which thou hast chosen, a great
people, that cannot be numbered nor
counted for multitude. (9) a Give there-
fore thy servant an understanding heart
to judge thy people, that I may discern Heb., to hear.
between good and bad: for who is able
to judge this thy so great a people?

(10) And the speech pleased the Lord,

that Solomon had asked this thing.

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(11) And God said unto him, Because thou hast asked this thing, and hast not asked for thyself long life; neither hast asked riches for thyself, nor hast

b Wisd. 7.
Matt. 6. 33.

11:

(16) Then came there two women, that were harlots, unto the king, and stood before him. (17) And the one woman said, O my lord, I and this woman dwell in one house; and I was delivered of a child with her in the house. (18) And it came to pass the third day after that I was delivered, that this woman was delivered also: and we were together; there

asked the life of thine enemies; but hast 5 Or, hath not been. was no stranger with us in the house,

asked for thyself understanding to dis-
cern judgment; (12) Behold, I have done
according to thy words: lo, I have given
thee a wise and an understanding heart; c ch. 15. 5.

elements both moral and intellectual-the wisdom to discern and do true justice between man and man. He calls himself "a little child "-his age is variously estimated from twelve to twenty at this time-and trembles at the responsibility of ruling over" so great a people." But, in the characteristic spirit of the true godliness of the Old Testament, he looks for wisdom, not as the mere result of human teaching and experience, but as an inspiration of God, and prays for it accordingly, in a prayer of singular beauty and humility, pleading simply God's promise to his father, and its fulfilment in his own accession to the throne.

(11) Because thou hast asked.-It is obvious to note this verse as a fulfilment of the Divine law, "Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you" (Matt. vi. 33). All these secondary blessings are good, just so far as they conduce to the supreme good, which is the growth of the human nature, by the knowledge of God and by faithfully doing His work on earth, to the perfection designed for it in His wisdom. So long as Solomon used them in subordination to true wisdom, they were a blessing to him; when he made them idols, they became a curse. The connection of these lower gifts with the moral and intellectual gifts of wisdom, is the result of the natural law of God's Providence, so far as that law overcomes the resistance of evil and folly, still allowed to strive against it.

(14) I will lengthen.-In this promise only one point, "length of days," is conditional; and it was not

save we two in the house. (19) And this woman's child died in the night; because she overlaid it. (20) And she arose at midnight, and took my son from beside

fulfilled. For though Solomon's age at the time of death is not given, yet, as his reign is given as lasting forty years, it could hardly have exceeded sixty. (Josephus, indeed, with his usual tendency to amplification, extends the reign to eighty years, and makes Solomon die in extreme old age.) The rest received an extraordinary fulfilment. The greatness of Solomon's kingdom stands out remarkable in its sudden and unique development, the fruit of David's long career of conquest and improvement, destined to wither at once at Solomon's death. Then, for the first and last time, did the monarchy assume something of the character of an empire, unequalled in peaceful prosperity of wealth and power, and in splendour of civilisation.

(15) Stood before the ark of the covenant, in its Tabernacle on Mount Sion, which now constituted a second, and probably still more sacred, place of worship. The great sacrifice-now distinctly a thankoffering, followed as usual by a sacred feast-is naturally repeated there.

(16) Then came there.-The celebrated "judgment of Solomon," given here as a specimen of his wisdom, is simply an instance of intuitive sagacity, cutting the Gordian knot of hopeless difficulty by the appeal to maternal instinct-an appeal which might, of course, fail, but which was, under the exceptional circumstances, the only appeal possible. It is in the knowledge how to risk failure rather than be reduced to impotence, and how to go straight to the heart of a difficulty

Solomon judges between

I. KINGS, IV.

me, while thine handmaid slept, and laid 1 Heb., were hot,
it in her bosom, and laid her dead child
in my bosom. (21) And when I rose in
the morning to give my child suck, be-
hold, it was dead: but when I had con-

the two Women.

said, O my lord, give her the living child, and in no wise slay it. But the other said, Let it be neither mine nor thine, but divide it. (27) Then the king answered and said, Give her the living child, and

sidered it in the morning, behold, it was Heb, in the in no wise slay it: she is the mother not my son, which I did bear.

(22) And

the other woman said, Nay; but the living is my son, and the dead is thy son. And this said, No; but the dead is thy son, and the living is my son. Thus they spake before the king.

2

midst of him.

thereof.

(28) And all Israel heard of the judgment which the king had judged; and they feared the king: for they saw that the wisdom of God was in him, to do

3 Or, the chief judgment.

officer.

(23) Then said the king, The one saith, This is my son that liveth, and thy son is the dead and the other saith, Nay; but thy son is the dead, and my son is the living. (24) And the king said, Bring me a sword. And they brought a sword 4 Or, secretaries. before the king. (25) And the king said, Divide the living child in two, and give half to the one, and half to the other. (26) Then spake the woman whose the living child was unto the king, for her bowels 1yearned upon her son, and she

5 Or, remembran

cer.

when the slow, regular approaches of science are impossible, that we recognise what men call "a touch of genius," and what Scripture here calls the "wisdom of God."

IV.

The style of this and the succeeding chapter changes from the vividness and fulness of the preceding chapters to a drier and barer record, evidently drawn from the national archives.

(1) King over all Israel. The emphasis laid upon "all" is characteristic of the writer, who compiled the book after the disruption of the kingdom.

(2) And these were.-The officers described are of two classes-those attached to Solomon's Court, and those invested with local authority.

The princes are evidently Solomon's high counsellors and officers, “eating at the king's table." The word is derived from a root which means to "set in order." It is significant that whereas in the lists of David's officers in 2 Sam. viii. 16-18, xx. 23-26, the captain of the host stands first, and is followed in one list by the captain of the body-guard, both are here preceded by the peaceful offices of the priests, scribes, and the recorder.

Azariah the son of Zadok the priest. — In 1 Chron. vi. 9, 10, we find Azariah described as the son of Ahimaaz, and so grandson of Zadok; and the note in verse 10 (which is apparently out of its right place) seems to show that he was high priest at the time when the Temple was built. The title the "priest" in this place must be given by anticipation, for it is expressly said below that "Zadok and Abiathar were now the priests." The use of the original word, Cohen (probably signifying "one who ministers"), appears sometimes to retain traces of the old times, when the priesthood and headship of the family were united, and to be applied accordingly to princes, to whom perhaps still attached

CHAPTER IV.—(1) So king Solomon was king over all Israel.

(2) And these were the princes which he had; Azariah the son of Zadok 'the priest, (3) Elihoreph and Ahiah, the sons of Shisha, *scribes; Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud, the recorder. (4) And Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was over the host: and Zadok and Abiathar were the priests: (5) And Azariah the son of Nathan was over the officers: and Zabud the son of

something of the ancient privilege. Thus it is given to the sons of David in 2 Sam. viii. 18, where the parallel passage in 1 Chron. xviii. 17 has a paraphrase, "chief about the king," evidently intended to explain the sense in which it is used in the older record. We may remember that David himself on occasions wore the priestly ephod (see 2 Sam. vi. 14). Possibly in this sense it is applied in verse 5 to Zabud, the "king's friend" (where the Authorised Version renders it by "principal officer"). But in this verse there is every reason for taking it in the usual sense. Azariah was already a "prince" before he succeeded to the high priesthood. The mingling of priestly and princely functions is characteristic of the time.

(3) Sons of Shisha.-In 1 Chron. xviii. 16 "Shavsha," and in 2 Sam. xx. 25 "Sheva," is mentioned as the scribe of David. Probably these are variations of the same name, and the office may have become virtually hereditary. The "scribe," or (see Margin) "secretary,' is constantly referred to as a high officer, issuing the king's edicts and letters, and acting in his name, like our Secretaries of State."

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Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud is named in 2 Sam. viii. 16, xx. 24, and 1 Chron. xviii. 15 as having been under David also the "recorder" or "remembrancer"-probably the annalist who drew up and preserved the archives of the kingdom.

(4) Zadok and Abiathar . . . the priests.Abiathar, though disgraced and practically deposed, was still regarded theoretically as priest (much as Annas is called "high priest" in the Gospels), for the priesthood was properly for life.

(5) Son of Nathan. Probably Nathan, son of David, and own brother of Solomon (1 Chron. iii. 5), is here intended; for the title Cohen, here given to Zabud, is expressly ascribed in 2 Sam. viii. 18 to the "sons of David;" and Nathan the prophet always has his title, "the prophet," appended to his name wherever first mentioned in this book. (See chap. i. 8, 10, 22, 32, &c.)

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Azariah is the "chief of the officers "-that is, chief over the twelve officers mentioned below (verses 7-19) -living, however, at Court.

Zabud, besides the title of Cohen, has that of " the king's friend," previously given to Hushai (2 Sam. xv. 37, xvi. 16), and apparently indicating special intimacy and wisdom as a "privy counsellor."

(6) Over the household, like the "High Steward" of a modern Court. In 2 Kings xviii. 18 we have the same three officers mentioned ("Eliakim, who was over the household, and Shebna the scribe, and Joah the son of Asaph the recorder "). Adoniram

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over the tribute (or “levy"), -evidently the head of Solomon's great public works. (See chap. v. 14.) The name is elsewhere given as Adoram. It is to be noticed that in the enumeration of David's officers in the early part of the reign (2 Sam. viii. 16-18) no such officer is found; but that in the latter part of his reign the list contains the name of Adoram (2 Sam. xx. 24). It has been thought that the numbering of the people recorded in 2 Sam. xxiv. and 1 Chron. xxi., was in preparation for such forced work, and hence was odious to Joab and others. In 1 Kings xii. 18 we read how the holder of this office, being naturally most unpopular with those who had felt the burden of Solomon's splendour, was stoned to death in the insurrection against Rehoboam.

To this list the Greek Version adds: "Eliab the son of Shaphat was over the body-guard." As the office of captain of the body-guard is found in the other lists, and is too important to be omitted, it is possible that this addition corrects some defect in the Hebrew text. Yet it is also possible that no successor to Benaiah was appointed, as experience had shown, in the crushing of the rebellion of Adonijah, how easily the captaincy of the body-guard might become a quasi-independent power.

(7) Provided victuals for the king and his household.-This denotes the collection of revenuemostly, no doubt, in kind-for the maintenance of the Court and household and guards of the king; and perhaps may have included also the management of the royal domain lands, such as is described under David's reign in 1 Chron. xxvi. 25-31. It is curious that in five cases only the patronymic of the officer is given, probably from some defect in the archives from which this chapter is evidently drawn. The office must have been of high importance and dignity, for in two cases (verses 11, 15) the holders of it were married into the royal house. The provinces over which they had authority-nine on the west and three on the east of Jordan-coincide only in a few cases with the lands assigned to the several tribes. It is not unlikely that by this time much of the tribal division of territory had become obsolete, although we see from 1 Chron. xxvii. 16-22, that for chieftainship

and Officers.

of Dekar, in Makaz, and in Shaalbim, and Beth-shemesh, and Elonbeth-hanan: (10) 4 the son of Hesed, in Aruboth; to him pertained Sochoh, and all the land of Hepher: (11) 5 the son of Abinadab, in all the region of Dor; which had Taphath the daughter of Solomon to wife: (12) Baana the son of Ahilud; to him pertained Taanach and Megiddo, and all Beth-shean, which is by Zartanah

over men, and for levy in war, it still remained in force.

(8) And these are their names. The first division, "mount Ephraim," included all the higher part of the territory of Ephraim, one of the most fertile and beautiful regions in Palestine, surrounding the city of Shechem, which lies in a rich plain between Mount Ebel and Gerizim, and including the strong site of the future Samaria. See the description of the country in the blessing of Moses (Deut. xxxiii. 13—17).

(9) The second division included the territory in the maritime plain to the north-west of Judah; assigned to Dan, but in all the earlier history held, with perhaps a few exceptions, by the Philistines. The cities Shaalbim, Elon, and Beth-shemesh, or Ir-shemesh, are noted in Josh. xix. 41-43. Makaz is not mentioned elsewhere. There is here the addition to the name Elon of beth-hanan ("the house of Hanan") In 1 Chron. viii. 23 there is a Hanan among the chief men of Benjamin; and 1 Chron. 1. 43 a Hanan among David's mighty men. The only one of these cities known in history is Beth-shemesh, the first resting-place of the Ark (1 Sam. vi. 12-21) when restored by the Philistines.

(10) The third division was also in the land of the Philistines, being part of the territory assigned to Judah. Sochoh is mentioned in Josh. xv. 35, and is noticed in 1 Sam. xvii. 1-3 as close to the field of battle on which David slew Goliath. Hepher is an old Amorite city which was conquered by Joshua (Josh. xii. 17), still, by a curious survival, giving its name to the whole district, to which the name Aruboth (otherwise unknown) is here also given.

(11) The fourth division, "all the region of Dor," still lies along the coast, but to the north of the preceding districts, close under Mount Carmel, in the territory assigned to Manasseh. Dor is named in Josh. xi. 2, as forming a part of the confederacy of the north under Jabin, and as subsequently conquered (chap. xii. 23), and given to Manasseh (chap. xvii. 11).

(12) The fifth division must have been large and important, including much of the great plain of Esdraelon or Jezreel, the garden and battle-field of Northern Palestine, and extending to the Jordan valley. Taanach, Megiddo, and Beth-shean are all named as Canaanitish cities not taken by Manasseh, but made tributary (Josh. xvii. 11; Judges i. 27). Taanach and Megiddo are referred to in the song of Deborah (Judges v. 19). Megiddo is the place of the death of Ahaziah (2 Kings ix. 27) and the fall of Josiah (2 Kings xxiii. 29). Beth-shean is the city in which the body of Saul was exposed in triumph (1 Sam. xxxi. 12). Abel-meholah, the birth-place of Elisha (1 Kings xix. 16), lies south of Beth-shean, and is mentioned in the record of the rout of the Midianites by Gideon (Judges vii. 22). Jokmeam

Solomon's Officers.

I. KINGS, IV.

beneath Jezreel, from Beth-shean to
Abel-meholah, even unto the place that
is beyond Jokneam: (13) the son of
Geber, in Ramoth-gilead; to him per- or, Ben-geber.
tained the towns of Jair the son of Ma-
nasseh, which are in Gilead; to him
also pertained the region of Argob, which

is in Bashan, threescore great cities with 2 or, to Mahanaim.
walls and brasen bars: (14) Ahinadab the
son of Iddo had Mahanaim: (15) Ahi-
maaz was in Naphtali; he also took
Basmath the daughter of Solomon to a Ecclus. 47. 13.
wife: (16) Baanah the son of Hushai was
in Asher and in Aloth: (17) Jehoshaphat

(for such is the right reading) is a Levitical city in Ephraim (1 Chron. vi. 68), apparently called Kibzaim in Josh. xxi. 22, and must have been an outlying part of this division.

(13) The sixth division, large, but probably less fertile, crosses the Jordan, and includes a great portion of the territory of Manasseh and Gad. The region of Argob, "the rocky_region" (afterwards translated into the Greek name Trachonitis), is noticed in Deut. iii. 4, 13, 14, as the land of Og, covered with great cities, taken by Jair, son of Manasseh, and called Havoth-Jair-"the towns of Jair." Ramoth-gilead was a Levitical city and a city of refuge, in Gad (Deut. iv. 43; Josh. xx. 8, xxi. 38), famous afterwards in the wars with the Syrians (1 Kings xxii. 3; 2 Kings viii. 28, ix. 1).

(14) The seventh division, still on the other side of Jordan, is the region of Mahanaim, in the territory of Gad. Mahanaim ("the camps "), the scene of Jacob's angelic vision on his return to Canaan (Gen. xxxvi. 3), assigned to Dan after the Conquest (see Josh. xiii. 26, 30, xxi. 38), must have been afterwards an important place; for it was the seat of Ishbosheth's government (2 Sam. ii. 8, 12, 29), and the place where David established himself on fleeing from Absalom (2 Sam. xvii. 24, 27), and where he received large supplies from Barzillai and other chiefs.

(15) The eighth division is the upper valley of the Jordan, south of Mount Hermon, including part of the north-west coast of the sea of Gennesareth and the water of Merom. In it lie Hazor, forming the centre of the native confederacy of the north, and the Levitical city of refuge, Kedesh-Naphtali (Josh. xii. 22, xix. 37; Judg. iv. 6).

(16) The ninth division, "in Asher and Aloth," bordered on the Tyrian territory, stretching north from Mount Carmel, first along the coast, and then behind the ranges of Lebanon. In Judg. i. 31, 32, we read that the tribe of Asher did not occupy the territory assigned them (Josh. xix. 24-30), but mingled with the native inhabitants. Aloth (or in the Greek Version Baloth) is unknown, and Josephus places this province on the coast, near Achzib.

(17) The tenth division, the territory of Issachar, lying north of Manasseh, included part of the great plain of Esdraelon, and must have been so closely connected with the fifth division that the frontiers could hardly be discerned.

(18) The eleventh division, the territory of Benjamin (properly including Jerusalem itself), though small, is singularly strong and populous, including

The Peace and Size of his Kingdom. the son of Paruah, in Issachar: (18) Shimei the son of Elah, in Benjamin: (19) Geber the son of Uri was in the country of Gilead, in the country of Sihon king of the Amorites, and of Og king of Bashan; and he was the only officer which was in the land.

(20) Judah and Israel were many, as the sand which is by the sea in multitude, eating and drinking, and making merry. (21) And "Solomon reigned over all kingdoms from the river unto the land of the Philistines, and unto the border of Egypt: they brought presents, and

Jericho, Bethel, Gibeon, Ramah, extending from Judah to Ephraim, and commanding the centre of the high land of what was afterwards the kingdom of Judah.

(19) The twelfth division was on the east of Jordan, south of the seventh, including the pastoral country of Reuben and part of Gad on the borders of Moab, probably occupied by the royal flocks and herds.

In place of the reading of the text, " and he was the only officer in the land"-which yields very little meaning, for in each of the divisions there was but one governor-the LXX. here reads, "and Naseph (or an officer), one only in the land of Judah." The reading seems probable; for it will be noticed that in the enumeration the territory of Judah is otherwise altogether omitted. It supplies accordingly here the mention of a special governor, over and above the twelve, for the royal tribe. It has been thought that as Judah was the home province, it was under no other government than that of the king's officers at Jerusalem; but for purposes of revenue it seems hardly likely that it should have been excepted from the general system. Possibly Azariah, who was over the officers residing at the Court, may have been its territorial governor.

In some MSS. of the Greek Version, verses 27, 28 immediately follow verse 19, and (as verses 20, 21 are omitted) they form a link between verses 7-19 and verses 22, 23, in a very natural order.

(20) Were many. The description of the condition of the people here and in verse 25, as multiplied in numbers, and living in festivity and peace, is evidently designed to specify not only their general prosperity and wealth, but also the fact noticed in chap. ix. 20— 22, that at this time they were a dominant race, relieved from all burden of labour, and ruling over the subject races, now reduced to complete subjection and serfship. (That it was otherwise hereafter is clear from the complaints to Rehoboam in chap. xii. 4.) Now, for the first time, did Israel enter on full possession of the territory promised in the days of the Conquest (Josh. i. 4), and so into the complete fulfilment of the promise to Abraham, alluded to in the words, “many as the sand which is by the sea in multitude" (Gen. xxii. 17).

(21) And Solomon reigned. His dominion is described as extending on the south to the land of the Philistines and the border of Egypt, including what we call Arabia (see Ps. lxxii. 10, and comp. chap. x. 15); on the east to the river" Euphrates, as far north as Tiphsah (the Greek Thapsacus); on the west it would, of course, be bounded by the sea; and on the north it extended far beyond Ďamascus, probably

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