Bible Commentaries

the Lord. Hebrew. Jehovah. App-4.

as He had appeared. See 1 Kings 3:5.

Mine eyes. Mine heart. Figure of speech Anthropopatheia.

and. Septuagint, Syriac, and Vulg, read this "and" in the text.

as = according as.

children = sons.

people = peoples.

And at this house, &c. Render thus: "And this house will become conspicuous; every passer by will be astonished, and hiss; and they will say", &c.

God. Hebrew. Elohim.

evil. Hebrew. ra"a". App-44.

twenty years. Compare 1 Kings 7:1.

Now Hiram. Figure of speech Parenthesis.

fir, or cypress.

What cities. ? Figure of speech Erotesis. App-6.

Cabul. The point of the sarcasm is not apparent to us on account of our not knowing the meaning of the word. It has been variously suggested as meaning "worthless", "not to my taste" (Josephus). Galilee always despised. Septuagint says "frontier"; others, "received as a pledge"; others, "good for nothing".

sent: referring to 1 Kings 9:11. Perhaps this was an advance for which the cities of 1 Kings 9:11 were the security.

reason = account, or schedule.

Levy: i.e. tribute of men. Same word as 1 Kings 5:13-18; not the same word as 1 Kings 9:21.

Millo = the Millo. Part of Jebusite city, or the filling up between Jebus and Moriah. Hezekiah strengthened it. Shechem had a "Millo" (Judges 9:6). Compare 1 Kings 9:24; 1 Kings 11:27. 2 Samuel 5:9. 1 Chronicles 11:8. 2 Chronicles 32:54.

the wall. Begun by David (2 Samuel 5:9. 1 Chronicles 11:8). Solomon closed the breaches (1 Kings 11:27).

Hazor, an old Canaanitish town (Joshua 11:1).

Megiddo, the same (Joshua 12:21. Judges 1:27; Judges 5:19, and 1 Kings 4:12).

Gezer. Gezer was formerly under the suzerainty of Egypt. Correspondence of the time of Amen-hotep III and IV, about 1450 B.C, has been found at Tel-el-Amarnah explorations, which mentions Yapakhi as "king" of Gezer. Letters from Abdkhiba, king of Jerusalem, complain of the Gezerites. First mentioned in Joshua 10:33. Conquest only partial (Joshua 16:10. Judges 1:29). Allotted to Levites (Joshua 21:21). In excavation by Palestine Exploration Fund a contract was found, dated 649 B.C. (in Assyrian). Gezer then still under an Egyptian Governor. Another contract, dated 647 B. C, was found, showing an Assyrian occupation in the time of Manasseh. This may explain the "captains" of 2 Chronicles 38:11.

present = dowry.

built = rebuilt and fortified.

Tadmor. Called, later, Palmyra (from its palms).

bondservice. See note on 1 Kings 9:22.

make no bondmen. According to Leviticus 25:39. The levy, of 1 Kings 5:13; 1 Kings 11:28, was a levy for free service. This was for bondservice (1 Kings 9:21).

and. Note the Figure of speech Polysyndeton (App-6) in this verse.

Ezion-geber. Compare Numbers 33:35. Deuteronomy 2:8. Position lost when Edom revolted (2 Kings 8:20). Restored by Uzziah (2 Kings 14:22). Finally lost by Ahaz (2 Kings 16:6).

three times in a year. Compare Exodus 23:14-17. Deuteronomy 16:16. 2 Chronicles 8:13.

offer = offer up. See App-43.