Annotations upon the remaining historicall part of the Old Testament. The second part. to wit, the books of Joshua, Judges, the two books of Samuel, Kings, and Chronicles, and the books of Ezra, Nehemiah, and Esther : wherein first, all such passages in the text are explained as were thought likely to be questioned by any reader of ordinary capacity : secondly, in many clauses those things are discovered which are needfull and usefull to be known ... and thirdly, many places that might at first seem to contradict one another are reconciled ... / by Arthur Jackson.

CHAP. XIIII.

Vers. 1. AT that time Abijah the sonne of Jeroboam fell sick.] That is, in the time of Jeroboams wicked raign, whereof there is mention made in the two last verses of the former chapter: for it is evident, that this is not meant of the time when the man of God was slain, as is related in the former chapter, that it seems, was in the very beginning of Jeroboams kingdome, this, rather toward the latter end of his reigne, when Ahijah the prophet, who first gave him notice of be∣ing raised to the kingdome, was now blind with old age, vers. 4. Jeroboam conti∣nued in his idolatry, and so Gods hand was again upon him in the sicknesse of this, perhaps his eldest sonne; Rehoboam had a sonne also of the same name who succee∣ded him both in his crown and in his vices, 2. Chron. 12, 16. But this Abijah the sonne of Jeroboam, in whom there was some goodnesse, vers. 13. died of this sicknesse.

Vers. 2. And Jeroboam said to his wife, Arise, I pray thee, and disguise thy self, &.] Why he sends his wife, and that disguised, may be easily conceived: to wit, because he was so loath it should be known amongst the people, that in his ex∣tremitie he was glad to sly to the true prophets of the Lord, that he durst not trust

any body with this secret, but the wife that lay in his bosome; but especially be∣cause he was above all unwilling the prophet should know whose child it was, con∣cerning whom he was enquired of, (as fearing, that out of a detestation of his idola∣trous courses, he would either have refused to answer them at all, or else have given them an answer, which they were not willing to heare) and this could not be avoided by sending any but his wife onely: she might enquire concerning her own child, and yet (being disguised) not be known; another messenger must have said whose child it was, concerning whose sicknesse they desired to be satisfied, and that Jerobo∣am would not endure.

Vers. 3. And take with thee ten loaves, and cracknels, &c.] This poore present was enjoyned as agreeable to the attire she wore, that she might be thought some poore countrymans wife, and not the wife of Jeroboam.

He shall tell thee what shall become of the child.] Hereby it is evident, that Je∣roboam sent to the prophet, onely to know, what the issue of his sonnes sicknesse would be; though the miraculous recovery of his withered hand had taught him what wonders might be done by the prayers of a prophet, yet he sent, not to desire the prophets prayers for his child, (his obstinacie in that false worship he had erected might discourage him from hoping for such a favour, either from God, or his pro∣phet) but onely to know whether his sonne must live or dye.

Vers. 6. Come in, thou wife of Jeroboam, &c.] By naming her thus before she came in to him, the prophet did, as it were, deride the folly both of her husband and her, that could expect to know of him such a secret, as was the event of their sonnes sicknesse; and yet at the same time by a disguise, think to hide from him who she was, that came to enquire of him: and secondly, he gave her to understand how certainly assured she might be of the truth of those things, which he had now in charge to say to her.

Vers. 7. Forasmuch as I exalted thee from among the people, and made thee prince over my people Israel, &c.] It needs not seem strange that God cals the Isra∣elites his people, notwithstanding the idolatry that Jeroboam had set up amongst them, if we consider: first, that they were not so bad when Jeroboam was exalted to reigne over them, and of these times the prophet now speaks: and secondly, that even in these times, the Lord had a people amongst them, that were not defiled with Jeroboams idolatry, as we may see by this prophet Ahijah, who lived now in Shilo, in the kingdome of Israel, and with whom there were many doubtlesse whose hearts still continued upright towards God.

Vers. 8. Thou hast not been as my servant David, who kept my Command∣ments, &c.] That is, not at all varying from the prescript rule of Gods law, as concerning the publick worship of God, (which was the sinne now charged upon Jeroboam) yea in all things sincerely desiring and endeavouring to do what God of him.

Vers. 9. But hast done evil above all that were before thee.] That is, Saul, and Solomon, yea and perhaps Rehoboam, and Abijah kings of Judah may be included too: for if this were in the latter end of Jeroboams reigne, Rehoboam and Abijah were dead, and Asa did then sit in the throne of Judah.

And hast cast me behind thy back.] That is, thou hast despised and disregarded

me; and indeed this might the better be said of Jeroboam, because he did not onely set up idolatry in his kingdome, but did also utterly cause them to abandon the wor∣ship of the true God in the Temple at Jerusalem. The phrase is much like that Nehem. 9.26. Neverthelesse they were disobedient, and rebelled against thee, and cast thy law behind their backs.

Vers. 10. And will cut off from Jeroboam him that pisseth against the wall, and him that is shut up and left in Israel.] Concerning these proverbiall expressions, see the notes, 1. Sam. 25.22. Deut. 32.36.

And will take away the remnant of the house of Jeroboam, as a man taketh a∣way dung, till it be all gone.] That is, the Lord will utterly destroy the posterity of Jeroboam, because he loathes and abhorres them: for two things are implyed in this phrase: first, that dung is not more loathsome to men, then the royall house of Jeroboam was to God: and secondly, that God would by his judgements make as clean a riddance of them, as men usually do of dung when they sweep it out of their houses, not willing to leave the least scrat of it behind. So the like phrase, Esa. 14.23. I will sweep it with the besome of destruction, saith the Lord: and Ezek. 26.4. I will also scrape her dust from her, and make her like the top of a rock: and the accomplishment of this we have related, chap. 15.29. And it came to passe, when he reigned, that he smote all the house of Jeroboam, he left not to Jeroboam any that breathed, untill he had destroyed him, &c.

Vers. 12. When thy feet enter into the citie, the child shall die.] As if he should have said, thou shalt never see thy sonne more alive: as soone as ever thou comest to the citie he shall die, and as this proves true, so be assured of the truth of all the rest I have or shall say to thee. Some question how this agrees with that vers. 17. And when she came to the threshold of the doore, (which they understand of the doore of her own house) the child died; and for the resolving of this doubt, they say, that the kings house, as being the place of judgement, was in the gate of the citie: but I rather conceive, that the doore mentioned vers. 17. was the doore of the citie; or, that here onely is foretold, that the child should die when she came to the citie.

Vers. 14. The Lord shall raise him up a king over Israel, who shall cut off the house of Jeroboam that day, &c.] To wit, Baasha; who made a conspiracy against Nadab, the sonne of Jeroboam, and slew him in the second yeare of his reigne, and made himself king in his room, chap. 15.27, 28, 29. and presently destroyed all the house of Jeroboam. As for the following clause, but what? even now: the meaning thereof is this, but at what time, and when shall this be? surely presently, out of hand: or, as if he should have said; why do I speak of this, as of a thing that shall hereafter come to passe? since the time is in a manner now already come, when it must be done: and indeed, if this were foretold in the end of Jeroboams reigne, (as is most probable) it was speedily done: for Nadab who succeeded his father Je∣roboam, had not sate in the throne of Israel above two yeares, when he was slain by Baasha, and together with him, all the house of Jeroboam was destroyed.

Vers. 15. For the Lord shall smite Israel, as a reed is shaken in the water.] That is, the Lord shall continually afflict this kingdome of the ten tribes, both prince and people with uncessant troubles and warres, both intestine and forraigne, so that they

shall never abide long in any settled condition; and so indeed it came passe; even as the reeds that grow in the water are continually shaken, sometimes with the blowing of the wind, alwayes with the force of the stream that glides along by them; so was the kingdome of the ten tribes continually shaken, partly, by the frequent transfer∣ring of the crown from one familie to another, one still killing the other, and ma∣king himself king in his room; and partly, by the frequent invasion of the men of Judah, or some other of the neighbouring nations.

And shall scatter them beyond the river.] That is, the river Euphrates, to wit, in∣to the land of Assyria, Mesopotamia, and Media, which lay beyond the river, whi∣ther the ten tribes were indeed afterwards carried captives; some of them, first by Tig∣lath-pileser, in the dayes of Pekah king of Israel, 2. Kings 15.29. but the greatest part afterward by Salmanassar, in the dayes of Hoshea king of Israel, 2. Kings 17.6. &c.

Vers. 17. And Jeroboams wife arose, and departed, and came to Tirzath, &c.] This Tirzah was an ancient and goodly citie: for here one of the one and thirtie kings, whom Joshua conquered, did dwell, Josh. 12.24. and in Solomons time it was famous for the pleasantnesse of the situation, and statelinesse of the building; and therefore the Church is hereto compared, Cant. 6.4. Thou art beautifull, O my love, as Tirzah: though therefore at first Shechem was the royall citie of Jeroboams kingdome, yet afterwards, it seems, he built some stately palace for himself in Tirzah, and so both he and the other kings of Israel, that succeeded him, did usually keep their courts there; yea, till Samaria was built, it seems to have been the chief of the royall cities of the kingdome of Israel, chap. 15.33. In the third yeare of Asa king of Judah, began Baasha the sonne of Abijah to reigne over all Israel in Tirzah: so also chap. 16.6.8, 23, 24.

Vers. 19. Behold, they are written in the book of the Chronicles of the kings of Israel.] Many things are said to be written in the book of the Chronicles, which we find not in the Scripture Chronicles; and therefore it is commonly held, that this book of the Chronicles here, and elsewhere often mentioned, was some other book of the Chronicles of the kings of Judah and Israel, wherein all the memorable acts and passages of those times were exactly recorded; and out of which the penman of the Scripture Chronicles did afterward by the speciall instinct and the guidance of the spirit of God cull forth such things as are there related, and which the Lord thought requisite for the edification of the Church in future ages.

Vers. 20. And the dayes which Jeroboam reigned, were two and twenty years.] Jeroboam therefore out-lived Rehoboam who reigned but seventeen years, vers. 21. and Abijam his sonne who reigned in Jerusalem but three years, chap. 15.1, 2. and died in the second yeare of Asa the sonne of Abijam, chap. 15.25. being stricken by the immediate hand of God with some remarkable judgement, 2. Chron. 13.20. Neither did Jeroboam recover strength again in the dayes of Abijah: and the Lord struck him, and he died: but before this death there was a mighty battel between him and Abijam king of Judah, wherein he lost five hundred thousand men; a blow which he never recovered.

Vers. 22. And Judah did evil in the sight of the Lord.] That is, the people of Judah and Rehoboam their king. For, Three years they walked in the way of David

and Solomon; doing that which was right in the sight of the Lord, 2. Chron. 11.17. as being troubled with the losse of the ten tribes of Israel; in which time Rehoboam fortified and victualled fifteen cities in Judah and Benjamin, and many other strong holds, and the priests and Levites, and other Rehoboam; whereby the kingdome of Judah was much strengthened, 2. Chron. 11.5.17. whereupon he took eighteen wives, and sixty concubines, 2. Chron. 11.21. and had many children, but then ha∣ving thus strengthened his kingdome, and, as he thought, assured his estate, he for∣sook the Law of the Lord, and all Israel with him, 2. Chron. 12.1.

Vers. 25. Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem. &c.] Rehoboams father married the king of Egypts daughter; yet the succeeding king of Egypt (invi∣ted thereto perhaps by Jeroboam, who was a while in Egypt before he was king, and now fearing the growing strength of Rehoboam, might lay before Shishak the incountable riches of David and Solomon, which might easily be had because ten of the twelve tribes were revolted from him) came up against Judah with a mighty ar∣my, twelve hundred chariots, sixty thousand horsemen, and footmen without num∣ber: some Egyptians, and some of other nations, as is expressed, 2. Chron. 12.2, 3. and having taken many of their strong cities, at length he went up against Jerusa∣lem; but the king and princes humbling themselves upon the Lords message to them by Shemaiah the Prophet, the Lord would not suffer him to destroy them ut∣terly onely Judah henceforth became tributarie to Egypt, and Shishak carried away, as a ransome of the citie, all the treasures of the Temple, and of the kings house, 2. Chron. 12.4, 9.

Vers. 27. And king Rehoboam made in their stead brazen shields, &c.] See the note, chap. 10.16. hereby it appears how exceedingly the kingdome of Judah was impoverished by this invasion of Shishak king of Egypt. The Israelites of the ten tribes were farre more grossely idolatrous then those of Judah, and yet the Lord suf∣fered them to live in peace; but these of Judah had scarce been fallen away two years from the pure worship of God, when presently the Lord did with great severitie afflict them: a clear evidence of Gods more tender care over them for their welfare.

Vers. 29. Are they not written in the book of the Chronicles of the kings of Ju∣dah.] In 2. Chron. 12.15. the other acts of Rehoboam first and last, are said to have been written in the book of Shemaiah the Prophet, and of Iddo the Seer, concerning genealogies.

Vers. 31. And Abijam his sonne reigned in his stead.] Or Abijah, 2. Chron. 12.