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times did Joash beat him, and recovered the cite Israel.+

Amaziah, king of Judah, having hired one bu thousand Ephraimites from this monarch, to aid him in pedition against the children of Seir, was warned by a pr of God to send them away, as Jehovah was not with Isz On their return home, the Ephraimites, whose anger kindled against Judah, fell upon their cities, from Sanz even unto Beth-horon, and smote three thousand of them.: took much spoil.§

Out of this circumstance it is probable arose a contensbetween these sister states; for Amaziah took adviœ, # sent to Joash, the son of Jehoahaz, the son of Jehu, king' Israel, saying, Come, let us see one another in the f And Joash, king of Israel, sent to Amaziah, king of Jo saying, The thistle that was in Lebanon sent to the ced that was in Lebanon, saying, Give thy daughter to my to wife; and there passed by a wild beast that was in Le non, and trode down the thistle. Thou sayest, lo, thous smitten the Edomites; and thine heart lifteth thee upboast abide now at home; why shouldest thou meddel thine hurt, that thou shouldest fall, even thou, and Jas with thee?||

Amaziah, however, would not listen to this counsel, the two monarchs with their armies encountered each o

It was to this monarch no doubt that the writer of the book el Kings parenthetically and, as it were, prophetically alluded; A Jehovah gave Israel a saviour, &c. See p. 604.

+ 2 Kings, xiii. 22-23.

2 Chron. xxv. 6. 7—11.

§ 2 Chron. xxv. 10. 13. See p. 166.
2 Chron. xxv. 17-19. 2 Kings, xiv. 8-10.

eth-shemesh, in Judah; when Judah was put to flight, every man fled to his tent. And Joash, the king of el, took Amaziah, king of Judah, the son of Joash, the of Jehoahaz, at Beth-shemesh, and brought him to Jeruem; and brake down the wall of Jerusalem, from the gate Ephraim to the corner gate, four hundred cubits. And he k all the gold and the silver, and all the vessels that were und in the house of God with Obededom,* and the treasures the king's house, the hostages also, and returned to maria.t

Elisha, the prophet, having fallen sick, Joash, the king of 'rael, came down unto him, and wept over his face, and said, my father, my father, the chariot of Israel, and the horseen thereof. And Elisha said unto him, Take bow and rrows. And he took unto him bow and arrows. And he aid to the king of Israel, Put thine hand upon the bow. And he put his hand upon it: and Elisha put his hands upon he king's hands. And he said, Open the window eastward. And he opened it. Then Elisha said, Shoot, and he shot. 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 smote thrice, and stayed. And the man of God was wroth 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

• Obed-edom and his descendants were entrusted with the keeping of the house of Asuppim, or collections for the divine treasury. 1 Chron. xxvi. 15.

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

Joash, however, did that which was evil in the sign Jehovah; he departed not from all the sins of Jeroboam, t son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin; but he was therein,† and having reigned over Israel in Samaria sixte years, he slept with his fathers, and was buried in Sam with the kings of Israel; and was succeeded by his son,

JEROBOAM II.

THIS monarch restored the coast of Israel, from 3 A. C. entering of Hamath unto the sea of the plain, accordiz 825. to the word of Jehovah, the God of Israel, which spake by the hand of his servant Jonah,§ the son of Amita the prophet, which was of Gath-hepher; for Jehovah saw affliction of Israel, that it was very bitter; for there was s any shut up, nor any left, nor any helper for Israel. Ast Jehovah said not that he would blot out the name of Isr

* 2 Kings, xiii. 14-21.

† 2 Kings, xiii. 11.

2 Kings, xiii. 10–13. xiv. 15, 16. This repetition in two fe 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 s Jonah, which we have, but was probably pronounced in the latte end of the reign of Jehu. The orientals now shew his tomb at Moss', the seat of the patriarch of the Nestorians, on the western side ef the Tigris, and which is either the site or suburb of the ancient Nineveh. Gray's Key, p. 452. 454.

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1 under heaven; but he saved them by the hand of Jerom, the son of Joash.* He also recovered† Damascus Hamath, which belonged to Judah, for Israel; but the ticular circumstances relating to those transactions are recorded.

Jeroboam, however, though an instrument to save Israel m utter destruction, till her times were completely fulfilled, 1 evil in the sight of Jehovah, and departed not from all ** sins of Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, who made Israel to 1; and after a long reign of forty-one years, for so long was s day of grace extended through the forbearing mercy of od, he slept with his fathers, the kings of Israel; and was cceeded by his son,+

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A. C.

84.

ZACHARIAH.

THE reign of this prince was very short; for at the end of six months, he was assassinated by Shallum, the son of Jabesh, who conspired against him, and smote him before the people, and slew him, and usurped the hrone;§ and thus was fulfilled the premonitory threat of ́ ́Jezebel to Jehu, Had Zimri peace who slew his master ?||

But though the reign was short, it was sinful; for Zachariah also did that which was evil in the sight of Jehovah, as his

2 Kings, xiv. 25—27.

+ 2 Kings, xiv. 28. The various enemies of Israel had encroached on their borders, from the northern to the southern extremity of the country belonging to the ten tribes; from Lebanon to the Dead or Salt Sea, which had been the plain of Sodom; but Jeroboam, encouraged by the predictions of Jonah, drove back those enemies, (and recovered the country. Scot in loco.

2 Kings, xiv. 23, 24. 29.

§2 Kings, xiv. 9, 10.

fathers had done; he departed not from the sins of Jeroboas the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin.*

This prince was the last of the descendants of Jehu wh sat upon the throne of Israel; and thus was fulfilled alike t promise and the declaration of God to Jehu; Thy sons sha sit on the throne of Israel unto the fourth generation.† As thus too was fulfilled the declaration of the prophet Hose For yet a little while, and I will avenge the blood of Jezre upon the house of Jehu, and will cause to cease the kingde of the house of Israel.‡

A. C. 772.

SHALLUM.

THIS usurper had reigned only a month, wha Menahem, the son of Gadi, came up from Tirzah të Samaria, and slew him, and reigned in his stead.§

A. C.

772.

MENAHEM.

THIS monarch smote Tiphsah, and all that wer therein, and the coasts thereof from Tirzah; becaUS they opened not to him, therefore he smote it; and a the women therein that were with child he ripped up. In this reign, Pul,¶ the king of Assyria, came against th

2 Kings, xv. 9. + 2 Kings, x. 30. xv. 12.

§ 2 Kings, xv. 13, 14.

Hos. i. 4

Deat

2 Kings, xv. 16.

Or Phul, or Phua, or Belus. Un. Hist. i. 888. note 20. Prideaux supposes that this Pul was father of the famous Sardana palus, the son himself being called Sardan; to which, as was frequent

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