and by him actions are weighed. The bows of the mighty men are broken, and they that stumbled are girded with strength. They that were full have hired out themselves for bread; and they that were hungry ceased: so that the barren hath borne seven; and she that hath many children is waxed feeble. The Lord killeth, and maketh alive he bringeth down to the grave, and bringeth up. The Lord maketh poor, and maketh rich: he bringeth low, and lifteth up. He raiseth up the poor out of the dust, and lifteth up the beggar from the dunghill, to set them among princes, and to make them inherit the throne of glory: for the pillars of the earth are the Lord's, and he hath set the world upon them. He will keep the feet of his saints, and the wicked shall be silent in darkness; for by strength shall no man prevail. The adversaries of the Lord shall be broken to pieces; out of heaven shall he thunder upon them: the Lord shall judge the ends of the earth; and he shall give strength unto his King, and exalt the horn of his Anointed."" 66 This brings us down still later; so does the promise relating to the royal family of David, (2 Sam. vii.,) “I will set up thy seed after thee; I will establish his kingdom. My mercy shall not depart away from him. Thine house and thy kingdom shall be established forever." a The statistical notice, (1 Sam. xxviii. 6,) Ziklag pertaineth unto the kings of Judah unto this day," leads us to the time after the separation of the kingdom. The mistake in respect to Jerusalem, in 1 Sam. xvii. 54, — where David brings Goliah's head to that city, as if it were the national capital, while it was still in the hands of the Jebusites, could not possibly be made till long after David. But the expressions Israel and Judah belong to the time of David.' a From the expression Jehovah Zebaoth-Jehovah of Comp. Ps. lxxxix., and see Otmar, in Henke's Magazin. vol. iv. pt. 2, p. 354. Bertholdt, p. 915. 1 Sam. xviii. 16, 2 Sam. xxiv. 1. Comp. 2 Sam. v. 1-5, xix. 41, xx. 2. David's death is not mentioned, but this does not prove the author wrote soon after it, as Hävernik supposes, p. 144. hosts-(1 Sam. i. 3,) we may conclude it was written later than the book of Judges. But otherwise it is not distinguished by any later usage. The book must have been composed before the time when the Levitical and Deuteronomical spirit became prevalent; for there is no trace of this spirit in the book." [In 1 Ch. xxix. 29, it is said, "The acts of David, first and last, are written in the book of Samuel the seer, and in the book of Nathan the prophet, and in the book of Gad the seer." Here the reference to the books of Samuel appears more certain than the statement of the authorship of the books; for the citations in Chronicles are so uncertain. On the authority of this passage, many Jewish writers, with Theodoret, Procopius, Gregory the Great, Isidore, Eucherius, with the moderns Walther, Calovius, Hugo, De Lyra, Vatablè, Sixtus Sinensis, Cajetan, Cornelius à Lapide, and others, think Samuel wrote the first twenty-four chapters, and Nathan and Gad the rest. But Abarbanel, Jacob, Ben Chajim, and Grotius, make Jeremiah the author. Spinoza, Hobbes, Simon, and Leclerc, dissent from these opinions.] a Comp. 1 Sam. i. 1, and xxv. 14, with Judg. xiii. 2. Comp. 1 Sam. xi. 15, xiii. 8—14, xiv. 35, xvi. 2, 2 Sam. xv. 7, sq., with the passages referred to in § 184, note a. Does not the rareness of Chaldaisms in the book compel us to date it earlier than the end of Manasseh's reign? Bertholdt (p. 924) thinks that (1 Sam. vi. 12; comp. Gen. xxx. 28, Ewald, Kr. Gr. p. 270) is not to be taken for a Chaldaism. But it must be remarked that occurs, instead of ", 1 Sam. xvii. 25;, instead of, verse 47; the infin. with, instead of the finite verb, xiv. 21; 17, instead of 15, 2 Sam. xxi. 6; 29, xxii. 27; 7, verse 40. Comp. De Wette, Com. üb. Ps. xviii. 27, 40. C [See Carpzov, p. 213, sqq. See, also, vol. i. § 14.] CHAPTER V. THE BOOKS OF THE KINGS." § 181. NAME AND DIVISION. AMONG the Jews, these books likewise make but one,' and the division into two books, which was made in the Alexandrine and Latin versions, and followed in Christian editions, is entirely arbitrary. It is selfevident that the name merely indicates the contents. § 182. THE CONTENTS. It contains the history of all the kings after David until the exile of the people. 1. First, it contains the history of Solomon's administration, commencing with his ascent to the throne, consequently with the last times of David; 1 Kings ixi. 2. Then follows the history of the revolt of the ten tribes, and of the government of the two kingdoms,placed opposite one another, with particular notice of a Serrarii, Vict. Strigelii Comment. Seb. Schmidii Annotat. in Libb. Reg. Jo. Clerici, Maur. Comment. Seb. Leonhardi, 'Yлouvruarα in Libb. Reg.; Erf. 1606; Lips. 1610, 1614. с Geddes, 1. c. vol. ii. See Origen, as above, vol. i. p. 89, sqq., and Jerome, p. 111, sqq. ; Baσiksiõv ro̟lın xal 18ráo̟17; Regum iii. and iv. the prophets who were active in the kingdom of Israel. This history comes down to the overthrow of the kingdom of Israel; 1 Kings xii.-2 Kings xvii. 3. Finally, there comes the history of the surviving kingdom of Judah till its destruction, with an account of the fate of the rest of the nation which remained in the land, and of King Jehoiakim, who was retained a prisoner at Babylon; 2 Kings xviii.-xxv. According to Eichhorn," in this part of the book, the author has only treated of the history of Judah, because it was connected to, and contemporary with, that of the kingdom of Israel, which was his main subject. But this is a false explanation of the relation of the history of the two kingdoms in reference to particulars, though - the relation, as a matter of fact, is not to be denied, and the true ground lies merely in this, that the history of the kingdom of Israel is more rich in events, and the influence of the prophets upon it is more important." § 183. CHARACTER OF THE NARRATIVE. Here Hebrew history rather retrogrades than makes any such advance as we should expect from the increase of literature after the time of David. Besides the authentic historical accounts which are similar to those in the books of Samuel, the history of Solomon contains some myths: Chap. iii. 5-15. "In Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream by night and God said, 'Ask what I shall give thee.' And a § 481. с De Wette, Beiträge, vol. i. p. 31. 1 Kings i. ii. iv. vi. vii. ix. 10-28, &c. Solomon said, 'Thou hast showed unto thy servant David my father great mercy, according as he walked before thee in truth, and in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart with thee; and thou hast kept for him this great kindness, that thou hast given him a son to sit on his throne, as it is this day. 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. 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. Give, therefore, thy servant an understanding heart to judge thy people, that I may discern between good and bad: for who is able to judge this thy so great a people?' And the speech pleased the Lord, that Solomon had asked this thing. 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 asked the life of thine enemies; but hast asked for thyself understanding to discern judgment; behold, I have done according to thy words: lo, I have given thee a wise and an understanding heart; so that there was none like thee before thee, neither after thee shall any arise like unto thee. And I have also given thee that which thou hast not asked, both riches and honor: so that there shall not be any among the kings like unto thee all thy days. 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.' And Solomon awoke; and behold, it was a dream. And he came to Jerusalem, and stood before the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and offered up burntofferings, and offered peace-offerings, and made a feast to all his servants." Chap. ix. 1-9. "And it came to pass, when Solomon had finished the building of the house of the Lord, and the king's house, and all Solomon's desire which he was pleased to do, that the Lord appeared to Solomon the second time, as he had appeared unto him at Gibeon. And the Lord said unto him, 'I have heard thy prayer and thy supplication that thou hast made before me: I have hallowed this house, which thou hast built, to put my name there forever; and mine eyes and my heart shall be there perpetually. And if thou wilt walk before me, as David thy father walked, in integrity of heart, and in uprightness, to do according to all that I have commanded thee, and wilt keep my statutes and my judgments; then I will establish the throne of thy kingdom upon Israel forever, as I promised to David |