would make another expedition against him the next year, was busy in making provision for it accordingly. Ahab When Benhadad had saved himself,* and as much of the army as he could out of the battle; he consulted with his friends how he might make another expedition against the Israelites. Now those friends advised him, not to fight with them on the hills; because their God was potent in such places; and thence it had come to pass that they had lately been beaten. But they said, that if they joined battle with them in the plain, they should beat them. They also gave him this farther advice; to send home those kings whom he had brought as his auxiliaries; but to retain their army, and to set captains over it, instead of the kings; and to raise an army out of their country, and let them be in the place of the former who perished in the battle, together with horses and chariots. So he judged their counsel to be good, and acted according to it in the management of his army. At the beginning of the spring Benhadad took his army with him, and led it against the Hebrews; and when he was come to a certain city called Aphek, he pitched his camp in the great plain. Ahab also went to meet him with his army, and encamped over against him: although his army were a very small one, if it were compared with his enemies. But the prophet came again to him, and told him, that God would give him the victory; that he might demonstrate his own power to be not only on the mountains, but on the plains also: which it seems was contrary to the opinion of the Syrians. So they lay quiet in the camp seven days; but on the last of those days, when the enemy came out and put themselves in array, in order to fight, Ahab also brought out his army; and when the battle was joined, and they fought stoutly, he put the enemy to flight, and ces. the heavy armour of the rest. And the like may be supposed in several other plaWhat is said to David also gives light to this; who was reproached by Michal for dancing before the ark, and uncovering himself in the eyes of the hand-, maids, as one of the vain fellows shamefully uncovereth himself, 2 Sam. vi. 14, 20, yet is it there expressly said, verse 14, that David,was girded with a linen ephod : i. e. he had laid aside his robe of state, and put on only the sacerdotal, Levitical, or sacred garments, proper for such a solemnity. See also Antiq. V. 3, VI. 2, and XVII. 10. pursued them, and pressed upon them, and slew them. Nay, they were destroyed by their own chariots, and by one another. And even the few who escaped to their own city Aphek, were also killed by the walls falling upon them, being in number twenty-seven thousand. Now there was slain in this battle a hundred thousand more. But Benhadad, the king of the Syrians, fled away, with certain others of his most faithful servants, and hid himself in a cellar under ground. And when these told him that the kings of Israel were humane and merciful men; and that they might make use of the usual manner of supplication, and obtain deliverance from Ahab, in case he would give them leave to go to him, he gave them leave accordingly. So they came to Ahab, clothed in sack cloth, and with ropes about their heads :† for this was the ancient manner of supplication among the Syrians: and said, thet Benhadad desired he would save him, and that he would ever be a servant to him for that favour. Ahab replied, he was glad he was alive, and not hurt in the battle. And he further promised him the same honour and kindness that a man would shew to his brother. So they received assurances upon oath from him, that when he came to him he should receive no harm; and then went and brought him out of the cellar wherein he was hid, and brought him to Ahab, as he sat in his chariot. So Benhadad worshipped him. And Ahab gave him his hand, and made him come to him in his chariot, and kissed him, and bade him, be of good cheer, and not *Josephus's number, two myriads and seven thousand, agrees here with that in our other copies; as those that were slain by the falling down of the walls of Aphek. But I suspected at first that this number in Josephus's present copies could not be his original number, because he calls them a few: which could hardly be said of so many as 27,000, and because of the improbability of the fall of a particular wall killing so many. Yet when I consider that Josephus's next words, how the rest which were slain in the battle were ten other myriads; that 27,000 are but a few in comparison of 100,000; and that it was not a wall, as in our English version, but the wall, or the entire walls of the city that fell down, as in all the originals, I lay aside that suspicion; and firmly believe that Josephus himself hath, with the rest, given us the just number, 27,000. The Aphek is by Josephus justly called the Syrians' city: as probably one of them which our Bible, and Josephus speak of presently; and which this Benhadad's predecessors had taken from the Israelites, and was now to be restored. This manner of supplication for men's lives among the Syrians, with ropes or halters about their heads or necks, is, I suppose, no strange thing in later ages, even in our own country. to expect that any mischief should be done to him. So Benhadad returned him thanks, and professed that he would remember his kindness all the days of his life; and promised he would restore those cities of the Israelites which the former kings had taken from them; and grant that he should have leave to come to Damascus, as his forefathers had come to Samaria. So they confirmed their covenants by oaths, and Ahab made him many presents, and sent him back to his own kingdom. And this was the conclusion of the war that Benhadad made against Ahab and the Israelites. But a certain prophet whose name was Micaiah,* came to one of the Israelites, and bade him smite him on the head; for by so doing he would please God: but when he would not do so, he foretold to him, that since he disobeyed the commands of God, he should meet with a lion, and be destroyed by him. When that sad accident had befallen the man, the prophet came again to another, and gave him the same injunction. So he smote him, and wounded his skull. Upon which he bound up his head, and came to the king, and told him, that he had been a soldier of his, and had the custody of one of the prisoners committed to him by an officer, and that the prisoner being run away, he was in danger of losing his own life, by the means of that officer; who had threatened him, that if the prisoner escaped he would kill him. And when Ahab had said, that he would justly die; he took off the binding about his head, and was known by the king to be Micaiah the prophet: who made use of this artifice as a prelude to his following words. For he said, that God would punish him, who had suffered Benhadad, a blasphemer against him, to escape punishment; that he would It is here very remarkable, that in Josephus's copy this prophet, whose denunciation of a disobedient person's slaughter by a lion had lately come to pass, was no other than Micaiah, the son of Imlah; who as he now denounced God's judgments on disobedient Ahab, seems directly to have been that very prophet, whom the same Ahab in 1 Kings xxii. 8-18, complains of, as one whom he hated; because he did not prophecy good concerning him, but evil; and who, in that chapter, openly repeats his denunciations against him; all which came to pass accordingly. Nor is there reason to doubt but this and the former were the very same prophet. The other ancient Jews agreeing herein with Josephus; as bishop Patrick assures us, on 1 Kings xx. 28. This is one of those very many instances, in which the excellency of Josephus's Temple copy, above all our other copies, most evidently appears. so bring it about, that he should die by the other's means, and his people by the other's army.* Ahab was very angry at the prophet, and gave command that he should be put in prison, and there kept. But for himself he was in confusion at the words of Micaiah, and returned to his own house.† CHAP. XV. OF JEHOSHAPHAT, KING OF JERUSALEM; ALSO OF AHAB'S EXPEDITION AGAINST THE SYRIANS, AND HIS DEFEAT AND DEATH. I NOW return to Jehoshaphat, king of Jerusalem; who augmented his kingdom, and set garrisons in the cities of the country belonging to his subjects; and put no less garrisons into those cities which were taken out of the tribe of Ephraim, by his grandfather Abijah, when Jeroboam reigned over the ten tribes, than he did in the other. But then he had God favourable and assisting to him; as being both righteous and religious, and seeking to do somewhat every day that should be agreeable and acceptable to God. The neighbouring kings also honoured him with presents, till the riches that he had acquired were immensely great, and the glory he had gained was of a most exalted nature. Now, in the third year of his reign, he called together the rulers of the country, and the priests; and commanded them to go round the land, and teach all the people that were under him, city by city, the laws of Moses; and to keep them, and to What is most remarkable in this history, and in many histories on other occasions in the Old Testament, is that during the Jewish theocracy, God acted en. tirely as the supreme king of Israel, and the supreme general of their armies, and always expected that the Israelites should be in such absolute subjection to him, their supreme and heavenly king, and general of their armies, as subjects and soldiers are to their earthly kings and generals; and that usually without knowing the particular reasons of their injunctions. See Dr. Harris's Queries, 8-22, after his comment on Isa. liii. My Commentary on the book of Job, and my Scripture Politics, page 4-7, where he will see that the particular Jewish theocracy did not commence till the rest of the idolatrous and wicked world had rejected that general theocracy, which till then extended over all mankind. † 1 Kings xx. 43. About an, 914. be diligent in the worship of God. With this the whole multitude was pleased, that they were not so eagerly set upon, or affected with any thing so much as the observance of the laws. The neighbouring nations also continued to love Jehoshaphat, and to be at peace with him. The Philistines paid their appointed tribute; and the Arabians supplied him with three hundred and sixty lambs,* and as many kids of the goats. He also fortified the great cities, which were many in number, and of great consequence: and he prepared a mighty army of soldiers, and weapons against their enemies. Now the army of men that wore their armour, was three hundred thousand of the tribe of Judah: of whom Adnah was the chief. But John was chief of two hundred thousand.† The same man was chief of the tribe of Benjamin; and had two hundred thousand archers under him. There was another chief, whose name was Jehozabad, who had a hundred and eighty thousand armed men. This multitude was distributed to be ready for the king's service; besides those whom he sent to the best fortified cities. Jehoshaphat took for his son Jehoram to wife, Athaliab, the daughter of Ahab, king of the ten tribes. And when, after some time, he went to Samaria, Ahab received him courteously, and treated the army that followed him in a splendid manner; with great plenty of corn and wine, and of slain beasts; and desired that he would join with him in the war against the king of Syria; that he might recover from him the city of Ramoth in Gilead. For though it had belonged to his father, yet had the king of Syria's father taken it away from him. And upon Jehoshaphat's promise to afford him his assistance; (for indeed his army was not inferior to the other's) and his sending for his army from Jerusalem to Samaria, the two kings went out of the city; and each of them sat on his own throne, and each gave their orders to the respective armies. Now Jehoshaphat bade them call the prophets, if there were any there; and inquire of them concerning this expedition against the king of Syria, whether they would give them counsel to make the expedition at this time. For there was peace at that time be * Seven thousand and seven hundred, Hebrew and Septuagint. 2 Chron. xvii. 11. Two hundred and eighty thousand, 2 Chron. xvii. 15. |