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. XIII.

Vers. 1. JEhoahaz the sonne of Jehu began to reigne over Israel in Samaria, and reigned seventeen years.] Yet two years before his death he made his sonne Joash king, see vers. 10, 22.

Vers. 3. And he delivered them into the hands of Hazael king of Syria, and into the hands of Ben-hadad the sonne of Hazael, all their dayes.] That is, all the time of the reigne both of Jehu the father and Jehoahaz his sonne.

Vers. 4, And Jehoahaz besought the Lord.] Namely, when he was brought so low by the Syrians that he had not left him above fifty horsmen, and ten chariots, and ten thousand footmen, as is afterward expressed, vers. 7.

Vers. 5. And the Lord gave Israel a saviour, &c.] To wit, Joash the sonne of Jehoahaz, who afterward prevailed mightily against the Syrians, and after that also Jeroboam his sonne, chap. 14.27. so that afterward the children of Israel dwelt in their tents as beforetime; that is, they dwelt in their houses quietly and peaceably: see the note, 1 Kings 12.16.

Vers. 7. The king of Syria had destroyed them, and had made them like the dust by threshing.] That is, he had broken them to pieces, and scattered them (as corn may be with too much threshing) so that scarse any where was there an army together, and they were become a people of no power and no esteem.

Vers. 8. Now the rest of the acts of Jehoahaz, and all that he did, and his might, &c,] That is, with what courage and valour he resisted the Syrians, though they still prevailed against him; which is the rather noted to make it manifest that the calamities that befell the Israelites in his time, were of Gods just judge∣ment, because of their sinnes, rather then from any want of courage and might in their king.

Vers. 9. And Jehoahaz slept with his fathers.] Having reigned seventeen years, vers. 1. all which time Jehoash the sonne of Ahaziah reigned in Judah.

Vers. 10. In the thirty and seventh yeare of Joash king of Judah, began Je∣hoash the sonne of Jehoahaz to reigne, &c.] Jehoahaz the father of Joash began his reigne, in the three and twentieth yeare of Joash king of Judah, and reigned seventeen years, vers. 1. which must needs be till the nine and thirtieth yeare of Jo∣ash king of Judah complete; and how then did his sonne begin his reigne in the thirty seventh yeare of Joash king of Judah, as is here said? I answer, that Joash was made king his father yet living, and reigned three years together with his father, but reigned not alone till the last; that is, the fourtieth yeare of Joash king of Ju∣dah; and hence it is also, that Amaziah the sonne of Joash king of Judah, is said to have begun his reigne in the second yeare of Joash sonne of Jehoahaz king of Israel, chap. 14.1. either therefore because Jehoahaz being wearied and broken with long adversity, desired to discharge himself in part of those heavie cares that lay upon him; or because Elisha had perhaps foretold the victories of this his sonne, of which we reade, vers. 14.15. &c. two years before his death he made his sonne king.

Vers. 12. And the rest of the acts of Joash, and all that he did, &c.] As namely the three great victories which he obtained against the Syrians, of which Elisha

foretold him, vers. 17, 18, 19. and his rescuing many cities of Israel from the Sy∣rians, vers. 25. and how he prevailed against Amaziah king of Judah, which is re∣lated in the following chapter.

Vers. 13. And Joash slept with his fathers.] Having reigned sixteen years, vers. 10. to wit, after his fathers death, besides the three years that he reigned with his father: the first yeare of his sole government, Joash the sonne of Ahaziah reigned in Judah, and Amaziah his sonne the other fifteen years.

Vers. 14. Now Elisha was fallen sick, of the sicknesse whereof he dyed.] To wit, about five and fifty years at least, as is generally thought, after Elijah was ta∣ken up into heaven; in which time, Jehoshaphat, Jehoram, Ahaziah, Athaliah, and Jehoash swayed the scepter of Judah; and Jehoram the sonne of Ahab, Jehu, Jehoahaz his sonne, and Joash the sonne of Jehoahaz did successively sit in the throne of Israel: yet some Expositours hold, that Joash his visiting this sick pro∣phet related in the following words, was whilest his father Jehoahaz was yet li∣ving, to wit, that when his father had sought unto the Lord, as is said before, vers. 4. then this his sonne Joash came both to visit the sick prophet, and to enquire concern∣ing those sad calamities that had befallen the kingdome of Israel: and so when he saw him in so weak a condition, wept over his face, and said, O my father, my father, the chariot of Israel and the horsemen thereof; with the same words where∣with Elisha had bewailed the losse of Elijah, chap. 2.12. concerning which, see the note there. Nor is it strange that this wicked king that would not be guided by the doctrine of Elisha, should yet thus passionately bewail the sicknesse of the pro∣phet, if we consider in what a distressed condition his kingdome was at present, and how great things God had done for his predecessours the kings of Israel, by Elishaes means.

Vers. 16. And Elisha put his hands upon the kings hands.] The prophet putting his hands upon the kings hands when he was drawing the bowe to shoot, was to signifie, that through Gods assistance, whose person the prophet did now repre∣sent, he should be victorious over the Syrians, according to those expressions, Psalm. 18.34, 35. He teacheth my hands to warre, so that a bowe of steele is bro∣ken by my arms: thou hast also given me the shield of thy salvation, &c. Psalm. 144.1. Blessed be the Lord my strength, which teacheth my hands to warre and my fingers to fight. Gen. 49.24. But his bow abode in strength, and the arms of his hands were made strong by the hands of the mighty God of Jacob.

Vers. 17. And he said open the window eastward, &c.] To wit, because Syria lay eastward, and it was to signifie the vanquishing of the Syrians by Joash, that the arrow was to be shot out at that window.

The arrow of the Lords deliverance, and the arrow of deliverance from Syria, &c.] That is, by this arrow is signified, that the Lord by thy might will certainly deliver his people, and that from the Syrians, who have hitherto brought such ca∣lamities upon them; and thus even that kindnesse, which Joash had now shewen to Gods prophets was abundantly rewarded.

Vers. 18. And he said, Take the arrowes: and he took them. And he said un∣to the king of Israel, Smite upon the ground, &c.] Having by the former signe the arrow shot out at the window eastward, foreshewen that he should vanquish the

Syrians, now by another signe he undertakes to shew him how often he should over∣come them.

Vers. 19. And the man of God was wroth with him, and said, Thou shouldest have smitten five or six times, &c.] It seems the Lord had shown to Elisha, that so oft as Joash should voluntarily, after a generall charge, smite the earth, so oft should Israel smite Syria; and hence was Elishaes anger, that he smote the earth no oftner: But may some say, seeing the Prophet did not enjoyn the king to smite it often, why should he be angry with him for this? I answer, because by the pro∣phets explaining the meaning of his former action, to wit, his shooting out at the window, the king might have easily conceived, that even this second action that was injoyned of smiting the earth, was also intended as a parabolicall signe of his smiting the Syrians, and so thereupon might have been eager to have given many strokes to the earth. Some Expositours indeed give another reason of the Prophets anger; namely, that he was angry, not because the king smote the ground no oft∣ner, but because by the kings smiting the earth so seldome, the Prophet foresaw his future slacknesse in pursuing the execution of Gods vengeance upon the Syrians, and the deliverance of Gods Israel: but the former reason of the Prophets anger is I conceive most agreeable with the words of the text: And whereas this which is here said, Thou shouldest have smitten five or six times, then hadst thou smitten Sy∣ria till thou hadst consumed it; whereas now thou shalt smite Syria but thrice, may seem to contradict what was said before, vers. 17. where it was absolutely promised Joash, that he should smite the Syrians till he had consumed them: we must know, that the Prophet there spake onely of an utter consuming those armies of the Syrians, over whom he was to obtain three memorable victories; but here he speaks of an utter ruining the whole power of the kingdome of Syria in generall, which should have been if he had smitten the earth five or six times, but now should not be.

Vers. 21. And it came to passe as they were burying a man, that behold, they spi∣ed a band of men, and they cast the man into the sepulchre of Elisha, &c.] The meaning of this is, that as they were going to bury a dead man, they spied a band of Moabites that were broken into their land, to rob and spoil their countrey, and so not having time to carry him to the place prepared for his buriall, they removed the stone that covered Elishaes sepulchre, and cast him in there; whereupon the dead man revived so soon as he touched the bones of Elisha, and stood up upon his feet: for we must not think that the sepulchre of Elisha lay open so, that in their feare they could presently without any more ado cast the dead man upon the bones of the Prophet: however by this singular miracle the Lord was pleased; First, to teach the people that it was the mighty power of God, and not any power in Elisha himself, whereby in his life time he had wrought so many glorious miracles: And secondly, to strengthen the faith of Joash concerning those victories which this ho∣ly Prophet of God had foretold him a little before his death, in that hereby he might see that God could as easily revive their dead state, as he had now revived this dead man; yea and besides, in this miracle wrought by the dead body of Elisha, we have a lively figure of that life, which all believers doe obtain, by applying to themselves by faith the death of Christ their Saviour.

Vers. 22. But Hazael king of Syria oppressed Israel all the dayes of Jehoahaz.] That is, all the time he reigned alone.

Vers. 23. Neither cast he them from his presence as yet.] The Lord did not as yet quite root out the Israelites from the land of Canaan, which he had chosen for his habitation; nor turned them off from enjoying any outward communion with him in his ordinances, as he did afterwards.