Terae IB. A multUude qf the people—had not elean»ed Amuthea] Am there were men from Ephraim, Msnaaeeh, ISHwhar, ukl Zebahm, they were exeoiiUile, becaun thc^' eame mm coantriea that bad bees whoUf devoted to Molatry.
The good Lo»D pardon every me] " The Lord who » good, have mercy on this people who err." Tttrgum.
Vene 22. Spake antifitrtabb/ wUo aU the Levitee] On ■u^ oeeaaions die prieate and Levites had great fiuigue, and sudered many privationa; and therefore had need of that encwragemeM which this pnident and pioua Icing gave. It ia a fine and expreaaive character eiveo to theae men, " They taught the good knowledge of God to the people." Thia is the great work, or should be ao, of eveiy Christian minister. Toey ahonld convey that knowledge of CFod to the people, by which they may be aaved; that is, ihegood knowledge^ the Lord,
Yant 25. T%e etrangtra that edme mU of the land tf JVroef] TTiat ia, the proedytee of the eovenani, who had embraced Judaism, and had nibmitted toihe ritBoFefreumeWm; for none others could be permitted to eat of the passover.
Terw 26. Since the Hme of Solomon — there was not Oie Hke in Jenualtm} For, mm that times the ten tribes had been aeparaled irom me true wtHifaip of God; and ttow many of Ihem, for the first tim^ eipacially ftom AAer, Zasdiir, BphnUn, Msnaaefa, am Zebnlui, jotnied to eeMvaU the paasDrar.
Verse 27. And their votes Ms heard] Qoi accepted the fruits of that pious disposition which himself bad uifiised.
And thoir prayer eame up] Am the smoke al iheir iMrifioM aaonidecl to the cloudai n did their mym 9fi6 the congregation a thousand bull ocks, and seven thousand sheep; and the prince gave to the congregation a thousand bnUocks, and ten thotr* sand eheep: and a ^eat number of priests ■sanctified themselves.
25 And all the congregation of Judah, with the priests and the Levites, and all the congregatioD " that came out of Israel, and the strangers that came out of the land of Israel, and that dwelt in Judah. rejoiced.
26 So there was great joy in Jerusalem: for since the time of Salomon, the son of Davkl king of Israel, there wag not the like in Jerusalem.
27 il Then the priests the Levites arose and p blessed the peoide: and their voice was heard, and their prayer came up to *'hia holy dweUingplace, even nnto heaven.
Now when all this was finished, all fe» In-ael that were 'present went j^-cAh out to the cities of Judah, and < brake the ■ images in pieces, and ent down the groves, and threw down the high places and the altars out of all Judah and Benjamin, in Ephraim aim and Manasseh, ' until thev had utterly destroyed themalL Then all the children of Israel retinwd every man to his possession, into their own eities:
2 II And Hezekiah appointed * the courses of the inriests and the Levites after their courses, every man according to his service, the priests and Levites ' for burnt-offerings and for peaceofferings, to minister, and to give thanks, and to praise m the gates of the tents of the Lord.
3 He appointed also the lung's portioo of bis sabstance for the burnt-offerings, to vit, for the morniog and evening burnt-oHerinea, and the bnrnt-onerings for the sabbaths, and lor the new^ moons, and lor the set feasts, as it is written ia the ' law of the Lo^.
4 Moreover, he commanded the people that dwelt in Jeru^em to give the ■ portion of the priests and the Levites, that they might be encouraged in ' the law oithe Luuh
£> 1[ And as soon as the commandment * came abroad, the children of Israel brought in abimdance * the first-ftnits of corn, wine, and oil, and supplications, and thanksgiving^ ssoenl to the hea* The 7\trgum ny^ "Thav pra^ came np 10 ibe dwelling-plaeeofhiaholys&afeitiaA, which ia in bearen." Iwaei now appeared to be m a foir way of regaininr vhat Aey had lost: but, alas, how soon were all thm bright proapcctt beclouded for ever I
It is not for want of btriy resolatioiM, and beansUy influences, that men are not saved, but ihroo^ their own unsteadiness! they do not persevere, ihey fomt the necessity of continuing in prax/er, sad ttnu ae Hidy^Mw RTieved, departs from them, and leaves then to dMw tan darknew and hardness of heart. When We eoMiler d» heavenly influences which many receive who draw ba^ W pwdition, aitd the good ^ita which for a time they bare; It is blasphemy to aay they had no genuine or sKVinrmea. They had it, they showed it, they trifled with it, and mmmI agaiast it, and uierefore are lost.
Tersel. Srakolhtimageeinpieem] Titim wpedmol lefonnation was not ooly csmed on thnng^ JbsoA; they carried it into brtul, whether through a tnaapott tt religious zeal, or whether with the eaMClU of HoMi^ As leraelidah king, wo cannot telL
Vene 2. Inthtgatee qfOutmtufthelAyn.} Tbatm, ia the temple; for this was tbebOQMy triMtnaoK mt, asd camp of die Host High.
Verse 3. TTu king't porttdt if hi» gmUtameeJir A* buml-nferieifn} It is ooiyeobirea that the Jswiih kinn at least mnn the due oC David, liirairiMd As aMnuBg uid evemng •aorifieea daily, at (bdr own eqnass; and ssvwsl others also.
■■iioney, and of all the increase of the field; and the titne of all things brought they in abundantly.
6 And concerning the children of Israel and JudE^, that dwelt in the cities of Judah, they also brought in the tithe of oxen, and sheep, and the •tithe of holy things which were consecrated unto the Loan thev God, and laid them ' by
7 in the third month they began to la;r the foundation of the heaps, and Bnlshed them in the seventh month.
S And when Hezeldab and the prince* came md saw the heaps, they blessed the Lobd, and his people Israel.
9 Then Hezekiah questioned with the priests and the Levites concerning the heaps.
10 And Azariah the chief priest of the house of Zadok answered him, and said, > Since the peopU began to bring the offerings into the house of the Lord, we hare had enough to eat, and have left plenty; for the Lord hath blessed his people; and that which is lefl is this great store.
11 ^Then Hezekiah commanded to prepare * chambers in the house of the Lord; and they prepared them,^
iS And brought in the offerings, and the tithes, and the dedicated things faithfully: i over w|uch CoDoniah tiie Levite was ruler, and Shimei his brother was the next.
13 And Jehiel, and Azaziah, and Nahath, and Asahel, and Jerimoth. and Jozabad, and EUel, and IsmaclmUi, and Mahath, and Benaiah, were overseers ^ under the hand of Cononiah and Shimei his brother, at the eonuuandment of Hezekiah the king, and Azariah the ruler of the honse God.
14 And Kore the son of Imnah the Levice, the porter toward the east, was over the free-will offerings of God, to distribute the oUatioBB of the Lobd, and the most holy things.
15 And >next him were Eden, and Miniamin, and Jeshua, and Shemaiah, Amariah, and Sheoaniah, in the " cities of the priests, in their ' set office, to give to their brethren by courses, as wen to the great as to the small:
16 Besides their genealoey of males, ftom three years old and upwards, even unto evei/ one that entereth into the house of the Lord, hts ^ily portion for their service in their charges according to their courses;
17 Bom to the genealogy of the priests by -the house of their fiuhera, aiu the Levites " from
prineipslly for the muntencutce of th« prints and LevitM: they brought titho* of all tbs produce of the field, whether osmnuuMMd or ooi, u we see in the iiutnnce of honey, which was not to be ofiared to the Loid, Lev. ii. ]1. yet it ^pesnt itmight beoAiired toibeprieete aejCnf^^vt*, or in the of tUhet.
nte humt] The vaet cofbcMefw grain whieh they had from the titbe^ orer and abova luHr own esBaina|»> tian: eee ver. 10.
Yerae 15. And Mniamin] ImUniotanoMMamim. Km Benfamin,iB the readiDg of thna of Kenaieott's ud MRoen's MSS.; and thie ii the reading the Viitgute, Sgriae^ Smtuagint, and Arabic
TsrselT. /VmfwnKyysara sfaq Msatahad ordered dwt theLevitea ■booU not b^n their laboor till th^ were NUrlyyean of age; but David dianged this order, mai eUigea tbem to bqgin at ttcmtjf.
Verse 20. WrottgM-m)<l, and right, and tr^ei] Here is ne proper eharaetsr « a worthy longi he is soon, and hadcMgoMf J he is trviMvi^ aad ha acta JtuCI^ and maintains,/HiliM; hs is (ru^aBLMioir^ and ne aeoording lonttinrfftwbiehbsreaeives ae a rerelaiion from Ood.
18 And to the genealogy of all their little ones, their wives, and their sons, and their daughters, through alt the congregation: for in their » set office they sanctified themselves in holiness:
19 Also of the sons of Aaron, the priests, which were in the « fields of the suburbs of their cities, in every several city, the men that were '' expressed by name, to give portions to all the males among the priests, ana to all that were reckoned by genealogies among the Levites.
20 IT And thus did Hezekiah throughout all Judah, and * wrought that wAicA was good, and right, and truth, before the Lord his God.
21 And in every work that he began in the service of the house of God, and in the law. and in the commandments, to seek his God, he aid ft with all his hearti and prospered.
AFTER ' these things, and the es- *-B.'cm tablishment theretu*, Sennacherib king of Assyria came, and entered into j^ tttn Judah, and encamped against the fenced cities, and thought " to win them for himself.
2 And when Hezekiah saw that Sennacherib was come, and that* he was purposed to fight against Jerusalem,
3 He took counsel with his princes and his mighty men to stop the waters of the fountains which were without the city; and they did help
4 So there was gathered much people to-
g ether, who stopped all the fountains, and the rook that * ran through the midst of the land,
saying. Why should the kings of Assyria come, and find much water 1
5 Also ' he strengthened himself, ' and built up all the wall that was broken, and raised ft up to die towers, and another vn3\ without, and repaired ■ Millo in the city of David, and made ■ oiarts and shields in fU)UDaance.
6 And he set captains of war over the people, and gathered them together to him in the street of the gate of the city, and spake comfortably to them, saying.
and 10 his people, and peribrmed it with becoming isal and diligence. May Ood ever send each king* to the nations of the world) and the peopU who are blened widi ■uch be dolv lAedient to tbnn, and tbankftd to the Ood who sends tneni.
NOTES ON CHAPTER XXH. Terae 1. J^fUr Oum things^ Ood did not permit this pious prince to be dirturhed till he had eom|deted the reformation which he had begun.
VereeZ. Hlim RexekiaK mtw} "Hiia was Inihe /our* Istnth nar of the reign of HcMkiah; and at first the Jawidi Kmg btu^ hun off at die gnat priae of ^trag htmdrtdtMtnta Iff titvr, KodMrlftaltHltqfgMi and even emptied hie own treasure^ and spoiled tlie house of the Ltud. to gratify the oppressive arance of the Asiyiiaa king. See the whole account 2 Kings zviu. 13, Ae.
verse 4. Stopped ail Ae/eumtaiiu] Hue was piudeatif done i for, witnoat water, how ooQld an imimmsB army ■obsist in an arid country. ' No doubt the Assyrian anny suffered much thrai^ this} as a Christian army did eightetn hundred ynu-M after due. When the rmsadfus came, in A. D. 1099. tobesiege Jerisalun, ihepaofdaof dia ci^ sbwped np the weU% so that die ChrisiiaD amy was reauced to flw greatest oeeissities and disHess.
ytn»6.RiMilvptoth»tomtr»i Htbidtthswdl up to the hei^t of the towers t cr, umag built As mU, be raised towers on iL
7 * Be Btrwiff and coura^ouB, ^be not afVaid nor diemayed for the kii^ of Assyria, nor for all die multitude thatw with him: for •there be more with uh than with him:
8 With him is an ' arm of flesh: but * with ns ie the Lobd our God to help us, and to Bgbt our battles. And the people ^ rested themselves upon the words of Hezekiah Vine of Judab.
ftaT* 9 ^ ' After this did Sennacherib king ojfu of Assyria send his servants to Jerusaj£^>t. lem, (but he himself laid siege a^nst v!Sh»t*. LacBJsh, and all his *power wiUinim,) nmo Hezekiah king of Judah, and unto all Judan that leere at Jerusalem, sayine,
10 1 Thus aaith Sennacherib king of Assyria, WhereoQ doye trust, that ye {d>ide <° in the siege in Jerusalem?
11 Doth not Hezekiah persinide yon to ^ive over yourselves to die by famine and by thn-st, saying, The Loan our Urod shall deliver us out or the band the king of Assyria t
12 * Hath not the same Hezekiah taken away his high places and his altars, and commanded Jodah and Jerusalem, Baying, Ye shall wordiip before one altar, and burn incense upon it?
is Know ve not what I and mv fathers have doDe mio alt the people of other Lands? ^ were the goids of the nations of those lands any we^s aUe to deliver their land^s out of mine hand?
14 Who vas there among all the gods of those nations that my fEUhers utterhr destroyed, that could deliver his people out of mine hand, that your God should oe able to deliver you out of mine hand? ^,
15 Now therefore f let not Hezekiah deceive you. Dor persuade you on this manner, neither
Set believe him: for no god of any nation or kingoiii was able to deliver his people out of mine hand, and out of the hand of my fathers; how much less sbaJl your God deliver you out of mine hand?
16 And his servants spake ^et more against the Lord Ood, and against hia servant Hezekiah.
17 ' H« wrote also letters to rail on the Loud God of Israel, and to speak against him, saving, * As the gods of the nations of other lands have not delivered their people out of mine hand, so shall not the God of Hezekitdi deliver his people out of mine hand.
18 » Then they cried with a loud voice m the Jews' speech unto the oeople of Jerusalem ■■ that «ereanthe wall, to affright them, and to trotAde ibem; that they might take the city.
19 And they spake against the God of Jerusalem, as against the gods of the people of the earni, wAtcA tpere ' the work of Uie hands of man.
SO IT • And for this cause Henkiah the king, and ' the prophet Isaiah the son of Amoz, prayed and cried to heaven.
VoisB T. UwM be fnore words be ytMee frooi die prophot EUibs, 2 Kings vL 16. We ham nore power tbsnuiey have: diis wae mod)mn«4 lotetnwbytfaB alaaglaer nsde by the angel of Lord ID tibe Aoyrisii ouap.
Vem 9. 4ftor did Smmadmrib] Huing roc6ii«d Ibe nlvor aoA goU meiuionad sbore, be withdrewma umyi tot shortly anar ha meat BahJiakeh wkh a blaspbemoua tawsngti This 4> (he Uuex ncntiooed here.
VerMlO. TkMMwaitkSumaduribi See all thnedraumstanoes JaifsiyeKpbuMd 2 Kingi xviii. 17th to 36di ver.
31 ' And the Lobd sent an angel, which cut off all the mighty men of valour, and the leaden and captains in the camp of the king of Assyria. So he returned with shame of &ce to hia own land. And when he was come into the faooR of his god, thev that came forth of his own bowels ■ slew bim tnere with the sword.
22 Thus the Lord saved Hezekiah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem from the hand of Qeonacherib the king of As^ria, and from the mLBd of all other, and guided them on eVerv side.
23 And many brought gnfts onto the Lou ta Jerusalem, ana * presents to Hezdtiah laag of Judah: 60 that he was 'magoifiedintliesigntaf all nations from theoceforth.
_ 24 IT * In those days Hezekiah was iSi'^x' sick to the death, and prayed unto the Lord: and he spake unto him, and he awumi,ve him a sign.
25 ButHezeki^, ' rendered not again according to the benefit dime imto htm; for ■ bn heart was Ufled up: therefore there was wnoh 190a him, and upon Judah and Jerusalem,
26 1 Notwithstanding^ Hezekiah humbled himself for the pride of his heart, both be and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that the wrath of tbe Lord eame not upon them ■ in the days of Hezekiah.
27 11 And Hezekiah had eicbeeding *-JaP much riches and honour: and he made himself treasuries for silver, and for otiwjnL gold, and for precious stones^ and Ibr spices, and for shields, and for aH manaer of *■ pleaAuit Jewels;
2S Storehouses also for the increase of e«ro> and wine, and oH } and st^la for all namier of beasts, and cotes for flocks.
29 BAoreover he provided him cities, aad poasessions of flocks and herds in atnmdaaee: for
30 " This same Hezekiah also stopped the oi^r water-course of Gihtm, aad bron^t it straight down to the-wAt Mde of tbe city af David. And Hez»kiafa prospered in al bis works.
31 If Howbeit in the btistness of (he p an^iassadors of the princes of Bshy-
Ion, who t sent unto him to tnouire of tmpob the wonder that was done m the land, God lefl him, to ' try him, thsit he might know all that was in his heart.
32 tNowthereetoftheaouofHezekiah, and his ■goodness, behold, they ac« are written in the • vision of Isaiah the o«^n. prophet, the son of Amoz, and in the
33 'And Hezekiah slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the * chiefest of the sepulchres of the sons of David; and all Judah and the inhi^
him,frUmd, and would undertake foi him; sad imfti not viah tohavemehamanfordieir Memr.
Tarae 2&. BtaMah Ttmd»r»d nel again\ He MaMB a vain cODfidence; look pleasure in hii richea t ud Taii^ ■luwadtbemlotbaiBeaaengenof tbe king of Bahrka- See 2 Kkakt xk. 11 Ao. and tbe notes tbon.
ranaSS. AbsiNad nae^] He a««fa> from hU de« and was aorry for hia aio; deprecated wradi of Oc^ and Ibe dMnadiwleunnwsatumadkww from faiM..
Terae 30. Tlu vvptr tnUtfr^aursa] Ha nade aaaak isbrii^tbeintarsof CKbon from tbe weal atfea^ Jtam Uoi to tbe weat side <tf the oite of David.
itaats of Jeraaalem did him ■ bonour at hUdeath. And Manasseh his son reigned in his stead.
TlyfANASSEH "TOO* twelvB years acj«i ±VA old when he began to reign, and fmg- xx i. he reigned fitly and five yeara in Jeru-
^^m* 2 But did (ftflrt iBhich vtu evil in the a CB« Bight of the Lord, like unto the abomior^kx-i nationa of the heathen, whom the Lord *■ had cast out berwe tbe children of
3 For * be built again the high traces which Hezeldah bis lather had <' broken down, and he reared up altars for Baalim, and ■ made groves, and wor^ipped ' all the host of heaveo, and served them.
4 Also he built altars in the house of the Lc«D, whereof the Lord had said, > m Jerusalem ahall my name be for ever.
5 And he built altars for all the host of heaven * in the two courts of the house of the Lord.
6 > And he caused his children to pass throufth the fire in the valtejr of the son of Hinnom: ^alao he observed times, and used enchantments, and used witchcraft, and < dealt with a famUiar spirit, and with lyizurds: he wrought
Vene 93. ChUftmt cf tcpuIcArw] This nmect they paid to Mm who^ Since Dav)i( had b<Sen (he best d &IT their kinn.
Ver. 1. — "After duH ihinn which Hezeldah did, and their establiAment, the Lord appoitUed by hia Wokd to bdnff Sennacherib, king of Assyria, and hia army, into the ImuT of lemel, that he misht dratroy the ABsyriftiu in the land of the hoiue of Jtidui, and smile their troops on the mountains of Jerusalem, and deliver all their spoils into the hands of Hezekiah uid his people: vherefore Sennacherib came with immense armies, which could not be numbered; and, having pituhed bis camps hi the land of the tribe of Judah, besieged their fortified eitlei with his ariDLes, hoping to overthrow them."
Ver. 8. Hexekxah taid — "His help U the alrenfth tif the flesh; but our auxiliary is the Wou> of tbe Lotd."
Vor. 16.— "Bis servants (Sennachuib'H.) spoke blasphemy against the Woao of the Lord God.'*
Ver. 21.— "And the Woan of the Lord sent HfdiaeJ, and the angel Gabriel, and destroyed them on the night m the possover, with a destructive fire; and burnt up their ■breath within their bodies, and consumed every soldier, captain, and prince, in ftie army of the king or Atsyriai mai he returned with shame of tsux into his own land."
The destruction of God's enemies, and the support and ■alvatiOD of the feithfiil, is in every instance in this T^T-^in attributed to tbe Woko of the l^ont, p€nmairy understood. See the note on chap, zxxiv. 27.
Ver. 24. — "In those days was Hezekiah sick, near to death; but he prayed beCore the Lord, who spoke to him by tus WoHD to preserve him, and to add to his Kb Jfftem years."
Ver. 31.—" "Hte king of Babylon sent, that they mifrtit inquire oonceming the miracle that had been done in ute land; that they might see the two tables of stone which were in the ark m the eoreaant of the Lord, which Moses had placed there with the two tables ^rtiicb he had l)n>ken,onaooountofthesinof the calf which they made in Hor^ The Wozo of the Lord permitted him to idiov dMm these; neither did he suffer for it, fliit he Ai|^t try UffL aiMl see what was ii) bis hearL"
Tvirs God speaks after the manner of men: he either bring*, or permits them (o be brought, into such cimim- •tauica as shall oaose them to show, their prevailing propensitieii snd Ibea warns them against die evils to which they are mehaed, sft^ having dunrn them that
7 And he set a carved imacB. the idol which he had made, in the hooae or God, of which God had said to David and to SoJomon his son, In " this house, and in Jernsalem, which I have chosen before all the tribes of Imtel, will { put ihy name for ever:
S « Neither will I any more remove the foot of Israel fVom out of the land which I have appointed for your fathers; bo that they will taxe heed to do all that I have commanded them, according to the whole law, and the statutes, and the ordinances, by the haini of Moses.
9 So MaDassen made Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem to err, and to do worfte than the heathen, whom the Loxn had destroyedbefore the children of Ismel.
10 ^ And the LpRDs:pake to ManaBBeh,andtO his people: but they would not hearken.
11 r Wherefore the Loan brought upon them the captains of the host
'of the king of Assyria, which took aS^'om, Manasseh among the thorns, and p*^"-, ■bound him with < fetters, and carried him to Babylon.
13 And when he was in afHiction, he besought the Lord his God, and ■ humbled himself greatly before the God of his fathers,
13 And prayed unto him: and he Was *en>- treated of him, and heard his supplication, and brought him a^in to Jerusalem mto his kingdom. Then Manasseh * knew that the Lord he was God.
they are cSpable of those evils. To Vnov mrsrives, and our own character, is of the utmost impertasee to our religious growth and perfection. He who does not knnr where his weakness ties, is not hVelr to know where Ms sfrengdi lies. Many, by not being nilly acmudnted with their own character, nave been onwatchlul and unguarded, and BO become an easy prey to dieir enemies. Kitmo thyweif, is a lesson which tio man can learn but from the Spirit of God.
NOTES ON CHAPTER XXXIIl. Verse 1. MdnattA was twelve yean old} We do not find thathe hadanygodlydireetor; his youn was threfors the more easily sedocea. But surely he bad a piout edueaUan t — how then could the principles of it be so soon eradicated 1
Verse 3. AUara for BaaHfn\ The emr had itoov. And madt grovet, nrvnt A^Aenth, Astarte, T«ras; As Imt hetnenj ell the plabxts and ram. Then veie the general ob]ects of his devotion.
Verse 6. He buiU aUart] See theprinclpd facte in this chapter explained in tbe notes on 2 Klmge xxi. 1—17.
Verse 7. A earved image} " He set up an image, tbe likeness of himself, in the Doose of the sanctuary." TTw ThrguvM sui^oses he wished to procure himself divine honours.
Verse 12: And u/uit hs wot in qMitMon} Here is a very large addition in the Chaldee: ^' For the Chaldeans made a nrazen nrale, pierced full of small hole^ and pot him widiin it, and kindled fires all around it; and when be waa ia dus misery, he sought help of all the idok which he had nude, nit obtained none, for diey were of no use. Be therefbre repented, and prayed before the Lord bis God, and was greatly humbledm tbe sight of tbe Lord God of his &tber£"
Verse 13. And prayed unto Mm] " While be was thus praying all the prestding angeb went away to ths gates of prvrer in heaveo i and shut all the gates of pmyer, and all the windows and apertures in heaven, lest that his prayer shouU be heard. Immediately the compassions of the Creator of the world were moved, whose right hsnd Is sttetdMd OM to reedve ainaeisi who are converted to his fear, and break their beards ooneupiaooMs repentance. He made therefbre a window and opening in heaven, tuder the throne of his glm; and, having heard hia prayer, he bvoombly received his supplication. And when his Wosd had dftken the earth, the mule was burst, and he eaoapsd. TTien the spirit went out flron batveen the vii^ of the chenibiin j by which, being inqiind tbraurii the deerea of die Wobo (tf die Lordha retunwd to Idogdom hi Jwm3ma.^AjaA dm Ma, nuv. «. 14 If Now after this he built m wall -»300T.a ^tjioQt the city of David, on the west aide of * Gihon, in the valley, even to the entering inat the ^sh-gate, and compassed ^about 'Opher, and raised it up a very great height, ana put cwtains of war in all the fenced cities of Ju-
15 And he took away the * strange gods, and the idol out of the house of the Lord, and all the altars that he had built in the mount of the house of the Lohd, and in Jerusalem, and cast them out of the di^.
16 And be repaired the altar of the Lord, and sacrificed thereon peace-ofieriogsand '■thankofferings, and commanded Judah to Berve the Lord God of Israel.
17 « Nevertheless the people Bacnficc bIiIi in the high places^e^ unto theLoiin their God only. xUwMjiL 18 tTNow the rest tJia aots of Ma- ^MTtya nassen, and his prnyt'r uitto his God, and the words of ^ the neer* that spake to him in the name of the LoAo God of larael, behold, they are wriNcn in the book of the Mi:^ of Israel
19 Ilia i]rayer oLao, and Aow Omj vais rjitreated of him, and all aa ems. and tBaJbreepaBa. ojqd the placed wherein be built bielMni0W|(Blia nt u^gTOTBs and graven ima«-cs, d«^^ nfi'lros hUEDWdi behiilil, they ur>. wvauiw amon^ the w^yHOfgt itf * the si-trs.
jLiLiCM. 20 11 ' So MiiDJitsrh slept with liis oi.xxnr.ft fathers, and they byried hioi io hiaown nuooh kxtew that it ms the Lord God who had done iheHininwiMaiidngBit aud ha iunuii to the Lord with hii wtwifl heart, left ell his idot% end never aerved them more." Thia long addition g^vee the Jewish account of thoee particular!, which the sacred writer has passed by: it ieeuiious, thougja in some eon trifling. The gatea iff wafer may be ooonderad diildiah; but in most of tb<Me tbii^ Ae aacient lafabina puppoae^ bid deep aod nupor^ tant meaoings.
Verse II. He built a woU] Thie was probably a weak place that he fortified; or a part of the wall which Ibe AMyrians had broken down, which be now reboilt.
Terae 16. He took airay tht etftmge gode} He appears to have done etery thing io bii power to destroy the idolatiT whieh ba ud aet up, and to restore ibe pure worriiip of the true God. His repentance brought forth fruiu meet for repentance. How long he was in eaptiviqr, vlun and by vluxm he was deliverad, we know not The bet of his reatonoion is asserted; and we believe it oo divine testiinony.
Verae 17. TV |>«opIe did taerifiee] *' Neverlhelesa Ute people did Mcnfice on the hi«h |4aeea, bat only to ibe name of Ibe Won of the Lord tbeir God." TarguTti.
Vtrm la. The words qf A< se*r« UuU epake b> Mm] " Which were spoken' to him in the name of the Wobd of the Lord God of larael."
Verse 19. fli* prayer aUo] What la called the Prayer o^ JiJannaeeeh ktnr nf Judah, when he woe kolden cap- MM t» Babylon, o^ng fotmd among our apocryphal book^ I have inserted iLat the end of th» chapter, wiuiout wther asaertin^ or thinkioR that it ia the identical prayer whieh this penitent king used when a captive in Babylon. Bat, as I have observed in another place, there are many good sentiments in it; and some sinners may find it a proper echo of the diatresaes of tlieir hearts: I therefore inaert it.
Wriiiea among the eayinga of Ihe seen.] " ITiey are wriuen in (he words of Chozai." Thrgtan. So says the Vulgate, The Syriae has Hunan the prtphet/ and the Arooie has Saphan the prophet.
Verse 22. iSberi^eif unto all the carved imaget} How aaloniahing is this: with his fiuher's example before his ^es, tie copied hia fatlier'a vieee, but not his repeTitanee.
Varae23. TVcnatssd more and more.\ He appears to hava aseeeded nia fatbar, and would take no wanuiu;.
22 But he did that which vscu evil io tlie sight of the Lord, as did Manasseh his father: for^Amon sacrificed unto all the carved imagec which Manasseh his father had made, and served them;
23 And bumbled not himself before the Lord, ■■as Manasseh his father had humUed himaeiri hot Amon ' trespassed more and more.
24 k And his servants conspired '^-JI^^xot P' against him, and slew him in his ix>.cih.a^a. own house.
25 1 But the people of the land slew bH them that had conspired against King Amon; and the people of the land made Joaiafa hia aoa king in hu stead.
JOSIAH 1 v)aa eight years old when a-kbsw. he began to reign; and he reigoed unSof in JeruBalem one and thirty Tears.
2 And he did that wAka wo* right m the eight of the Lord, and walked in the wni of David his &ther, and declined nnSur to the right hand, nor to the lefl.
^ IT For in the eighth year of hia reign, while be was vet youi^, he *^S&S\ bepui to -seek after the GoaoflKmd his father; and in the twelfth year he Pggss^ murder waa not a popular acl,'Jbr the people alew Ae lagieidea. "niey ware aa prone to idoIatTT aa dieir kmc waa. We may reet satisfied that idolatry waa aeoompanitd with great hca^aumm. and seoaual gfatifieatioaa; it never, aa a mere religKMia qratem, ooold faftTC faada^y ■way in the world.
Poa an explanation of die tenn gntta. ver. 3l, see Aa observatkMta at the end of chap. xa. of the Second Bosk of Kings.
I have referred to the prayer attrfbulad to JIfaiiassdl, and found in what is called toe Apocrypha, juat befare lbs first book of JUbecafree*. It was anciently uaed as a fora of confession in the Chriatian churdi; aiid is atill aa such received by the Greek church. It is aa ibllowa: —
" 0 Lord, Almisfaty God of our &tben^ Abraham, liaae, and Jaoob^ and oi their righteous seed t who ttsBt mads heaven and earth, with au the ornament tbenof; vbe haat bound the aea by the word of. thy conunandmenli who haat shut up the deep, and sealed it tn tby tmibfe and glwious namai whom all men Sear, and trnoMe befwe thy power j for the majesty of thy dory cannot be borne, ana thine angry ifarctttening toward sinoera ia importable; but thy mermUl promise ia muneasunUe aari unsearchable i for thou art the moat hi&;fo Lord, of great compassion, long-sufiering, tot mereiml, and rapeoM of the evils of men. "niou, O Lord, according to thy great goodoees haat promiaed repentance and btqpiram to them that have siimed wainst thee: and of thine nfinite mercies hast appointea repentanoe unto ainners, dat thffr may be saved. Thou, therefore, 0 Lord, that art Jt» God et UM just, hast not ^ipoinied repentance to ihe ja^ as^to Abraham, and laac, and Jaeol^ wIirIi bate bA ■inned against diee; but thou hast ^ipointed remmsaea tmto me mat am a sinner; for I have aiimed asove the number of the aands of the sea. Hy tnnagresaiooi, 0 Lend, are multiplied; and I am not wwthy to bohohl and see the height <a heaven for the multitude of mine inupbtiea. I am bowed down with many iron bands, that I cannot lift up mine head, neither have any release: far I have provoked thy wrath, and done evil before dm: I did not thy will, neither kept I diy oomroandments: 1 have set up abominations, ana have multiplied offencea. Now therefore I bow the knee of mine hewrt, beMecfafag thee of grace. I have sinned, O Lord, I have sims^^d I acknowledge miite iniquities: wherefore I hamwy **- aeech thee, fcigive me, u Loi* fbigive m*^ sad toayoy toe not with mme iniqiiitiea. Be not angry «ib tn* far ever, by reserving evil for me: ikeilber oondHia na nm the lower parts of the earth. For thou art the God, cms the God of diem that'r^t) and in me thou wSl i j^Sffl-, iMjSran to "purge Judah and Jerusalem Auu vrtfc <■ irom the aigS placee, and the groves, and the carved images, and the moUen
4 p And they brake down the altars cM/i* " of Baalim in his presence; and the ajHox. L ^images that were on high above
7" them he cut down; and the jgroves,
and the carved images, and the molten images, he brake in pieces, and made dust qftkem., 'and strewed it upon the ■ graves of them that had Bacriliccd unto them.
5 And he * burnt the bones of the priests upon their altarR, and cleansed Judah ana Jerusalem.
6 And so did he in the cities of Manaeaehi and Ephraim, and Simeon, even unto Naphtali, with their " mattocks round about.
7 And when he had broken down the altars and the groves, and had * beaten the graven images *into powder, and cat downaUihe idols throughout all the land of Israel, he returned to
R cIS? 8 Now ' in the eiffhteenth year of xx!?i'5lS reign, when he nad purged the An.s intm land, and the house, he eent Siiaphan coa^_ix_ gQj^ of Azaiiah, and Maasei-in the
«11 thy goodneu; far diou wilt save me, Uiat am unworthy, according to thy great mercy. Therefore I will praise thee fw.ever all the daya of my life: for all the power* of the boavena do praue thee, aad thine ia the glorv for ever and ever. - Amen."
Tne above (ranalatioa, vbixii ia diat in oar common Bibles, mif^t be mended; but (he pieos is scarcely worth the paina.
NOTES ON CHAPTER XXXIV. Verae 2. He declined neither to the right Itand, nor to t}te te/t] He never iwerTed'trom God aiid truth; he never Omitted what ha knew to be hia duty to God and hii kinzdom; he canied on hia lefbrmation with a ateady hand; iimiitUy did not prevent him from going far enough; and zeai did not lead him beyond due bounoa. He walkod in the goiden mean, and hia moderation was known unto all men. He went neither to the right, nor to ilie left; he looked inwird, looked forward, and looked upieard. Reader, let ihe conduct of thia pioua youth be thy exemplar through hfe.
' Verae 4. TVie altar of Baalim] How often have these been broken down, and how aoon act up again! We see that tlie reHgion of a land ia aa the religion of its king. If the king were idolatrous, up went the alttu^ on them were placed the atatum, and the smoke of Inoenae ascended in ceaaeten clouds to tlie honour of that whiah ia vanity, and nothing in the wrld; on the other hand, when the king was truly religUnu, down went the idolatroua oltora, bn^en in pieces were the iinageo, and [he sacrificial smoke ascended only to the true God: and ia all these cases the jfeopie were as one man with the king.
Verse 6. He burnt the bones of the prieata] K"tt30 kumaria; the kemarim, aaya tlie Targum. See this won! explained 2 Kings zxiii. 5.
Verse 6. The eitiet Manau^ Even those who were under the government of the laraelitish king pernitted their idols and plaeea of idolatry to be hewn down and destroyed: and after the truth was declared and aeknowledged, the opad* and die ox* wan employed to complete the reformation.
Verae 9. And theu returned to Jeruaaleml Instead of ^3Bpi vayeihebu "they returned," we should read 'af>' yothebey "the inhabitania," a readiiw wluch is supported Sy many MSS. printed editionej and all the ver»%on^ as well aa bv neeeetUy and common sen*e. See the note on Hi. xix. 9., where a similar mistake ia rectified.
Verse 12. AU that eouid ekiil <if inUrumtatt <^ flUiaic] Did the miuiciaoa play on their several inatruineau to encourage and enliven the workmen 7 Is not this a probable case from their mention here? If thia were really the oaee, w^rumeidal music waa never better applied in asy thing that refers to the worship of God. It is fabled of Orpheus, a most celebrated musician, that such was the aoohantiog harmony irf bis lyre, that be buUt the city of Tksbm fay it: the atones and timhero danesd to hia ■molady I BOO, hf the power of his harmony, root up, and took their reapective j^aeeo in the different parts of the wall that was to defend the city I This nfabU i but aa all fable is a repcMaatation of truth, where is the truth mad font to
governor of ttie city.-and Joah the son of Joahaz the recorder, to repair the house of the Loan his
9 And when they came to Hilkiah the high
Eriest, they delivered ' the money that was rought into the house of God, which the Leviles that kept the doors had gathered of.the hand of Manaeseh and Ephraim, and of all the remnant of Israel, and of all Judah and Benjamin; and they returned to Jerusalem.
10 And they put it in the hand of the workmen that had the oversight of the house of the Lord, and they gave it to the workmen that wrought in the house of the Loan, to repair and amend the bouse:
11 Even to the artificers and builders gave they it, to buy hewn stone, and timber for couiilings, and < to floor the bouses which the kings of Judah had destroyed.
12 And the men did the work faithfully: and the overseers of them -were Johath and Onadiah, the Levites, of the sons of Merari: and Zechariah andMeshulIam, of the sons or the Kohalhitee, to set it forward; and other of the Levites, all that could skill of instruments of mu£>ic.
13 Also they were over the bearers of bur-
to ■, iiiw vanoua lUamU, pktarea, Oiui ( l.,..i.ii.L La.t escaped the infliieDoe of the buminc hiva; and that aome of those parchment sofumes have been unrolled, and fao similiee of them engraved and published; and that our late Prince Regent, now George IV. king of Great Britain, has expended, and is expending, considerable sums of money annually in searchine for, unrolling', and deciphering those rolls. This I record to his great credit as a lover of science and literature. Nov, among the books that have been unrolled and published, ia a Greek Treatise on Music, by Philodemus; and here we have the truth represented which lay hidden under ^fables iff OrpheuS and Amvhion. This latter was a ekiifid harper, who was fre^enuy emplt^ed by the TTieban workmen to play to them while engaged in their labour, andforwhich they reirarded him out of the proceed* nf that labour. So powerful aiid pleasing was nis music, that tliey went Wntly and comfortably through their work; and fmie amS labour passed on witnout tedium or fatigue; and the walls and towers were speedily raised. This, by a metaphor, waa attributed to the dulcet sounds of his harp; and poetry seized on and embellished it, and mythology incMporaled it with her fabulous syslem. Orpheus is the same, l^his skill ia music he drew stones and trees after him, t. e. he presided over and encouraged the workmen by hia skill in music. Vet how simple and natural ia the representation given by thia ancient Oreek writer of auch mattera 1 See Philodemus, Column, viii. and ix. OrpkeuM and ^nuAfon, by their murie, moved the workmen to diligence ana activity, and lesoened and allaviatad their toil. Mvr we not soppose, then, that skilfii) musicians among the Ltritea did exercise their art among the uwrAineitwho were employed intherepaiMof the house of the Lord? May I be allowed a gentle transition 1 Is it not the power and harmony ol the grace of Jesus Christ in die Gospel, that convert, change, and purify the eouls of men, and prepare them for, and place them in, that part of the house of God, the New, Jerusalem 1 A most beaulifbl and chaste allusion to this faa and fabU is made hy an enHitent poet, while praying for his own success as a Christian mmistM-, who user an hia skill as a poet and mueiciari for the glory of Ood;
deiu, and were oveneers of all that wrought the work in any manner of' Bervice: 'and of the LevitCB £A«re wer« Kribes, and o£Bcera, and porters.
14 If And when they broaght out the money that was brouj^ht into the house of the Lord, Hilkiah the priest ^ found a book of the law of the Lord given by ■ Moses.
15 And Hilkiah answeredand said to Shaphan the scribe, I have found the book of the law in the house of the Lord. And Hilkiah delivered the book to Shaphao.
16 And Shaphan carried the book to the king, and brought the king word back again, saying. All that was committed ^ to thy servants, they do if.
17 And they have • gathered together the money that was found in the house of the Lord, and have delivered it into the hand of the over- Boers^nd to the hand of the workmen.
18 Then Shaphan the scribe told the kina, Bfvyiriff, Hilkiiih the priest hath given me a book. Anii i^hai'Iiuti rt. tid ' it before the king.
I'J An(l it cruris to pa«s, when the king had beard ttic wor^a of the law, that he rent his cloth ea.
20 Ami the king commanded Hilkiah, and Ahikam tlie ison of Shaphan, and «Abdon the son of Mif^h, and Shaphan the scribe, and AKuah a eervnnt of the king's, saying,
21 Qa, inciuire of the Lord for me, and for Ihcm that arf ii-ft in Israel and in Judah, concerning Mie WDi'ils of the book tliat is found: for gr(?rLi ts wnith of the Lord that is poured out upon Me, because our fathers have not kept the u-ort1 »t' tlic Lq&o, to do after all that ia written
And Uiitiicih, and they that the king had appointed, went to Huldah the prophetess, the wife of Shallum the son of ^ Tikvath, the son of < Hasrah, keeper of the ^ wardrobe; (now she dwelt in Jerusalem ■ in the college;) and they ■pake to her to that ^ect.
S3 IT And she answered them. Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, Tell ye the man that sent you to me.
24 Thus saith the Lord, Behold, I will bring evil upon this place, and upon the inhabitants thereof, even all the curses that are written in the book whioh they have read before the king of Judah:
83 Because they have forsaken me, and have burned incense unto other gods, that they might provoke me to anger with all the works of their handa: therefore my wrath shall be poured out npon this ptaee, and shall not be quenched.
26 And as for the Idng of Judah, who sent you to inquire of the Lord, so shall ye say unto him, Thus saith the Lord God of Israel conca-ning the words which thou hast heard;
27 Because thioe heart was tender, and thou didst humble thrself before God, when thou heardest his words against this place, and against the inhabitants thereof, and humbledst thyself before roe, and didst rend thy oloUies, cuid weep
28 Behold, I will gather thee to thy fetbcrs,
and thou shalt be gathered to thy grave in peace: neither shall thine eyes see all the evil that Iwili bring upon this place, and upon the inbabilaiUa of ihe same. So they brought the king word
29 f " Then the king sent and gathered together all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem.
30 And the king went up into the house o( the Lord, and all the men of Judah, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and the' priests, and the Levites, and all the people, " great and nnall: and he read in their ears all the words of the book of the covenant that was found in the hoose oTthe
31 And the king stood in his * place, and made a covenant before the Lord, to walk after the Lord, and to keet> his commandmenu, and his testimonies, and his statutes, with all his heart, and with all his soul, to^rform the words of the covenant which are written in this book.
32 And he caused all that were >> present in Jerusalem and Benjamin to stand to it. And the inhabitants of Jerusalem did according to (bt covenant of God, the Grod of their fathers.
33 And Josiah took away all the *abomiaations out of all the countries that perlaihed to the children ol' Israel, and made all that were
E resent in Israel to serve, even to serve the.ORD their God. 'And all hu days they denrted not • from following the Loim, uie Qod « thev
Veras 27. Bkoum f&fne Aeart w» UmdtT\ " Because thy heart was melted, and dwu hut humbled uiyeelf in the sight of the Womi> of the Lord, -nt ttya^o mmpnra dayai, men thon didet hew hi* word* i^Bins n> you pUhgamaL sninst ihii place," Ac. Here the Targum most oSdently Witinguiabee between mwmra, tEe rmmaosAL woss;
TerM 29. OaOund to thy grate tn pmet\ See psrticulsrly the note on 2 Kings xxii. 20. VensSOL JUhiitgw^ See on 2 King* xzUL 1.
MOREOVER, 'Josiahkept a pass- A^mn. over unto the Lord in Jerusalem: jSS^m and they killed the passover on the ■ fourteenth day of the first month.
2 And he set the priests in their ' charges, and * encouraged them to the service of tlw house of the Lord:
3 And said unto the Levites, ■ that taught all Israel, which were holy unto the Lobd, ' the holy ark ■ in the house which Solomon the son of David king of Israel did bnild; * it akiaU not he a burden upon }fow shoulders: eerve now the Lord your God, and his people Israel,
4 And prepare yottraelve* by the " booses of your fathers, after your courses, according to the « writing of David king of Israel, and according to the * irriting of Solomon bis son.
5 And * stand in the holy place aecording to the divisions of the famihes of the fathers of your brethren ■ the people, and after the divisun of the families of the Levites.
6 So kill the passover, and ^ saucti/V yourselves, and prepare your brethren, that CAey may do according to the word of the Lobd 1^ dw hand of Moses.
7 And Josiah ■ gave ^ to the people, of the
Verse 31. Mado a eoeenonf] See on 2 Engs zxai. 1 And see die notes in that and tts prceedi&g diA^er, fer At eiraunatancea detailed here.
Veree 32. 71a ttand to it] It ii likely that he < them all to aruc when be read the terms of the eawi and thuB teetify their approtmlion ti the oovensM iMl^SBd their reaolatioa to obaem it UthfallT and peneeeraglr. NOTES ON CHAPTER XXXT.
Verse a. PtUth* holy ark in Vt4hMi»9\ ItieUMyOMi the priesu had sectirea this, when ibc^ foond thu tbs flook, lambt and IoSm, all for the passorer offeriiijga, for all that were present, to the number of tldirty thousand, and three thousand bullocka: these were of the kio^s substance.
8 And his princes igaTe willin^y unto the people, to the priests, and to the Eevites: Hilkiah, and Zecoariah, and Jehiel, rulers of the house of God, gare unto the priests for the passover offerings two thousand and six hundred tmatt cattle, and three hundred oxen.
9 Conaniah also, and Shemaiah, and Nethaneel, his brethren, and Haehabiah, and Jeiel, and Jozabad, chief of the Levites, gave unto the Levites for pasaover oSeriqgs five thouscind mall cattle, and five hondrea oxen.
10 So the service was prepared, and the priests 'stood in their place, and the Levites in their courses, accordiof to the king's commandment.
11 And thejr killed the passover.and the priests * sprinkled the blood from their hands, and the Levites p flayed them.
12 And they removed the bumt-oEferings, that th^ might give according to the divisions of the &milies of the people, to offer unto the Lord, as it is written tia the book of Moses. And aodicf f&ey with the oxen.
13 And they ' roasted the passover with fire according to the ordinance: but the other holy qfferingt ' sod they in pots, and in caldrons, and in (Kuis, and ■ divided tilem speedily among all the people.
14 And afterward they made ready for themselves, and for the priests: because the priests the sons of Aaron were huaied in offering of burnt-offerings and the (kt nntil night; theretore the Levites prepared for themselves, and for the priests the sons of Aaron.
15 And the singers, the sons of Asaph, v>ere in their ■ place, according to the ' comnmndment of David, and Asaph, aiM Heman, and Jednthno the kings seer; and the porters * vtaUed at every gate; they might not depart from their service; for their brethren the Levitea {vepared for them.
16 So an the service of the Lord was prepared the same day, to keep the passover, and to offer bnrat-offerings upon the altar the Lord, according to tne eommandment of Kii^ Joaiah.
17 And the chHdrem oflsnMl that were * prevent kept the passover at that time, and Uie feast of 7 unleavened bread seven days.
18 And ■ there was no passover uke to that kept in Israel from the days of Samuel the pro-
For an unple acC4wnt or this paanver, and the refimnar tion that was then made, sse Cn 2 Kingi zziii. 1, dbc and theplaen marked in the margin.
Tsmll. 71k«y AWett jwmomt] Hie owpfa them- •elves mMA ilay Ihtir own paschal lamba, ana Ihen pceeent the Moooto the prittta, that they might tprinkU it before the altar: and me LariiM lUyed rSem, and made them rasdy for dieMing.
Teree tS. Tkare vxu no patmnn- Wu to that] Tbu, whldi diitingiiiabed thii pasnrer from all the former tnm, ■ays Calmet, the great liberality of Joaiah, vho diatributea to hie peofue a greater nomber of Tietimi than eidwr David or Solomaa had done.
verse 31. sod command«i vu to vtaka hoatal Tbe Targum sives s curious turn to thia and the fclloviDg Terse: "B^idol oommanded me to makehaate: refraio, tfaermre, from me and my idol vhich ii with me, that he betray due not When ut beard hbn mention his idol, be would not go faaek t and be hearkened Mt nnto As words of rVec^ wtiidi he spake eoDceming hts IM." Here is ttie rabbinieal exeun for the conduct of Joaiah.
Veree 2A. tcamd eharlol] Peibape thb meaoe no more than tbey took Joaiah out of hia own chariot, and put hhb into another, either tor ttereof, Or beeanaa hia own had been tHaabbii. Thr. clMriot into whitA he wSa put Boigfat hava ben that of the ^gUm\ or ald-th-eam^ thet; neither did all the kin^ of Israel Iraep such a passover as Josiah kept, and die priest^ and the Levites, and all Judah and Israel that were present, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem.
20 IT • After all this, when Josiah had prepared the ** temple, Necho king of Egypt came up to.^ht againn Charcnemish by EuphratM: and Jo* siah went out against him.
21 But he sent ambassadors to him, saying. What have I to do with thee, thou king of Jodab? / conte not against thee this day, but against ■ Uie house wherewith I have war; for God commanded me to make haste: forbear thee from meddling with God, who i* with roe, that hi i1<.'-^lroy thee noL
2:i Nevertheless Josiah would not turn his &C0 IVom him, but 'disguised lUmself, that he might figh t with htm, and hearkened not tuto the words ofNet^ho, * from the motith of Qod, and came to l^lit ia the valley of Megiddo.
23 And the archers shot at King Josiah; and tlHvMbg said to his servants. Have me away j for I am sore ' wounded.
24 ■ His servants therefore took him out of that chariot, and put him in the second chariot that he had: and they broughthim to Jerusalem, and he died, and was btiried * in one of tfao sepulchres of his ihthers. And < fdl Judeua and Jerusalem mourned for Josiah.
25 If And Jeremiah ^ lamented for Josiah; and
■ all the singing men and the singing women spake of Josiah m their lamentations to this day,
■ and made them an ordinance in Israel: and behold, they are written in the Lamentations.
26 1[ Now the rest of the acts of Josiah, and his "goodness, according to that which was written in the law of the Loan.
37 And his deeds, first and fast, behold, they are written in the book of th e kings of Israel suod
who attended hie meater to the war. See dw note oo 2 Kir^ ch. xxii. 20.
Verae 25. Behold, Out/ are wttUn tn the LammlattMis.\ The Hrtirawa had poetical eompmlHant for all great and imponant evants, military aong^ aones of timfA, epilhalamia or morrfa^ e odet, fvneru tiegie*. Ac. Soveral of these are preeerved in diflerent parte « tbe hinorical books of Scripture; and theee were generally made by prophets or iiujHred men. That compoeed on the trarieal end of this good king, by Jeremiah, it now kMrt. The Tbrgum wtyw, "Jeremiah bewailed Joeiah with a great lamentation; and all the chiefe and matrone rios flteee lamentations eoncerning Joaiah to dMpreaentdayi ana it vmn a aintaCe in larari aanually to bewail Joaian. Bcli^lit, fhrwi BF", wrillm in itio tlook of IjainenuiioMu wh;!*!) I!;!i'id'i wrotd do^ n liom tile mouth of Jeremiah.''
Vi Tur 27. And hi» ilerjin. /trut rjmil/utl "The former (hiiif:n wliidi hi (li<! in hjn cfiiLUbrKdr and the luter thinn whif}) tie Ji'i m hia vcnitlL; and all the judgments, wfaicn be pnaouncM from hie ricAlh year, w»n be oune to the kiqgifcn, TO his ttghteanth, M was grown up, and besiut to r*|Hiir thi?! mrr>{inu7 of die Lord | and all that ha bront^t of hi* ^il'^tm:-. fi th^ liand of judgment and jmrjCM bMh tht h^sv. of Unf \ nod Judah mm all uacleannew! iwM'l, tlify nj^ wnttm in the Book ofdM Kin^ of tlir hrjun? of hmtil, axid ^'^ the house of Judah." Tarlfum. ThesA KF'nemJ tiiMOiina are loati bat is AS Boota <f Piy saa OrwiiNw w have the leading flia.
S Jehoahaz «a« twenty and three years old when he beg^n to rei^, and he reiffoed three months in Jerusalem.
3 And the king of Eg-ypt >■ put him down at Jerusalem, " and ' condemned the land in a hundred talents of silver, and a talent ofeoJd.
4 And the kin^ of Eg-ypt made Eliakim his brother kin^ over Jodan and Jerasnlem, and turned hie name to Jehoiakim. And Necho took Jehoahaz his brother, and carried him to Bsypt.
-Sis*' 5 IT ' Jehoiakim was twenty and five »c.«iiyBfc veara old when he began to reign, and xhiTT ne reigned eleven years in Jerusalem: —\Lv.t _ Jig ififif which was evii in the B " s'ffhl of the LoRo hiB God. io- oh-iry. 6 ' AgainBt him came up NebuchadisV Lrtai nczzar ting of Babylon, and bound him ^oBdi« MJ^ in u fetters, to » carry him to Babylon, a * Nebuchadnezzar aleo carried of the vessels of the house of the Loan is?criii> to Babylon, and put them in his temple tumobm i« at Babylon.
^iSw" S Now the rcBt of the acts of Jehoac.«io.a>. iakim, and his abominations which he *xu^T" did, and that which was found in him, -3CLV. z behold, they are written in the book of the kings of Israel and Judah; and ' Jehoiachin his son reigned in hia stead. » c w"" 9 II Jehoiachin icos eight v-ears old Ai. cM^mp. when he began to reign, and ne reigniSi, uJL ed three months and ten days in Jeruoandiiaiw. salem; and he did that which was evil in the sight of the Loaa
10 And * when the year was expired, ' King Nebuchadnezzar sent, and brought him to Babylon, with the " goodly veeeele of the house of the Lord, and made Zedekiab * his brother kioff over Jiidah and Jerusalem.
wm!"" 11 TT'Zedekiahifawoneandtwen- E c. ty years old when he began to reign, ^Talt and reigned eleven years in JeruxLvnLL salem.
12 And he did that vthick^weu evil in the sight of the Lord his God, and humbled not himself before Jeremiah the prophet apeaking from the mouth of the Lord.
13 And ' he also rebelled against King Nebuchadnezzar, who had made him swear by GoA.: but he '> etiSened his neck, and hardened
Vene 1. Took JehMAaz] It aeema that after Necho hitrl diecomfitfid Joaiah, he proceeded immediately against OuirchtmiA; and in the interim, Joatab dying of hia irounda, the people mode hia son iuag.
Verae 3. "tii^ king qf Egypt put Sirndatm] He now considered Judah to oe conauered and tributaiTf to him; and, because the people had aet up Jehoahas without hia consent, be dethroned him: and put hia brother in his place t perhaps for no other reason, but to diow hia supremacy. For odter Mgrticulars, see the notes on 2 Kingt xiiil. 31-36.
Verse 6- CaiM vx> Nebuchadneszarl See the notes on 2 Kings xxiv. 1. Archbishop Uadur believes that Jehoia- Ida remained three years after this tributary to the Chaldeans, and that it is from this period that the aevenly ytan c^»r£<» predicted by Jeremiah, are to be reckoned.
Verse 10. Made Zedekiah—king] His name was at first iMbtiantoA, but the king of Buiyloa changed it to Zedektak. See 2 Kings xxiv. 17. ana the note there.
Tene 12. Did that which was evil] Was there ever ■uoh a set of weak, infiuuated men as the Jewi^di kings in geaerall lliey had the fullest evidence that tbey were only dtputiea to Ood Almigh^ and that they could not •:^eet to retain the throne uay longM' than ttwy were fluibfiil to their Lord; and yet, with all this oonvietioa, dk^ lind wiolndlA nd eDdeanuied to esl^MU iAtolrv and the people transgreesed very muchaHeran the abominations of the heathen; and poUated the house of the Lord, which he had haJlowed in Jerusalem.
15 ' And the Lord God of their laUiers sent to them * by his messenger?, rising up ' betimes, and sending; because he had compassion on his people, ana on hia dwelling-place:
IG " But they mocked the messengers of God, and despised hia words, and " misused hia prophets, until the v wrath of the Lord arose against his people, till there vnas no 'remedy.
17 Therefore he brought upon
them the king of the Chafdces, who "^'^S"" ■ slew their young men with the xtv^ff sword in the house of their sane- xLvm. i. tuary, and had no compassion upon yonng man or maiden, old man, or him that stooped for age: he gave lhema.ll into his hand.
18 t And all the 'vessels of the ^?f2? house of God, great and small, and the treasures of the house of the
19 " And they burnt the house of God, and brake down the wall of Jerusalem, and burnt all the palaces thereof with fire, and destroyed all the goodly vesBele thereof.
20 And ' them * that had escaped *-^fcg^ from the sword carried he away to acas-a* Babylon; * where they were servants to him and his sons until the reign of. the kingdom of Persia.
21 To fulfil the word of the Lord by the mouth of ' Jeremiah, until the land ■ had enjoyed her sabbaths: Jbr
as long as she lay desolate ■ she kept.
the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, that he made a proclamation throoghout all his kingdom, and put it sieo in writmg,
in the place of the worship of their M^er I After bearing with them longi the oivine mercy gave (hem as (heir case was utterly ht^ieless. ' The}/ t^ned till titers vae no rej/iedw.