unto him; for he saw the oppression of Israel, because ty king of Syria oppressed them. And Jehovah gave Israel saviour, so that they went out from under the hand of Syrians; and the children of Israel dwelt in their tents, beforetime. Nevertheless, they departed not from the sins the house of Jeroboam, who made Israel to sin, but kuin therein ; and there remained the grove also in Samaria. W ther did he leave of the people to Jehoabaz but fifty hot men, and ten chariots, and ten thousand footmen; far o king of Syria had destroyed them, and had made them the dust by threshing.*

* 2 Kings, xiii. 3–7. Few passages of Scripture afford instructive lessons than the career of Hazael. When Elista 2 streaming eyes foretold the misery, ruin, and cruelty, which Haze would inflict upon the prophet's countrymen, dash out the biz of their children, and rip up the women with child, the Syrian indignant, and inquired, Is thy servant a dog, that he should act the Do you imagine that I am the very outcast of society, to be capeli of perpetrating such unheard of wickedness ? 2 Kings, riii. 1]. And yet this he did and more-he went home and instantly nated his unsuspecting sovereign, Benbadad, by one of the most 2.7 cious methods of committing murder (2 Kings, viii. 15.); and 57 he oppressed Israel, he made them like the dust by thresher 2 Kings, xiii. 7. And thus is exemplified the innale depraviti every human heart. Hazael startled at being thought a murdere : his king—of children-and women with child !--but all this misk was in his heart and is in every human heart, and only required to? called forth by the appropriate incitement or procuring cause, satan took care to apply at the proper moment, and to gild the den with the proper bait. Oh! how then should we all pray for restraias and preventing grace, without which there is no individual obe" not liable to the commission of the most atrocious crimese those of which his habits and ordinary conduct, appear to protes him least susceptible. Does not the history of the voiverse, : the daily details of our criminal courts, prove this melancholy fe* to a demonstration ? and how much more evident would it appeal,

f Israel ons er departac u mad

A.C.

le to Jebat 39.

er of Hazel Benhadad, the son of Hazael, the cities which he had taken rder (a colo relative and friend. See another example of the same sort, p. 593, inary conduct, 2Elisha foretold with horror. Note on 2 Kings, viii. 13.

Jehoahaz reigned over Israel seventeen years, when he praeina lept with his fathers, and was buried in Samaria; and was ucceeded by his son,

JOASH.

This monarch found the kingdom in a very dethe TUTE

pressed state, on account of the conquests and seve

rities of Hazael, king of Syria; but still Jehovah was ten those iracious unto Israel, and had compassion on them, and had them, and is vespect unto them, because of his covenant with Abraham,

saac, and Jacob, and would not destroy them; neither cast
le them from his presence as yet. So Hazael, king of Syria,

lied; and Benhadad, his son, reigned in his stead. And
oli
Jehoash, the son of Jehoahaz, took again out of the hand of
out of the hand of Jehoahaz, his father, by war. Three
ill the painful histories and secret anxieties of private families were
nade public; in respect of matters of which the laws do not take
sognizance, but which break the hearts, and consigo to the grave
many a faithful and affectionate wife, and many a tender-hearted
notis.

Adam Clarke thinks the above view, which is the usual and most
'commonly received construction of this passage, quite erroneous ;
and that so far from Hazael being strack with horror at the contem-
plation of such atrocities being perpetrated by himself, he was
delighted at the prospect, and that his exclamation implied doubt and
fear lest so inconsiderable a person, should not be capable of per-
forming such mighty actions. His argument is chiefly founded on
the expression “great thing," which the Doctor thinks Hazael would
not have made use of, if he had regarded the proceedings which

passares

Ty, rain, anom

countries, women mit dem rrant a dog, te ry outcast of such wickednes?

weet hoger Berbadad, bye

them lite the content emplified the last led at bring heren

with child.be man heart and citement or processo

per monet, samt

shoald we all pain ch there is no saler he most atrocedir

3F 3

che history of the

more evident ruti

at B and Isra

sale of I too four of Sar

Isu 0

Sa

A th A A

al

hildren atzen

ies, ka tas

lebabaz, ik

ieth-shemesh, in Judah; when Judah was put to flight, beat bin

every man fled to his tent. And Joash, the king of

.el, took Amaziah, king of Judah, the son of Joash, the of Judai, o of Jeboabaz, at Beth-shemesh, and brought him to Jeruba AS

m; and brake down the wall of Jerusalem, from the gate Ephraim to the corner gate, four hundred cubits. And he ik all the gold and the silver, and all the vessels that were

ind in the house of God with Obededom,* and the treasures , fell upe * the king's house, the hostages also, and returned to

maria.t

Elisha, the prophet, having fallen sick, Joash, the king of nce it is pee rael, came down unto him, and wept over his face, and said,

my father, my father, the chariot of Israel, and the horseten thereof. And Elisha said unto him, Take bow and

rrows. And he took unto him bow and arrows. And he sent to lasaid to the king of Israel, Put thine hand upon the bow. as in Lebens (And he put his hand upon it: and Elisha put his hands upon

Give thi * he king's hands. And he said, Open the window eastward. by a wild bei And he opened it. Then Elisha said, Shoot, and he shot. stle. Tb And he said, The arrow of the Lord's deliverance, and the

arrow of deliverance from Syria : for thou shalt smite the Syrians in Aphek, till thou have consumed them. And he said, Take the arrows, and he took them. And he said

unto the king of Israel, Smite upon the ground. And he ot listen i smote thrice, and stayed. And the man of God was wroth mies eze site with him, and said, Thou shouldest have smitten five or six

times; then hadst thou smitten Syria till thou hadst consumed it: whereas now thou shalt smite Syria but thrice. And Elisha died, and they buried him. And the bands of

thine bote uhr she est till, eres

t that the perf propheticzy od

64.

See p. 22-21 5.7-11.

• Obed-edom and his descendants were entrusted with the keeping of the house of Asuppim, or collections for the divine treasury. I Chron. xxvi. 15.

+ 2 Chron. XXV. 20—24. 2 Kings, xiv. JI-14.

See p. 101 Tings

, 111.6

fr be

the Moabites invaded the land at the coming in of the t.
And it came to pass, as they were burying a man, t
behold, they spied a band of men; and they cast the s.
into the sepulchre of Elisha : and when the man was lates
and touched the bones of Elisha, he revived, and stood
his feet. *

Joash, however, did that which was evil in the site Jehovah; he departed not from all the sins of Jeroboat, D son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin ; but he was therein,t and having reigned over Israel in Samaria sius years, he slept with his fathers, and was buried in San with the kings of Israel ;# and was succeeded by his sus

JEROBO A M II.

This monarch restored the coast of Israel, froz. A. C.

entering of Hamath unto the sea of the plain, accorts 825.

to the word of Jehovah, the God of Israel, which , spake by the hand of his servant Jonah, the son of Amin the prophet, which was of Gath-hepher; for Jehovah save affliction of Israel, that it was very bitter; for there was si any shut up, nor any left, nor any helper for Israel. A Jehovah said not that he would blot out the name of Israe

* 2 Kings, xiii. 14-21.

+ 2 Kings, xiii. 11. # 2 Kings, xiii. 10–13. xiv. 15, 16. This repetition in trofe lowing chapters, must most likely be owing to some error of the transcribers.

No such prophecy is now to be found in that of the book el Jonah, which we have, but was probably pronounced in the latte end of the reign of Jehu. The orientals now shew his tombat Mosai the seat of the patriarch of the Nestorians, on the western side the Tigris, and which is either the site or suburb of the ancient Nineveh. Gray's Key, p. 452. 454.

Sa

сон