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CHAPTER XIV

Abijah, son of Jeroboam, falls sick, 1. Jeroboam sends his wife disguised to Ahijah the prophet, and with her a present, to inquire concerning his son, 2-4. Ahijah discovers her by a Divine intimation and delivers to her a heavy message concerning the destruction of Jeroboam's house, and the death of her son, 5-16. The child dies, according to the prediction of Ahijah, 17. Jeroboam's reign and death, 18-20. Rehoboam's bad reign, and the apostasy of Judah, 21-24. Shishak, king of Egypt, invades Judea, spoils the temple, and takes away the golden shields made by Solomon; instead of which Rehoboam makes others of brass, 25-28. Rehoboam's reign and death, 29- 31.

NOTES ON CHAP. XIV

Verse 1. "Abijah-fell sick" - This was but a prelude to the miseries which fell on the house of Jeroboam; but it was another merciful warning, intended to turn him from his idolatry and wickedness.

Verse 3. "Ten loaves" - Probably common or household bread.

"Cracknels" - �ydqn nikkuddim, spotted, or perforated bread; thin cakes, pierced through with many holes, the same as is called Jews' bread to the present day, and used by them at the passover. It was customary to give presents to all great personages; and no person consulted a prophet without bringing something in his hand.

Verse 5. "Feign herself to be another woman." - It would have been discreditable to Jeroboam's calves, if it had been known that he had consulted a prophet of Jehovah.

Verse 8. "And rent the kingdom away from the house of David" - That is, permitted it to be rent, because of the folly and insolence of Rehoboam.

Verse 10. "Him that pisseth against the wall" - Every male. The phrase should be thus rendered wherever it occurs.

Verse 11. "Shall the dogs eat" - They shall not have an honourable burial: and shall not come into the sepulchres of their fathers.

Verse 13. "In him there is found some good thing" - Far be it from God to destroy the righteous with the wicked; God respects even a little good, because it is a seed from himself. The kingdom of heaven is like a grain of mustard seed.

Verse 15. "For the Lord shall smite Israel" - See this prophecy fulfilled, chap. xv. 28-30, when Baasha destroyed all the house and posterity of Jeroboam.

Verse 19. "The rest of the acts of Jeroboam-are written in the-chronicles" - For some important particulars relative to this reign, see 2 Chron. xiii. 1-20.

Verse 24. "There were also sodomites in the land" - �y�dq kedeshim, consecrated persons; persons who had devoted themselves, in practices of the greatest impurity, to the service of the most impure idols.

Verse 26. "He took away the treasures" - All the treasures which Solomon had amassed, both in the temple and in his own houses; a booty the most immense ever acquired in one place.

"All the shields of gold which Solomon had made." - These were three hundred in number, and were all made of beaten gold. See a computation of their value in the note on chap. x. 17.

Verse 28. "The guard bare them" - The guard probably were just three hundred, answering to the number of the shields.

Verse 31. "Naamah an Ammonitess." - He was born of a heathen mother, and begotten of an apostate father. From such an impure fountain could sweet water possibly spring? Abijam his son reigned in his stead.] Though righteousness cannot be propagated, because it is supernatural, yet unrighteousness may, for that is a genuine offspring of nature. Abijam was the wicked son of an apostate father and heathenish mother. Grace may be grafted on a crab stock; but let none do evil that good may come of it. A bad stock will produce bad fruit.

Dr. Kennicott observes that the name of this king of Judah is now expressed three ways: here and in four other places it is Abijam or Abim; in two others it is Abihu, but in eleven other places it is Abiah, as it is expressed by St. Matthew, Matt. i. 7, �roboam egennhse ton abia; and this is the reading of thirteen of Kennicott's and Deuteronomy Rossi's MSS., and of thirteen respectable editions of the Hebrew Bible. The Syriac is the same. The Septuagint in the London Polyglot has abiou, Abihu; but in the Complutensian and Antwerp Polyglots, it is abia, Abiah. Though the common printed Vulgate has Abiam, yet the Editio Princeps of the Vulgate, some MSS., and the text in the Complutensian and Antwerp Polyglots, have Abia; which without doubt is the reading that should in all cases be followed.