besought him to deliver him out of the hands of Hazael, and not overlook him, and give him up into his hands. Accordingly God accepted of his repentance; and, being desirous rather to admonish those that might repent, than to determine that they should be utterly destroyed, he granted him deliverance from war and dangers. So the country having obtained peace, returned to its former condition, and flourished as before.

After the death of Jehoahaz,* his son Joash took the kingdom, in the thirty-seventh year of Jehoash, king of the tribe of Judah; and he retained the government sixteen years. He was a good man,† and in his disposition not at all like to his father. Now at this time it was that the king of Israel went to visit Elisha the prophet, who was already very old, and was now fallen into a disease, and when the king found him very near death, he began to weep in his sight, and lament, calling him his father, and his weapons; because it was by this means that he never made use of his weapons against his enemies: but overcame them by his prophecies, without fighting. And that he was now departing this life, and leaving him to the Syrians, who were already armed; and to other enemies that were under their power. So he said it was not safe for him to live any longer; but that it would be well for him to hasten to his end, and depart out of this life with him. As the king was thus be

* An: 842.

This character of Joash, the son of Jehoahaz, that he was a good man; and in his disposition not at all like his father, seems a direct contradiction to our ordinary copies; which says, 2 Kings xiii. 11. that he did evil in the sight of the Lord, and that he departed not from all the sins of Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin. Which copies are here the truest, it is difficult to determine. If Josephus's be true, this Joash is the single instance of a good king over the ten tribes. If the other be true, we have not one such example The account that follows, in all copies, of the prophet Elisha's concern for him, and his concern for Elisha, greatly favour Josephus's copies and suppose this king to have been then a good man, and no idolater; with whom God's prophets used not to be so famil. iar. Upon the whole, since it appears, even by Josephus's own account, that Amaziah the good king of Judah, while he was a good king was forbidden to make use of the 10,000 auxiliaries he had hired of this Joash, king of Israel: as if he and they were idolaters; IX. 9. 2 Chron. xxv. 5-9, it is most likely, that these different characters of Joash suited the different parts of his reign and that according to our common copies, he was at first a wicked king; and afterwards was reclaimed, and became a good one, according to Josephus.

moaning himself, Elisha comforted him, and desired him to bend a bow that was brought him; and when the king had fitted the bow for shooting, Elisha took hold, of his bands, and and bade him shoot. And when he had shot three arrows, and then left off, Elisha said, "If thou hadst shot more arrows, thou hadst cut the kingdom of Syria up by the roots; but since thou hast been satisfied with shooting three times only, thou shalt fight and beat the Syrians no more times than three; that thou mayest recover that country which they cut off from thy kingdom in the reign of thy father. So when the king had heard that, he departed; and a little while after the prophet died. He was a man celebrated for righteousness, and in eminent favour with God: he also performed many wonderful works by prophecy, and such as were gloriously preserved in memory by the Hebrews. He obtained a magnificent funeral: such a one indeed as it was fit a person so beloved of God should have. It also happened that at that time certain robbers cast a man, whom they had slain, into Elisha's grave, and upon the dead corpse coming close to Elisha's body, it revived again. And thus far have we enlarged about the actions of Elisha the prophet; both such as he did while he was living, and how he had a divine power after his death also.

Now upon the death of Hazael, king of Syria, that kingdom came to Adad his son; with whom Joash king of Israel made war; and when he had beaten him in three battles, he took from him all that country, and those cities and villages which his father Hazael had taken from the kingdom of Israel; which came to pass according to the prophecy of Elisha. But when Joash happened to die, he was buried in Samaria: and the government devolved on his son Jeroboam.

* 2 Kings xiii. 21.

CHAP. IX.

OF AMAZIAH'S EXPEDITION Against the edomites and AMALEKITES; HIS DEFEAT IN THE SUBSEQUENT WAR AGAINST JOASH, KING OF ISRAEL; AND the accession of UZZIAH,

IN the second year of the reign of Joash,* over Israel, Amaziah reigned over the tribe of Judah in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Jeoaddan, who was born at Jerusalem. He was exceeding careful of doing what was right, and this when he was very young. But when he came to the management of affairs, and to the government, he resolved that he ought first of all to revenge his father Jehoash; and to punish those that had laid violent hands upon him. So he seized upon them all, and put them to death:† yet did he execute no severity on their children; but acted therein according to the law of Moses, who did not think it just to punish the children for the sins of their fathers. After this he chose an army out of the tribes of Judah and Benjamin, of such as were in the flower of their age, and about twenty years old. And when he had collected about three hundred thousand of them together, he set captains of hundreds over them. He also sent to the king of Israel, and hired a hundred thousand of his soldiers, for a hundred talents of silver; for he had resolved to make an expe

* An. 840.

†The two murderers (mongrel fellows, whose fathers were Jews, but their mothers aliens) perhaps were of his bed-chamber, and having constant access to the king, might more easily accomplish their design. However, he was so weak and feeble, that he could make no resistance, and had fallen into that contempt Patrick's Comand disesteem, that his guards minded not what became of him. mentary. B.

Deut. xxiv. 16.

|| If these be reckoned for talents of silver, as they generally are, each talent, at a hundred and twenty-five pounds weight, and each pound weight at four pounds value, the whole will amount to fifty thousand pounds sterling, which will be but ten shillings to each man, officers included. Very low pay! unless we suppose, that this whole sum was given to the king of Israel for the loan of so many men, and that the men were to have no other pay besides; or rather, that they were to have no other pay but the booty which they took from the enemy;

dition against the nations of the Amalekites, Edomites, and Gebalites. But as he was preparing for his expedition, and ready to go out to the war, a prophet gave him counsel to dismiss the army of the Israelites; because they were bad men, and because God foretold that he should be beaten, if he made use of them as auxiliaries; but that he should overcome his enemies, though he had but a few soldiers, when it so pleased God. And when the king grudged at his having already paid the hire of the Israelites, the prophet exhorted him to do what God would have him: because he should thereby obtain much wealth from God. So he dismissed them, and said that he still freely gave them their pay, and went himself with his own army, and made war with the aforementioned nations; and when he had beaten them in battle, he slew of them ten thousand, and took as many prisoners alive, whom he brought to the great rock, which is in Arabia, and threw them down from it headlong. He also brought away a great deal of prey, and vast riches from those nations. But while Amaziah was engaged in this expedition, those Israelites whom he had hired, and then dismissed, were very uneasy, and taking their dismission for an affront, as supposing that this would not have been done to them but out of contempt, they fell upon his kingdom, and proceeded to spoil the country as far as Beth-horon, and took much cattle, and slew three thousand men.

In consequence of the victory which Amaziah had gotten, and the great acts he had done, he was puffed up; and began to overlook God, who had given him the victory; and proceeded to worship the gods he had brought out of the country of the Amalekites. So a prophet came to him, and said, he wondered how he could esteem them to be gods, who had been of no advantage to their own people, who paid them no honours; nor had delivered them from his hands; but had overlooked the destruction of many of them, and had suffered themselves to be carried captive; for that they had been carried to Jerusalem in the same manner as any one might have taken some of the ene

and that this was the true reason why they were so exasperated at their dismission as to fall upon the cities of Judah, from Samaria even unto Beth-horon, 2 Chron XXV. 13: Patrick's and Calmet's Commentaries. B..

my alive, and led them thither. This reproof provoked the king to anger; and he commanded the prophet to hold his peace, and threatened to punish him if he meddled with his conduct. So he replied, that he should indeed hold his peace; but foretold withal, that God would not overlook those attempts at innovation. Amaziah, however, was not able to contain himself under that prosperity which God had given him, although he had affronted God thereupon; but in a vein of insolence he wrote to Joash, king of Israel, commanding that he and all his people should be obedient to him, as they had formerly been obedient to his progenitors, David and Solomon; and giving him to understand, that if he would not be so wise as to do what he commanded, he must fight for his dominions. Hereupon Joash returned this answer in writing.

KING JOASH TO KING AMAZIAH.

"THERE was a vastly tall cyprus tree in mount Lebanon, as also a thistle: this thistle sent to the cypress tree, to give the cypress tree's daughter in marriage to the thistle's son. But as the thistle was saying this, there came a wild beast and trod it down. And this may be a lesson to thee, not to be so ambitious; but to be careful, lest upon thy good success in the fight against the Amalekites, thou growest so proud, as to bring dangers upon thyself, and upon thy kingdom."*

When Amaziah had read this letter, he was more eager upon his expedition: which I suppose, was by the impulse of God, that he might be punished for his offence against him. But as soon as he led out his army against Joash, and they were going to join battle, there came such a consternation upon the army of Amaziah, as God, when he is displeased, sends upon men: and discomfited them, even before they came to a close fight. Now it happened, that as they were scattered about by the terror that was upon them, Amaziah was left alone, and was taken prisoner by the enemy. Whereupon Joash threatened to kill him, unless he would persuade the people of Jerusalem to open their gates, and receive him and his army into the city. Ac

2 Kings xiv. 9, 10.