The History of the Old Testament Methodized, Chapter 5 · Section 19 · Concurrent kings · Isreal · Hoshea
HOSHEA the Son of Ela having murdered Pekah got the Kingdom into his own hand,The 19th. King of Iſrael, HOSHEA. in the fourth year of Ahaz, yet by reaſon of ſtirs and tumults that aroſe hereupon, he could not quietly enjoy it, but that State continued in confuſion, and a kind of Anarchy for the ſpace of nine years. Hoſhea having at length compoſed all differences at home began now quietly to reign in the latter end of the twelfth year of Ahaz, and reigned nine years.
He did evil in the ſight of the Lord, but not as the Kings of Iſrael that were before him; for though he continued Jeroboam's Idolatry of the Golden Calves, yet he abandoned the groſſer Idolatries of many of his Predeceſſors. And beſides he ſuffered ſuch of his ſubjects (as had a mind to it) to go up to Jeruſalem to worſhip there, which the former Kings of Iſrael would not permit. For when Hezekiah had proclaimed a ſolemn Paſſover, many of the Ten Tribes went up to keep their Paſſover in Jeruſalem as we read 2 Chron. 30.11. Nevertheleſs divers of Aſher and Manaſſeh and of Zebulon humbled themſelves and came to Jeruſalem, 2 King. 17.1, 2.
Tiglath-Pileſer (after he had reigned nineteen years) dying, Salmanaſſer his Son ſucceeded him. This Salmanaſſer *This ſeemeth to be that Shalman who in the Propheſie of Hoſea, Chap. 10.14. is ſaid to have laid waſte the houſe of Arbeb, to wit the Country of Arbela in the land of Aſſyria beneath Arpad.either invited by the people, or taking advantage of thoſe late broils in the Kingdom of Iſrael came up now againſt Hoſhea, and at length prevailed ſo far that Hoſhea was content to become his ſervant and pay him tribute, 2 King. 17.3.
But ſometime after Hoſhea confederating with the King of Egypt, reſolved to caſt off his yoke and refuſed to pay him tribute any longer. Salmanaſſer underſtanding this, reſolved to revenge this injury. Wherefore firſt of all making ſure of all the land of the Moabites, that he might have no enemy on his back to annoy him, and raſing to the ground their two chief Cities, Ar and Kirharaſeth according to the Propheſie of Iſaiah (Chap. 15.) he then went through and waſted all the land of Iſrael, and at laſt marched to Samaria in the fourth year of Hezekiah, and ſeventh of Hoſhea, and beſieged it three years, viz. in the ſeventh, eighth and ninth year of Hoſhea, which were concurrent with the fourth, fifth and ſixth of Hezekiah.
Iſa. 15. whole Chapter.
2 King. 17.4, 5.
2 King. 18.9, 10.
Toward the end of the third year of the ſiege (the ſixth of the reign of Hezekiah and ninth of Hoſhea) Salmanaſſer took Samaria and their King Hoſhea, and then ſhut him up and bound him in priſon †2 King. 17. latter part of v. 4. thoſe words are ſpoken by way of anticipation., (as Joſephus ſays lib. 9.) and carried away the Iſraelites captives into his own country, and planted them in Chalachochabor and Nehar-Gozan cities of Aſſyria, (whither Tiglath-Pileſer had before tranſported the inhabitants of Perea) and in the Cities of Media. If any ſuch inquire why the Lord did thus deliver up the Iſraelites into the hands of their enemies? the reaſon is here fully rendred, becauſe they obeyed not the voice of the Lord their God, but tranſgreſſed his Covenant, and all that Moſes the ſervant of the Lord commanded, and would not hear them nor do them, 2 King. 18.12. And 2 King. 17.7, &c. For ſo it was that the children of Iſrael had ſinned againſt the Lord their God, who had brought them up out of the land of Egypt from under the hand of Pharoah King of Egypt, and they feared other gods, and walked in the ſtatutes of the heathen (whom the Lord had caſt out before them) and of the Kings of Iſrael, who made ſtatutes for Idolatry. And beſides their open Idolatry they did ſecretly many things which were not right, againſt the mind and will of the Lord their God, and they built them high places in all their Cities, from the tower of the watchmen †A Proverbial speech whereby the extent of their Idolatry is ſet forth.to their fenced Cities. And they ſet them up Images and groves in every high hill, and under every green tree. And there they burnt incenſe in all the high places as did the heathen whom the Lord carried away before them, and wrought wicked things to provoke the Lord to anger. Yea they ſerved Idols whereof the Lord had ſaid unto them, ye ſhall not do this thing. Notwithſtanding the Lord teſtified againſt Iſrael and againſt Judah, by all the Prophets, and by all the Seers whom he ſent unto them, ſaying, Turn ye from your evil ways, and keep my commandments, and my ſtatutes according to what I commanded your fathers in the wilderneſs, and which I have often ſince inculcated upon you by my ſervants the Prophets time after time. But they would not hear, but hardened their necks as their fathers did, who did not believe in the Lord their God. And they rejected his ſtatutes and his covenant that he made with their fathers, and his teſtimonies †In which reſpect Ezek. 20.25. Gods ſtatutes are ſaid not to be good, that is, through the wickedneſs of the people they prov'd hurtful to them, and ſentenced them to death.whereby he teſtified againſt their tranſgreſſions, and they followed vanity, and became vain, and went after the heathen that were round about them, concerning whom the Lord had charged them that they ſhould not do like unto them. And they left all the commandments of the Lord their God, and made them molten images, even two Calves, and made a grove, and worſhipped all the hoſt of heaven, and ſerved Baal. And they cauſed their ſons and their daughters to paſs through the fire, and uſed divination and inchantments, and ſold themſelves to do evil in the ſight of the Lord to provoke him to anger; therefore the Lord was very angry with Iſrael, and removed them out of his ſight, there was none left but the Tribe of Judah only. And another cauſe of Iſraels ruin was, they were an ill example to Judah, and infected that Nation. And hereupon Judah alſo kept not the commandments of the Lord their God, but walked in the ſtatutes of Iſrael which they made. So the Lord rejected all the ſeed of Iſrael, and afflicted them, and delivered them into the hand of ſpoilers, until he had caſt them out of his ſight; that is, out of that land where he manifeſted the evidences of his gracious preſence. 'Tis further added that when the Lord had rent Iſrael from the houſe of David, they made Jeroboam the Son of Nebat King, and Jeroboam drave Iſrael from following the Lord, and made them ſin a great ſin. And the children of Iſrael walked in all the ſins of Jeroboam which he did, they departed not from them, until the Lord removed them out of his ſight, as he had threatned by all his ſervants the Prophets. And for theſe reaſons was Iſrael carried away out of their own land to Aſſyria, where they remained as exiles when this Hiſtory was written.
2 King. 17. from 7, to the 24.
2 King. 18.10, 11, 12.
This was the end of the Kingdom of Iſrael when it had ſtood ſevered from the Kingdom of Judah by the ſpace of two hundred fifty four years. Their many great and crying ſins highly provoked the Lord againſt them, eſpecially their notorious idolatry, their contempt of the Lords Prophets, and their contumacy and bold perſiſting in their wicked ways. For after the great blow they received by Tiglath-Pileſ…r, 2 King. 15.29. they were ſo far from any amendment that they uſed in the pride of their hearts that Proverb, Iſa. 9. v. 10. The bricks are fallen down, but we will build with hewn ſtones; the ſycamores are cut down but we will change them into cedars; intimating thereby, that they would build their towns that were ſpoiled better than they were before. For theſe ſins therefore the Lord was provoked to reject and caſt them off, and to ſuffer them to be led away captive.
Tobit or Tobias the elder, ſaith of himſelf that he at this time with Anna his wife, and his Countrymen the Naphtalites was carried away into the land of Aſſyria, and there made purveyor or provider of corn and other victuals for Salmanaſſer's houſhold, and alſo that he was carried into Media, and there placed in a principal City called Ruges, &c. Tobit Ch. 1.
Salmanaſſer having thus carried away the Iſraelites captives, he planted Colonies there of five Nations of his own people, (taking them out of Babylon, Cutha, Ava, Emath and Sepharvaim) and placed them in the Cities of Samaria in the room of the Iſraelites. And theſe were they that after this time were called Cuthaeans, by a Synecdoche, becauſe the major part of them came out of Cutha a Country in Perſia, many of theſe at their firſt coming thither not fearing the Lord, nor worſhipping the true God of Iſrael were devoured by Lions; therefore a Jewiſh Prieſt was at the requeſt of the reſt of them ſent out of Aſſyria to teach them the manner how the God of Iſrael would be worſhipped. But this being (as it ſeems) one of Jeroboam's Prieſts, and making his reſidence at Bethel, he taught them not the pure worſhip of God, nor to ſerve him as they ought in his Temple at Jeruſalem, but in their own Country after the way of Jeroboam. Neither were theſe people brought to worſhip the true God alone, but every City had alſo a ſeveral Idol of their own, which they worſhipped according to the cuſtom of the Nations from which they were deſcended, and from whence they had been tranſported. So though they feared the Lord, that is, acknowledged the God of Iſrael to be the true God, yet they ſerved their own gods alſo after the manner of the Nations from whence they came*Ex ritu Gentium illarum unde ipſos deportaverant, vel è quibus deportati fuerant. Piſc.. And as for the Iſraelites that were carried away captive into Aſſyria, they were nothing amended by their captivity, but 'tis ſaid of them 2 King. 17.34. That unto this day they do after their former manners; they fear not the Lord, neither do they after their ſtatutes, or after their ordinances (appointed and enjoin'd them by God) or after the Law and Commandments which the Lord commanded the children of Jacob (whom he named Iſrael) to obſerve with whom he made a Covenant, and charged them, ſaying, Ye ſhall not fear other gods, nor bow your ſelves to them, nor ſerve them, nor ſacrifice to them. But the Lord (who brought you up out of the land of Egypt with great power, and a ſtretched out arm) him ſhall ye fear, and him ſhall ye worſhip, and to him ſhall ye do ſacrifice. And the ſtatutes and the ordinances, and the law, and the commandments which he wrote for you, ye ſhall obſerve to do for evermore *Viz. as long as that diſpenſation ſhall laſt., and ye ſhall not fear other gods. And the Covenant that I have made with you ye ſhall not forget, neither ſhall ye fear other gods; but the Lord your God ſhall ye fear, and he ſhall deliver you out of the hand of all your enemies. Howbeit they did not hearken, but they did after their former manner. But as for thoſe Nations whom the King of Aſſyria brought out of other Countries and placed in Samaria, they went on in their mungrel way of Religion, they and their children from generation to generation.
After theſe firſt Colonies there were other Colonies brought thither by Eſarhaddon King of Aſſyria, who was alſo called Aſnapper the Great [Ezra 4.2.10.] Son of Sennacherib, and Grandchild to Salmanaſſer. This ſeems to be the laſt of the Aſsyrian Kings, and the perſon that carried Manaſſeh priſoner to Babylon, which was then under the Aſsyrian Empire, 2 Chron. 33.11. So that the Propheſie of Iſaiah ſeems now to be fulfilled, Chap. 7.8. The head of Syria is Damaſcus, and the head of Damaſcus is Rezin, and within threeſcore and five years ſhall Ephraim be broken that it be not a people. For though the greateſt part of the Iſraelites were carried away by Salmanaſſer ſome years before, and their Kingdom utterly aboliſhed, yet among them that were left, there remained ſome ſhew of a Government. But now by reaſon of the great multitude of forreigners which came to dwell there, the ſmall remainder of the Ephramites were accounted as nothing; yet they were not utterly extinct in their own Country as appears from 2 Chron. 34.6, 7. & v. 33. & Chap. 35.18. & 2 King. 23.19, 20.
2 King. 17. from 24, to the end.
Theſe Samaritans before mentioned were ſucceeded by a ſecond ſort of Heretical Samaritans in the time of the Government of Nehemiah, in whoſe time one of the Sons of Ioiada the Son of Eliaſhib the High Prieſt married the daughter of Sanballat the Horonite, and therefore he chaſed him from him, Neh. 13.28. This Prieſt thus driven away from Ieruſalem, went with other Iews (that had made the like mungrel marriages) to the Samaritans their wives kindred, who there (as the Iewiſh Writers relate) aſſiſted them in building an Anti-Temple on mount Gerizim, where a medly Nation deviſed a Miſcellaneous worſhip of God, rejecting all the Scriptures, ſave the five Books of Moſes, and maintaining many abominable ſuperſtitions. So that between theſe Samaritans and the Iews there grew a deadly hatred as appears Joh. 4. 9. the main difference between them in point of Religion is briefly and clearly ſtated in thoſe words of the woman of Samaria to our Saviour, Our Fathers (viz. Samaritans) worſhipped in this mountain (viz. Gerizim) but ye Jews ſay that in Jeruſalem is the place where men ought to worſhip, Joh. 4.20. And obſervable it is, that whereas Moſes appointed an Altar to be built on Mount Ebal, which Joſhua accordingly afterwards erected in that place, Joſh. 8.30. Yet the Samaritan Penteteuch maketh the ſame to be built on Mount Gerizim, in the very place where afterwards this mock-temple ſtood, to gain thereto the greater reputation of holineſs, and ſo they wilfully depraved the original, (vide Samarit. Pentet. in Deut. 27.4.) But if beſides the five Books of Moſes theſe Samaritans had received the Books of the Prophets, their teſtimony would have overthrown their cauſe ; for the Pſalmiſt ſays expreſly, Pſal. 78. 67. He refuſed the Tabernacle of Joſeph, and choſe not the Tribe of Ephraim, but choſe the Tribe of Judah, the mount Sion which he loved. But to return, this Temple on mount Gerizim, Antiochus Epiphanes afterwards turned into the Temple of Jupiter, who is celebrated for hoſpitality, and it was deſtroyed ſomething before the time of our Saviour by John Hircanus, after it had ſtood above two hundred years. But though the Temple was taken away, yet the mountain remained ſtill, in which the Samaritans continued their adoration and falſe worſhip.
Here Ends the Reigns of the KINGS of ISRAEL.