Elijah on Mount Horeb. I. KINGS, XIX. He meets Elisha. with the sword; and I, even I only, am Luke 4. 27, called which have not bowed unto Baal, and left; and they seek my life, to take it away. (15) And the LORD said unto him, Go, return on thy way to the wilderness Eliseus. Ecclus. 48. 8. and every mouth which hath not kissed him. (19) So he departed thence, and found Elisha the son of Shaphat, who was plowing with twelve yoke of oxen before him, and he with the twelfth Elijah passed by him, and cast his mantle upon him. (20) And he left the oxen, and ran after Elijah, and said, Let me, I pray thee, kiss my father and my mother, and then I will follow thee. And he said unto him, 2Go back again: for what have I done to thee? (21) And he returned back from him, and took a yoke of oxen, and slew them, and boiled 2 Heb., Go, return. their flesh with the instruments of the e Rom. 11. 4. of Damascus: and when thou comest, b 2 Kings 9. 1, 3; implies in "the still small voice "-" the voice (as the LXX. has it) of a light breath"-a manifestation like that expressed plainly to Moses, of the higher power of the Spirit, penetrating to the inmost soul, which the terrors of external power cannot reach. The lesson is simply, "Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit saith the Lord of hosts" (Zech. iv. 6). The prophet so far reads it that he acknowledges, by veiled face of reverence, the presence of the Lord in "the still small voice," yet, with singular truth to nature, he is recorded as repeating, perhaps mechanically, his old complaint. (15) Go, return.-The charge conveys indirectly a double rebuke. His cry of disappointment, "Lord. I am not better than my fathers," implying that he stood out beyond all others, to meet the stern requirements of the time, is met by the charge to delegate the task of vengeance for God to others; the complaint, "I, even I alone, am left," by the revelation of the faithful remnant-the seven thousand who had not bowed to Baal-unknown to him, perhaps to one another, but known and loved by God. (16) And Jehu.-Of this charge Elijah fulfilled in person but one part, in the call of Elish for the fulfilment of the other two parts, see 2 Kings viii. 8 -13; ix. 1-6. This apparently imperfect correspondence of the event to the charge, is a strong indication of the historical character of the narrative. The history, indeed, records no actual anointing of Elisha; and it is remarkable that in no other place is any such anointing of a prophet referred to, unless Ps. cv. 15 be an exception. The anointing, signifying the gift of grace, was first instituted for the priests (Exod. xl. 15; Num. iii. 3); next it was extended to the royal office, and became, in common parlance, especially attached to it. The prophetic office, as the third great representative of the power of Jehovah, might well be hallowed by the same ordinance, especially as the prophets dispensed it to the kings; but, whether the prophets were always consecrated with the sacred oil, or whether, as in the Prophet of prophets, the “anointing with the Holy Ghost and with power" sometimes superseded the outward sign, we do not know. Abelmeholah ("the meadow of the dance," see chap. iv. 12) lay in the rich country near the Jordan valley and the plain of Esdraelon; it was therefore on Elijah's way. (17) Him that escapeth the sword of Hazael. -The vengeance wrought by Hazael and Jehu on the faithlessness of Israel speaks for itself; it is marked in bloody letters on the history (2 Kings x.). But Elisha's mission was obviously not one of such vengeance. He had to destroy enmity, but not to slay the enemies of God. The difficulty, such as it is, is one of the many marks of historic accuracy in the whole passage. Probably Elisha's mission is here described in the terms in which Elijah would best understand it. His spirit was for war; he could hardly have conceived how the completion of his mission was to be wrought out by the weapons of peace in the hand of his successor. (Comp. 2 Cor. x. 3-6.) (18) I have left.-It should be "I leave, or “will leave," through all this vengeance, the seven thousand faithful; like the faithful remnant sealed in the visions of Ezekiel and St. John in the day of God's judgment (Ezek. ix. 4-6; Rev. vii. 3-8). Kissed him.-(See Job xxxi. 26, 27; Hos. xiii. 2.) The passage is vividly descriptive of the worshipper on the first approach bowing the knee, on nearer access kissing the image, or the altar, or the threshold of the temple. it (19) Twelve yoke of oxen, or (as Ewald renders it) of land, indicate some wealth in Elisha's family, which he has to leave to follow the wandering life of Elijah. The character and mission of Elisha will appear hereafter: but the contrast between the prophets is marked in the difference of their home and origin; even the quiet simplicity of Elisha's call stands contrasted with the sudden, mysterious appearance of Elijah. Cast his mantle-i.e., the rough hair-mantle characteristic of the ascetic recluse. The act is said to have been a part of the form of adoption of a child; hence its spiritual significance here, which, after a moment's bewilderment, Elisha seems to read. (20) Let me, I pray thee.-It is impossible not to compare this with the similar request made to our Lord (Luke ix. 61, 62) by one who declared readiness to follow Him. The comparison suggests that the answer of Elijah is one of half-ironical rebuke of what seemed hesitation-" Go back, if thou wilt; what have I done to constrain thee?" In both cases we have the stern but necessary rejection of half-hearted service, even if the heart be distracted by the most natural and sacred love. But Elijah sees that Elisha means simply farewell, and he apparently waits till it is over. (21) And he returned.-Like Matthew in Luke ix. 27-29, Elisha, probably after sacrifice, makes a feast of farewell to his home, and of homage to his new master. The hasty preparation is made by the use 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. (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. (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 wooden implements for fuel, as in the sacrifice at the threshing-floor of Araunah (2 Sam. xxiv. 22). Henceforth from a master he became a servant, ministering to Elijah, and willing to be known, even when he became himself the prophet of God, as "he that poured water on the hands of Elijah" (2 Kings iii. 11). XX. This chapter, evidently drawn from a different source, is interposed in the middle of the record of the prophetic career of Elijah. The history evidently belongs to the latter years of Ahab's reign, probably some time after the events of the previous chapter. The existence of the schools of the prophets, and the prophetic authority exercised, appear to indicate that for some reason Jezebel's influence on behalf of Baal had been reduced to impotence, and the worship of God restored. (Comp. xxii. 5-28.) It touches mainly on the external history of the reign, and shows it to have been one of no inconsiderable prosperity. (1) Ben-hadad.-This is the inherited title of the Syrian kings. (See Amos i. 4; Jer. xlix. 27.) From the allusion in verse 34 it appears that this Benhadad was the son of a king who had been victorious against Omri-possibly pushing still further the advantage gained in the time of Baasha. It is evident that he assumed, perhaps by inheritance, a sovereignty over Israel. Thirty and two kings.-All the notices of Syria show it as divided into small kingdoms, confederated from time to time under some leading power. In the days of David this leading power was that of Hadadezer of Zobah (2 Sam. viii, 3-13; x. 19), although Hamath was apparently independent. Now Damascus, under the dynasty of Hadad, assumes a most formidable predominance. Ahab cannot stand before it, but shuts himself up, probably after defeat, within the strong walls of Samaria. Messengers to Ahab. servants unto thee to morrow 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 mischief: 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. (9) Wherefore he said unto the messengers of Ben-hadad, Tell my lord the king, All that thou didst send for to thy servant at the first I will do: but this thing I may not do. And the messengers departed, and brought him word again. (10) And Ben-hadad sent unto him, and said, The gods do so unto me, and more also, if the dust of Samaria shall suffice (6) Whatsoever is pleasant.-The demand, which is virtually for the plunder of Samaria, probably neither expects nor desires acceptance, and is therefore a refusal of all but unconditional surrender. It is notable that in the last extremity Ahab falls back on an exceptional appeal to the patriotism of the people. The "elders of the land" (evidently present in Samaria at this time) were the representatives in the northern kingdom of the ancient assembly of the "elders of Israel," existing from the time of Moses downwards as a senate, having power not only of advice, but of concurrence, in relation to the Judge or King. (See Exod. iii. 16, xii. 21, xxiv. 1; Deut. xxvii. 1, xxxi. 9; Josh. vii. 6; 2 Sam. v. 3; 1 Kings viii. 3). The solemn appointment of the seventy in Numb. xi. 24, 25 seems to be simply the re-constitution and consecration of the original body. Each tribe and each town had also its lesser body of elders. (See 1 Sam. xxx. 26, "the elders of Judah;" Deut. xix. 12, xxi. 3, &c., " the elders of the city.") The authority of all these assemblies must have been at all times largely overborne by the royal power (see chap. xxi. 11), and must have varied according to time and circumstance. (10) The dust of Samaria-when razed to the ground. The phrase probably implies a threat of destruction, as well as a boast of overwhelming strength. Josephus (Ant. viii. 14, 2) has a curious explanationthat, if each of the Syrians took only a handful of dust, they could raise a mound against the city, higher than the walls of Samaria. The historian, with a touch of patriotic scorn, paints Ben-hadad as a luxurious and insolent braggart. He Battle between I. KINGS, XX. Ahab and Ben hadad. for handfuls for all the people that | Heb., are at my the kings, the thirty and two kings that 1follow me. (11) And the king of Israel answered and said, Tell him, Let not him that girdeth on his harness boast himself as he that putteth it off. (12) And Jeet. it came to pass, when Ben-hadad heard 2 Heb., word. 4 (13) And, behold, there came a prophet unto Ahab king of Israel, saying, Thus saith the LORD, Hast thou seen all this helped him. (17) And the young men of great multitude? behold, I will deliver 4 Or, Place the en- and Ben-hadad the king of Syria escaped gines: Aut they it into thine hand this day; and thou (15) Then he numbered the young men 7 Heb., bind, or receives the message at a feast, "drinking himself drunk," and, stung by its tone of sarcasm, does not condescend to bestir himself, but orders his servants to an instant attack. The command is given, with a haughty brevity, in a single word ("Set "), which may be "Array troops," or "Place engines," as in the margin. The LXX. translates, "Build a stockade" (for attack on the walls). (13) There came a prophet.-The appearance of this unknown prophet evidently shows (see also chap. xxii. 6, 7) that Ahab's enmity to the prophetic order was over since the great day at Carmel, and that the schools of the prophets were forming themselves again -perhaps not free from connection with the idolatry of Jeroboam, but safe from all attacks from the worshippers of Baal. It is notable that in all these political functions of prophecy Elijah does not appear, reserving himself for the higher moral and religious mission from God. Ahab receives the prophet's message with perfect confidence and reverence; he has returned in profession to the allegiance to Jehovah, which he had, perhaps, never wholly relinquished. (14) Who shall order the battle ?-The marginal reading seems right, "Who shall give battle?" Who shall begin the fray?" (15) The young men-i.e., the attendants or armourbearers of the territorial chiefs, no doubt picked men and well armed. The whole garrison is stated as seven thousand-enough, perhaps, to man the walls, but wholly unfit to take the field. The sally is made at noon, when (as Josephus relates) the besiegers were resting unarmed in the heat of the day. on an horse with the horsemen. (21) And the king of Israel went out, and smote the horses and chariots, and slew the Syrians with a great slaughter. (22) And the prophet came to the king of Israel, and said unto him, Go, strengthen thyself, and mark, and see what thou doest: for at the return of the year the king of Syria will come up against thee. (23) And the servants of the king of Syria said unto him, Their gods are gods of the hills; therefore they were stronger than we; but let us fight against them in the plain, and surely we shall be (20) And they slew .-The attack of this handful of men, supported by a sally of the whole garrison, is not unlike the slaughter of the Philistine garrison and host in the days of Saul (1 Sam. xiv.), or the still earlier rout of the army of Midian by the night attack of Gideon (Judg. vii. 16-23). Probably, as in these cases, the Israelites may have risen from various lurking-places to join in the pursuit and slaughter. It does not necessarily follow that the event was miraculous. Such dispersions of vast Oriental armies are not uncommon in history. The lesson is that drawn with noble simplicity by Jonathan: "There is no restraint to the Lord to save by many or by few" (1 Sam. xiv. 6). 66 (22) The return of the year. The early part of the next year, after the winter was over, when kings go out to battle" (2 Sam. xi. 1). (23) Gods of the hills.-The idea of tutelary gods, whose strength was greatest on their own soil, is naturally common in polytheistic religions, which, by the very multiplication of gods, imply limitation of the power of each. Now the greater part of the territory where Jehovah was worshipped, was a hill-country. Samaria in particular, the scene of recent defeat, lay in the mountain region of Ephraim. The Israelite armies, moreover, being mostly of infantry-having, indeed, few or no cavalry, except in the time of Solomon-naturally encamped and fought, as far as possible, on the hills; as Barak on Mount Tabor (Judges iv. 6-14), Saul on Mount Gilboa (1 Sam. xxxi. 1), and Ahab himself (in verse 27). Perhaps the worship of Jehovah in the "high places" may have also conduced to this belief Victories of Israel stronger than they. (24) And do this Heb, that was the other seven days. And so it was, thing, Take the kings away, every man out of his place, and put captains in their rooms: (25) and number thee an army, like the army that thou hast lost, horse for horse, and chariot for chariot and we will fight against them in the plain, and surely we shall be stronger than they. And he hearkened unto their voice, and did so. (26) And it came to pass at the return of the year, that Ben-hadad numbered the Syrians, and went up to Aphek, to fight against Israel. (27) And the children of Israel were numbered, and were all present, and went against them: and the children of Israel pitched before them like two little flocks of kids; but the Syrians filled the country. (28) And there came a man of God, and spake unto the king of Israel, and said, Thus saith the LORD, Because the Syrians have said, The LORD is God of the hills, but he is not God of the valleys, therefore will I deliver all this great multitude into thine hand, and ye shall know that I am the LORD. (29) And they pitched one over against fallen. that the "gods of Israel were gods of the hills," whose power vanished in the plains; where, of course, the Syrian armies of chariots and horsemen would naturally fight at advantage. Shrewd policy might, as so often is the case, lurk in the advice of Ben-hadad's counsellors under the cover of superstition; as, indeed, it seems also to show itself in seizing the opportunity to increase the central power, by organising the troops of the tributary kings under officers of his own. (26) Aphek.-The name, signifying simply a "fortress," as applied to several different places. There are two places which suit well enough with the Aphek of this passage and 2 Kings xiii. 17, as being a battlefield in the plain country between Israel and Syria. One is the Aphek of 1 Sam. xxix. 1, evidently in the plain of Esdraelon; the other a place on the road to Damascus, about six miles east of the Sea of Galilee. (27) Were all present. The marginal reading "were victualled," or, perhaps, more generally, "were supplied," with all things necessary for war, seems correct. The comparatively small number of the Israelite forces, even after the great victory of the year before, appears to show that, previous to the siege of Samaria, Ahab had suffered some great defeats, which had broken the strength of Israel. (28) A man of God-apparently not the same as before. We see from verse 35 that the prophetic order was now numerous. The vindication of the majesty of God before the Syrians, as well as before Israel-like the more celebrated case of the rebuke of the blasphemy of Sennacherib (2 Kings xix. 16—34)—is in accordance with the prayer of Solomon, or the similar utterances in the Psalms (Pss. lxvii. 2, cii. 15, cxxxviii. 4)," That all the people of the earth may know thy name, to fear thee; a that in the seventh day the battle was joined and the children of Israel slew of the Syrians an hundred thousand footmen in one day. (30) But the rest fled to Aphek, into the city; and there a wall fell upon twenty and seven thousand of the men that were left. And Ben-hadad fled, and came into the city, into an inner chamber. (31) And his servants said unto him, Behold now, we have heard that the kings of the house of Israel are merciful kings: let us, I pray thee, put sackcloth on our loins, and ropes upon our heads, and go out to the king of Israel: peradventure he will save thy life. (32) So they girded sackcloth on their loins, and put ropes on their heads, and came to the king of Israel, and said, Thy servant Ben-hadad saith, I pray thee, let me live. And he said, Is he yet alive? he is my brother. (33) Now the men did diligently observe whether any thing would come from him, and did hastily catch it: and they said, Thy brother Ben-hadad. Then he said, Go ye, bring him. Then Ben-hadad came forth to him; and he caused him and also with such prophetic declarations as those of Ezek. xx. 9, “I wrought for my Name's sake, that it should not be polluted before the heathen." It is a foreshadowing of that view of all nations, as in some degree having knowledge of God and probation before Him, which is afterwards worked out fully in the prophetic writings. The intense and powerful Monotheism of the religion of Israel, in spite of all its backslidings, could hardly have been without influence over the neighbouring nations (see 2 Kings v. 15), especially at a time when the remembrance of Solomon's vast empire, and still wider influence, would yet linger through the tenacious traditions of the East. (30) A wall properly, the wall of the city, whether falling by earthquake, or in the storming of the place, by Israel. The numbers in the text are very large, as in many other instances. It is possible (see Introduction) that there may be corruption, although the same numbers are found in the ancient versions. But the massing in small space of Oriental armies, and the extraordinary slaughter consequent on it, are well illustrated in history; as, for instance, in the Greek wars with Persia, or even our own experience in India. (31) Ropes upon our heads-like "the ropes round the necks" of the burghers of Calais, in the days of Edward III. The envoys offer themselves as naked, helpless criminals, to sue for mercy. (33) Now the men.-There has been much discussion of the meaning here, and some proposals of slight emendations of the reading. But the general sense seems accurately rendered by our version. "The men watched" ("as for augury, 39 says the LXX.), "and hasted, and caught up" (so as to make it sure)“ what fell from him." What follows may be a question, God's Judgment on Ahab. way, and disguised himself with ashes upon his face. (39) And as the king passed by, he cried unto the king: and he said, Thy servant went out into the midst of streets for thee in Damascus, as my Heb..amiting and the battle; and, behold, a man turned 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, a lion found him, and slew him. (37) Then he found another man, and said, Smite me, I pray thee. And the man smote him, so that in smiting he wounded him. (38) So the prophet departed, and waited for the king by the wounding. 2 Heb., weigh. 3 Heb., he was not. a ch. 22. 38. "Is Ben-hadad thy brother?" but probably the simple acceptance of the title is better. The whole description is graphic. The Syrians speak of "thy slave Ben-hadad." Ahab, in compassion or show of magnanimity. says, "my brother." Eagerly the ambassadors catch up the word, which, according to Eastern custom, implied a pledge of amity not to be recalled; and Ahab accepts their inference, and seals it publicly by taking the conquered king into his chariot. (Comp. 2 Kings x. 15, 16.) (34) Make streets-properly, squares, or quarters of a city. This concession implies a virtual acknowledgment of supremacy; for the right to have certain quarters for residence, for trade, perhaps even for garrison, in the capital of a king, belongs only to one who has sovereignty over him. Hence it goes beyond the significance of the restoration of the cities-conquered, it would seem, from Omri, unless, indeed, taking "father" in the sense of predecessor, the reference is to the Syrian victories in the days of Baasha. (See chap. xv. 20.) The narrative seems to convey an idea that the covenant was made hastily, on insufficient security. The great point, however, was that a war, victoriously conducted under prophetic guidance, should not have been concluded without prophetic sanction. (35) A certain man - according to Josephus, Micaiah, the son of Imlah. This tradition, or conjecture, agrees well with the subsequent narrative in chap. xxii. The sons of the prophets.-This phrase, constantly recurring in the history of Elijah and Elisha, first appears here. But the thing designated is apparently as old as the days of Samuel, who is evidently surrounded by "a company" of disciples. (See 1 Sam. x. 5, 10, xix. 20.) The prophetic office seems never to have been, like the priesthood or kingship, hereditary. Sonship," therefore, no doubt means simply discipleship; and it is likely enough that the it. 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 2 pay a talent of silver. (40) And as thy servant was busy here and there, he was gone. And the king of Israel said unto him, So shall thy judgment be; thyself hast decided (41) And he hasted, and took the ashes away from his face; and the king of Israel discerned him that he was of the prophets. (42) And he said unto him, Thus saith the LORD, "Because thou hast let go out of thy hand a man whom I appointed to utter destruction, therefore thy life shall go for his life, and thy people for his people. (43) And the king of Israel went to his house heavy and displeased, and came to Samaria. schools of the sons of the prophets were places of higher religious education, including many who did not look for the prophetic vocation; although the wellknown words of Amos (Amos vii. 14), "I was no prophet, neither was I a prophet's son," clearly indicate that from their ranks, generally though not invariably, the prophets were called. Probably the institution had fallen into disuse, and had been revived to seal and to secure the prophetic victory over Baal-worship. To Elijah the "sons of the prophets" look up with awe and some terror; to Elisha, with affectionate respect and trust. (36) A lion shall slay thee. It is obvious to compare the example of chap. xiii. 24. (38) Ashes upon his face. It should be a bandage over his head," to cover his face, and to accord with the appearance of a wounded soldier. Unless the wound had some symbolic significance in application to Ahab or Israel, it is difficult to see what purpose it could serve. (39) Thy servant. The parable is, of course, designed (like those of 2 Sam. xii. 1-4, xiv. 5-11) to make Ahab condemn himself. In Ahab, however, it excites not compunction, but characteristic sullenness of displeasure, like that of chap. xxi. 4. (42) A man whom I appointed-properly, a man under my curse. The rash action of Ahab, like the deliberate disobedience of Saul (1 Sam. xv.), may have been due partly to compassion, partly to weakness. In either case it had no right to stand unauthorised between God's judgment and him on whom it was pronounced; for even soft-heartedness, as in the case of Eli, may be treason to the cause of righteousness. The prophet (like Elisha, in 2 Kings xiii. 19) speaks partly as a patriot, jealous-and, as the event proved, with a sagacious jealousy-of the lenity which left the deadly enemy of Israel unsubdued; but he speaks also as the representative of God's stern and righteous judgment, which Ahab, after signal deliverance, had treated as of |