Joab is slain.

Before CHRIST

1014.

Before

fall upon

him. 30 And Benaiah came to the tabernacle of the LORD, and said unto him, Thus saith the king, Come forth. And he said, Nay; but I will die here. And Benaiah brought the king word again, saying, Thus said Joab, and thus he answered me.

31 And the king said unto him, Do as he hath said, and fall upon him, and bury him; that thou mayest take away the innocent blood, which Joab shed, from me, and from the house of my father.

32 And the LORD shall return his blood upon his own head, who fell upon two men more righteous and better than he, and slew them with the sword, my father David not known 2 Sam. 3. ing thereof, to wit, Abner the son of Ner, captain of the host of Israel, and Amasa, the son of Jether, captain of the host of Judah.

27.

o 2 Sam. 20 10.

n

shelter. It is the fashion of our foolish presumption to look for protection where we have not cared to yield obedience. Bp. Hall.

31.-Do as he hath said,] "Kill him at the very altar where he resolves to die;" after which he would not deny him burial suitable to his quality. Bp. Patrick.

34. So Benaiah-slew him :] The honest simplicity of those times knew not of any infamy in the execution of justice. Benaiah, who was the great marshal under Solomon, thinks not his hands defiled by that fatal stroke. In this one act Solomon has approved himself both a good magistrate and a good son, fulfilling at once the will of a father, and the charge of God; concluding, upon this just execution, that ". upon David, and upon his seed, there shall be peace for ever from the Lord," and inferring, that without this there could have been no peace. Bp. Hall.

in his own house in the wilderness.] He was probably buried in some ground belonging to his own house they called by the name of "the wilderness" VOL. I.

:

whither.

37 For it shall be, that on the day thou goest out, and passest over the brook Kidron, thou shalt know for certain that thou shalt surely die: thy blood shall be upon thine own head.

38 And Shimei said unto the king, The saying is good: as my lord the king hath said, so will thy servant do. And Shimei dwelt in Jerusalem many days.

39 And it came to pass at the end of three years, that two of the servants of Shimei ran away unto Achish son of Maachah king of Gath. And they told Shimei, saying, Behold, thy servants be in Gath.

40 And Shimei arose, and saddled his ass, and went to Gath to Achish to seek his servants: and Shimei went, and brought his servants from Gath.

41 And it was told Solomon that Shimei had gone from Jerusalem to Gath, and was come again.

42 And the king sent and called for Shimei, and said unto him, Did I not make thee to swear by the LORD, and protested unto thee, saying, Know for a certain, on the day thou goest out, and walkest abroad any whither, that thou shalt surely die? and thou saidst unto me, The word that I have heard is good.

43 Why then hast thou not kept the oath of the LORD, and the commandment that I have charged thee with?

44 The king said moreover to Shimei, Thou knowest all the wicked

1014.

1011.

those parts of the country which were thinly inhabited. Bp. Patrick.

43. Why then hast thou not kept the oath] If this act of Shimei's was small, yet the circumstances were deadly: the commands of sovereign authority make the slightest duties weighty. If his journey was harmless, yet his disobedience was far otherwise. It is not for subjects to poise the prince's charge in the scale of their weak constructions. But besides the command, here was a mutual abjuration. Shimei swore that he would not go Solomon swore his death if he went. If Shimei was false in offending, Solomon will be just in punishing. Now therefore the tongue that cursed the Lord's anointed receives its requital. Vengeance against rebels may sleep, but it cannot die; a sure, if late, judgment attends those who dare lift up the hand or tongue against the sacred persons of God's vicegerents. How much less will the God of heaven suffer, unrevenged, the insolencies and blasphemies against his own sacred majesty! Bp. Hall.

2 Z

Shimei is put to death.

Before CHRIST 1011.

p 2 Chron. 1. 1.

1014.

a Chap. 7. 8.

ness which thine heart is privy to, that thou didst to David my father: therefore the LORD shall return thy wickedness upon thine own head; 45 And king Solomon shall be blessed, and the throne of David shall be established before the LORD for ever.

46 So the king commanded Benaiah the son of Jehoiada; which went out, and fell upon him, that he died. And the kingdom was established in the hand of Solomon.

CHAP. III.

1 Solomon marrieth Pharaoh's daughter. 2 High places being in use, Solomon sacrificeth at Gibeon. 5 Solomon at Gibeon, in the

Solomon, preferring wisdom,

places, because there was no house built unto the name of the LORD, until those days.

3 And Solomon loved the LORD, walking in the statutes of David his father: only he sacrificed and burnt incense in high places.

4 And the king went to Gibeon to sacrifice there; for that was the great high place: a thousand burnt offerings did Solomon offer upon that altar.

5 ¶ In Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon in a dream by night: and God said, Ask what I shall give thee.

Before CHRIST 1014.

2 Only the people sacrificed in high

Chap. III. ver. 1.-made affinity with Pharaoh king of Egypt,] Solomon, having secured his kingdom at home by cutting off the heads of the opposing faction, now bethought himself to strengthen his interest abroad by foreign alliances. It may seem somewhat strange, that, from the time of Moses till this of Solomon, no mention is made, in all the history of the Jews, of the kings of Egypt, for which we must account, by concluding that their actions were unconnected with the history of the chosen people. All these kings bore the name of Pharaoh, which was rather a title of dignity, than a proper name, for they had each a proper name besides. Stackhouse. See note on Gen. xii. 15.

- until he had made an end &c.] He first built "the house of the Lord," and then the house for his wife to dwell in; see 1 Kings ix. 24; 2 Chron. viii. 11. Bp. Patrick.

2. Only the people sacrificed &c.] The only blemish in Solomon's government for a long time was, that he indulged the people in their ancient, though now forbidden, custom of sacrificing upon such hills or high places as were near at hand, to which they were the rather inclined, from the unsettled condition of the tabernacle, and the continued want of a fixed temple. In this Solomon was the more blamable, because David had, during his reign, restrained the people from such practices. Pyle.

heart with thee; and thou hast kept

for him this great kindness, that thou hast given him a son to sit on his throne, as it is this day.

7 And now, O LORD my God, thou hast made thy servant king instead of David my father: and I am but a little child: I know not how to go out or come in.

It has been considered a difficulty how such a number of beasts could be consumed upon the altar here spoken of, which is the brasen altar, within the period of such a festival. This has been solved by supposing that all the sacrifices were devoted at Gibeon, but that a considerable part of them were completed afterwards at Jerusalem. It has also been suggested, that, although a thousand burnt offerings are mentioned, yet it is only necessary to understand by the term, some great and unusual number, as it is a customary mode of expression in Scripture to denote any extraordinary number of things by some determinate sum, which often greatly exceeds the real number. Stackhouse, Pyle.

6. Thou hast shewed unto thy servant David-great mercy,] Solomon here affords an admirable example to those who make petitions to God, that they should in the first place thank Him for the great benefits they have received. Bp. Patrick.

7. I am but a little child: &c.] Some persons have concluded from these words that Solomon was not more than twelve years of age when he mounted the throne; but this is wrongly inferred. Solomon calls himself a child, only in respect to his skill in the management of publick affairs, as is signified in the last words, "I know not how to go out &c." that is, how to govern so great a people, for want of experience. Thus Benjamin is called a child, Gen. xliv. 20; although he was then above thirty years old. Bp. Patrick. See also Jer. i. 6, and the note there.

8 And thy servant is in the midst of thy people which thou hast chosen, a great people, that cannot be numbered nor counted for multitude.

b 2 Chron. 1. 9 b Give therefore thy servant an + understanding heart to judge thy people, that I may discern between good and bad: for who is able to judge this thy so great a people?

↑ Heb. many days.

+ Heb.

to hear.

e Matt. 6. 33.

10 And the speech pleased the LORD, that Solomon had asked this thing.

His judgment between the two harlots.

15 And Solomon awoke; and, behold, it was a dream. And he came to Jerusalem, and stood before the ark of the covenant of the LORD, and offered up burnt offerings, and offered peace offerings, and made a feast to all his servants.

16 ¶ Then came there two women, that were harlots, unto the king, and stood before him.

17 And the one woman said, O my lord, I and this woman dwell in one house; and I was delivered of a child with her in the house.

C

13 And I have also given thee Wisd. 7. 11. that which thou hast not asked, both riches, and honour: so that there I shall not be any among the kings like unto thee all thy days.

1 Or, hath not been.

14 And if thou wilt walk in my ways, to keep my statutes and my d Chap. 15. 5. commandments, as d thy father David did walk, then I will lengthen thy days.

9.- an understanding heart to judge thy people,] Hereupon some Jewish annotators have observed, that, though Solomon in his great modesty might request of God no more than the gift of government, yet God out of his abundant grace gave him a general knowledge of all other things. Still, though his knowledge was thus infused by immediate inspiration from God, yet we cannot suppose that he neglected the ordinary means of knowledge, study, and observation. We are told indeed at Eccles. i. 13, that "he gave his heart to seek and search out all things under heaven," so that he endeavoured by application and experience to perfect what he had so advantageously received at the hands of God. Bp. Patrick, Calmet. If Solomon had not been wise before, he would not have known the worth of wisdom. He was a great king, and saw that he had power enough; but withal he found that royalty without wisdom was but eminent dishonour. Because Solomon made so prudent a choice, God will give him both that which he asked, and that which he asked not; riches and honour will be given him in addition. God so loves a good choice, that He recompenses it with overgiving. Had Solomon made wealth his boon, he would have failed both of honour and wisdom. Now he asks the best, and all speeds well. They are in a fair way of happiness who can pray aright. Bp. Hall.

The story of Solomon's choice not only instructs us in that point of history, but furnishes out a very fine

19 And this woman's child died in the night; because she overlaid it.

20 And she arose at midnight, and took my son from beside me, while thine handmaid slept, and laid it in her bosom, and laid her dead child in my bosom.

21 And when I rose in the morning to give my child suck, behold, it was dead: but when I had considered it in the morning, behold, it was not my son, which I did bear.

22 And the other woman said, Nay; but the living is my son, and the dead is thy son. And this said,

Before CHRIST 1014.

moral to us, namely, that he, who applies his heart to wisdom, does at the same time take the most proper method of gaining long life, riches, and reputation, which are very often not only the rewards, but the effects of wisdom. Addison. After the example of Solomon, we should all learn to labour after, and beg of God, in the first place, true wisdom, which consists in fearing Him, and the gifts and graces of the Spirit necessary to that end. Ostervald.

15.and, behold, it was a dream.] He found the impressions he had felt in his sleep to be so clear and strong, as to convince him it was a Divine vision, and not a mere ordinary dream; accordingly he renewed his thankfulness to God, in feasting and sacrifices, on his return to Jerusalem. Pyle.

It was no discomfort to Solomon that he awaked and found it a dream: for he knew this dream was Divine and oracular; and he already found, on his first waking, the real performance of what was promised to him sleeping; such inward illumination did he sensibly find in his soul. No wonder that, on returning from the tabernacle to the ark, he testified his joy and thankfulness by burnt offerings and publick feastings. Bp. Hall.

16. - that were harlots,] See the notes respecting Rahab, Josh. ii. 1. They probably kept houses of publick entertainment; the Jews suppose they were not Israelites, but strangers. Bp. Patrick.

+ Heb.

were hot.

24 And the king said, Bring me a

His princes.

and they feared the king: for they saw that the wisdom of God was † in him, to do judgment.

1

CHAP. IV.

Solomon's princes. 7 His twelve officers for provision. 20, 24 The peace and largeness of his kingdom. 22 His daily provision. 26 His stables. 29 His wisdom.

25 And the king said, Divide the living child in two, and give half to the one, and half to the other.

26 Then spake the woman whose the living child was unto the king, for her bowels † yearned upon her son, and she said, O my lord, give her the living child, and in no wise slay it. But the other said, Let it be neither mine nor thine, but divide it.

27 Then the king answered and said, Give her the living child, and in no wise slay it: she is the mother thereof.

28 And all Israel heard of the judgment which the king had judged;

23. Then said the king, The one saith, &c.] What is there now to lead the judge, since there is nothing, either in the act, or circumstances, or evidence, which can sway the sentence? Solomon well saw that, when all outward proofs failed, there was an inward affection, which, if it could be brought out, would certainly betray the real mother. He knew that sorrow could be more easily dissembled than natural love. Both sorrowed for their own; both could not love one, as their own. To draw forth, therefore, this true proof of motherhood, Solomon calls for a sword. Doubtless, some of the wiser hearers smiled upon each other, and thought in themselves, what will the young king smite at hazard, without conviction? The actions of wise kings are riddles to vulgar constructions. Neither is it for the shallow capacities of the multitude to fathom the deep projects of sovereign authority. That sword, which had served for execution, will now serve for trial. "Divide the living child in two, and give half to the one, and Ihalf to the other." O divine oracle of justice, commanding that which it would not have done, that it might find out that which could not be discovered! Bp.

Hall.

26. Then spake the woman &c.] On Solomon's ordering the child to be divided in two, the real mother begs that the child may be saved, even though it be given to her adversary; but the pretended mother is clearly for dividing it: this gave Solomon a full conviction that she who expressed tenderness and compassion for the child, was its true mother, and accordingly he ordered it to be given to her. Stackhouse. This sword has already pierced the breast of the true mother, and divided her heart with fear and grief at so killing a sentence. There needs no other rack to discover nature; and now, while she thinks on the cruelty of such a sentence, she sues to that suspected mercy of her just judge, "O my lord, give her the living child, and in no wise slay it ;' as thinking, "If he live, he will but change his mother;

2 And these were the princes which he had; Azariah the son of Zadok the || priest,

Before CHRIST 1014.

+ Heb. in the midst of him.

|| Or, the chief

3 Elihoreph and Ahiah, the sons officer. of Shisha, || scribes; Jehoshaphat the or, son of Ahilud, the || recorder.

secretaries.

|| Or, re

4 And Benaiah the son of Jehoiada membrancer. was over the host: and Zadok and Abiathar were the priests:

5 And Azariah the son of Nathan was over the officers: and Zabud the son of Nathan was principal officer, and the king's friend:

6 And Ahishar was over the houshold: and a Adoniram the son of a Chap. 5. 14. Abda was over the || tribute. | Or, levy.

if he die, his mother loses a son: while he lives, it shall be my comfort that I have a son, though I may not call him so: if he were to die, he would perish to both of us: it is better he should live to a wrong mother than to neither." On the contrary, her envious competitor, as holding herself well satisfied that her neighbour should be as childless as herself, can say, "Let it be neither mine nor thine, but divide it." Well might Solomon and every hearer conclude, that either she was no mother, or a monster, that could be content with the murder of her child; and that, if she could have been the true mother, and yet have desired the blood of her infant, she would have deserved as much to have been stripped of her child for her unnatural disposition, as the other would have deserved to possess him for her honest compassion. Not more justly, therefore, than wisely, doth Solomon trace the true mother by the footsteps of love and pity, and adjudge the child to those bowels that had yearned at his danger. Bp. Hall.

Chap. IV. ver. 2. Azariah the son of Zadok the priest,] He was the son of Ahimaaz the son of Zadok, and therefore was grandson of Zadok, 1 Chron. vi. 8, 9, but such are frequently called sons in Scripture. It is not here distinctly said what office Azariah held; but it seems probable that he, Elihoraph, and Ahiah were all three scribes or secretaries. Bp. Patrick.

4.- Zadok and Abiathar were the priests:] It is matter of doubt with commentators whether this is the same Abiathar whom Solomon ejected from the office of high priest, chap. ii. 35. If it is the same, he was probably suffered to retain the name and title of high priest, while Zadok enjoyed the office, and perhaps occasionally to minister; or perhaps he is here mentioned, because in the beginning of Solomon's reign, he did discharge the office of high priest. Bp. Patrick. Or it is meant that Zadok was the high priest, and Abiathar his deputy. Pyle.