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. X.

Vers. 1. ANd Ahab had seventy sonnes in Samaria.] That is, sonnes and grandchildren, and that by severall wives: neither is it any wonder that these should be now altogether in Samaria, if we consider, first, that these princes of the bloud might be by Jorams appointment assigned to stay there, when he undertook that late expedition against Hazael for the recovery of Ramoth Gile∣ad, that if any thing should happen to him otherwise then well, yet they might be in a place of safety; and secondly, that perhaps now upon the tidings of Jehues kil∣ling of Joram, the nobles that had the charge of these princes, might presently fly with them thither for their better safeguard.

Vers. 6. Then he wrote a letter the second time to them, saying, If ye be mine, &c.] And thus Jezebel that by a letter sent to the Elders of Jezreel, shed the bloud of Naboth and his sonnes, hath the bloud of all her sonnes shed by a letter, sent from Jezreel to the Elders of Samaria.

Vers. 8. And he said, Lay ye them in two heaps at the entring in of the gate, untill the morning.] To wit, that the people going out, and coming in the next morning at the gate of the citie, might be eye-witnesses of the just judgement of God upon the house of Ahab; and that the people flocking together to see this ruefull spectacle, he might find them there, and so might take that occasion to justifie himself amongst them concerning all that he had done.

Vers. 9. Ye be righteous, Behold, I conspired against my master, and slew him, but who slew all these? &c.] This speech of Jehues is diversly expounded by Inter∣preters: some conceive they were spoken to the people that were assembled together to gaze on the heads of Ahabs seventy sonnes, that were laid on two heaps at the gate of Jezreel; and that he began with those words, Ye be righteous: either hereby to shew why he was willing to appeal to their judgement for that which he had done; as if he had said, you are surely innocent, and have had no hand in any thing that hath been done against the house of Ahab; and therefore I desire to appeal to you, whether it be not manifest, by this strange act done to the sonnes of Ahab, that God meant to have his vengeance executed upon this cursed family; or else, to as∣sure them that he meant no evil to them; Ye be righteous, that is, I pronounce you innocent, think not that I intend any harm to you; and so he first quits the people from fear, and then afterwards seeks to clear himself in the following words, in that which he had done, by shewing that he had onely executed what God had determi∣ned should be done, as he proves was manifest, by the death of those seventy persons that could never thus have lost their lives, if there had not been a secret hand of God, furthering herein the accomplishment of that which he had long since threatned by the Prophet Elijah; Behold, I conspired against my master, & slew him, but who slew all

these? But then again others conceive, that these words were spoken to those that had cut off these heads of Ahabs sonnes; or to them joyntly together with the rest of the people, and that ironically, Ye be righteous; as if he should have said, you take your selves to be righteous, and would lay all the blame of that which is done upon me; but this fact of yours hath now made us equally sharers in this businesse; Behold, I conspired against my master, and slew him, but who slew all these? that is, suppose that I should be charged for conspiring against, and killing my master, yet these heads I am sure you cut off, and not I; yea indeed, neither you nor I have done any thing herein, but what God would have done; it was not my letter that could have wonne you so readily to perform such an act as this, seeing many wayes you might have secured both your selves and them; but that there was a speciall hand of God in it, who would have that fulfilled which he had threatned by Elijah; which is more fully expressed in the following verse; Know now that there shall fall unto the earth nothing of the word of the Lord, for the Lord hath done that which he spake by his servant Elijah.

Vers. 11. So Jehu slew all that remained of the house of Ahab in Jezreel, and all his great men, and his kinsfolks, and his priests.] That is, his houshold-priests, neither is it any wonder that this caused not the priests of Baal to suspect him, when afterwards he called them altogether to Samaria: because the speciall reference which these had to the family of Ahab, might be thought the onely cause of his cutting them off, that they might not in time to come plot any thing by way of re∣venge against him.

Vers. 13. Jehu met with the brethren of Ahaziah king of Judah, &c.] That is, the sonnes of his brethren, 2. Chron. 22.8. (for all his brethren, the sonnes of his father Jehoram, were either slain, or carried away by the Philistines and Arabians that had lately broken into Judah, 2. Chron. 22.1.) and these he slew too, lest they should hereafter revenge the death of Ahaziah, or lay any claim to the crown of Israel.

Vers. 14. And he said, Take them alive.] That is, Jehu commanded his ser∣vants to take these brethren of Ahaziah alive, both that he might be sure that none but those of the stock of Ahab were slain; and withall, that they might be made to know why they were put to death; namely, because they were of the cursed stock of Ahab.

Vers. 15. He lighted on Jehonadab the sonne of Rechab, &c.] This man was a Kenite of the stock of Jethro, 1. Chron. 2.55. the same that either now or after∣ward imposed upon his sonnes an austere rule of civilitie, Jer. 35.6. that they should drink no wine, nor build houses, nor sow seed, nor plant vineyards, nor have any; but should all their dayes dwell in tents, and that (as is most probable) the better to preserve them from being corrupted with the growing luxury of those times, and to inure them beforehand to hardnesse, that they might be the better able to bear the misery which he foresaw the sinnes of the people would bring upon them: It seems he was a man of great note, especially for his piety in these times, and therefore Jehu the rather desired to be countenanced by him, and to have his approbation of his zealous proceedings: whence it was that he took him into his chariot, and carried him to Samaria; onely, first he questioned him whether he did

from his heart approve of his proceedings or no, Is thine heart right, as my heart is with thy heart? that is▪ Is thy heart faithfull towards me, as mine is towards thee?

Vers. 19. But Jehu did it in subtilty, to the intent that he might destroy the worshippers of Baal.] When Jehu had slain Ahab and all his posterity, who had al∣wayes been the great promoter and supporter of the Baalites, it is likely that in all places they began to shift for themselves, and to hide their heads, as fearing what he would do to them: because therefore it would have been then hard to have any way surprized them severally, and because withall the taking of any open way of vio∣lence against them, might have caused some sedition in the kingdome, he thought it the wisest way, thus to catch them in a snare altogether, by pretending for Baal, and proclaiming a solemn assembly for his service; but how farre this blemished his zeal against that horrible idolatry, we may judge by that rule of the Apostle, that we may not do evil that good may come of it; Rom. 3.8.

Vers. 23. Search, and look that there be here with you none of the servants of the Lord.] This Jehu spake, as pretending, no doubt, that he would not have the worship of Baal prophaned by the presence of any that were not cordiall to his ser∣vice, but withall intending to save them from the sword, (what ever they might de∣serve) if curiosity perchance should have drawn any of them thither.

Vers. 25. And it came to passe assoon as he had made an end of offering the burnt offering, &c.] That is, assoon as the chief priest of Baal had made an end of their sacrifice, which they had undertaken by Jehues encouragement; so long it seems Jehu deferred the execution, that if they were not all yet come thither, he might be the surer to have them all there, ere the souldiers were let in upon them.

And went to the city of the house of Baal.] Many Expositours take this indefi∣nitely; to wit, that the guard and the captains went into every city where there was any temple dedicated to Baal, and beat down the temples, and destroyed the images, whence they say, that is added vers. 28. Thus Jehu destroyed Baal out of Israel: But me thinks the words seem here rather to imply their going first to some citie near Samaria, which was particularly dedicated to Baal, where was Baals chief temple; of which I conceive that is spoken vers. 27. that they brake down the house of Baal, and made it a draught-house unto this day; for it is not probable, that eve∣ry house of Baal thoroughout the kingdome, was turned into a jakes, but onely his chiefe temple, thereby to expresse their detestation of that idolatry, wherewith the kingdome of Israel had been defiled.

Vers. 30. And the Lord said unto Jehu, &c.] To wit, by some prophet that he sent unto him, perhaps Elisha or the young prophet that was sent to anoint him: though Jehu continued in the idolatry of Jeroboam, yet because the suppressing of the idol-worship of Baal, and the rooting out of Ahabs posterity, was in it self a good service, God promised here that kingdome to his heirs unto the fourth gene∣ration; which was accomplished in the mediate succession of Jehoahaz, and Jeho∣ash▪ and Jeroboam, and Zachariah, chap. 13.1. and chap. 14.16. and vers. 29.

Vers. 32. In those dayes the Lord began to cut Israel short, &c.] That is, to abate their power, and to make sore havock amongst the people; for so this is ex∣plained in the next words, And Hazael smote them in all the coasts of Israel: and then no doubt did he exercise those inhumane cruelties upon the Israelites, of

which Elisha had foretold him, chap. 8.12. I know the evil that thou wilt do un∣to the children of Israel, their strong holds wilt thou set on fire, and their young men wilt thou slay with the sword, and wilt dash their children, and rip up their women with child.

Vers. 36. And the time that Jehu reigned over Israel in Samaria, was twenty and eight years.] Whereof six years Athaliah reigned in Judah, and Jehoash the sonne of Ahaziah the remaining two and twenty yeares.