and they fought stoutly, he put the enemy to flight and pursued them, and pressed upon them, and slew then 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 twentyseven 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 sackcloth, and with ropes about their heads: † for this was the ancient manner of supplication among the Syrians and said, that Benhadad desired he would save him, and that he would ever be a servant to him for that favor. Ahab replied, he was glad he was alive, and not hurt in the battle. And he further promised him the same honor 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 worship *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 ped him. And Ahab gave him his hand, and made him come up to him in his chariot, and kissed him, and bade him be of good cheer, and not 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 22 Syrians, with ropes or halters about their heads or necks, is, I suppose, no strange thing in later ages, even in our own country. 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 judgment on disobedient Ahab, seems directly to have been that very prophet, whom the same Ahab, in I 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. 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 so bring it about, that he should die by the other's means, and his people by the other's army. * Abab 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 I Bot led together the rulers of the country, and the 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 armor, 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 Ben under him. There was another chief, whose NOW return to Jehoshaphat, king of Je-jamin; and had two hundred thousand archers rusalem; 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. then he had God favorable 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 honored 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 call * What is most remarkable in this history, and in many histories on other occasions in the Old Testament, is that during the Jewish theocracy, Gud acted entirely 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 Is. liii. My Commentary on the Jehoshaphat took for his son Jehoram to wife, Athaliah, 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 Gi 222222NN 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. اد lead. For though it had belonged to his father, yet had the king of Syria's father taken. it away from him. 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 enquire 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 between Ahab and the king of Syria, which had lasted three years, from the time he had taken him captive till that day. So Ahab called his own prophets, being in number about four hundred, * and bade them enquire of God whether he would grant him the victory, if he made an expedition against Benhadad, and enable him to overthrow that city, for whose sake it was that he was going to war. Now these prophets gave their counsel for making this expedition; and said, that he would defeat the king of Syria, and, as formerly, would reduce him under his power. But Jehoshaphat, understanding by their words that they were false prophets, asked Abab, whether there were not some other prophet belonging to the true God? that they might have surer information concerning futurities. Ahab said, there was indeed such an one, but that he hated him, as having prophesied evil to him; and having foretold that he should be overcome, and slain by the king * 1 Kings xxii, 6. + Micaiah's answer to Ahab, enquiring of him the success of his intended expedition, is, Go, and prosper; for the Lord shall deliver the city into the hands of the king, 1 Kings xxii. 15, which does not at all contradict the other prophets, had it been spoken in earnest; but we have good reason to believe, that the words were spoken ironically, and in mockery to the promises which the other prophets made Ahab. Accordingly, we may observe by Ahab's reply, that he suspected Micaiah's sincerity, and, either by his gesture or manner of speaking, gathered, that his meaning was to traduce these false prophets for their answers, so that Micaiah's answer is in effect, as if he had said, Since thou dost not seek to know the truth, but only to please thyself, go to the bat of Syria; and that for this cause he had him now in prison and that his name was Micaiah, the son of Imlah. But upon Jehoshaphat's desire that he might be produced, Ahab sent an eunuch, who brought Micaiah to him. Now the eunuch had informed him by the way, that all the other prophets had foretold. that the king should gain the victory. But he said, it was not lawful for him to lie against God; but that he must speak what he should say to him about the king, whatsoever it were. When he came to Ahab, and he adjured him upon oath, to speak the truth to him, he said that God had shewn to him the Israelites running away, and pursued by the Syrians, and dispersed upon the mountains by them, as are flocks of sheep dispersed when their shepherd is slain. He said farther, that God signified to him, that those Israelites should return in peace to their own home, and that he only should fall in the battle. should fall in the battle. When Micaiah had thus spoken, Ahab said to Jehoshaphat, "I told thee a little while ago the disposition of the man with regard to me, and that he uses to prophesy evil to me." Upon which Micaiah replied, that he ought to hear all, whatsoever it be that God foretells; and that in particular, they were false prophets who encouraged him. to make this war, in hope of victory: whereas he must fight and be killed. But Zedekiah,. one of those false prophets, came near, and exhorted him not to hearken to Micaiah, for he did not at all speak truth. As a demonstration of which, he instanced in what Elijah had said, who was a better prophet in foretelling futurities than Micaiah; for he foretold that the dogs should lick his blood in These reasonings of Zedekiah, the false prophet, in order to persuade Ahab not to believe Micaiah the true prophet, are plausible: but, being omitted in our other copies, we cannot now tell whence Josephus had them; whether from his own temple copy, from some other original author, or from certain ancient notes. That some such plausible objection was now raised against Micaiah, is very likely; otherwise Jehoshaphat, who used to disbelieve all such false prophets, could never have been induced to accompany Ahab in these desperate circum stances. the city Jezreel, in the field of Naboth; as pitched his camp not far from Ramoth. Now they licked the blood of Naboth, who by his Ahab and Jehoshaphat had agreed, that Ahab means was there stoned to death by the multi-should lay aside his royal robes; § but that tude; * that therefore it was plain that this Micaiah was a liar, as contradicting a greater prophet than himself; and saying that he should be slain at three days' journey distance. “And," said he, “you shall soon know whether he be a true prophet, and hath the power of the Divine Spirit; for I will smite him, and let him then hurt my hand, as Jadon caused the hand of Jeroboam the king to wither, when he would have caught him: for I suppose thou hast certainly heard of that accident." So when, upon his smiting Micaiah, no harm happened to him, Ahab took conrage, and readily led his army against the king of Syria. For, as I suppose, † fate was too hard for him ; and made him believe that the false prophets spake truer than the true one; that it might take an occasion of bringing him to his end. However Zedekiah made horns of iron, and said to Abab, that God made those horns signals; that by them he should overthrow all Syria. But Micaiah replied, that Zedekiah, in a few days, should go from one secret chamber to another, to hide himself, that he might escape the punishment of his lying. Then did the king give order that they should take Micaiah away, and guard him to Amon, the governor of the city; and give him nothing but bread and water. ‡ Then Ahab and Jehoshaphat the king of Jerusalem took their forces, and marched to Ramoth, a city of Gilead. And when the king of Syria heard of this expedition, he brought out his army to oppose them; and P *There is a great dispute among the learned, as to the accomplishment of this prophecy. At first, it was, no doubt, intended to be literally fulfilled; but upon Ahab's repentance, as we find below, the punishment was transferred from him to his son Jehoram, in whom it was actually accomplished; for bis dead body was cast into the portion of the field of Naboth the Jezreelite, for the dogs to devour, 2 Kings ix, 25. Since Ahab's blood therefore was licked by dogs, not at Jezreel, but at Samaria, it seems necessary that we should understand the Hebrew word which our translation renders in the place where, not as denoting the place, but the manner in which the thing was done; and so the sense of the passage will beThat as dogs licked, or in like manner as dogs licked Naboth's blood; even so shall they lick thipe; observe what I say, even thine. Pool's Annot. B. the king of Jerusalem should put on his (Ahab's) proper habit, and stand before the army, in order to disprove, by this artifice, what Micaiah had foretold. But Ahab's fate found him out, without his robes. For Benhadad, the king of Assyria, had charged his army, by the means of their commanders, to kill nobody else: but only the king of Israel. So when the Syrians, upon their joining battle with the Israelites, saw Jehoshaphat stand before the army, and conjectured that he was Ahab, they fell violently upon him, and encompassed him round. But when they were near, and knew that it was not he, they all returned back. And while the fight lasted from the morning light, till late in the evening, and the Syrians were conquerors, they killed nobody; as their king had commanded them. And when they sought to kill Ahab alone, but could not find him, there was a young nobleman belonging to king Benhadad, whose name was Naaman: he drew his bow against the enemy, and wounded the king through his breast-plate, in his lungs. Upon this Ahab resolved not to make his mischance known to his army lest they should run away. But he bade the driver of his chariot to turn it back, and carry him out of the battle, because he was mortally wounded. || However he sat in his chariot, and endured the pain till sunset, and then he fainted away and died. At the approach of night the Syrian army retired to their camp: and when the herald belonging to the camp gave notice that Ahab 222NIIN. + Or Divine Providence. 1 Kings xxii. 27. This reading of Josephus's, and of the Septuagint, that Jehoshaphat put on, not his own, but Ahab's robes, in order to appear to be Ahab, while Ahab was without any robes at all, and hoped thereby to escape his own evit fate, and disprove Micaiah's prophecy against him, is exceeding probable. It gives great light also to this whole history and shews, that although Abab hoped Jehoshaphat would be mistaken for him, and run the only risk of being slain in the battle, yet was be entirely disappointed while still the escape of the good man, Jehoshaphat, and the slaughter of the bad man, Ahab, demonstrated the great distinction that Divine Providence made betwixt them. 1 Kings xxii. 34. was was dead, they returned home. And they took the dead body of Ahab to Samaria, and buried it there; but when they had washed his chariot in the fountain of Jezreel, which was bloody with the dead body of the king, they acknowledged that the prophecy of Elijah was true, for the dogs licked his blood, and the harlots continued afterward to wash themselves in that fountain. But still he died at Ramoth, as Micaiah had foretold. And as what things were foretold should happen to Ahab by the two prophets came to pass, we ought thence to have exalted notions of God; and every where to honor and worship him, and never to suppose that what is pleasant and agreeable is worthy of belief before what is true and to esteem nothing more advantage ous than the gift of prophecy, and that foreknowledge of future events which is derived from it. Since God shews men thereby what they ought to avoid. We may also, from ̧ what happened to this king, consider the power of fate; † that there is no way of avoiding it, even when we know it. It creeps upon human souls, and flatters them with pleasing. hopes, till it leads them about to the place, whence it will be too hard for them. Accordingly Ahab appears to have been deceived, thereby, till he disbelieved those that predicted his defeat; but by giving credit to such as foretold what was grateful to him, he, was slain; and his son Ahaziah succeeded him. BOOK IX. Containing an Interval of One Hundred and Fifty-seven Years. FROM THE DEATH OF AHAB TO THE CAPTIVITY OF THE TEN TRIBES. cause of his own disposition, which was good. Hereupon the king betook himself to thanksgivings, and sacrifices to God; and soon afterward went over all that country which he ruled round about, and taught the people, to observe the laws which God gave them by Moses, and that religious worship that was due to him. He also appointed judges in all the cities of his kingdom; and charged them to have regard to nothing so much in judging the multitude as to do justice, and not to be moved by bribes, nor by the dignity of men eminent for either their birth or riches; but without repentance, they are ever, by Providence, infatuated to bring about their own destruction. And thereby withal to demonstrate the perfect veracity of that God whose predictions they endeavor to elude. + Or Divine Providence: to |